Rants, Raves and Rumblings

Change

2012-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of change going on around Restylers’ Choice this New Year. Change in life is inevitable, and it is how you deal with it that makes the difference. To some people change is a very scary thing. These people tend to fret the change, over worry about it, and stress themselves out about it. Those who know me know that change is like my middle name. I like mixing things up. I know that there are generally better ways to do things, and only by changing can we improve. Now I don’t like change for the sake of change, but change does not scare me. I have never let change have an impact on my psyche. There are some very good books written on the subject, my favorite is “Who Moved my Cheese.” If change affects you negatively, I really suggest you read it. It is short, sweet and to the point.

Now to the point of this Rant - the changes happening around RC this New Year. First, my mom, Marie Jacobs, who has worked for RC and AAW before that for a total of 12 years, has decided to retire. She has been around the business long enough to witness the tremendous growth that we have had over the years, and the tremendous personnel changes. During that timeframe she has been a dependable and consistent member of our staff. She has been in-charge of posting customer payments, and this will leave a void that needs to be filled. While I will still see her often (she is still my mom), her presence around the office will surely be missed. Thanks Mom!

Secondly, our Choice Rewards program is going to be seriously revamped at the end of January. The new program will be based around points being redeemed for purchases at RC. The current program has become very difficult for us to manage. Many customers have not liked the items to select from and have requested substitute products or gift cards. We have been forced, partly due to the number of requests, to limit the selection to just those items on the website. This has caused some ill-will with customers, and that is obviously not the goal of such a program. This new change will make it easier to redeem points and much easier for us to consistently administer the program. For those who like the current program you will still have until 1/31/12 to redeem your points under the current program offerings. Keep in mind that your current points will still be valid under the new program, only your redemption options will change.

Finally, and most importantly RC is upgrading our Accounting, Invoicing, and Inventory program to a new, and much more powerful system. This has been in the works for over a year now, and we are elated to finally implement this new system. Hopefully, if things all go as planned, you will see little or no change in the level of service during the transition. In the long run, we will be able to offer you more tools, and access to your account information, orders, and more! We have prepared heavily for this transition, and hope to have few if any hiccups in the deployment. In the event that you experience a problem or issue, please be patient, and please bring it to our attention. The quicker we hear of issues the quicker we can resolve them. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

We wish you a prosperous and healthy New Year, and look forward to working with you in 2012.

Dj

Price Negotiations

2011-11-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

It is an unusual situation that we find ourselves in here at Restylers’ Choice. It is unusual because we are one of the few companies that actually want to hire people. But we can’t find people.

Does anyone else find this situation odd? You hear on the news everyday about the high unemployment. That people can’t find jobs. That there are no jobs available for people.

This recession has forced many companies, ours included, to rethink the necessity of EVERY position. We have redistributed our payroll and made do with less. As our business changes, and the economy slowly grows, we need people. We have lost 2 CSR’s over the past couple of months, and they need to be replaced. We need to also add sales staff to help us grow some of our emerging businesses. We have run ads in the paper, listed on the internet job sites, and sent out messages to our network of friends and colleagues on sites such ash LinkedIn and Facebook. The reality of what we get is not very good.

The responses we get are scattered. I know some of them come in and give terrible interviews just to show the Unemployment department that “they are trying” to find a job. Others, are way too over-qualified, and we know that as soon as the economy turns they will jump ship for their true profession. Others still are way under-qualified, and the effort to make them what we need is way too expensive a proposition for us to bear. So, where have all the good people gone?

From my point of view the reality is that people aren’t really looking for jobs. We have an epidemic in our country, and that is the premise that we have to give everyone a hand-out not a hand-up. Now I am certain that there are good people out there really, truly, looking for jobs, but there is another large group of people that would rather sit at home and collect the unemployment compensation and forgo the job market. Many people who had nice, well-paying jobs were laid off during this recession. With the unemployment benefits that have been offered they could make as much money sitting at home as I was willing to offer them for a working position. That is the sad reality of what we face as a country.

While it may sound cold, or heartless, I am excited that many of these good, quality, potential employees may be forced to re-enter the job market if congress does not extend their benefits. I do not want anyone to go hungry, but I need good people, and so long as our policies encourage them to stay home, then we both lose. Lets hope this gets those people back out there looking.

Doug Jacobs

The Impact of Steve on Me

2011-10-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

I am certain that many people around me think I am a little obsessed with Apple. I know my own wife doesn't get it. I have very few friends who get it. To be quite honest I do not think I got it until tonight, as I sit awake at 3 in the morning wondering why the death of Steve Jobs bothers me so deeply.

The strange thing is that I felt many of these same feelings when Steve resigned as CEO a few short weeks ago. I knew his time in this world was coming to an end. The only reason he would step down was because his health forced him to. I thought I had reconciled the feelings I had about the meaning Steve Jobs had to me at that time. Boy was I wrong. I remember my wife asking me why I was so engrossed in reading articles about his resignation. I tried to show her the impact this man had on the world. The things he changed. I am not sure she truly understood why it bothered me, and neither did I. Now it is crystal clear.

It all started in 1984, I was 12. My father decided to purchase a brand new computer for the family. Back then my dad was always on the bleeding edge of technology ( a role I now hold in my family) and he drug me to a local computer store to take a look at some new computer from Apple. Believe it or not, we didn't buy the new Macintosh, we bought the newest Apple II, the IIc. That moment changed my life.

I learned a lot on that computer, and that experience led me to my first "real" job in high school. I was in charge of the computer system at a local Optometrists office. My dad knew the Doctor from the local Apple users group and they needed some help with their new Macintosh computer system. That job led me to a part time weekend job at a local computer store, selling and configuring Macs, while I was still in high school. I was already in "the cult of Mac" at 17, only 5 years into the history of this revolutionary machine.

Shortly after starting college my dad got me hooked up with another acquaintance of his that needed "someone who knew computers and cars." My dad suggested me for the job. That company was Auto Accessories Warehouse, a new start up that happened to be using Macintosh computers. That single conversation changed my life. I worked at AAW for 4 years or so, and did a ton to help grow the company, we set up a small sign shop there, running Macs, we designed and printed our first catalog, using Macs, we even did all of our inventory control and invoicing on Macs.

I graduated from college with a degree in accounting and left AAW to work for a local Mac consulting company. That lasted less than a couple of years, when I got a call to come back to, and later purchase AAW.

Today, AAW is Restylers' Choice, and we still use Macs to this day.

As you can see Apple means a lot to me, not because of the technology, but what that technology has meant to my life. Every real job that I have had has this one core thing, they have all been opportunities afforded to me because of my interest in Apple computers. I can only imagine how the path of my life would be different had my dad bought the PCjr (remember those?) that fateful day back in 1984. And I am certain that my dad does not realize, until now, that one of the most important things he did for my future was buying that Apple computer.

Over the past 12 hours I have read a lot of remembrances of Steve Jobs. I never had the chance to meet him in person, and I do not truly know Steve Jobs. I had a chance to see the keynote address for the original iPhone introduction, and passed on it; something I now regret. But in retrospect I realize now the impact he has had on my life. Not in the iPhone I use everyday, or the iPad I use to work and play, or the Macintosh computers we use to get our work done, or the Pixar movies my kids love to watch. It is the human element that he put into all of these creations that is so intangible it took his death for me to realize the impact he has had on me.

There was something "magical" about Steve Jobs, like Walt Disney, or Henry Ford before him, that afforded him the talent to change the world, and boy did he change mine.

I think I understand more clearly now why the death of a person I have never met bothers me so much. It seems to happen more often than not that we understand and appreciate the people that impacted our lives after they are gone. And we never really took or had the opportunity to tell them ourselves.

Dj

Choice Returns

2011-10-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well it took longer than we had initially intended, but we have finally rolled out our new Choice Returns program. This program will greatly simplifies returns and is included on every order that ships from Restylers Choice. Let me correct that, on every order that ships directly to our customer, but not on blind ship orders.

You will find some explanation of this new program in other parts of our newsletter. But I want to try to explain this program in greater detail. This new program was designed to simplify your life and ours when it comes to returns. First, you need to understand that as part of this program your invoice is now the same document as the shipping label. So, before you call and tell us you did not receive your invoice, please take a minute and look in the pouch containing the shipping label. The invoice, as well as our new return form is located in there.

So how does this new returns system work? No longer do you need to give us a call to request a call tag, and then wait for the call tag to come in. No longer do you need to call us back because you never got the call tag, and then wait for the second call tag to show up. Get the pattern? Now EVERY order has a Return Service Label included with it, and this new label and returns system is so super simple to use. But you have to use it right.

If you need to return anything to us, for any reason, you need to follow some really straight forward steps. The first thing you need to do is separate the returns form from your invoice. This requires you to simply tear the paper in half. The top half you can keep as your copy of the invoice. The bottom half contains the return form and the the return shipping label. In the near future the forms will be upgraded to feature a perforation, making it even easier to separate the two halves.

Now, all you need to do is put the returned items in a box. Complete the return form, stuff it in the box, and slap the return label on the box. And then you can either drop the box in the mail or give to your UPS driver. Either way it will get back to us via UPS thanks to a new service from UPS called "Flexible Returns Access." If you need a replacement product simply give your Account Manager a call and get it ordered up. We will take care of all freight issues when we get your return back.

The return form lists every product that was on that order. Find the item to be returned on the sheet, then indicate the quantity that is being returned. Finally, you must indicate the reason code for the return. These are simple 3 digit codes that should cover every reason for a return. If it makes you feel better, you can include any additional comments on the form that you like.

In the few weeks since we started using this system, it appears that customers are having some issue in completing and including the form in the box. I can not stress enough that without the form we have no idea how to handle your return. We do not know why you returned it, we do not know who returned it, and we do not know what is wrong with it. We made it much easier on you, and we need your help to make it easy on us - PLEASE TAKE A FEW SECONDS AND COMPLETE THE RETURN FORM!

Once we get the package back we will process the return and credit memo. We have put great effort into making the processing process (that is redundant) quicker and easier. This should result in us getting your credit processed in a much more efficient manner. Since this system is brand new to us too those credits may not be as fast in these first few months.

Please keep in mind that depending on the reason for the return you may be charged the freight to return the item to us. This is not a new policy, as this is how we have always handled our call-tags in the past. In fact, we never even offered call-tags for 30-day returns. Now we include it on the package- how great is that! Oh, I forgot to mention, not only have we made it super easy to get stuff back to us, we have extended the period for "No Questions Asked" returns from our standard 30 days to 90 days. Making this new program even sweeter to you.

Hopefully this Rave about our new system has helped you to understand it a little bit better. I think that once you get used to how it works you will find it that much easier to do business with us. We know that returning goods is one of the hardest things for you to deal with, and we are trying to make it as easy as possible.

Dj

Patriotism & Politics

2011-08-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

I stopped writing these Rants & Raves back at the first of the year. I stopped because I did something that I swore I would never do, and that is to make some kind of political statement that might be perceived as alienating to some portion of our customer base.

Obviously, I am back writing, and I am about to do it again. That’s right, I am going to be talking about politics. The politics of patriotism. As we come up on the 10 year anniversary of September 11th, I have to wonder how we got where we are in 10 short years.

Most of us remember where we were, what we were doing, and how we first heard about the terrible events of 9/11/2001. I remember turning on the TV in our conference room after getting the call from an employee’s mom about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. I remember watching the second plane hit the second tower, and watching the towers fall. I also remember the first time I got on airplane after that day. It was only a few weeks later, and it was one of the most disconcerting feelings I have ever had.

But of all the memories we have of that day, the thing that sticks in my head the most is the unwavering Patriotism that swept our country. We stood united as one. There were no Democrats or Republicans, no Tea Party, no debt ceiling limit stalemates, no healthcare reform… nothing but UNITY.

It was a really great feeling. We were all Americans once again. There were no Asian-Americans, or African-Americans, or Hispanic-Americans, or Anglo-Americans, the hyphens were all gone. Just Americans, standing United and we would not be defeated.

Someone please tell me what happened?

Why, in less than 10 years have we fallen so far away from that great achievement? How did we so quickly forget that feeling. How did we go back to our ugly, bi-partisan ways? Why did we have to go back to the “blame game?” Have we really forgotten that quickly? The debt ceiling stalemate exposed to me just how completely messed up our political system has become. I have never been more disappointed in our chosen leaders than during that looming deadline; both sides of the political table.

I truly hope that one day we can move our country forward as one, that we can find and keep the patriotism that grew out of those terrible events 10 years ago. It should have never taken the deaths of 3000 of our brothers and sisters to realize that we are all playing on the same team. And God forbid, it should not require a repeat of 9/11 to make it a national priority again.

Dj

The end of the line...

2011-01-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

This issue marks several interesting things. First, it is the start of new year, and with the new year come new optimism. I just read in Automotive News that most analysts are predicting a 10% growth in the new car market to a total of 12.6-12.9 million new vehicle sales. One analyst is predicting an even bigger growth to the tune of 14 million new vehicle sales. That is some great news for all of us.

This issue also marks a mild redesign of our newsletter. We have added some great new features, and freshened up the look and feel. One of those new features we added is a "Customers Make The Difference" section which will run a profile on one of our customers every month. If you are interested in being profiled, please follow the link on the newsletter that takes you to our short and sweet questionnaire. We have also decided that 2011 marks the year where our newsletter becomes entirely e-mail based. No more tree-killing, CO2 producing, print-on paper and mail for us. You could say we are going green, or maybe just getting cheap. Either way - this is the way it will be from here on out.

To get to the meat and potatoes of what this Rants and Raves is all about is that this is the last Rant you will read from me or my company. While I thoroughly enjoy writing these articles, and I think I have been able to give more of an insight about how our company feels, and how we look at issues that surround us - it came to my attention that these Rants were offensive to some and off-putting to business. Let me explain a little more.

A customer took offense at my RRR from last month, explaining how hard of a time we were having trying to find employees. She felt that the tone was way too "right-wing" for her, and she pointed out that we will lose business with these opinions. She is right. The funny thing is that I have purposely steered clear of topics that are too sticky, things like politics, and religion. Sure, I have opinions on those things, like everything else I encounter in my life, but they are too touchy to discuss in a business setting. I never realized what I wrote about the hiring situation we have here was politically based, or right-wing. In fact, I never send out a single RRR without having 4-5 people in my office critique them, just for this reason.

However, this time it slipped thorough the cracks. The people who read it were not offended. They saw nothing wrong with it. nor did I. The reality is that your chosen profession, your upbringing, the people you are friends with or work with, all color your perception. We did not see this as political because we all have a similar point of view of the situation. However, someone who has a different point of view took offense. There is nothing wrong with that, but the reality is it is not good for my business, or any ones business.

Several years ago I did business with a computer reseller that wrote a similar type of article in his newsletters every month. He was decidedly left-wing. He made no bones about it. His articles were very politically based. I finally had enough. I couldn't take his articles or his opinion and I stopped doing business with them. I swore I would never do the exact same thing. Low and behold…I did, and I am disappointed in my self for doing it.

And so this is the end of the line for Rants & Raves.

Doug Jacobs

Where have all the good people gone?

2010-12-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

Penny Pinching

2010-10-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

There are several manufacturers out in the marketplace that have started selling direct to the installer/end user. They use all kinds of catch phrases: things like “Buy Direct”, “Save More”, “Eliminate the Middleman.” This is not exclusive to our industry, as this same type of approach has been applied for years to everything from pet medications to hardwood floors. The reality is that nothing is free. You most certainly have to give up something in order to reap the “benefits” they are offering.

There is no doubt that you can save some money on those few products you buy in this manner. But it WILL cost you more in many other ways. First, you will now be calling multiple suppliers to order product. Instead of making a single call to one source, you are now calling 3-4 different places. Now, that doesn’t sound so bad, but wait until you have a problem, or need assistance. How about tracking your order. You now have 3-4 places to follow up with, you have 3-4 orders to track. You have to wait for the delivery of 3-4 packages. You have just complicated your job, and will now be spending more time TRYING to get to work, versus out working making money. What did you save?

Second, you almost undoubtedly will face higher freight costs. Imagine ordering a small order from 3-4 different suppliers. You may get free-freight on one or two of them, but end up paying freight on the other two. This alone can cost you tons of money. If you grouped those orders with one supplier, you could have gotten your freight paid on all of your product. It only compounds itself if you are paying via COD. EACH order will be getting that lovely $10.50 charge that makes UPS rich, and you poor.

You also face the issue that you could become irrelevant to any of your suppliers. A good customer is not judged by the dollars of business that they do, but more on loyalty. The more loyal you are to your supplier, the more they can and will do for you. When you spread the money around, you become less loyal, and less relevant. When you get stuck in a jam, then who will be there to help you out?

Finally, you need to look at all the value added by your suppliers. Order cut-off times, extended warranties, freight programs, rewards programs, returns and so much more. These are just a few examples of how concentrating your buying to a company that adds value to the product, can help you make more and spend less.

Price is a key driver in ANY buying decision. It always has been, and always should be. But, any prudent business person needs to look at the whole cost of doing business. If you put any value on your time, then you can see why centralized purchasing makes your business very efficient. Many times the penny-pinched costs you dollars in time, headache and energy.

How many pennies will you need to pinch to make that dollar back? Any how much more will you spend to pinch those next few pennies?

Doug Jacobs

Grand Company Meeting

2010-10-01T07:19:00.001-07:00

On Saturday the 18th of September I organized the first ever Grand Company Meeting of Restylers' Choice. What exactly is a Grand Company Meeting? Well pretty simply it is a Company Meeting that is Grand. I know, I know stupid answer, but it is pretty accurate. This meeting was the first time that we have had EVERY employee, form every department, from each warehouse, in one room, at one time. We flew the 4 guys from Dallas up to Cincinnati, rented some meeting rooms and had a day-long meeting. All of this on a beautiful fall Saturday in Cincinnati.

So what exactly did we do, and why did we do it? Well, lets cover the why first. I felt it was time that we got all 33 employees together. To meet face-to-face. To build a stronger team. If there is one thing that this economic condition has taught us all, is that we have to do more with less. We have all worked harder, and been stressed a little more. Those stresses come out in bad inter-personal, and inter-departmental communications.

I know that in order for us to continue to offer the level of service that we pride ourselves on, we had to get everyone on the same page. We had to remind employees that we are all on the same team, and that we are all building and working for the same goal. Listen to a football coach talk about his team, and you quickly understand the value they place on the "family" aspects of the game. A great quarterback is nothing if he can't rely on his offensive line. The defense can be strong, but the job is ten-times harder if special teams can't give them a great defensive position.

Restylers' Choice is no different, and we needed to make sure everyone understood that message and understood that their job, and their department's job was just as important to the bottom line as Customer Service, or Accounting. We need to operate like a fine Swiss Watch, and you remove or "gum up" one gear, and it all works about as good as a 25¢ gum-ball machine timepiece.

So what did we do for 8 hours? Well we had meetings after meetings. We started off with a brief history lesson for some of the newer employees. It was also enlightening for some of the more tenured staff who had no idea how we ever became Restylers' Choice. Then we talked about money, and how we make it. That may sound simple, but there are many people in the world who just don't understand revenue, costs, overhead, and net profit. We broke these things down to simple to absorb numbers, and hopefully, got more employees to grasp these concepts.

Next, we brought in an outside "Team building" consultant, who broke us into separate groups and got us working together to solve a problem. It was real interesting watching people from different departments, work together to get the job done. I also think that having a fresh, outside perspective on our organization allowed us to grow more as a team. I can stand in front of the company and "preach" all day long, but when a third party shares their insight, I think it adds a whole new dimension to the conversation.

After lunch, we broke into groups by department and spent some time detailing both inter-departmental, and intra-departmental issues and problems. The idea was to come up with a "Top-5" list of the issues that each department faced on a daily basis. Later, we reconfigured these groups into 3 larger, cross-departmental groups. These groups worked to come up with ideas and solutions to the departmental problems outlined.

Based on the feedback I have received, everyone seemed to get a lot from this meeting. Everyone seemed to be engaged in the discussions, and were able to add their "2-Cents" to the solutions. It was a very successful meeting and beneficial for all who got involved. However, this meeting was just the foundation for a process of continuous improvement. We have laid the ground work for internal changes in both process and perspective that we know will carry Restylers' Choice soundly into the future.

Doug Jacobs

The Problem with Baseball...

2010-09-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ask anyone who knows me, or who reads these Rants & Raves, and you will quickly find out that I am very opinionated. Okay, that maybe a little bit of an understatement, I have an opinion on everything, and my opinion is ALWAYS right. There are many topics that I have an opinion on that I would NEVER discuss here, but a timely one that I can discuss is Baseball.

At this point in the season both teams that have ties to Restylers’ Choice (the Reds and the Rangers) both hold strong leads in their respective divisions. How much fun it would be if my Reds were to face, and beat, the Rangers in the World Series. We shall wait and see.

However there are things with baseball that just do not make any sense to me. And I intend to set the record straight.

First, why is baseball the only major sport that has different size playing fields. Sure the infields are all the same, but the outfields can vary significantly. How can one man be proclaimed the “Home Run” winner when his home field may be considerably smaller than the next in line? Can you imagine playing a football game where every field has different dimensions? If one field had an end-zone of 10yards and the next has 15? Doesn’t make any sense does it? So why does it in baseball?

Second, why is Baseball the only sport that doesn’t call their head coach “coach” but instead “manager”. And why do they make these old, out-of-shape guys squeeze into baseball uniforms? They will never see anytime on the field playing, yet they wear the uniform. Call them a head coach, let them wear a nice polo-shirt and call it a day. Whatever you do, DO NOT let them wear some ridiculous looking sweater vest (Tressel!) or cut-off sweat shirt (Belichick!!) - you guys make millions - dress like it!

Next, tell me why the two leagues in baseball play by different rules. They don’t do this in any other major sport. The NFL plays all games under the same rules, as one league should. However, MLB lets the American League cheat with designated hitters, while the National League plays the game, the way the game was meant to be played. Whoever determined that a pitcher shouldn’t be able to hit? Personally, if the pitcher is a player on the field then he needs to play both sides of the ball. Would it be right to assume that all first basemen can’t hit, so you can have a DH for them? Maybe they should be allowed to have a DH for ANY player on the field. What if you have a great defensive short-stop that can’t hit his way out of paper bag? The bottom line is - every player should have to play by the same rules, as should every team.

FInally, do away with the intentional walk. What a slap in the face of every pitcher out there. If I were pitching the game and the manager told me to walk someone, I would be offended. I can do my job, I don’t need a “free pass” when I face a tough decision. These guys make millions of dollars to throw the friggin’ ball. Pitch to the guy. If you are worth the money then you can out pitch any one. And if you can’t, then you pay the price in your ERA.

There are many “rules” in baseball that I could fix if I ever got the chance to be the Commissioner. (Pete Rose would be in the Hall of Fame!) And it would be a much better game when I got done with it...in my opinion.

Doug Jacobs

Rest in Peace - David Allen Brackney

2010-07-16T02:01:00.000-07:00

July 16, 2010 - Late yesterday evening I was involved in a series of phone calls that have me up at 4 am writing this piece, hoping to put my mind at ease. I found out that former long-time employee, Dave Brackney was found dead in his condo.

At this point, I know little about the facts of his passing, but this is more to celebrate his life, than to commemorate his death.

For those of you who have been doing business with Auto Accessories Warehouse / Restylers’ Choice over the past 15 years have probably had the opportunity to interact with Dave. Since 1995, he has done just about every job in the company. In fact, Dave was hired to help out Ross when I left to pursue other interest back in 1995.

When I returned to AAW in 1996, Dave was one of just two full-time employees. I leaned a lot on Dave at the time, and he always excelled at his job. As the company grew, I think Dave became less satisfied with being part of a bigger team. He always seemed to thrive where there LESS personal interaction. Something he struggled with his entire life.

Dave quit around 1999 when we were moving into our new facility. We were all at the building on a Saturday morning packing the moving truck, when the fax machine beeped, and the first of many, of Dave’s manifestos came sprawling out of the fax machine. Dave liked to write when he was upset, and this was no disappointment. Needless to say he quit that day, via fax, and got a lot of frustrations off his chest in the process.

Dave spent a few years working at Half-Priced books, where he could follow his one true passion - reading.

Dave returned to AAW a few years later, and had worked as part of our team until the end of last year. Over the years, Dave had written a half dozen or so of his manifestos, usually via e-mail, that dealt with any number of our conflicts and issues. It usually had to do with Dave’s inability to make it to work on-time. Regardless, if his shift started at 8am or was gradually moved back to 11am in an attempt to make him walk through the door on time, he was ALWAYS late!

On 12/1/2009 I came into work to find another of Dave’s manifestos. This would be his last. This time he resigned his position with Restylers’ and thanked me for the years of employment and the patience I showed him over the years. (I told you he was always late!) He just wasn’t happy in the new position I created for him, after he grew bored in the warehouse. He gave this new job a single day of effort and threw in the towel. Which was unlike Dave - in retrospect, a scream for help that fell on deaf ears.

I responded to his email with a kind reply, my final words were “...and don’t be a stranger.” Little did I know that would be last time I would talk to him.

Those who who knew Dave knew that he was eccentric. He was one-hell of an artist, in-fact he penned the original illustrations of our own Freddy Funk. He even had a full-ride scholarship to the Cleveland Art Institute, that he never followed up on. Dave was also a National Merit Scholar Finalist his senior year in high school, proving to the world that he was indeed smarter than you!

Dave had barely a chance of living a “normal” life after his father committed suicide when he was barely a teenager. In my opinion, this event threw his life a curve ball, that he tried to swing at, but never could hit. His relationship with his mom disintegrated, and he began his search for love and meaning through a long series of failed relationships, and hobbies.

Dave’s personality forced him to pursue every new challenge to the fullest degree. His intense love of music - everything form Classical to Norwegian Death Metal - led him to pick up the guitar and in a very short time, became a fluent guitarist, practicing hours at night. He then took up online role-playing games and immersed himself in a make-believe world where he could dominate. Often playing all-night long.

Most of these past loves and hobbies were forever “part” of him as they were immortalized on his body as one of his many tattoos.

Dave long ago lost his faith in God and became an atheist. I had long discussions with him on this, never to sway his opinion. And let me tell you, anytime you got in a discussion with Dave about ANYTHING, you had better know your stuff, because he was always well read, and well educated on his topic of choice.

I look back at the times him and I went to concerts together with great fondness. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on everything but we had a common bond in music. I know now, in retrospect how lucky I was to know Dave, and to spend close to half of his life with him.

For everything Dave was or wasn’t, he WAS sincere. He had his quirks, but in the end Dave was always honest to himself and the people he worked with. Isn’t that something great to be remembered for?

I hope that Dave has found his peace in heaven, though he had lost his faith in it, I know that is where people with such kind hearts and troubled lives deserve to go. As one of Dave’s favorite bands, Megadeth put it...“Rust In Peace” Dave.

Doug Jacobs

Playing by the rules

2010-07-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

There have been several instances that have come up over the past several years that has really made me ponder some major questions. The point of many of these articles is to not get a true answer, but to make you think about the issues at hand.

The one that keeps coming to mind is this: Who determines the rules that we must play by, and why do some companies get to play by their own rules, while others are held accountable?

While a truly hypothetical question that no direct answer exists for, I do want to expand a little bit on what I am talking about.

For example: several of our competitors in the spoiler business and chrome accessories business sell their product to whomever, whenever, at whatever price they determine is fair. Sounds good to me, sounds like a typical business practice. They sell spoilers direct to car dealers, direct to body shops, and of course to installers. Nobody cares, nobody complains. It is just what they do and people accept that, for whatever reason. However, if we were to do the same thing - we are held to the fire. We are not allowed to sell to those same customer bases. Why is that? Why can one vendor do as they please and another held to a higher standard?

Example 2: Our outside sales person gets a lead on a small used car dealer looking for chrome accessories and spoilers. We visit him, and he informs us that he is buying stripes and graphics from one of our customers. What should we do? Well the rules we are made to live by tell us to refer that prospect back to our installer for these products. The problem is this: we refer back and our installer buys these spoilers and this chrome from these other sources. That worked out well for us! Again we live by one rule, and our customers live by another. We are to be loyal but they can do as they please?

I am not complaining about the rules we live by. I accept those rules and live by them. The real question is this though: Why are the same rules not applied to all your vendors? And even more importantly: why don’t you expect the same rules from yourself? If you expect a vendor to protect you, are you doing everything to protect your vendor?

It is tough to sit back and live by the rules, when the rest of the world around you does as they please.

Doug Jacobs

Technology - it makes our lives better

2010-05-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me, then you probably know that I am a serious Techno-Geek. I love technology, I love what I can do with it, and I love how it simplifies my life. I am what is called an “early adopter”, and I generally do not live on the “leading edge” but more of the “bleeding edge”.

I get this trait very honestly from my father, who lived on this bleeding edge for a long time when I was a kid. We were one of the first in my school to have a vcr, a video camera, and a personal computer. In-fact, I was publishing the school newsletter in 6th grade -keep in mind this was 1984 - long before the mass adoption of desktop publishing! At some point I took over the role of the early adopter, and now my Dad lets me buy all the cool stuff first, and find out if it works - THEN he buys it.

Anyway, needless to say, I try and implement as much technology in my business as I do in my personal life. We recently released our free iPhone Application for WingsDirect. We have built several free web-tools for our customers to use on their sites. I personally constructed a work-order system for our paint facility utilizing barcodes and RFID to track the production process. I also built a similar system for our custom graphics department, that has allowed us to cut out about 20% of the paper we used. And right now I am currently developing the new system for our warehouse that is discussed in the newsletter.

Technology has made our lives and jobs much easier here at Restylers’ Choice, and it is time you benefited from it. You need to embrace the technology. I am not telling you to become a “techno-geek” like me, or to even come close to living on the leading edge. I am talking about learning how to use the new tools of the digital age. Things like product lookups on the internet, e-mail, electronic calendars, and smart-phones.

The days of relying on printed paper are fast going away. Yes, we just released a brand new catalog, but the reality is - it was becoming obsolete the day I sent it to be printed. New products have been added and others cancelled. However, our websites and iPhone apps are always current. The latest parts are there waiting to be sold. While it may be a very long time before we do away with printed catalogs, application guides, and price sheets, the reality is that some day it will happen - and you need to be prepared!

Take a few minutes and browse our website, take a look at the cool product lookup tools, learn more about the products we sell. Figure out how you can use these things to make your job easier, and more profitable. It may cost a little money to buy a smartphone, but imagine being able to answer your customers questions - NOW, not after you find a catalog, or make a phone call. That is the power of technology. Use it to benefit your business. I promise you it will help.

Doug Jacobs

Living left handed in a righthand world

2010-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

I am certain most of you do not know that I am left handed - nor should you care. However, I believe all of us left handers deserve a reward for making it in right handed world.

There are tons of things that we put up with that righties take for granted.For example stick shift cars -right handed. Chain saw - right handed. College and high school desks - right handed. Most musical instruments - right handed. Computer keyboards - right handed. I could go on and on about the things that we use on an everyday basis that are designed for the right handed world.

The other day I dawned on me that men’s pants are designed for right handers. In-fact it is very hard for true lefties to zip up pants. We train ourselves to do it over time, but the fact is lefties are forced to conform to the right handed world.

Over my life I have had to figure out how to survive and adapt to this "right wing conspiracy." I still write left handed but I use my computer mouse right handed. I adapted my typing style to work on the QWERTY keyboard. I learned to play guitar right handed. Not because I couldn't find a lefty guitar, but because I couldn't find a lefty teacher. And watching a right handed teacher had me all screwed up. In-fact I think all my chords were backwards! I also learned to bat right handed, though I still catch a ball left handed, and I golf right handed. (maybe that is why I am a terrible golfer, and wasn’t much good at baseball??)

The fact is that I have been forced to lose part of my unique identity because the world is right handed. I have had to find a way to conform. Wow, I never realized how I have been abused and hurt by right handed society.

Caring

2010-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is a simple word that means a lot of things to a lot of people. In this case, I want to talk about the business related versions of caring. You know, caring about your job, or caring about your customers. The things that keep you in business.

From where my office is in the building, I can hear most of what my Customer Sales Representatives say on the phone. I can hear instances of exceptional customer service. I hear them go the extra mile for the client. I also hear them occasionally drop the proverbial ball as well. Nothing is more frustrating to me to hear them get short with a customer, or slough off an issue that really needs to be addressed. More often than not, the extra steps it takes to care are so miniscule, so easy, that it is just pure laziness that makes you drop the ball.

Each and everyone of us have had a waiter that goes the extra mile. The one who gets you a fresh drink before your glass is even empty. Or who brings more bread without you even asking. We have all also experienced the opposite. Situations where the waiter could care less about your experience. Where you sit around forever waiting for a refill.

Putting yourself into these situations, you remember which one was more satisfying. You need to think about this the next time you are the one providing the service. Keep that feeling in the back of your mind. Taking the few extra steps can build you a loyal customer for life. As a waiter who works for tips, or a CSR who works on commission, or a small independent business owner, loyal, satisfied customers are EXACTLY what pays your bills.

Keep that in-mind the next time you feel it takes too much time to go that extra step. Because caring is usually free, but can pay dividends in return.

Doug Jacobs

Rapid Fire!

2010-03-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

This month I am going to say a few words to cover a bunch of different topics quickly.

RAVE: The U.S. wins more medals than any country has EVER won in the Winter Olympics. I watched a total of 30 minutes of the games, but I still think that is a very cool achievement.

RANT: The outcry over the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team drinking beer and smoking cigars after their Gold Medal win. Girls just wanna have fun, let them go. So they partied in celebration of their victory, who cares? At least they weren’t flipping over cars and burning things like we do here when we win big games!

RAVE: Customers who appreciate when you go the extra mile. It is always nice to hear a compliment when you do something extra. When we get a complimentary email or comment from a customer we share it with the whole company. It is so easy to get bogged down in the negative, positive feedback is awesome.

RUMBLING: Toyota recalls over 8 million cars; GM answers with $1000 rebate to poach customers from Toyota. Really GM? Is that the way you react, last time you had a recall or filed bankruptcy did Toyota come out with a rebate just to poach your customers? Treat your competition with a little respect, you never know when the tables will turn.

RAVE: Expanding the field for March madness from 65 teams to 96. Bring it on. Adding one more round will allow more teams that should make it from lesser known conferences into the “Big Dance.” Teams that win the season conference title, but lose in the conference tourney will now have a chance to prove their prowess. Besides we could finally kill the NIT!

RUMBLING: In this day it is easy to fall behind on your bills or get caught short from time to time. It may be an ego buster, but COMMUNICATE. Call your creditor, let them know the situation, if the bill is big enough, send a $100 here or there, to indicate your sincerity. There is nothing worse for a creditor than to not be paid, and to never hear from the person.

RANT: Political Correctness??? Who ever came up with this term ought to be shot. I understand that there are some words and terms in our language that are EXTREMELY offensive to people, but now you can’t say “Midget”, “Retarded”, or “Gay”. What is Howard Stern gonna talk about? It is time for us to grow a little “thicker skin” and worry less about what people say, and more about what they do.

That’s All Folks

Doug Jacobs

Living on the Kickback

2010-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

There are many businesses who base their business model on the kickback. For those who do not know what I am talking about, it is the idea of bribing a customer for business with cash, gifts, or favors in return. We have competitors who live this way. They buy expensive gifts for their “customers” in hopes of keeping them “loyal”.

I have never been a big believer in the kickback. I feel that it builds a customer base who is not loyal for the right reasons but depends on those gifts and expects them. We have a loyalty rewards program which may be perceived as a kickback but is truly entirely different. A rewards program is something that is completely transparent. You know what you have to do to earn a reward, and everyone has access to the same rewards. There are no side deals, no special circumstances for one customer or another. It is all laid out so everyone can see it. This is designed to get a customer to come back to you, time and again, because you are striving to obtain a goal.

Kickbacks, on the other hand, are more under the table. You do not know what you are going to get, and you don’t know when you are going to get it. Because of this, they don’t drive more business your way. Instead they can actually be a barrier to doing business with you. Once you give a kickback, you are always expected to give a kickback. The next one, has to be bigger or better than the last. Where does it end? It ends when you stop doing it, either because it has gotten too expensive, or you have changed your way of doing business. The problem is your “loyal” customer who EXPECTS these kickbacks will jump ship as quickly as you change your business model.

They are not loyal because you service them well, or because you do what you say you will. They are loyal because they want a new set of golf clubs, or that trip to the Bahamas. We work hard everyday to do the right things to make loyal customers. We have fair prices, stock tons of product, and back it all up with great service. Mistakes happen, and we work to diligently rectify the issues. We believe that through these methods we will build truly loyal customers.

In building your own business you need to think about doing business the right way. Service the hell out of your customers, give them what they need to be successful. Once you open the door with a kickback, it is hard to take it away. You may be left paying for expensive things for the rest of your relationship, or being kicked to the curb if you have to stop. Maybe THAT is why they are called kickbacks!

Doug Jacobs

We are here for you

2010-01-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

A situation came up just recently that really made me think. Now I am not sure if I want to laugh or I want to cry, but it sure does make me wonder about people sometimes.

This is a story about a longtime "customer" of Restylers' Choice. This customer doesn't buy much from us anymore. In fact, I know he buys most of his products from a competitor. We have always been there for him and helped his business out in numerous ways. I feel very confident in saying that if I hadn't gone the extra mile for him 10 years ago, he probably would have been out of business. But in the world of business these things seem to be forgotten as quickly as the next guy can drop his price.

Sure we have talked about these things, and I never seem to get a straight answer. Suddenly, out of the blue, he starts ordering product form RC again. Now, there are two trains of thought here: A, he saw the light and really appreciates everything we have done, or B, his account is cut off at the other supplier, and we are his trusty standby. My years of experience leads me to the conclude the latter.

So, what do I do. Do I let this customer run up a bill with me, knowing that I will be dropped like a hot potato when he clears up his issues with the other supplier? Do I not sell to him, knowing that I am putting my money at risk? Do we sell to him, but keep it on a "short leash" so that my exposure is limited?

Needless to say, we chose the third choice. We are supplying him product, keeping it tight on his credit limit, and we will see where it goes. What bothers me most about this whole issue is the fact that I feel used. Should I feel this way, or should I just be happy to get some business? I just wonder what we did to lose the business in the first place. We have worked hard to make him happy, listened to his concerns but the business never comes back. Until there is no other option. Now I am the jerk for keeping the leash short, so I don't get burned.

I have talked about loyalty before in my RRR, and I can tell you, that if you want someone to be there for you, for someone to back you up, to help you make money; then you need to back them up. That means the first time a cheaper price comes along, or an issue arises, you don't cut bait and bail. You work on the issues, you stay upfront and honest and you try to resolve for everyones benefit, not just yours.

We are here for you - and if you have been in tight spot in the past, I am certain you know that. The big question I ask is: do your business practices reward those who support you, or do you make decisions based solely on price? We all know you get what you pay for. Or is it better to say; you reap what you sow?

Doug Jacobs

You Speak - We Listen

2009-12-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

We have been building our Wings Direct program slowly and steadily over the last 10 years. We have worked hard at designing and building a state of the art production based system. Earlier this year we opened our completely new paint facility that has allowed us to triple our capacity. We have also reworked and rewritten our work-order management system to be more efficient and more informative.

This new facility and new system incorporate the latest technology to ensure timely production and quality output. The work order system holds each and every person who touches a spoiler accountable for the output. If an item is returned due to quality issues, we know exactly who painted it, what lot of paint was used, and who QC checked it. This level of data provides us with absolute accountability, and hopefully - better finished products.

While all of this effort and detail that has been put into our systems has yet to result in the ultimate goal of Restylers’ Choice - to make us your one stop call for stripes, graphics, chrome AND spoilers. We needed to find out why that was; so we picked up the phone and asked a selection of customers.

As I am certain you would expect we got a lot of different answers. We had some guys that did not want to talk about it. We had others that wouldn’t stop telling us what we can do different or better. Needless to say, we took all of this input, sat down, and came up with some major changes to our Wings Direct program.

You told us that our up charge on tri-coat paint was something that was a hassle and that the competition was not charging it. The up charge was pricing us out of the ball park on those vehicles. We listened and have done away with our tri-coat up charge!

Next you told us that the competition was cheaper than us. Well we knew that was not necessarily true, but was the result of some misconceptions. You see the competitors have a one-price point mentality. In order to do that they use a few OE style spoilers and fill in the rest of their applications with universal fits. They may tell you that it is factory for your application, but it may not be. In order to address this misconception we did two different things.

First we took all of our “A” and “B” price spoilers and grouped them all into the “A” category. This gives us over 215 OE fits for the cheapest price. This is more than double what the competition offers. We also have another 200 OE fits that fall into the other price points. If you are concerned with price, we can also offer a “value” fit spoiler for those that we do not have an OE fit for in our A price code.

We also heard that they offer free freight on all spoiler orders. We have matched this as well for our high-volume spoiler customers. If you consistently buy spoilers you will be given free freight regardless if you order 1 or 20. The others still can get free-freight on 3 spoilers at a time, or with any total purchase of $500 or more.

Finally, we heard a lot about same-day shipping. We are answering this call as well. Currently we are increasing our pre-painted inventory at the rate of over 20 per day. Quickly building the inventory of the most popular applications and colors. Not on the shelf already painted? Order by Noon and we will paint it and ship it the same day!

As you can see, You Speak - We Listen - and React! We hope that you find these changes as exciting as we do!

Doug Jacobs

Thanks : Giving

2009-11-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

This time of year we are reminded to be thankful for those things that we have. During tough economic times it can be very difficult to find things to be thankful for. Sure - business may be down, paying your bills may be harder than ever. Your prospects for your business may be bleak. We too have felt the “pinches” of a tight economy. We understand your pain, and while our customer base is probably larger and more diverse than yours, we too have had customers go out of business and leave us hanging for thousands of dollars.

However, all is not lost. There are bright spots in the economy and things just may be starting to turn around. We are not feeling in the auto market yet, but it has to start somewhere. But despite the economic pains that we are feeling there are many things that we need to be thankful for. For me personally, I am thankful to you, our customers. For sending us your business, no matter how much your needs have changed. I am also thankful to our suppliers, most of whom have worked hard to keep their inventory levels and service levels high. I am also thankful that I have a crew of dedicated employees, who, for the most part, do their jobs without much intervention.

On the personal side; I am thankful that I have a great wife and great kids. My daughter was very sick a couple of weeks ago. Spending those days in the hospital, and seeing the other families and the issues they deal with, I realized how lucky we are. And I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that I can provide a home and food, etc. for my family.

Some of these things may or may not apply to you, but I think you get the point: no matter how bad things seem, there are always bright spots that you can focus on. And we need to be thankful for these things.

Doug Jacobs

PS: On the giving topic...the first 250 customers to call in after reading this will get a free roll of 5/16” Silver Funklines Pinstripes. Just use the code word: “Doug Says Thanks”

Getting Your Ducks in a Row

2009-10-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

I know that this was covered briefly in our tips and tricks section of the newsletter this month, but after reading that I thought this is a topic that needs further discussion.

As professionals we need to know what vehicle we are working on, and what details may be pertinent to the product we are going to order. For example; if you were ordering a spoiler for 2010 Dodge Charger, you need to know the paint color, and code. It is not enough to tell us: “it is red, they only make one red on the Charger, just paint it that color.”

While that answers seems ALMOST logical, there are things that you may not know: 1. What if the car was really a 2009, you assumed it was 2010, and in 2009 they used a completely different red color. 2. The factory changed the code and color of red during the production year. 3. The vehicle is a special “limited edition” that has a special color that was only offered on a few select cars.

Another example that came up the other day: a customer called to order a grille for a 2007 Silverado. We asked if it was the new body style or the “classic” style. The answer we got: “It is a 2007, they changed the truck in 2007, they are all the same.” Based on this answer we sent a grille out for the all-new Silverado. Guess what - it didn’t fit. Why?? It was a “Classic” model of Silverado, which means it was the OLD body style. The customer thought he knew the whole story and made an assumption that was wrong.

The point that I am trying to make is this: know what you are working with, know the facts about the vehicle, and know the pertinent details. With a little experience you learn what you need to know. After you have ordered a couple of sets of rocker panels, you learn that you need to know things like whether the truck has moldings or flares, what style cab it is, long-bed or short-bed, and on and on. Or when ordering door handles you need to know if the vehicle has a passenger side keyhole or if it has keyless entry.

All these details may seem irrelevant or inconsequential. Sometimes we even need to know things that you may assume has nothing to do with the product you are ordering. Some grilles, for example, only fit on 4x4 model trucks, and when we ask those questions knowing the answer can save you time and money.

So what is my point to all of this? Get your ducks in a row, make a vehicle spec sheet that you can fill out on every vehicle you work on. Have areas that designate questions you should know about the vehicle. Things that may not even seem the least bit interesting or relevant. While it may take you an extra minute or two to fill out this sheet, it can save you tons of time and money. Especially if you order the wrong item, have to wait a few extra days to do the job, and have an upset customer in the process.

Nobody wins in those situations.

Doug Jacobs

Get Ready for Some Football

2009-09-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

I have been doing these articles for over a year now, and I think this is the first time I have officially covered and a Rant, Rave and Rumbling in one article. And believe it or not it is not based on business, but football.

Yes, it is that time of the year again, time for football. While I do not get caught up in all the high school football hub-bub that goes on in Ohio and Texas, I do enjoy College ball, and pro-football can be interesting. (If you are not a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals - more on that later)

First for my Rave:

For those that do not know this, I am huge fan of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. In fact there are several huge Bearcat fans in the company. After the incredible season they had last year, winning the Big East championship and going to the Orange Bowl, it appears that the rest of the country has become fans of the Bearcats. In fact they have made a National Holiday for their opening game against Big East rival Rutgers, so that the rest of the country can enjoy the prowess of the Bearcats! Tune into ESPN at 4pm Monday!

It is great to be able to enjoy the spectacle of College Football. Where players put it all on the line for an opportunity to play at the next level. Where they are not paid millions, but truly play for the love of the game. Only if we could bring pro-sports back to that level.

Now for my Rant:

As a life-long resident of Cincinnati, I have the unfortunate position of being a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals. I firmly believe that one should always root for your home town teams, so rooting for some other more successful team is not an option. As a business owner I totally understand the business case that is the Bengals. They make a ton of money putting a mediocre product on the field. Spending more on better talent is not going to return that much more to the bottom line. The NFL is structured so that these philosophies pay out – big time.

On the other hand, as a competitive person, I just cannot comprehend how a business owner can be happy making money, but not being at the top of his game. For years, I have taken much more pride in being able to provide the best service possible, with the best inventory, and the most knowledgeable staff. We have sacrificed greater profit to provide services to our customers to help them be more profitable. That to me is winning in our field of competition.

Now my Rumbling:

Give me a College Football playoff. No more of this BS that is the BCS. Only by beating the best teams in the country can you call yourself “National Champion”, not by “backing into” a hand picked “National Championship Game.” Enough said.

Doug Jacobs

Mutual Respect for Profits

2009-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

I know it is very hard to understand this but we are BOTH in business to make a profit. Yep, that is right, both you and me work hard to deliver a service, not out of the goodness of our hearts, but to make money doing it. But, what I have been trying to figure out for a long time now, is why is your profit more important than mine? And I do not mean you specifically, but metaphorically.

In business we all have a position in the chain. In our relationship, I am the supplier, and you are the customer. But think about what I am saying, and I am certain you can look further down the chain and see the same things happen to you when you are the supplier and you are dealing with a customer. Everyone wants to pass the burden of cost up the chain, while maintaining their profits.

Let me give you some examples -

The other day a customer called in and had an issue - we had sent him a spoiler for a Ford Fusion, when he clearly had ordered one for a Focus. He was irate about the problem and needed a new spoiler shipped to him Next Day Air!! He had a very upset customer, and he was going to lose the dealership if we didn’t fix his problem ASAP. The freight alone would have COST us over $100.

We proceeded to look into the issue. We pulled the recording of the original call, and listened to it. In this case, we did NOT make the mistake. The customer mistakenly said Fusion when he meant Focus. Still, he maintained that we had made a mistake and we had to eat the Next Day Air freight. We sent him an email of the call recording, which he listened to and then called back a few minutes later. However, this time the call was different.

Now, he accepted the fact that he made the mistake, and suddenly, the spoiler could wait to be installed in 2 days, not tomorrow, like was demanded of us. It is amazing to me that when the burden of cost is transferred the urgency declines.

In a different case; we had a customer who demanded we drop our price on some custom name decals we made for him. We had charged him 75¢ each, and he felt this was way too expensive. “The vinyl only costs a few cents” he explained. He told us to take them back or he would take his business elsewhere. I then proceeded to ask him a simple question: How much do you charge to put these decals on the car? His response; $5 for the pair. So I explained to him, that the most profit I could make on these decals, if the materials were free, the labor were free, and the equipment to make them were free, is $1.50. He was making $3.50 in gross profit, with none of those expenses.

I then asked him what was a fair price to pay for these decals. I told him I would sell them to him at that price, but he had to split the profit on his sale with me. He quickly dropped the issue.

I understand the self-preserving philosophy behind these examples, but I really begin to wonder why we do this. Is it because we can? Because the customer always has the power to take their business elsewhere, and reminds you of that many times when an issue arises? Is it because the “big” company can afford to eat this expense much more easily than the “small” company can? Or is there some other intrinsic human quality (fault??) that makes us do this?

This issue is evident everywhere you go. Pay attention to people, the things they do for a “Freebie.” I witnessed a lady return a 10 year old ceiling fan to Home Depot “because it quit working.” Or the couple who got the “Never Ending Pasta Bowl™” at Olive Garden. Then asked for more breadsticks, and another bowl of salad. They had the audacity to ask for a to-go box for the “Left-Overs.”

These are trying economic times, and we all are working to find ways to save a penny, or cut our costs. But we all need to be viable businesses. You can’t expect your supplier, or favorite restaurant, to be there for you in the future if you don’t treat their profits with as much respect as you treat your own.

Doug Jacobs

Experience

2009-07-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am certain that all of us, at one time or another, have done something that they were told not to do. We may have gotten away with it, experiencing little or no consequence. Then again - we may not have been so lucky, and had been the recipient of the dreaded “I told you so.”

I, for one, did this many times growing up. It is not that I did not want to listen to my advice giver, it is just that I thought I knew better, or that I had a better way to do things. The funny thing is, as we grow older our roles change; from the recipient of this advice to the person who is giving it. Those of us who are parents understand and flinch at the times when you realize you are saying things or acting just like your parents did.

No matter the age, you still may be given this type of “advice” through rules and policies that you must follow at work. Even as a business owner, you know there are things that you shouldn’t do, or “can’t” do because of the consequences. You also know that there are plenty of “grown ups” who NEVER want to listen to your advice or policies.

What everyone has to understand is that rules and policies are there to provide you “advice” to get your job done in the most consistent and efficient manner. They come from years of doing your job and finding the problems and solutions. It may not always seem like the most logical way, but more than likely there is a reason. Shortcuts almost never pan out, they may save you time now, but many times they cause more work in the future.

The reality is all of this advice comes from EXPERIENCE. Parents, teachers, coaches, bosses - they all have experienced things that allow them to do their job and pass on the best way for you to succeed. You may have a “better way” or good ideas to help your team succeed, but ignoring the rules and doing it your way is not the proper method. Pass your suggestions on, let the person in charge evaluate it, let them meld your idea with their experience, and you might be surprised at the result!

Doug Jacobs

Opportunities and Optimism.

2009-06-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am certain that many of think the topic for this month's Rants and Raves sounds a little far reaching judging by the news we hear everyday: GM and Chrysler in Bankruptcy, Thousands of dealers being shut down, thousands of people laid off. But the reality is that there are opportunities for all of us in this type of market.

First, every dealer that is still in business is trying to sell cars. They need all the help they can get. This has traditionally been the job of the professional restyler. Dressing up their vehicles helps them sell a more desirable product. But more importantly, accessories help them boost their profits. We all know they need that. Your opportunity lies in conveying this exact message to your customer base. If you can SHOW them how they can add to their bottom-line with the services and accessories you sell you become an invaluable resource to them in these trying times.

Furthermore, as the number of dealers decreases, the stronger ones left standing will only get stronger. It is a classic example of "Survival of the fittest," and you need to be getting your piece of that remaining pie. You may have never done business with these dealers, but you need to be. You need to go out and sell your company, products, services, and even more importantly; yourself. Keep in mind that the guy who was servicing them may not be around anymore, or he has his head buried so far in the sand that he isn't out helping his dealers make money. He may be so dejected he is not even calling on these customers. You need to seize these opportunities.

The biggest thing you need is optimism. If you keep your outlook optimistic you will convey this to your customers. We get enough negativity in the news everyday, the dealers are getting from their customers, and the manufactures. IF you come in with a brighter attitude you can help them be positive. If your customer has that extra bit of positivity it just may turn into business for you.

I agree this isn't the best time to be in an automotive related business, but we all need to seize the opportunities to maintain and secure our businesses. Imagine if you can survive in this market what kind of position you are going to be in when the market returns to post-recession levels! Trust me, it will be worth all the effort you put in now. Think of this as an investment in the future of your business.

Doug Jacobs