September 2009: Tips from Tom Mazza

 

Stop Letting Vendor Calls Control YOUR Day
ay after day I am a witness to what I consider a self-defeating pattern of behavior by my clients.

Business owners allow their business day to be controlled by salespeople selling everything from buses to mobile car washes.  I have witnessed, across the country, in operations big and small, a veritable drum beat of interruptions that last all day, every day.

These interruptions have a huge impact on the business as a whole, and leave the business owner unable to focus and unable to accomplish THEIR goals every day.

Take control of YOUR business day and make it stop, NOW! Today's is your lucky day, follow these simple steps and make your business better and your life better!

1. Schedule brief appointments with your key vendors. Financing, website, insurance, software, auto repair. Do a 15 minute or less "status call" with your vendors and keep good notes on every call. The frequency of the call depends on the vendor but emphasize the way to communicate is on YOUR schedule.
   
   
2. Give your staff instructions that all vendor calls, unless of an emergency nature be directed into the "vendor window." E.G "Mr. Smith is not available. He returns calls daily from 2-3 PM, if there is an emergency, please let me know. He also responds to all e-mails within 24 hours." BONUS TIP: Use a designated vendor e-mail such as yourname@gmail.com to separate incoming mail from vendors.
   
   
3. Empower your staff to make decisions and then back off!  True story, I am with a client behind closed doors discussing the possible acquisition of a large competitor. His extension lights up 3 times in 10 minutes, his cell phone chirps constantly, and finally a knock on the door to interrupt him. "Mr. Smith, Car 11 has a broken windshield, what do you want to do?" Everyone in the building KNOWS what to do. We call 2 glass guys and pick the low bid with the quickest turnaround, simple!
   
   
4. If you are considering a new vendor, take control of the process: Do your homework on a prospective vendor. Give them your undivided attention when they present their product. Then give the salesperson a date you will respond by and limit THEIR follow up to an e-mail. Put the date you agreed to respond in your calendar, and follow up. Make decisions, if the answer is "no" say no or they keep calling!
   
   
5. Repeat after me, "I am in control of MY work day, I have a "To Do" list that I must accomplish every day and the only thing that will take me off course is serving the needs of my clients! Focus your attention on what YOU need to accomplish every day, and then get it done.

A Few Words on the RIGHT Way to "Criticize" Your Staff
First off, let me put it right out there, I am better at it but still stink at receiving criticism. I get defensive and become 12 years old all over again. I am still a work in progress but I found an article in the New York Times that helped me.

Here are some key points from the article, "For Best Results, Take the Sting Out of Criticism" by Alina Tugend

• Give feedback to your staff, do not criticize.
  
  
• Criticism is judgmental and accusatory.
  
  
• Criticism involves making negative assumptions about another person's motives. Feedback reacts not to intent but the actual result of the behavior.
  
  
• Criticism, poorly given, often includes advice, commands and ultimatums, making the person receiving it feel defensive and angry. Feedback looks less at how the person should change but tries to prompt a discussion about the benefits of change.

Conclusion: One of the most effective ways to criticize a team member is not to tell them what they did wrong, but ask them to analyze what they think they could have done better

 

Driver Training at Australian Embassy was an Awesome Experience
August 14th was a wonderful day for Tom Mazza Consulting in Washington DC.  An enthusiastic group of Embassy drivers were informed and entertained in a presentation titled "Delivering World Class Service to Dignitaries and Guests".
 
The presentation reviewed the role of the staff as the "front door" of the Embassy. The Australian Embassy in Washington employs a staff of over 400 and hosts numerous receptions for politicians, dignitaries, and native Australians living in the States.
 
Tom has trained more than 6,000 professional chauffeurs in cities across North America. To arrange a day of training for YOUR chauffeurs, call Tom at 215-973-8201.

 

Lessons Learned at Limousine Benchmarking Group in Boston
The theme of the August meeting of the Limousine Benchmarking Group in Boston was personal and professional improvement.
 
Hosting the meeting was Jerry Robbins of Weldon Executive Coach at the Millennium Hotel. Attending were Bruce Heinrich of LEADER in Kansas City, Ron Stein of Exclusive in Los Angeles, Johan De Leeuw of Olympus Worldwide in Atlanta, Doug Chancey of Embassy in Tampa, Jan Cherrier of Premiere in Minneapolis, Alex Mayer of AAA Worldwide in New Jersey, Carolyn Nelson of Belaire Limo in Maryland, Barb Branstetter of Carte Blanche in Indianapolis, Tara Grewal of Griffin Transportation in Vancouver, Andy Poulos of Montreal Worldwide, Gary Arndt of A Limousine in Pittsburgh. Scott Oh, of A-1 in Chicago was attending a family wedding overseas and was missed by all.
 
The meeting included a site visit and evaluation of Weldon Coach, 13 hours of instruction in the class room and lots of discussion. The group enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Boston and a memorable visit to the Union Oyster House.
 
Highlights in the classroom included a spirited discussion on financial matters based on the group's 2008 P & L.  The book Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin was the subject of an interesting debate. Colvin, an editor at MONEY magazine, contends that the notion of a person born with incredible ability is a myth. "Deliberate Practice" explains, in Colvin's view a Tiger Woods or a Mozart. Colvin believes all of the skills we display in business from writing a memo to delivering a presentation can be practiced and improved with the result being a stronger manager.

 

Power Selling for YOUR Inside Sales Team to be Offered in Chicago and Los Angeles
Tom's "Inside Sales Program" was a rousing success on August 5th in Newark, NJ. The program trains reservation agents to SELL more trips. The "buzz" has been so promising that plans are in the works for similar programs in Chicago and Los Angeles.
 
Program Fees for the 1-day program in Chicago and Los Angeles will be approximately $350 per attendee. Please e-mail Tom at tommazza@aol.com and tell him that you are interested in sending your team to either city. Plans will be finalized when we have lined up sufficient numbers.

 

Evaluating YOUR Hidden Company: TMC Puts You Under the Scope
Tom's "Inside Sales Program" was a rousing success on August 5th in Newark, NJ. The program trains reservation agents to SELL more trips. The "buzz" has been so promising that plans are in the works for similar programs in Chicago and Los Angeles.