February 9, 2013
► Customer Feedback: A customer by the last name of Howd, Goffstown, NH, stated that their general shopping experience with us was Excellent. Did any of our team members do an unusually good job? “They were all excellent!” Sales help and products were rated Excellent. “Comfortable.” What do we do really well? “Selection!”
► New (web) advertising starts Sunday, Feb. 10: “Relax at Home”. Everything else remains the same, except that the Winter Pool Supply Sale becomes a Spring Pool Supply Sale.
► We had 25 One-of-These awards in January; three for Customer Service. Finalists were Joe, Seth, Stephanie, Ann A, and Mia. Owner’s Choice was Joe. Drawing winner was Ann A. Congratulations to all.
► Olhausen has raised the price of Accuguard and Simonis #760SR cloth. The price pages have been changed.
► I am very proud of Jeanne. While we were in Jamaica, she got up early and spent two mornings working at a “home” for abused girls. Cinder block walls, tiny windows, 8 foot concrete walls with razor-wire on top. Dormitory bedrooms full of steel bunk beds so close together that you can barely walk between them. Corrugated steel roof, no electricity, barely functioning toilets. Jeanne painted, cleaned, and more.
This was a project organized by Lonza/Baquacil/Poolife called the P.E.A.C.H. Project. Over 90 pool dealers and Lonza employees participated. Pool guys figured how to reconnect the electricity so that the fans we bought for the dorms would work. New doors, mattresses, toilets. All sorts of sheets and towels that people brought in the luggage. I felt that I was too fat and sedentary to work, so I gave money. It turns out that I was right. As Jeanne said: When we were coming back, all sweaty and dirty, and covered in paint; wearing our P.E.A.C.H. Project t-shirts, you could see people in the lobby saying: “Don’t go on that P.E.A.C.H. tour – it looks really, really hard!”
► I believe that it is poor customer service to be painting surfaces in customer parts of the store without “Wet Paint” signs. It is not fair to them to get paint on their clothes, and it causes hard feelings (and perhaps the loss of future business). Plus, we have to pay for a brand new expensive winter coat – regardless of how old or expensive the coat actually was.
► It would be nice to put things away as soon as we complete painting an area. Doing so would give the customer a better experience and potentially increase sales.
► February is open enrollment for AFLAC. Any employee wishing to add or cancel policies must do so by February 28th. Examples of current policies that people have through AFLAC are Accident, Hospitalization, Cancer and Life insurances. Many of the premiums are eligible for pre-tax deductions. Our AFLAC representative, Marie Terhune, would be glad to speak with you about what they have to offer. Drop a note in my mailbox and I will give you her contact information.
► Don’t Mess With Children: A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child’s work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.” The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.” Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, “They will in a minute.”
► When I read that, why do I think of Honor H?