Opinion
Memorial Day is always the holiday that makes me think of my father and his entire generation, who put everything on the line to both save the world and create a world that was so easy for the baby boomers to grow up in. Their courage, sacrifice and accomplishments overcoming grave economic and political threats are still awesome to me. That’s a word that is so badly overused, but utterly powerful when you think about what it really means.
The “greatest” generation pulled together as one, facing down threats we could hardly imagine. They put their lives on the line, paid taxes without bitching, built superhighways, schools and infrastructure that the rest of the world couldn’t imagine. They rose up as one to transform everything from top to bottom and then showed their kindness and generosity not only by creating social security, the GI bill and unemployment benefits here, but in rebuilding both Germany and Japan while allowing both to retain their cultures without taking tribute in victory. The world has never seen anything like it before or since.
Today our country is going through a trying time. There are real threats to our economic lifestyle and our political dominance of the world. How are we responding? Are we unified, rallying behind our new leader who inherited two wars, staggering debts and an economy in freefall? Are we willing to sacrifice and pay taxes to help those less fortunate? Hardly.
We want everything but are not willing to pay for anything. We talk about how much we believe in god and religion, but oppose all social programs designed to help the needy. Provide health care for all so that we don’t lose everything we’ve worked for all our lives during our last six months of life due to crushing medical bills, even if we were actually “insured?” Don’t be silly, you must be a commie, or a socialist or a fascist, or all of them at once!
Today you see it’s all about name calling, just like in third grade. Take for instance a great man who has dedicated his life to service of this country, Colin Powell. He is called a “RINO” (Republican in name only) because he didn’t tow the party line and vote for his party’s candidate in the last election. Those calling him a RINO and calling for him to be drummed out of the party have never worn a uniform, risked anything for their country or made any kind of real sacrifice. The brave Dick Cheney “had other priorities” during our generation’s war in Vietnam. Rush? Please. What sacrifice has he ever made?
Pay no attention to the fact that Powell was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest rank in the U.S. military. Or that he was born black in the Bronx and that he worked hard for every one of his many achievements with no help from a wealthy and politically connected family. Nope, you are told to judge him solely based upon the fact that he voted his conscience and it wasn't Rush or Cheney’s pick!
On Tuesday, President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Like Powell she comes from the Bronx, her parents both having come here from Puerto Rico. Her brother became a doctor. She too worked hard for everything and has had a brilliant career, first being appointed a federal judge by the first President Bush. She is the first Hispanic ever nominated for the Supreme Court and by almost all accounts the most qualified nominee in decades.
The right wing had signaled that they were prepared to filibuster anyone that Obama might nominate and their name calling started before the news conference had ended. They have done everything possible to stall and hinder every single action the president has proposed to date and their utter lack of cooperation in this regard only plays true to their form.
So as I reflect on Memorial Day and all that it means to me, I wonder how so many people can come here from all around the world and achieve so much so quickly, while so many Caucasians, whose families have lived here for so many generations, have achieved so little. They speak the language of the country (my Dad spoke only German until he was 6, Sonia Sotomayor’s father never learned to speak it!), they are white and they are both destitute and resent immigrants. They actually listen to Rush and think he represents the truth and them. Rush preaches the Rand theory of “Darwinian Economics,” which is survival of the fittest, or to put it another way, the “I got mine, to hell with you!” philosophy.
The damaged mind of Rand took it to the next step, “If I’m stronger than you, I can take what your’s too!” It’s horrific and repulsive. I wonder what Jesus would say to the right wing if he came back to preach a sermon next Sunday and they were there to hear it.
Lowell Grant lives in Kelseyville.
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- Written by: Lowell Grant
And just how much of your annual budget do you allocate to advertising and marketing to reach new customers? Five percent? Ten percent? Twenty percent? Twenty-five percent?
Imagine: After starting or continuing your advertising campaigns, the phone rings, the shop door opens, you don’t recognize the person, oh my goodness, it’s a “PLRC” – a potential loyal repeat customer!
What’s the first impression that you’re going to give to this PLRC, potential loyal repeat customer?
A big smile! Finally, you’re going to get a return on the investment of your marketing dollars. Now is your chance to get paid off … or not!
You discover that for whatever reason, you can’t accommodate them!
For example you have no occupancy, you don’t offer that particular product or service, you’re temporarily sold out of the product their looking for or the first appointment or availability you have is not until next week or next month.
What is the reason you can’t make that sale today?
If it’s just a matter of timeliness, ask your PLRC what their time line is.
If you cannot accommodate their time line – you can still create a PLRC today through “co-opetition.”
Our first year in business at the Edgewater Resort, located in Soda Bay on the shores of beautiful Clear Lake, after being in business for just two months, we received the first call for a reservation from a PLRC for a date that we were full on.
We had already met some of the other hospitality owners our first week in the county, at a Lake County Resort and Restaurant Association meeting and had visited and checked out some of their accommodations.
So, after finding out that the PLRCs dates where not flexible, we asked if we could mail her a brochure for the future, recommended and gave the phone number of a couple of co-opetitioners, or “COOPS.”
To our surprise, the next week we received a handwritten letter in the mail from this woman who was obviously blown away at our customer service. In her letter she thanked us for the referrals and wrote that the next time she comes to Clear Lake she would definitely call the Edgewater Resort to make her reservation. We’d made our first PLRC!
This PLRC has been coming several times every year since 1996 with her family to the Edgewater Resort and continues to recommend us to her family and friends … all of which have become loyal repeat customers.
Here’s a few tips for that PLRC that comes to your place of business rather than calling or e-mailing.
1. On the back of your business card, write the name and contact information of the COOPS that you are recommending.
2. When at all possible, take the extra step – pick up the phone and actually call the COOPS to see if they have the product or service available for the PLRC and tell them you are sending your PLRC to see them.
3. COOPS work both ways. Now you have created a win-win relationship with the co-op and in turn they will start recommending you.
4. Remember, after receiving a recommendation from a COOP, take a minute to call them and thank them for referring you.
How do you pick your circle of COOPS? Remember that because you are recommending them to your PLRC you must be sure that they will have a positive shopping experience. Believe me, your PLRC will get back to you, if they don’t!
Through my 40 years of having five successful businesses, I have always found that the most successful business people are ALWAYS willing to share their “secrets to success.” These folks get the concept of COOP. Success breeds success!
We all know that when a visitor comes to our communities and they have an negative experience, they don’t just go home and bad mouth that particular business, many of them go home and bad mouth the entire community!
Co-opetition referrals will ultimately alleviate this. The strong businesses will strive while the weaker ones will either step up to the plate and make the necessary changes or eventually, simply put, just go away.
We, Mt. Konocti Facilitation – MKF, have just recently facilitated the committee chairman, Leslie Firth, of the new “Shop, Stay and Play” campaign in Lake County. We suggested that they take a survey of our local citizens of the “top five best local businesses” in numerous and various categories including:
Wineries, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, event planners, photographers, travel agencies, massage therapists, consultants, retail stores, local news, certified public accountants and tax preparers, architects and engineers, pet services and veterinarians, doctors and dentists, computer and technology services, real estate and insurance agents, automobile repair and body shops, attorneys, electric, plumbing and building contractors, and one of my favorites – the best cheese-burger and fries on the lake … and the categories go on and on.
Now … here’s your list of COOPS to add to your own the list.
Hopefully, your business will be voted one of the top five. We have also suggested that this survey be taken once every four months and updated with the results each time. So, if a business is not on the top five best list, it’s certainly a goal to reach for, or not. They can either take the opinions of our local consumers or not. They can complain that their business is not on the list or strive to be one of the best of the best.
This list is not only a valuable resource when local citizens shop local, it is also valuable to the tourists and visitors that come to our communities and it gives deserving recognition to those businesses that are doing it right!
Our recommendation to survey and update every four months, the “top five best local businesses” in the various categories, also insures the consistency and level of service remain strong of the top five and creates the possibility for any new businesses and the ones that do step up to the plate, a chance to receive this prestigious recognition. We can imagine the top five soon becoming the top 10 in our community!
So, the next time you cannot accommodate a customer, no matter if they are new or repeat customers, take the time to turn them into a PLRC – a potential loyal repeat customer and at the same time guaranteeing them a positive local shopping experience.
When businesses play the co-opetition versus competition game, everyone wins – the local consumer, the visitor, our business community, our reputation and, most of all, the economic health of our communities.
Think about it – it only took a few mega businesses to put our national economy in the situation it is today. Small businesses have been creating the most new jobs for years, while many big businesses have been outsourcing their jobs for years.
Our motto at Mt. Konocti Facilitation is small businesses rock!
Sandra West is co-owner of Edgewater Resort in Kelseyville and co-facilitator of Mt. Konocti Facilitation, www.mtkonocti.com. She gave this talk at a business networking seminar hosted by the Lodge at Blue Lakes on Thursday, May 7. Mt. Konocti Facilitation offers free and confidential business facilitation services to businesses based in Lake County. For more information call 707-995-8133; all calls are returned within 24 hours.
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- Written by: Sandra West
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