As much as I talk about making changes it’s hard for me too. I started my blog on type pad three years ago and built my blog page over the years. It has been my opening page on Internet Explorer and I love opening to the blog. I loved looking at the page, adding new pieces and hoping for comments. For a year I’ve been fighting moving my blog to my web site, why, I’m not sure. Maybe it was the end of something I liked and the beginning of something I didn’t know I would like.
I’ve been afraid you wouldn’t like it that makes sense because you are my readers. Do I know if you’ll like it, of course I don’t? I know that it makes it easier for you to leave comments and for us to communicate. Isn’t that the way it should be?
I think I’m experiencing what many of you have experienced; it’s working, why should I change it? Things need to be fresh and new; would you continue to read a magazine if the cover never changed? Of course you wouldn’t but I’ve not changed my cover in years. Like the rest of the world I like to be comfortable but being comfortable can keep you from being successful.
Successful people are always uncomfortable, learning new things and taking risks. Today’s risk can be tomorrow’s success but you will never know unless you try.
The way to keep young is to embrace change and the newness that the world has to offer. will keep you from being successful.
Embrace new technology (in my case more video) and say you love it. You know you can talk yourself into it? I often hear people say, I’m just not comfortable with it; when I get comfortable I’ll do it. With the way the world is changing, you may not have time to get comfortable you may just have to do it. Nike is still right!
I need to find better ways to connect with you; I’m going to try new things for my blog. I’m going to get out more and take photos and video of the world. I have to trips planned to watch customers in the act of shopping and buying. A not very undercover spy!
The path to change does not have to be alone. There are so many talented people who can help you through the change—and you know it’s more fun with others. I recently brought a group of friends to talk about how we might help each other to get more business. Everyone sees it different and embracing our differences is what makes the world go round.
So look for more changes, a new web look, new products, tips, newsletters and whatever else you want. I get emails from many of you weekly asking for new ideas. Even stuff that works gets boring. I’ve heard the expression, you could die of boredom; I don’t know what that would be like but we’ll have none of that. What about your ideas? Share what’s making your day, share what you’ve discovered and what has given you that Ahha moment. Got a great idea, let me know and let’s work it into a blog.
I love this quote from Harrison Ford: We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.
Have you ever tried to get unsubscribed from an e-mail list? I have a site that I’ve been trying to get rid of for one year, and I can’t do it. The best I can do is getting the message to go to my spam box!
How come subscribing is so much easier than unsubscribing? Isn’t customer service giving the customer what they want? Maybe companies don’t check out their own policies or take their own suggestions.
When I get done unsubscribing I really hate them for putting me through all the nonsense.
My friend told me of his experience with Kmart and Sears; I think it’s a good lesson on “unsubscribing warfare.” We pick up the conversation as it gets juicy (my comments in italics).
Dear Mr. Valued Customer, (names have been altered to protect K-mart!) Thank you for contacting kmart.com. (Hmn, I wonder if its so?)
We apologize for the inconvenience of receiving unwanted emails. Please send your full address and we will remove you from the email and call list. (Simple enough, like he hadn’t sent it at least 4 times before?)
We do appreciate your business but understand this frustration. Please have a great week.
> Gloria B.>> >>>
Kmart Customer Care
help@customerservice.kmart.com
1-866-KMART-4U (1-866-562-7848)
My friend’s response:
>> > > >Original Message Follows: ———————— >When I insert my email address as you describe, your system will not recognize my address (even though it continues to send emails to that address) so I cannot get your system to forward to me my unknown password.
Are you starting to get a picture….there appears to be no way for ME to end this.
I never signed up for your emails (I didn’t even shop at Kmart & now most certainly won’t).
I don’t know my password to stop them, & apparently, even if I did know the password, your system wouldn’t recognize my email & password, allowing me to stop them. I didn’t ask for this,
I didn’t create this, I don’t want this, I can’t stop this; Kmart created this… (K-mart gone wild! I don’t think its girls gone wild.)
Kmart needs to stop this.
From Kmart:
Original Message —–
From: Kmart Help
To: Valued Customer
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 10:30 AM
Subject: Re: Unsolicited emails (KMM3172974I15977L0KM)
> Dear Customer,Thank you for contacting Kmart.com. (You think?)
We are sorry to hear that you would like to unsubscribe from our marketing list.
To stop receiving e-mail promotions from us please visit our site and click on the “My Profile” link located in the top left of the website. You will then need to follow the steps listed below:
1. Enter your e-mail address and password. 2. Click on “My Information” link located on the left. 3. Scroll down and select “I would like to receive special offers, updates and sale alerts.” under “E-mail Specials” located near the bottom of the page. Make sure the checkmark is removed from the box. 4. Save and return to Overview. Once these steps have been completed your e-mail address will be removed from our mailing list within a few business days. We thank you for your patience. We appreciate your business and again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you.
Look for great bargains throughout the store and find Kmart exclusive brands like Martha Stewart Everyday, Thalia Sodi, (Thalia who?) Joe Boxer, Route 66 and Jaclyn Smith.
(Hey, good salesmanship; never miss the opportunity to resell the customer.)
Kmart Customer Care
help@customerservice.kmart.com
1-866-KMART-4U (1-866-562-7848)
From my friend:
> >Original Message Follows: ———————— >That’s ridiculous. If I have a password I don’t know how I got it or what it is.
On EVERY email you send me I go to “unsubscribe” & do so yet the emails continue to roll in. Why doesn’t that stop the emails?
PLEASE REPLY TO THIS QUESTION! Call or send my password to XXX, It’s obvious my initial email wasn’t completely read as there’s no way I’ll be looking at any “great Bargains” or brand names at Kmart. (No crap)
From Kmart:
—– Original Message —–
From: Kmart Help
To: XXX
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 11:46 AM
Subject: Re: Unsolicited emails (KMM3157376I15977L0KM)
Dear XXX
Thank you for contacting kmart.com.
We appreciate your recent correspondence. We welcomed the opportunity to email you our many in-store and online specials. (OMG)
We are sorry to hear that you would like to unsubscribe from our marketing list. To stop receiving e-mail promotions from us please visit our site and click on the “My Profile” link located in the top left of the website. You will then need to follow the steps listed below:
1. Enter your e-mail address and password.
2. Click on “My Information” link located on the left.
3. Scroll down and select “I would like to receive special offers, updates and sale alerts.” under “E-mail Specials” located near the bottom of the page. Make sure the checkmark is removed from the box.
4. Save and return to Overview.
Once these steps have been completed your e-mail address will be removed from our mailing list within a few business days. We thank you for your patience. We appreciate your business and again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you.
Look for great bargains throughout the store and find Kmart exclusive brands like Martha Stewart Everyday, Thalia Sodi, (Thalia who?) Joe Boxer, Route 66 and Jaclyn Smith.
Angie D.
Kmart Customer Care
help@customerservice.kmart.com
1-866-KMART-4U (1-866-562-7848)
Ok, so, if the customer doesn’t get it the first time, send them the same message under another name. And don’t forget to try and sell them….again!
So my friend responds:
Original Message Follows: ———————— I want a person in a position of authority to call me at XXX (And who might that be?)I have currently been “unsubscribing” to your unsolicited emails for several weeks each time I receive one. In addition, I’ve emailed this address & requested to be removed from your email list a minimum of two times. I have already resolved NEVER to make another purchase from Kmart, Sears or any associated stores.
I will now start a verbal & electronic campaign with everyone I know to boycott your stores. Upon receiving the next email from Kmart I will locate the proper governing body & complain to the government of your harassment. (Now it’s gone global, maybe it’s the wrong country?)
Apparently Kmart is so inept your E system doesn’t automatically delete my email automatically with my request & the personnel either are overworked, incompetent or uninterested.
Go for it XX!
I believe XX is currently alive and well after receiving a call from the President of Kmart who personally unsubscribed XX!
Please feel free to forward this off to anyone having a problem unsubscribing or needs a good laugh!
GHENT, NY — In the wake of the unexpected passing of its founder, FABULOUS FLOORS Magazine, the first consumer publication devoted to floor décor, will continue publishing its quarterly issues.
“We will finish the Summer issue which Publisher Sonna Calandrino had begun prior to her death in late May, although we have had to push back production, printing and distribution some two to three weeks,” said Acting Publisher Richard Howland.
“Right now, our advertisers have indicated they will continue to support the title. For the Summer issue, a few last-minute advertisers have taken advantage of the timing to come aboard,” Howland added.
Looking ahead, Peachtree Communications, Inc., parent company of FABULOUS FLOORS, is planning its annual Fall design issue with bonus distribution to the American Society of Interior Designers as a memorial to the late publisher, largely at the request of advertisers and industry partners.
Peachtree Communications, Inc. which specializes in consulting, advertising, merchandising, PR and web content for the flooring industry, also was founded by Sonna Calandrino and will continue under the direction of her partner and executive vice president Richard Howland.
This week my baby sister Sonna passed away from breast cancer. Baby sisters never get to be grown up no matter how old. She had been sick for three years, always optimistic, always ready to climb the next hill. Unfortunately she was told several days before she died there were no more hills to climb and the fight was over.
From the day they’re born, some people are just special. That describes my sister Sonna. She was beautiful at birth and as she grew she became more feminine; unlike me who always wore pants she wore dresses. When she was four she asked my mom for a pair of patent leather sandals, a new standard from the tie shoes that I was wearing. This was the start of the dress designer, fashionista called Sonna.
Of course as a 6 year old I didn’t want a sister, I seriously wanted a horse. Of course I never got a horse but I got something even better. I got a sister, a mentor, a business partner, a best friend someone to laugh with and a shoulder to cry on. My mother said I could name her which made me proud, since I was only six years old. I loved our next door neighbor Sonna Lee Berch so Sonna Lee it was.
She was the prankster, terrorizing me by hiding in the closet at night and jumping out as soon as I entered the dark room.
There were things we shared, our love for gardening, water skiing, color style, make up and just walking and talking. We were so alike and so different; in 1985 we both went shopping on the same day, in different cities and came back with the same outfit.
She was my business partner for 14 years and we were inseparable.—through thick and thin we were together. We fought, we laughed we cried, it didn’t matter as long as we did it together.
We shared an interesting ritual, she sent me sister cards and I bought her an amethyst piece of jewelry for her birthdays. Her birthday was February 15th, the day after Valentine’s Day. I gave her rings, bracelets, purple flowers, anything purple. The last birthday was in 2008 and I went to the hospital with purple earrings. She was so terribly sick, hardly recognizable but she said, I’m so glad you brought me something purple, I was afraid you would forget. Please put them on for me.
Today I went through the cards and letters and found the sister book. In essence it said, thank you for the years and what you’ve given me. Protecting and looking out for me, I will always be there for you no matter what. There was my birthday card and a note, that said, “Sis, I made it through another year."
Through her illness she distanced herself from many who loved her including me. Having had cancer I remember needing distance, time to focus on trying to live and not wanting to be asked, are you sure you’re all right? I wanted to be there for her and protect her from the horrible illness that was taking her strength and her beauty but I never got to do my job. It makes me sad but her husband Rick was with her. Reading through her cards and letters makes me still feel close, maybe not part of her life, but certainly part of her soul. My mom used to laugh with us, she couldn’t distinguish our voices on the telephone which gave Sonna and I another bag of tricks. I will remember the tricks, the water skiing and the knowing that she is no longer in pain. I will go visit her grave, talk with her and leave her with her favorite purple gladiolus or grandmas peonies which we both loved. I missed her birthday this year.
The month of December has been a very interesting one for me. This year I’ve been fortunate enough to celebrate Chanukah, Christmas coming tomorrow and next week is Kwanzaa. Tradition is interesting, even if it’s not your own. Several of us celebrated the 6th night of Chanukah with our neighbor Dan and we got to learn some Israeli folk dances and eat traditional food. Tradition and the holidays give us an excuse to give gifts, give thanks and get together with people who are important in our lives.
This year I had a “family” party, Italian Night at the Calandrino’s for 30 of my friends. We sang holiday songs; ate the best food (cooked by all), drank wine, sang, ate lots of desserts and sang some more. It was wonderful; everyone was kind, concerned and it felt like family. I reminded me of the Olive Garden commercial, “when you’re here it’s like family.” I received so many nice notes thanking me for getting everyone together.
It has made me stop and think; why do we wait a year to get together with people that are important? I mean, how many years do we have on this earth? Let’s say you have 70 years left, does this mean you’ll only see your best friends 70 times? It’s also possible you won’t recognize anyone after year 65 from now. Getting together once a month makes more sense, doesn’t it? I have discussed it with my friends and they all agree and have offered help to make it happen.
Caring about others is never as striking as during “the season.” Today I was in the beauty salon and one of the technicians said, will I be able to get my paycheck today? The reply from the owner: I don’t think so; we didn’t take in any cash, only checks. Of course that put the technician in a snit. Single mom with two kids. While the owner is out shopping and telling everyone that she has her shopping done. On the other side, my downstairs neighbor, Irma, received a surprise bouquet of roses. The florist sent them because Irma was kind enough to accept a delivery for me and the delivery man was going to be late! It made Irma’s day; and I hate to throw this in, but that’s what I call Red Hot Customer Service!
Unexpected, out-of-the-ordinary and very nice.
Now it’s your turn. What will you be doing for the holidays and whose day will you make?
I want to thank all of you for the support you’ve given me this year while I have been growing my blog and testing new waters. It’s wonderful to know that you are out there; many of you drop me an email now and then or comment on my blog. How about this year you leave more comments and ideas so we have new things to talk about? Let me know what’s going on in your neck of the woods and what you’re doing through the holidays?
Whomever thought that cyberspace was impersonal didn’t know what they were talking about.
I had the good fortune to meet a smart consumer while out on a carpet inspection recently. For this story she will remain “smart consumer” — or SC.
By the way, this is a consumer with a problem.
The consumer had worked in high-end retail for many years and was in charge of training her salespeople, so for her, customer service was a no brainer. “Just give the customer what they want, period, and be nice to them,” says Ms Smart Consumer.
Apparently five independently owned retail stores didn’t quite get it, so Ms. SC purchased from Home Depot.
Here is a summarization of our conversation:
The customer had a preference for Stainmaster. The product came highly recommended so she went looking for the brand. Her research showed that everyone had the brand.
Before shopping she went went online to update her carpet knowledge. Having purchased carpet several times before, she knew what to expect of the process.
She asked her friends in the neighborhood where to buy carpet. The Home Depot got good ratings, as did one of the Shop-at-Homes. For some reason, SC eliminated the shop-at-home.
Since SC was new to the neighborhood, she wanted to look around and decided to search a 40 mile radius. According to research this is very typical female shopping behavior—the journey is as important as the final destination. It’s all part of the experience.
Ms SC’s three top priorities were
Customer service
Price
Quality
She wanted nice carpet, but was frugal with her money. She didn’t choose “designer shops” because fashion wasn’t really an issue. She knows she has good taste so why waste time. (After being in her house, I would vouch for this.)
A trip to the nearest Home Depot came up first. Why? Because of their size, Ms SC felt that they would be reliable and dependable. This is an interesting association with the size of the store. Her experience with the Depot and the associates in the carpet department were friendly. If they were not able to answer a question they knew where to get the answer. Basically they were friendly and she liked them. She also found the installation special very appealing.
Next stop, the independent retailers.
I told you that Ms SC had been in charge of training in her last employment. What does she consider most important? Making the customer feel important, acknowledging their presence and making them feel smart. Her experience at the independent store? Not that good. Employees didn’t get out of their chairs to acknowledge her, they asked very few questions and most pointed to the carpet department and said call me if you need anything. She also remarked one of the stores also didn’t smell that good. SC mentioned the smell to her husband but this didn’t seem like a reason not to consider this store.
Bottom line, she wanted someone to talk to her, ask about her project and make her feel important.
Her evaluation: the prices were all similar and everyone had Stainmaster carpet. Where did she buy? The Home Depot, because everyone was nice and she liked the installation special. All of the pricing was the same or similar.
Okay, so this is one customer’s experience but it points up some very big issues.
You don’t always have to be super smart, but you do have to be super nice.
Customers want to feel special, if you make them feel special; you have a good possibility of making the sale.
Being reliable and dependable are two important traits. I’m pretty sure that the other stores were also both reliable and dependable but maybe it wasn’t obvious — no customer testimonials or data on customers’ experiences were available.
Customers will travel; in this case, since the customer was new to the area, she was interested in learning more about her area of the country.
How about some blogs? Blogs that welcome new residents to the neighborhood, provide warrantee information, stats on complaints, biographies of the salespeople and more, so that by the time the customer gets to the store the customers feel like they know the salesperson.
This of course is one customer’s experience, a customer with a problem. It does sound like being nice pays off.
In your experience as a customer, all things being equal, how important is an “extra nice salesperson?”
I wouldn’t have believed this if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Stores will sometimes spend thousands on new racking systems or to repave their parking lots — but not a dime to train their employees.
Joanne’s Fabrics is a national chain with great products for anyone who sews or does crafts. My friend Mary does both but sewing is more than her hobby; it’s her home-based business. Her store of choice for fabric and sewing machine? You got it, Joanne’s Fabrics. How long has she been shopping at their store? Probably 15 years. How much has she spent? Probably thousands.
Mary recently purchased two pens that are used to mark fabric — the kind that within 10 minutes or so the ink dries and disappears. This is very useful when you are sewing and marking on light color fabrics. Unfortunately one of the pens was not working. Here are three important pieces of information to the story. 1. The pens are $6. 2. The week before, Mary purchased a new sewing machine for more than $1,000. 3. Mary does not have a receipt for the pens.
I probably don’t need to tell you anymore but it highlights some very important customer service issues. When Mary took the pen back, the salesperson was unwilling to refund her money. (Mary didn’t ask for a new pen since she wasn’t that thrilled with the first one.)
Funny the salesperson didn’t look for Mary’s name in the computer and Mary didn’t say, “Hey, I’m a great customer, I bought a $1000 sewing machine last week and spent $5000 last year in your store.”
I decided not to add my two cents but asked Mary a few questions instead. She said she understood why the salesperson didn’t give her back her money: Mary didn’t have a receipt. I asked her about the sewing machine she bought for $1000, to which she replied that she forgot to bring it up.
Okay, so Mary is a more passive customer, not wanting to cause problems and doesn’t realize that she has leverage with the salesperson or clout in the marketplace. You can be sure if she tells this story to a few more friends she will have worked herself to a frenzy — and then look out!
The real questions in my mind are:
Why didn’t the salesperson ask the customer any questions before she said “no way”? A question like What’s your name? would have probably have given Mary the opportunity to talk about how much she likes Joanne’s and about her new sewing machine.
Did she take for granted that Mary was a slacker? I mean, Mary was wearing a picture of her dog emblazoned on her shirt, hat and socks.
Did the salesperson assume the customer was just cheap? It was only a $6 item.
Mary doesn’t have a car so she takes two buses to get to Joanne’s to be dismissed. That may have something to do with Mary’s statement yesterday: why don’t we just go into New York City and go to the garment district to buy my supplies. What Joanne’s doesn’t know about Mary is that she’s a lot more sophisticated than she looks.
According to a study conducted by two professors from Vanderbilt University, up to 40% of satisfied customers do not return to those businesses who gave them the satisfactory service.
This means that almost half their customers wind up missing in action.
How would they know if they’re missing?
They probably wouldn’t, because most businesses don’t track lost customers or try to find out where these customers went.
If this is true, most businesses don’t even know if their customers are satisfied or not. In fact, a non-complaining customer may be interpreted as a satisfied customer. This may simply not be the case.
Check out these statistics.
The average “wronged customer” will tell 8-l6 people about it. Over 20% will tell more than 20. Source: Lee Resource Inc
It takes 12 positive service incidents to make up for one negative incident. Source: “Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-Legner
For every customer who bothers to complain, 26 other customers remain silent. Source: Lee Resource Inc.
Customer service used to mean following through on your commitments to your customer and doing what you said you would do. In other words: delivering on the promise. Here’s my new definition on what customer service means to me:
I believe that delivering the promise is no longer customer service. Delivering the promise is the price of admission a company pays to be in business. The new customer service is what you deliver beyond the promise. It’s what you do to delight, excite and build relationships with your customers that make their experience memorable.
If you accept this definition it means expanding your thinking about customer service. This means knowing that every aspect of your business has an impact on customer service, not just face-to-face encounters but everything that happens in your business. To make it work, every employee needs to be committed to learning what your customers want and then developing action plans to make it happen.
How will this happen? By determining what will astound your customers and then exceeding their expectation.
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?”
“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.
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)
“…a high-energy and very personal presenter with a great sense of humor. Her presentation is based on a very solid understanding of the flooring retail market and is full of very practical ideas of how to improve the business of a floor covering store...” - Svend Hovmand, Chairman, Crossville, Inc.
“…her professionalism and flexibility, among other qualities, make her a pleasure to work with annually...” – Carol Wilkins, Conference Manager, Hanley-Woods
“…our conference attendees enjoyed not only Lisbeth’s message, but also the humorous and real life way it was delivered. We would love to have her back again…” - Christine Rankin, President, Carpet Network, Inc.
“…the most dynamic force available in the industry today… If you’re passionate about your business and its long-term viability, you won’t think twice...” - Christine B Whittemore, Director, In-Store Innovation
“…Lisbeth’s interactive, thought-provoking delivery hit just the right notes with our audience of small business owners, distributors and manufacturers...” -Peggy McCarthy, Executive Director, Arizona Floorcovering Association
“…I found Lisbeth's ideas to be right on target and gave me new ways to grow our business… I can't wait to go back and share them with my staff…” - Herb Hildebrand, COO, Great Lakes Carpet and Tile
As much as I talk about making changes it’s hard for me too. I started my blog on type pad three years ago and built my blog page over the years. It has been my opening page on Internet Explorer and I love opening to the blog. I loved looking at the page, adding new pieces and hoping for comments. For a year I’ve been fighting moving my blog to my web site, why, I’m not sure. Maybe it was the end of something I liked and the beginning of something I didn’t know I would like.
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