More than just a job

Yesterday, while dropping my daughter off at school, I walked her to class and then casually looked through the side window (in the doorway), as she placed her homework package in the bin provided for them. What I witnessed next though, not only made me smile, but almost brought a tear to my eye.
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As her first grade teacher (Mrs. Wade) greeted her good morning, Madie walked over to the desk and gave her a big hug. My daughter’s genuine and sincere appreciation for her teacher, as well as the teacher’s gratitude for having shared that mere moment with her, moved me!

Madie’s teacher, like many in similar professions, strive to offer something back to the rest of us that is invaluable, something that could never be summed up by the mere pittance in their paychecks or through the charts and graphs governments now regularly apply to determine their value. Unfortunately though, the truly blind among us, never seem to understand the only two words that are absolutely required to be exceptional at their chosen path as a teacher, doctor, nurse, policeman, fireman, soldier, or parent etc, “They care”! .
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On one of my first training seminars in the travel industry, I sat and listened to a guy talk for nearly 40 minutes, about what we could do as travel agents to look as if we cared more. For example you could write down reminders for important family birthdates, schedule a random call, fill their email boxes 1.7 times per week with your highest kick back supplier specials etc. Well, not being able to take much more of that, I finally raised my hand and said “would it not just be easier to genuinely care”! A dog chasing a football is what I would call that look I got back from him! Too bad I didn’t keep his email though; I would have just sent him a note that said “see Mrs. Wade”! And that my friends, is the only difference that ever truly matters in my humble opinion! .
Well that’s it for the rant today folks, back on Friday with some tips on picking the right travel insurance, take care! .
Robbie Bulger – The Florida Canuck

Where are you from

When I was growing up there was a small shoe store at the end of our road “Proud Shoes”. It was run by Wayne Proud, and if you ever needed more than just a cheap pair of shoes, or if your parents wanted them to last for a while and fit properly, that was likely where they took you! The rest of the time we’d be lucky enough to get the Kmart brand, that was either guaranteed to fall apart before your first week of school was over, or get the crap beat out of you by the second!

Going to a real shoe store was a treat back then, Wayne would greet you at the door “Mr. Bulger, how can I help you sir”! Sit you down and ask you a bunch of questions (not your mom or dad, you)! The questions were never just about the shoes or how they fit, but quietly served as a type of bench mark, that consistently seemed to let him know more about his customer than the Kmart clerk ever seemed to know! For some reason though (most likely money and convenience), somewhere along the way we traded in that Wayne Proud business model, and opted for the cheaper Wal-mart version instead!

Times change though, both for the better or worse, and often it takes that type of absence for us to truly appreciate the real value in something. Although I didn’t understand back then that there was a lesson in process, today I do! The “what’s in it for me mentality” or the instant gratification that cheaper and faster has brought us through the internet, doesn’t necessarily have to be labelled a good thing or bad thing! It could very easily just be another opportunity to create something new and better!

That’s the rant for today folks, have a great weekend! Next week, after more musing, I will further explain that difference, take care!
Robbie Bulger – The Florida Canuck

Back on the Grid again!

About mid Dec, I decided to make some changes to my website, and started moving things around until I had a proper mess on my hands. Far from a programmer (caused one to work twice as hard though, I think!), I know just about enough html code to be dangerous! I can say without hesitation however, that I do have a tremendous talent for destroying pretty much any idiot proof template you might put in front me!   

My point, I guess, is that instead of trying to juggle everything else in my life (family, clients, training etc), in order to find a couple of minutes every other day to work on my site as an extra project, I could probably have just paid a few bucks and had it looked after by a professional, versus two months of fixing this and breaking that!    

Booking travel isn’t much different either folks! Yes, you can do it yourself online and sometimes save a buck or two here and there (and I am not against that concept by any means). The problem however is that the bigger the investment of both time and money put forth, the more important it is to get it right! Equally as important though, is being fully prepared for all the “what ifs” when we don’t get it right!   

 As seen last week with the Carnival Triumph, both unexpected and unfortunate events can change your vacation plans in the blink of an eye. And in all fairness, it doesn’t really matter in such circumstances who   booked it, as we are living in a very cost cutting and uncertain environment these days. Can’t help but think though, that those who do opt for the “Hail Mary” pass, relying solely on the cruise line, airline etc to best look out for their interests, will not fare out nearly as well as those with a good travel agent, trip insurance and a backup plan that doesn’t terminate at the other end of a 1 800 number in India! That said, there are some great specials and excellent bargains to be had, and yes much of it can certainly be found via the internet on your own! Not ever a bad suggestion to do some leg work on your own first before committing to something though. That said, if you ever do need a hand figuring it all out, please give me a shout.

Take care!

 

Rob Bulger – The Florida Canuck

 

www.floridacanuck.com