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Scott Monroe, Owner, Access Companies, Houston, TX

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Fear and Loathing in Scottsdale

What Separates the Good Companies from The Rest of The Pack?

I am lucky. Normally I fly out of Houston Hobby Airport, a literal oasis from normal airport rat races. It is basically a Southwest Airlines Hub, and close to the part of town where I live. If I show up really late, guess what...they get me and my luggage on the flight. They act like they care. I don't know if all of them really do care but they seem to live by either "faking it until they make it", or they actually do care. You see, they must know that if you fake it long enough and are in a positive cultural, eventually you will care, or you will not make it with that company. What a great attitude. Unfortunately, I had to fly at our other airport recently and flew to a destination Southwest does not travel to. I will only say this company starts with a C. I arrived at the airport in front of a person at 25 minutes before my flight. I was informed I could not make the flight and would have to wait 7 hours for the next flight. Nobody cared and no one tried...not at all...and it was a slow day. BUT, it gets better. On the return flight on the little Regional Jet I had to check my computer at the door of the airplane. The computer made it to Washington DC before I received it the following night. When I asked baggage to check while I was waiting they did not care. Finally, I asked her if she called the gate. She said she did 15 minutes ago and that the line was busy. After 90 minutes of waiting, I filed a claim and the next night when my computer came, I had to pay $32.00 for their mistake. A cheap price for avoiding this company and their attitude at all costs. How is your company perceived? The reason I ask is I see more than a few dealerships where the service department seems to really get off on making people mad. Do you know if your service department is like that? Are you knowledgeable about this happening and in denial? This will cost you so much money if you don't straighten it out. Because unlike the airlines, last time I checked, car dealerships do not tend to have a captive audience, In fact we are overdealered. I have a cost effective way to get the most out of a service department....it drives old customers back to service which in turn drives them to sales. And, I have so many references and people going on this program. Call me at 1-888-295-5314, EXT 703 for a free consultation. You will be glad you did. Or go to the website and see a free webinar at the customer recovery tab.

What Is Soul?

Is soul a color, is it a race, is it a state of mind? Is it a feeling? I think I saw what being soulful was in the purest form the other night. Some friends of mine had their band, The Grateful Geezers (www.gratefulgeezers.com) a mostly soul cover band, playing at a music festival. I think I witnessed what pure soul is when I saw a paraplegic in motorized wheel chair making the chair actually dance, and enjoying himself. You see, on the surface we had to feel sorry for this man. After all, he cannot walk and is confined to a chair. But maybe we should envy his spirit and how great and uninhibited he must be, and how comfortable he is in his own skin. So on that night I was witness to pure soul and pure joy. What a power music has! It is a shame so many of today's vocalists cannot play an instrument. The great ones I was privileged to grow up with generally knew an instrument really well so that when they sang, they knew key and octave changes, knew what they meant and the theory behind them..... even if they did not play an instrument in their particular group. One who comes to mind is the late great Marvin Gaye.

Are We So In Touch That We Are Out of IT?

Recently, I attended a meeting at the headquarters of a very large dealer group in Central Texas. A very successful well run dealer group with many great processes I might add. During the meeting, one manager was on his blackberry texting and emailing. Another was constantly monitoring his cell phone. I for one will be glad when the day of multi tasking is dead. There used to be an old comedy album titled "How Can You Be in Two Places at One Time When You Really Are Nowhere At All?" This title best describes the multi taskers of today. We are so anxiously awaiting the future and worried about the past that we fail to realize the most important moment we have...RIGHT NOW. I mean really, taking a phone and answering it in the bathroom during a very private moment. Somewhere the people that do the research for politicians have got to be laughing at us...we have all this technology that has made us so obsessed about issues that don't really matter. In fact now that I am ranting about technology, what about when a lending institution's computer system goes down? You cannot get a decision. I mean, come on, we do not even teach common sense anymore it would seem. An analyst should be able to look at an application during such situations and approve or decline a deal. What a joke. I am trying to make an effort to turn my phone off more and more. Read the book The 4 Hour Work Week. It has some great insights on empowerment and delegation, as well as email and internet usage. As business people some of the principles are invaluable. Until next time, keep sellin.