INDUSTRY DEBATE: We've run multiple columns and opinions on whether operators should cut their rates during this recession, and if so, by how much. To help eveyrone get a sense of pricing trends, LCT has posted a
NEW WEB POLL QUESTION. Results will run in the December issue of LCT Magazine.
TWO ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS are making a delicious wager on the Phillies Vs. the Yankees. . .
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FYI REPORT: As alternative fuels and green vehicles vie for future market share, consumers and business alike should
STAY CURRENT ON THE FACTS.
PERSEVERANCE: Be patient, be persistent, and stay positive. Focusing on those three Ps when trying to score a contract will keep you from the fourth P that can kill a deal: Taking things too personally.
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TAKING THEM TO THE BALL PARK: Make sure your chauffeurs stay in line and with their vehicles as clients and fans can become friendly and unruly.
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PINCHING PENNIES ON THE ROAD: The good news is that biz travel IS coming back to a certain extent, but corporate bean counters are making sure their employees maximize value. NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE HERE. Operators can help meet and even increase demand for their services by making life simpler for the bean counters; sell them on convenient, comfortable group transportation (SUVs, mini-buses, vans) with simple, straightforward pricing packages. Somewhere between a rental car and a public bus ranks the most sensible option for business travelers: Chauffeured transportation. -- M.R.
CHAUFFEURED FUTURE IS HERE: At least in the San Francisco Bay Area, where operator Gary Bauer's Bauer's Intelligent Transportation is wowing clients with the cutting edge combo of: 1) Greener group ground transportation; 2) Technical offerings and conveniences that make a bus ride better than a plane trip. LATEST PROFILE HERE.
SPOOK LIMO TOURS: Some creative ways to market limo, mini-bus, and/or trolley transportation to Halloween sightseers and trick-or-treaters HERE.
Kids would love a "haunted limo run" from one neighborhood to another in their insatiable quest for candy. You can dress the chauffeur up in a Werewolf costume for added thrills.
For adult Halloween-goers, you'd have to take it to another level to horrify them: Chauffeur as Nancy Pelosi drag queen? -- M.R.
WIPEDOWN: LCT Magazine's JIM LUFF is featured in his local newspaper for taking advantage of a seminar that explains how to minimize H1N1 risks to clients. Operators should make sure all surfaces are clean and sanitary. As a way of reassuring chauffeured clients, operators may want to consider wrapping certain handles or equipment, such as beverage glasses and/or holders, with "sanitary seal of approval" ribbons or paper strips to communicate to customers that equipment, amenities, and handles have been sanitized for their safety. (I'm only half-serious on that one). -- M.R.
DD: Distracted Driving is now the new "Drunk Driving" awareness juggernaut, as it moves to the forefront of issues facing chauffeured transportation with the New York TLC's floater proposal to ban use of cell phones among chauffeurs and cabbies. See some valid arguments below AGAINST such a crippling regulation.
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LEXUS IS TOYOTA: You won’t forget that with the
THE LEXUS HS250h, which is getting a lot of attention for its clever combo of green and luxury. Now we find out, the cuddly Lexus hybrid is basically a Prius platform all gussied up with a luxury makeover. That’s wonderful for commuters and consumers looking for a touch of class. And while we haven’t heard yet of any 250s joining black fleets, need we say that for the purposes of the chauffeured transportation industry, it all boils down to legroom and wheelbase. If the 250 is a Prius on steroids, then we at LCT can only say — no can do, not a limo, off with its livery head!
Here’s some advice to Toyota, courtesy of what has worked in chauffeured transportation: It’s all about the stretch. You take a Ford Fusion, a Town Car, a DTS, and stretch it just a few inches, then you are that much closer to the luxury, livery standard. Bank on building big. -- M.R.
ADOLESCENT GROWS UP: We’re referring, of course, to green chauffeured vehicles. . .
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MORE MARKET SHARE HERE? The staple of European livery keeps making strides in technology and amenities; yes, it’s more expensive than a Lincoln Town Car or Cadillac DTS, but then again, Europeans somehow manage to profit from its luxurious chauffeured excellence.
REVIEW HERE. With major shifts in the U.S. chauffeured transportation market, and revamped livery vehicles coming out in the next few years, Mercedes-Benz could have a golden opp to make market inroads. – M.R.
ALL AGES NOW: Gone are the days when motorcoach transportation was associated primarily with seniors groups, school groups, and Greyhound bus travel.
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SCARY SPECTACLE: Well, the results are in. And here is why many small- to medium-sized business (the majority type in chauffeured transportation and charter and tour industries) are not hiring more people to grow by now.
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SOCIAL NETWORKING offers plenty of pros and cons for you and your employees. One thing is for sure: Don't venture into the online social scene without the social skills. . . .
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SOMETHING BETTER THAN NOTHING? How clear should you be on your pricing structure? What's the best approach for concert clients?
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SLOW RECOVERY: The business jet industry -- whose clients often use chauffeured transportation to and from FBO facilities -- won't be building many new planes for several years,
latest reports show. New jet deliveries to fractional operators is down 66% Y-o-Y.
WSJ REPORT: Pay, benefit questions and disputes emerge amid a weak economy, according to
an article published today. The NLA
recently educated operators on wage issues, urging I/O companies to pay close attention and get informed.
BLACK&GREEN: Here is another example of how improving green technology can be adapted to luxury vehicles. If an S-Class hybrid Mercedes gets about the same mileage as a diesel version, then there really is no excuse for small, green livery vehicles. -- M.R.
TOUGH NEW RULES: New York taxi cab, black car, and luxury limousine drivers and chauffeurs may lose the right to talk on Bluetooth phones and use GPS systems while enroute. Needless to say, this complicates and interferes with the clear communication chauffeurs need to get client from point A to point B in the fastest way. . .
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I learned a lot of things the easy way at LCT East. . . .
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LINDA JAGIELA: Last week, Commissioner Matthew Daus gave a favorable ruling to the Avis/We DriveU model in New York City. Although the New York/New Jersey Port Authority had already ruled against the Avis model, Commissioner Daus and his legal team found that the Avis model did not violate any city laws.
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ADDRESS, TOWN, and STATE PLEASE: There are always a few in every pile -- business cards that list a chauffeured transportation company and then no physical address, town, and state. From our standpoint at LCT, such cards are annoying and don't get considered for a follow up article or contribution: Who? Where? We need to know. One veteran operator sent us this e-mail that wisely sums up the situation:
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DEADLINE NOW: Submissions for the 2010 Operator Of The Year Awards, Association Award of Excellence, and LCT Marketing Awards are due THURSDAY, OCT. 15 by 5 p.m. PDT/8 p.m. EDT. Submissions can be sent to Martin Romjue, LCT Editor, 3520 Challenger St., Torrance, CA, 90503, or if in PDF form, can be e-mailed to Martin@LCTmag.com. DOWNLOADABLE FORMS HERE. This deadline already has been extended from Oct. 1.
FOLLOW UP: Those guys in suits in Oklahoma operating the limo party bus that can’t be called a party bus aren't what you would think.
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PUT ON YOUR SALES CAP: How much time do you spend selling? Do you have a sales force or are you the main salesperson?
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PREVIEW: October is technology month at LCT Magazine, and although we are combining our October and November print issues this year, there's no reason to wait on technology information that can help you better run your business. See posted monthly features below.
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SEMI BLOG-BREAK: We'll be posting sporadically on LCT Blog until Oct. 12 because of the upcoming LCT Eastern Conference, where the industry will gather Oct. 6-9. Watch for a few more posts on Monday and some updates from the conference. We'll resume a normal schedule again the week of Oct. 12.
AT THE CONFERENCE: If you are coming to LCT East, and I can't imagine why not, be sure to stop by the LCT Magazine booth to meet/greet one or more editors. Ideas offered face-to-face tend to get more traction. We'll also be all over the place.
REMINDER: Deadlines for the 2010 LCT Operator Of The Year Awards, LCT Marketing Awards, and LCT Association Award of Excellence have been extended until Thursday, Oct. 15. That should allow plenty of time to get last-minute packets to us post-conference. DOWNLOADABLE FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS HERE. Thanks to all who have submitted entries so far; they're looking good and I can tell we've got some tough decisions ahead. We'll be mum on finalists this year right up until the International LCT Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 25-27, 2010, where all the winners will be annouced at a dinner gala the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
STEP UP, LADIES: One of my favorite events at the International LCT Show in Las Vegas is the women’s event.
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WOULD THIS WORK? One New Jersey township is considering A THOUGHTFUL APPROACH to prom night:
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HOCKEY STICK: The ballyhooed economic recovery looks increasingly like a hockey stick; thanks to a failed porky stimulus package and higher taxes that will lower the value of U.S. currency and exacerbate inflationary risks -- while continuing to spook consumers into saving and pinching even more.
LATEST OUTLOOK ON BUSINESS TRAVEL at least shows no more decline, but not nearly enough growth to warrant a sigh of relief. All the more reason for operators to diversify and grab hold of the growing motorcoach and mini-bus market segments. -- M.R.