We went to a number of dealers, found a make and model we liked, and started to shop price. We got so many conflicting prices, I came home and felt like I had been put through a wringer.

But, after a bit, I settled down and decided to let web do some of work for me. I called all dealers and asked them to fax me a copy of window stickers of make and model I was interested in. Lo and Behold - all were exactly same. So why big disparity in offering prices?

Then I remembered - http://giggo.com/ - and immediately called it up. I entered make and model of vehicle I was looking for, and not only got window sticker prices, but also what dealer paid for vehicle and accessory packages . One dealer actually tried to charge us $5,000 over his cost.

I then looked up resale value of "Grand Am", and armed with this information and dealer cost, went back to bargain. When all was said and done, I got $1,000 more for "Grand Am" than they were offering, and paid $100 over dealer cost for new one. Sure, I know they have dealer incentives and rebates. The dealer couldn't stay in business very long only making $100 per sale. But I did know I was probably paying a fair price.

Flashback - Last fall, I needed new filters for our humidifier and couldn't find them locally. Back to web - after a bit of searching I found company that manufactured them. A quick call to their "800" number and found a dealer that carried them.

Now what is point here? I don't know what his problem was, but he obviously had one. Maybe dog just made a mess on carpet, or he had an argument with someone - who knows. But he was obviously in a bad frame of mind when he wrote me. We all receive something that raises our "hackles" every now and then. The best thing is to either ignore it, or wait until you are in a better frame of mind before responding.

When you write to someone you must remember that only way they can determine your intention is words you use. If you give someone "short shrift" they will simply write you off, and you'll never hear from them again. If you are doing business on web, last thing you want is to send out an email with negative vibes.

Worse yet, some people simply ignore your request and never respond. Why spend your time and effort trying to promote something, and when you do get a response, ignore it? This makes no sense. One of things that people like, and have grown to expect, is rapid communication possible on net. If you don't get back in a timely manner, people will get impression that you are not responsive. This can be "kiss of death" to online entrepreneur.

Sometimes a request for information is sent after you have closed down for day. So what is a timely manner? That's hard to define, but let's examine a few strategies.