{"id":1671,"date":"2009-02-10T16:16:16","date_gmt":"2009-02-11T00:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/?p=1671"},"modified":"2009-02-10T16:17:30","modified_gmt":"2009-02-11T00:17:30","slug":"tramdock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/2009\/02\/10\/tramdock\/","title":{"rendered":"Tramdock"},"content":{"rendered":"

"Holy crap. Your stuff just shipped."<\/p>\n

I found Tramdock via EpicSki.com.\u00c2\u00a0 I found EpicSki.com via Google.<\/p>\n

You could launch an expensive advertising campaign, buying space and time everywhere your agency can rip you off, but it probably won’t sell your product.\u00c2\u00a0 The nation has become immune to hype.<\/p>\n

Look at Bruce Springsteen’s appearance at the Super Bowl.\u00c2\u00a0 In the wake of his show, he sold a grand total of 100,000 copies of his new album, "Working On A Dream".\u00c2\u00a0 98 million people watched the game, but almost none of them want the new album.\u00c2\u00a0 Bruce famously told Bob Costas that he was doing the Super Bowl because he had an album to sell.\u00c2\u00a0 A better strategy would have been to come up with one great track and hope that it spread virally online.<\/p>\n

Same deal with U2.\u00c2\u00a0 The band thought that it was immune to public opinion.\u00c2\u00a0 That it could will a hit single.\u00c2\u00a0 But despite opening the Grammy telecast, "Put On Your Boots" isn’t even in the iTunes Top 100.\u00c2\u00a0 (Actually, sales were so poor, it’s been pulled from the store.)<\/p>\n

What’s fascinating to me is both these acts NEED the success.\u00c2\u00a0 U2 NEEDS to be the biggest band in the world.\u00c2\u00a0 Last time around, they bought insurance by writing a ditty reminiscent of a classic hit and flogging it via not only an iPod commercial, but an iPod itself!\u00c2\u00a0 Where does the band go from here?\u00c2\u00a0 Does it go on the Disney Channel and perform with the Jonas Brothers in "Camp Rock 2"?\u00c2\u00a0 Nothing can sell the lame track they released, because the public has rejected it.\u00c2\u00a0 Just go online.\u00c2\u00a0 You’ll find out.<\/p>\n

There’s an alternative culture in cyberspace.\u00c2\u00a0 Ironically, one larger than the mainstream world touted by big time media and most inside the D.C. beltway.\u00c2\u00a0 President Obama utilized the Internet to spread the word about his campaign and raise money, but two legendary artists are tone deaf to new media?<\/p>\n

I found EpicSki.com because I was researching a new pair of skis.\u00c2\u00a0 We live in an information age.\u00c2\u00a0 You not only solicit your friends’ opinions, you do research, often exhaustive, to get the exact product you want.\u00c2\u00a0 Want to buy a TV?\u00c2\u00a0 I didn’t trust the salesman at Ken Crane’s, he was ignorant, too focused on his commission.\u00c2\u00a0 I studied the ratings on cnet.\u00c2\u00a0 I read the comments on Amazon.\u00c2\u00a0 I cross-referenced actual sales with comments on Amazon.\u00c2\u00a0 And what I found out was ten out of ten of the best-selling LCDs is a Samsung.\u00c2\u00a0 Are you really going to buy a Sony after that?\u00c2\u00a0 Especially when further research tells you that the glass is manufactured in a joint venture (Sony needing to pair up with Samsung to utilize their technology)?\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t trust those ads for TVs during sporting contests.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re stupid.\u00c2\u00a0 How can I see their picture is better when I’m watching on MY set?\u00c2\u00a0 And the fact that they’re authorized by the league…is there anybody unsophisticated enough to think this means anything other than an exchange of cash?<\/p>\n

Turns out there was this one expert on EpicSki, named SierraJim.\u00c2\u00a0 He worked at a retail store in Northern California.\u00c2\u00a0 I read enough posts to learn that he was truly knowledgeable.\u00c2\u00a0 And he offered this information for free.\u00c2\u00a0 There was no sales pitch whatsoever.\u00c2\u00a0 So I checked out his store (http:\/\/www.sierraskis.com\/<\/a>).\u00c2\u00a0 And found incredible deals.\u00c2\u00a0 I told a friend and he purchased skis from this outlet.<\/p>\n

But there was another retailer bitching on EpicSki.\u00c2\u00a0 Wondering how he could survive competing against Tramdock.<\/p>\n

Huh?\u00c2\u00a0 What’s Tramdock?<\/p>\n

I Googled it.\u00c2\u00a0 Ah, just another company selling remainders, the equivalent of the old record cutout.\u00c2\u00a0 But I always perused the cutout bin, I found more than a few gems, I plucked Move titles from the detritus.\u00c2\u00a0 Kinks records too.<\/p>\n

So I bookmarked Tramdock.com.<\/p>\n

And you do know that in most browsers you can create a list of bookmarks that you can open all at once?\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve got one entitled "Ski".\u00c2\u00a0 I put the Tramdock.com url in there, I started studying the offerings.<\/p>\n

So frequently clothing.\u00c2\u00a0 And I’m not a clotheshorse.\u00c2\u00a0 Oftentimes last year’s skis.\u00c2\u00a0 But one day, I saw a Swix waxing iron.<\/p>\n

Last spring, with the ski season done, I ironed my skis to seal their bases for the summer.\u00c2\u00a0 But my old steam iron, stolen from my mother in the sixties, almost melted my Volkls.\u00c2\u00a0 It was impossible to get the temperature right.<\/p>\n

Should I buy this waxing iron?\u00c2\u00a0 The incentive is the price.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s sixty-odd percent off.<\/p>\n

I didn’t.\u00c2\u00a0 Then realized my mistake.\u00c2\u00a0 If I was using a forty year old iron, what difference did it make if the new one I purchased was last year’s model?<\/p>\n

I haunted Tramdock.com until the offer came up again, and then I laid my money down.<\/p>\n

And I immediately received an e-mail confirmation that said "Get stoked – most items ship within 24 hours."\u00c2\u00a0 That’s how they talk on the hill.\u00c2\u00a0 But most e-commerce sites use the traditional phrases, vetted by attorneys to avoid any and all lawsuits.\u00c2\u00a0 These companies are not run by humans, but computers.\u00c2\u00a0 Just try to complain when you’ve got a problem.<\/p>\n

And then, three hours later, came another e-mail.\u00c2\u00a0 With the above quote.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, "Holy crap.\u00c2\u00a0 Your stuff just shipped."<\/p>\n

Wasn’t I supposed to wait ten days for them to make money on my money?\u00c2\u00a0 They ship within twenty four hours?<\/p>\n

But what truly sold me was the irreverence.\u00c2\u00a0 Real people work at Tramdock.com.\u00c2\u00a0 Or at least real people wrote the computer scripts.<\/p>\n

Real people did not write the Grammy show.\u00c2\u00a0 You could have employed the same verbiage back in 1968.\u00c2\u00a0 As for the Jonas Brothers…\u00c2\u00a0 How do you build a business on teen idols?\u00c2\u00a0 Isn’t that like those one-off hi-def screens they sell at warehouse clubs?\u00c2\u00a0 With licensed legendary names, like Polaroid and Westinghouse?\u00c2\u00a0 Who do they think they’re fooling? And it appears only one low price independent will survive the squeeze, Vizio, if it survives at all.<\/p>\n

Sony’s faltering?\u00c2\u00a0 That’s not hard to believe.\u00c2\u00a0 Its image sucks.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not hip.<\/p>\n

And neither is Bruce Springsteen.\u00c2\u00a0 Which is fine, if he owns his true identity and plays to the core.<\/p>\n

If Tramdock were to advertise in "Newsweek", almost all of the money would be wasted.\u00c2\u00a0 And those skiers who saw the ad would be suspicious.\u00c2\u00a0 But when the site is vetted by others, and you have a good experience, you tell everybody you know.\u00c2\u00a0 This used to be the key to growth in the music business.\u00c2\u00a0 Before easy TV exposure created instant hit acts.<\/p>\n

But those acts fell by the wayside.\u00c2\u00a0 Too many of the acts that remain are like Sony, thinking the landscape never changes.<\/p>\n

Play to your core.\u00c2\u00a0 If you deserve to be bigger, your fans will spread the word.\u00c2\u00a0 And don’t be afraid of offending those not in the loop.\u00c2\u00a0 They don’t matter.<\/p>\n

\n
http:\/\/www.tramdock.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.epicski.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

(epicski just had a site redesign, in the interest of further monetization.\u00c2\u00a0 The regular inhabitants hate it.\u00c2\u00a0 To experience the old flavor, go to: http:\/\/www.epicski.com\/forum\/<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 However, trying to jazz up the site, they made it prettier, with less information on every page.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes utilitarian\/industrial is just fine.\u00c2\u00a0 After all, as Apple has proven again and again, it’s about USABILITY!)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

"Holy crap. Your stuff just shipped." I found Tramdock via EpicSki.com.\u00c2\u00a0 I found EpicSki.com via Google. You could launch an expensive advertising campaign, buying space and time everywhere your agency can rip you off, but it probably won’t sell your product.\u00c2\u00a0 The nation has become immune to hype. Look at Bruce Springsteen’s appearance at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s96vPs-tramdock","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1673,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions\/1673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}