SAY WHAT? The Cadillac XTS chauffeur seat will feature directional tactile sensations that generate vibrating pulse patterns.
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I take the wheel and lead respect in an emotional farewell to a 23-year-old Bakersfield, Calif. police officer.
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The sedan’s new shape resembles that of an Audi or Jaguar. The 2014 Avalon is set to make its world debut on April 5 at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Read the full story to see photos.
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NO CHEAPSKATES, PLEASE: It was a coincidence that I got a call from New Jersey operator and 2010 LCT Operator of the Year Bill Atkins today on the topic of value pricing and rewards programs just as I saw this article from Inc. Magazine: Will Your Customers Pay More? The short answer is they will if you are offering a quality service or product that doesn't waste clients' time. The recent recession proved that the easiest way to survive is to simply follow the rule of giving the milk away for free instead of selling the cow -- and we all know where that leads. Operators who preserved price integrity are having a better recovery, having avoided the race to the bottom. A price is as much a communication tool as an expectation for revenue: A quality brand needs to be backed up by a value price. As this article shows with its examples that can apply to the limousine industry, people will pay more for anything if they want it bad enough and the service/product is good enough. Related LCT article: Treating Clients Like VIPs -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
These phrases are the worst things you can say to your clients. They are adapted from an Inc. Magazine article called “5 Worst Things You Can Say To A Customer.”
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Here are some statements you can easily remember and repeat to bring out the best in you and everyone who works around you.
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Entrepreneur.com shares five ways business owners and executives can make quicker, more calculated decisions.
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WILL OBAMA AND HIS ECONOMIC TEAM FIT INSIDE? Czech automaker Skoda, once synonymous with 20th Century-era Communist vehicles, plans to unveil a compact limousine later this year. Compact and limousine are not two terms easily uttered in the same livery breath, given the priority on comfort for limousine vehicles.
But Skoda has made strides since 1990 rebranding and reengineering itself as the Hyundai of Eastern Europe, with its higher quality and progressive compact vehicles. At least a Skoda limo, no matter what the size, will be an improvement on the pictured limousine once used to ferry government dignitaries. To come to think of it, that old-school, rickety-clap stretch could be used as an exit vehicle (The Hope Limo) for President Obama if he leaves the White House on 1/20/2013. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
GOING WAY OF ROTARY PHONE?
It's hard to believe: Digital-minded businesspeople are increasingly ditching the business calling card. But is mutually swiping smart phones against each other ("Wonder Twins Activate!"), or a hipster fist bump, really the alternative solution?
Call it old-fashioned, but a print card still communicates class and formality in a simple way. I don't want to have to look at a web page or consult LinkedIn every time I meet someone.
Maybe a traditional print business card with a QR code on the back for optional digital follow-up offers the best approach. The digital referral can be archived on a computer, tablet, or phone, with the card being kept or thrown out. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
This week I highlight an absurd example of over-regulation of limousine operators in Montreal. And don't think something like this couldn't happen here.
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The Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR race in Las Vegas earlier in March was the venue where a Dodge Viper convertible limousine made its debut chauffeuring Oscar Goodman, the host committee chairman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and grand marshal of the race around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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THE LIMO SHOW: LCT editors took to the airwaves last week for David Bastian's weekly blogtalk radio show, sponsored by Towne Livery. We're not exactly Howard Stern material, but it was a good experience in getting the word out about all the new vehicles on the market. And just to clarify: We like ALL vehicles at the Show and don't pick favorities. Those decisions are up to chauffeured clients and their limousine operators. -- Martin Romjue, LCT editor
Limos.com proves to be an asset when pursuing referrals and leads.
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XTS STRETCH IN THE WORKS: Autoblog.com recenty posted one of its
signature spy shots on the Cadillac XTS stretch limousine, obviously out for a test run as part of its preparation for production. Cadillac, which unveiled its 2013 Cadillac XTS sedan at the 2012 International LCT Show, will later this year make available a "V4U" chassis for the XTS that can be stretched up to 70 inches by certified Cadillac Master Coachbuilders (CMC) manufacturers. The XTS stretch will compete with the 2013 Lincoln MKT Town Car stretch limousine, for which there were several prototypes on the Show floor from Lincoln QVM limousine manufacturers. The first
2013 Lincoln MKT Town Cars are just days away from dealerships, while the first
Cadillac XTS sedans are scheduled to be delivered in the second quarter. XTS limousine chassis are scheduled for production in the fourth quarter. --
Martin Romjue, LCT editor
Apple, the company who brought us the iPod, iPhone and iPad, among myriad other powerful computers and gadgets, has successfully avoided competing on the basis of price. The tech titan has been able to charge premium rates and still attract business, a concept dreamed about by every business owner. Here are four ways Apple accomplished this along with ideas that can be applied to a chauffeured transportation business.
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The Academy Award-winning actor had a brief stint chauffeuring Tony Bennett around to pay the bills when he was about 19.
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