If I Had A Million Dollars

Assume you are the CEO for an online/catalog multichannel business. Your CFO opens up the purse strings, and gives you access to a million dollars. How would you spend the money? Leave your suggestion in the comments section below. Here's a few suggestions to get you started.

• Invest in improved functionality of the website.
  
• Hire individuals who have skills that are lacking in your organization.
• Give current staff bonuses, salary increases, or improve health-care opportunities for your team.
  
• Mail additional catalogs to drive increased volume.
• Invest the money in customer acquisition activities across all advertising channels.
• Invest the money in customer retention activities across all channels.
• Develop a multichannel brand building advertising campaign.
• Invest in research and development of new products or services.
  
• Increase customer service staffing levels.
• Improve distribution center logistics.
• Pay down debt.
• Give the money back to the customer via reduced shipping and handling rates, or expedited shipping.
• Improve inventory systems so that you can truly participate in multichannel retailing.
• Increase paid search activities.
• Obtain favorable homepage placements on Yahoo! or MSN or AOL.
• Improve the photography and creative execution of your catalog mailings and website imagery.
• Pay shareholders a special one-time dividend.
• Invest in public relations activities designed to improve customer perception of the brand, including donations to worthy non-profit organizations.
• Develop "Web 2.0" marketing strategies that increase customer participation in your brand.
• Purchase the naming rights to your local minor-league baseball team's stadium.
• Purchase new office furniture for your employees.
  
• Purchase new computer hardware for your employees.
• Enter into a strategic project with a major management consulting firm that, with luck, results in greatly increased velocity of your brand.
• Develop a highly personalized and targeted e-mail campaign strategy with trigger-based campaigns.

Which of these opportunities would you pursue? Better yet, suggest one of your own.