July 2010: Tips from Tom Mazza
The Impact of the Bosses Words
Everything you say, to everyone in the office, every day, has tremendous impact. You never get a mulligan. You never get a day to let your hair down. There is never an excuse. You never get a pass because you were having a bad day.
If you talk badly about a client, you have given every person in the office permission to do the same. If you criticize an employee in front of their peers, you have poisoned every person's view of that employee. If they hear you talking about "getting over on a vendor" they will question your character and judgment. When you speak negatively about an employee after they are terminated, your people know it will probably happen to them when they leave. If you are petty, insensitive, flip, they never forget it. If you are 30 and they are 50, they still look at you as an authority figure and even, to an extent, a parental figure. When you act badly, you disappoint them. They WANT to respect you even hold you on a pedestal.
Think before you speak and before you act. Being a yeller or a bully makes for a toxic company culture. Hire good people, train them properly, then give them space to do their jobs. As my friend Jeff Fox says in How to Become a Great Boss, "if you hire a watch dog, you don't need to run around the yard barking."
Don't talk about your vacation or your cottage on the lake to employees who are struggling to put food on the table and buy their meds. Let your friends company take you to the airport and do the same for her. It minimizes the chance your lifestyle will breed resentment. If your kids come visit you at work, make sure they are respectful to everyone who works with you. Nothing breeds resentment faster than the boss's disrespectful child. And a good boss and parent always recognizes the value of each person in her employ.
Being an entrepreneur is one of the most important and fulfilling lives any person can choose. Creating wealth and opportunity for others is a true "calling". You should be proud of yourself and your company. Please take the message above in the spirit it was given--------TM
Developing a REAL Referral Program for YOUR Company:
Just read an eye opening book called The Referral Engine by John Jantsch. Most people in the chauffeured transportation world say their business comes from word of mouth or referral. Jantsch says "although 89.6 percent of business owners surveyed for the book said that most of their business came from word of mouth and referrals, only 26% had any type of formal program to solicit referrals."
So the impetus for the book was to show readers how to generate consistent referrals and thereby create more business.
Be Referral Worthy: The foundation of getting referrals from satisfied customers is to be a business that satisfies customers. "You have to be a great company worthy of being referred," Jantsch says. People don't refer business to boring or mediocre businesses, but they do refer business to companies that exceed their expectations and do something exceptionally well.
Start With Existing Customers: It is not enough to simply provide a good product or service at a fair price. "That is the minimum of what is expected of you," John correctly notes. Instead, your job, if you want referrals, is to take a customer through a cycle John calls "know, like, trust, try, buy, repeat, and refer."
For someone to refer you, they must first learn about your business, trust it, try it and like it, shop there again, and only then will they refer you.
Equally important you have to make it easy for customers to refer business to you once they like you and are repeat customers: Create customer loyalty programs. Give people incentives to refer business to you. Ask for referrals.
And most importantly, connect with your customers and give them many ways to connect with you:
- Connect using IM, Twitter, Facebook, and your website
- Offer feedback forms on your site and with invoices
- Take frequent customer surveys
- Call them and ask how you are doing
- Create customer review panels
- Welcome customer complaints
Presenting the New Normal: Tom Mazza Wows the GCLA in Los Angeles
Thank you to my friend Alan Shandeling, president of the GCLA and owner of Fleetwood Limousine in Los Angeles. Alan invited me to present "The New Normal: How the Recession Changed the Limousine Industry forever" on June 8th to a capacity crowd of California operators. (see link to LCT story on speech)
http://www.lctmag.com/news/news-story.cfm?id=3182
Thank you to my friend Alan Shandeling, president of the GCLA and owner of Fleetwood Limousine in Los Angeles. Alan invited me to present "The New Normal: How the Recession Changed the Limousine Industry forever" on June 8th to a capacity crowd of California operators. (see link to LCT story on speech)
http://www.lctmag.com/news/news-story.cfm?id=3182
TMC Launching Two New Success Groups
The response to the creation of "The Emerging Companies Group" has been excellent. But so many companies are interested in sharing best practices and benchmarking financials in a group setting that we are attempting to launch two groups.
A larger group with companies doing more than $3 million in annual sales is forming and will meet in Philadelphia on August 24th and 25th. A second group of smaller companies will meet in September. (stay tuned for date and location)
Tom Mazza "Success Groups" have met more than a hundred times from 2002 to the present. Group members over the years have won 27 national "Operators of the Year". Group members report amazing revenue gains and profit margins citing the group as a major factor in their success. Meeting costs are $500 per event plus travel, meeting room, and hotel expenses. As LLG member, Jason Sharenow, partner in Broadway Elite of New Jersey, said, "The Mazza Group has been a home run from the start for us."
Mazza Call Center Offering Partial Coverage Plans
Mazza Call Center is a full service reservation and dispatch service offered to limousine companies from 11 pm to 7 am 7 days a week. Managed by Yvonne La Mar, the Call Center has a staff of experienced personnel who work remotely using VOIP technology. MCC is NOT an answering service! Agents take reservations, make changes, spot chauffeurs, and generally act as a virtual employee.
The Call Center is now offering partial coverage plans. Ken Lucci, president of Ambassador Limousine says, "Even if we could find a quality overnight dispatcher, the Call Center is a tremendous savings for us and the quality of your staff is excellent."
For more information on the Call Center, call Yvonne at 305-457-2579 or callcenteryl@gmail.com
A Final Word from Coach John Wooden
"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."
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