Lisbeth Calandrino::

I wonder if people know what comes out of their mouths or if mouths have their own strategies. Then I think maybe I listen or hear too much.

I found myself in the position of having to rent a car in the Pittsburg, PA airport. Unfortunately there were no cars to rent except at the Hertz counter. I said to the woman, “No one has cars to rent — I suppose you’re out too?” She smiled and replied, “Oh no, we have plenty of cars to rent.”

“I’m so relieved !” I said. “How much for a midsize?”

“They’re all the same price. It’s $300 a day.”

“What? That’s triple everyone else’s price, isn’t it?”

“Sure it is,” she replied. “But we’re the only one with cars!”

Yes, she really did say that!

Now I know you don’t think this really happened to me and even I wasn’t sure it was happening. So I said to the woman, “What makes you think that I’ll want to rent a car from you after the ‘car drought’ is over?”

To this she had no reply, just the blank stare which said, do you want it or not? And then: “Like I said, we’re the only one with cars today.”

It reminds me of what happened in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina when bottled water was being sold for $10 a bottle. This will make you memorable, and not in a good way.
A few thoughts:

• Customers aren’t stupid, for the most part. We know when we’re being taken advantage of.
• Customers remember when they have a bad experience with your company.
• A happy customer will tell a few people, an unhappy customer will tell the world—just like I’m doing now.
• Short-term thinking is just that: short term. Win the battle and lose the war.

Most likely people think that Hertz is simply the most expensive rental agency, which explains why they had cars left that day. Since there were only a few cars left, they could have confused everyone by sending the cars out at prices cheaper than their competitors! Customers would be in heaven, tell everyone and vow to at least give Hertz a try the next time. Hertz’s competitors would have been confused when they learned that Hertz was suddenly cheaper than them.

At least this customer would have gone away happy, rather than vowing to take the nearest bus.

Emily Cappiello of Floor Covery Weekly wrote a great article about how businesses can be using social media to promote their products and services. She interviewed me for the story and I’m happy to have been a part of it. Thanks Emily! The full article is below.

Social Media Can Be A Stepping Stone for Biz
by Emily Cappiello

Social networking is used every day by millions of people of all ages — it has become a part of their everyday lives. Being able to present your business on a social networking site can have many benefits; the sites are a source for active promotion of your name and brand and can drive sales by providing more exposure.

Michael Cheek, manager, Internet technology for Mohawk, said that social networking is important because it has become a primary way for people to communicate. “People are having the conversation anyway and we need to be a part of it,” he said. Cheek explained that there are some simple ways that retailers can really take advantage of social networking. First, reserve your store name — whether or not you will be using social networking immediately. This ensures that when you want to use it, your name is what you want it to be and also what customers recognize you as. Secondly, portray your work on social networking sites. “So much of what we do as an industry is visual and it’s a way for people to find more paths into your store,” Cheek said. Cheek also explained that social networking sites are a way to make sure that customers will share their experiences online — a modern-day version of referral business.

If created and used correctly, social networking also levels the playing field, said Lisbeth Calandrino, director of consumer research at Fabulous Floors. “You don’t have to be big anymore to have a marketing presence. You need to learn to use your computer,” she said. She explained that although people get nervous because of the transparency that comes with social networking sites, there are so many ways to still remain in control. “You can’t really make many mistakes. It’s really all about fun and building connections. I believe the ones that will make it will be the ones who conquer cyberspace. This is the movement from a flat, ad-based website to the web 2.0, which is the conversation and interaction between the retailer and the customer,” Calandrino said.

Calandrino suggests that retailers take advantage of all types of online networking tools — social networking sites as well as blogs — and link them all, but she also said that retailers have to make it interesting. “You don’t want it to be just about advertising; if you do, no one will want to come to your Facebook page. You need to add anything that is important for you, like a runner’s club if you like running, and build your own place. As for your work, try to get video or photo testimonials and invite your customer to comment. Post about what is going on, say if you are having a color and design meeting. Everyone has to realize that this is where the customer is, this is how you network these days,” she said.

Carpet Network, a franchise company that has tried to consistently have a presence on the Internet, has embraced social networking because the benefits have been realized. “[Social networking] has been an interesting challenge, but it is also paying off,” said Lenny Rankin, CEO. “It is hitting every segment of society today, so why not be a part of it?

Rankin explained that social networking sites are a non-invasive way to let people know what is going on while keeping your brand in front of consumers. “It is a piece of the puzzle with helping brand awareness and being there when people need you. We are in front of people and we are getting more exposure and if someone writes something like ‘good job’ or ‘excellent service,’ it goes to hundreds of people,” he said. Also important is the fact that social networking gives franchise members a chance to hear about what is new and provides a forum for discussion.

And retailers aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit. Betsy Amoroso, director of corporate communications for Mannington, explained that social networking can give a name and face to a manufacturer, which may boost sales in the long run. “I think social networking is critical for businesses today, because more than ever, consumers like to feel a personal connection with a company they choose to purchase from. Social networks allow that deeper level of communication that just wasn’t available before and it draws them into your brand very early on in the purchasing process,” she explained.

“We felt that social networking, in particular our new Facebook page, was a great way to make that personal connection; to show consumers that we are not just a company but people with families who share the same cares and concerns that they have,” she added.

The only issue she sees is the fact that networks are so open and the things written and communicated are not always able to be controlled. To that, Amoroso said companies have to be able to take the good with the bad. “One of the biggest pros and cons is the transparency this gives your company. You have to be ready to take praise as well as negative feedback and be ready to address anything that comes your way. That said, though, I still believe that consumers today appreciate that transparency, and respect a company that is willing to open itself up like that,” Amoroso said.

“No time to blink, no time to think.”

That’s how Jorge Morgado describes the experience and the day that would change his thoughts and his life forever. What started out as a normal day for Jorge didn’t end that way. He had his breakfast, coffee and a kiss goodbye. While most of us don’t think: will this be the last kiss?, for some reason Jorge did think about it on his way out the door.

This is how Jorge calmly describes to me what happened on January 15, 2009, the day that US Air flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River with 155 passengers aboard.

It was a nasty, snowy day as the five golfers headed out on the Merritt Parkway to pick up their friends and cousins for the drive to LaGuardia Airport in NYC to catch their Spirit Air flight to Myrtle Beach, SC. The usually 1½ hour ride to the airport turns into a 3½ hour fiasco. The snowstorm on the Merritt, bumper-to-bumper traffic and a series of airport “mishaps” — missed flights, cancelled flights and an eventual rebooking on US Air’s flight 1549. As luck has it, the six golfers from Mass get the last six seats on this historic flight. Not only did they get the last six seats, but since it was only a one way (they were still on Spirit Air for the return home) they qualified for a one-on-one special screening by TSA. Weather delays, special screening, plane changes turned a group of strangers into fast friends. Little did they know how important this would prove to be. As it is often said, “things happen for a reason.”

Finally, the six board the plane, taking the last six seats and separating them during the flight. The six find themselves not sitting next to old friends, but next to — what would be — their “new and lifelong friends.”

Things seemed pretty normal. Snow, delays but finally a take off. “One of the last things I noticed was Trump’s plane while he was on the runway,” Jorge remembers. Take off, the booming sound of something in the engines, a funny smell (cooked geese in the engines, Jorge supposes). “I heard the Captain yell prepare for impact. I just saw everyone else with their heads down and I just followed. It was a hard landing, luggage flying all over, people praying and darkness. I felt the water coming up over my ankles.”

What followed next was not ordinary, but extraordinary. 155 passengers got out of the plane in one piece, without injury to each other.

“I yelled and looked for my brother in law and I found him,” says Jorge. “And then there were the children. People yelling, get the children out. There were three kids on board that were separated from their parents that we instinctively knew we had to get them and their parents off the plane. Then started the craziness, people wanting to swim from the plane, pushing out the door, and jumping into the water. I just knew this was wrong. It was about 20 degrees out. All of a sudden someone yelled, stop, don’t jump and let’s get organized. A passenger on board suddenly took charge.”

“In my mind,” Jorge continues, “this was the turning point. It was all about leadership. Someone who was willing to take charge and make it happen. Preparing us to work together for our survival. Slowly and methodically we grabbed our seat cushions, it seemed like a smart thing until we realized how cold the water was, and we filed out of the plane. As we got out of the plane we realized that getting us off the plane was a lot harder than we thought. Ferry boats with huge wakes making it impossible to board, helicopters causing more havoc and most of us freezing. We pulled the ‘swimmers’ out of the water and shared our dry clothing. We knew it would be a long day.”

“Eventually help was on the way and there was a briefing from law enforcement: were we terrorists? Then a hotel, food, dry clothes and calls to/from our families. We no sooner got in touch with them and we were on national TV and everyone’s Twitter.”

Who are all of these 155 passengers? About 100 are now best friends forever. “Many of us call each other daily, we will be in each other’s lives forever,” says Jorge. “Lots of kind people. An investment banker friend of Nick Faldo said he was sure Nick would want to help, and soon enough we were invited to his golf course and got autographed photos. Of course we lost our clubs and Titleist called and invited us down to their manufacturing plant to fit us all for custom clubs.”

I also met Rob, Jorge’s uncle-in-law who was also on the flight. Another person with memories and thoughts about going forward. “Living life every day has never been more true,” says Rob.

Here’s what Jorge’s keeps in mind these days — for both life and business:

• “How important life is, friends, family, even strangers.  If I didn’t know before of their importance, I really know now.”
• “Working together, how important team work can be. It saved our lives and prevented serious injury.”
• “Live each day with zest and excitement. Yes, it may be your last.”
• “Prepare for your future with today in mind. Make each day count for something.”
• “Everyone you meet and in your life matters—period.”
• “Don’t be afraid to ‘just do it.’ Sometimes you don’t know if it’s right or wrong; you just have to put yourself out there.
• “Give thanks daily, to those you love and make a difference. In a blink it can be over.”
• “Live life as if it matters. It does.”
• “Look for the humor in life. As we stood on the boat looking back at the plane, a fellow golfer  turned to me and said, ‘We can still drive [to Myrtle Beach], you know.’”

“Of course, we didn’t realize then that our golf clubs were in the Hudson!” Jorge says.

The group have since reunited for the golf outing, which took place in April. Photos here.

Thank you Jorge for sharing your memories and experience with us. If you haven’t seen it yet, this animated sequence shows what happened with Flight 1549 that day. The timing has been condensed so it’s more of a ‘fast-forward’ dramatization rather than a minute-by-minute one.

(photo at top: Jorge Morgado and Captain Chesley ‘Sully‘ Sullenberger)

Resources

• US Airways Plane Crashes In Hudson River
• Hudson River Plane Landing
• Twittering the USAirways Plane Crash
• WSJ