MEETING MINUTES
Friday, October 14, 2011
Volume 18; Issue 35

Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Terry Schnelle.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals. 

Membership Update
Today we had a guest and potential member courtesy of Erin LaGrassa... Vanessa Smith.  Vanessa and her dad are starting a business together.  They do polyurethane molding.  She is still learning the business.  Her father has been doing it since he was 13-years old.  We are looking for a location in Ahwatukee. 

Dave Lathrop would like to bring in Randal Smith of Today's Interiors as a guest and potential member.  Although they do interior design, they would come in as providers of high-end window treatments.

Leads & Introductions
Ryan Bohlander has been brand loyal to Nike for a very long time.  He started wearing their running shoes in the early 90's.  He has spent a lot of money with them.  But recently he bought a different, high end brand that was on sale.  He loved them.  He went back and bought two more pairs while they were still on sale.  It got him thinking about loyalty.  He might have cost Nike a lot of money by losing his business.  Is there a product you are loyal to?  Will that loyalty change?  What would make it change?  Members answered the question of loyalty during leads and introductions.

• Shawn Vigneau - My local gas station.  I like the friendly atmosphere.  For my business loyalty is huge, retention.

• Robert Busch - I am not loyal to brands as much as products.

• Fred Vandervort - MABE.  I am loyal to using members of this group.  Trust.

• Don Ellis - I agree with Fred.  Costco also comes to mind.  The people that give out samples cut me a bigger piece.

• James Bache - A customer occupies a special position in your business.  Dunkin Donuts lost his loyalty over 50-cents.  Same story with a local Italian restaurant.  Don't piss of Jim!

• Terry Schnelle - I am a skydiver and I buy a special canopy because I am comfortable with it...still alive!

• Sandro Menasci - I am loyal to my supplier.  He takes care of me because he knows that I take of my customer.  Its not about the money I spend with him. 

• Dave Lathrop - Loyalty is critical to my business.  There are several places I will not use because they blew their one chance.  I have been very loyal to Apple.  But usually how a business is run comes from the top down - owner philosophy - so I wonder how/if quality will change.

• Andrew Jensen - Loyalty is very key to my business.  It relates back to customer service.  Sirius radio comes to mind.  I had a dispute with them over a renewal of service.  I work hard to get what I was entitled to.

• Herb Stokes - I am also loyal to a brand of running shoes.  Coke vs. Pepsi.

• Erin LaGrassa - The only brand loyalty is food.  I like only certain brands when I cook.

• Dave Crissman - My loyalty centers around the service that goes with the brand.

• Joe Arsenault - Direct TV but only because of the NFL Sunday Ticket.  My father has been successful due to his loyalty to providing customer service and going above and beyond.

• Jake Ulrich - From a competition standpoint in the banking industry, the technical aspect influences loyalty.  People like having certain conveniences.

• Saint Nick Mawrenko - I just a book on this very topic.  Being mediocre is not going to keep you in business.  People will  be loyal if you can thrill them.  I like to frequent places that treat me like family. 

Don Ellis - Hiring & Firing
Don was born in 1942 in New York City.  He went to college and also spent time in the military.  He opened his first bar and restaurant in New York.  He moved here 30 years ago and opened the Landmark.

Don admits to making the same mistakes everyone else does when it comes to hiring and firing employees.  Hiring is a fairly simple process...you cross your fingers.  We do use an application and interview people.  They show them the ropes and give them a test.  If they are lost you let them go.  He talked about the qualities that make a good waiter and kitchen staff.  The most important thing is communication.  As an employer you have to communicate with your staff and be consistent with it.  Appreciation is also important.  Don will make it a point to sit down and have coffee with his staff and just talk to them, not necessarily about work either. 

As for firing, some have been let go for being dishonest.  And some just can't do the job and it is easy to fire them because they are late or miss shifts and it is all documented.  They usually understand and they go on to bigger and greater things.  We follow the laws and hang the posters.  We have an employee manual that we rely on when firing someone.

People come in with hard luck stories all the time.  You make your luck. 

Open Categories
If you have any suggestions for additions to this list (or corrections) please contact Melissa Matthews.

Actuarial Services
Advertising & Marketing
Answering Service
Antique Dealer 
Apartment Locator
Appliance Store 
Appraisers Audio Store 
Auto Body Repair
Auto Parts Store 
Auto Glass Repair
Aviation (Maintenance / Sales) 
Awnings, Canopies 

Bagel Shop
Baker 
Barbeque Supplies
Beauty Salon/Barber Shop
Bedding and Mattress Store
Bicycle Shop
Boarding Kennel 
Boat (Sales / Service)
Bookstore 
Business Broker
Business Machines 
Butcher Shop 

Camera (Retail/Repair)
Camper & RV Sales & Rentals 
Car Wash
Card & Stationary Shop
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning
Ceiling Fans 
Cellular Equipment/Services
Chiropractic Physician
Cleaning Services
Clocks 
Clothing (Formal / Kid's / Men's / Western / Women's)
Coffee Services 
Coin/Stamp Dealer
Communications (Cable TV / Publishing / Radio / Television) 
Compressed Air 
Computer Hardware (Leasing / Programming / Software / Training)
Consulting (By Specialty) 
Contractor (By Specialty)
Convenience Store
Copiers & Fax Machines
Cosmetics
Counselor, Specialty
Courier Service
Creative Services
Credit Counseling
Culinary Consulting

Dance Studio
Dry Cleaning, Laundry
Day-Care Center
Dentistry (General)
Dentistry (Specialties)
Donut Shop

Electrician
Engineer, Specialties
Exercise Equipment

Fabric Store
Florist & Floral Design
Franchise Broker
Fragrance Shop 
Furniture (Finishing / Home / Office / Unfinished)

Garage Door Installation & Repair
Garden Sales (Lawn Equipment / Supplies)
Gift Shop
General Contractor/Remodeling & Residential
Glass Repair (Home)
Glass Store (Auto / Home) 
Golf &Tennis (Instruction / Sales)
Grocer Specialty Store 
Guns, Collectors 

Hair Stylist
Hardware Store 
Health Club 
Health Foods 
Hearing Aids 
Hiking/Backpacking 
Hobby Shop 
Home Accessories
Hot Tub & Spa's 
Hotel, Motel, Resort 

Insurance
Insurance & Investments
Interior Design

Janitor (Service / Supplies) 

Knife/Cutlery Shop 

Lawyer (By Specialty) 
Leather Goods Store 
Lighting Fixtures
Liquor, Beer, Wine 
Locksmith
Luggage 
Lumber Yard

Machine Shop 
Mailing & Packaging Store 
Mailing Services & Direct Marketing Information
Marketing
Masonry
Motorcycle Dealer 
Moving & Storage
Musical Instruments

Nursery (Plants)  

Office Furniture
Office Supplies
Organs, Pianos 
Ornamental Iron 

Paging Services
Painter
Paper Products 
Patio
Party Supplies
Pediatrics
Personnel Services
Pest Control
Pet Shop 
Pharmacy
Physician - Medical (By Specialty)
Picture Framing & Gallery
Plastics
Printing
Private School (Art / Beauty / Drama / Music / Trade)
Property Management

Rentals (Equipment / Medical / Party)
Restaurant (By Specialty)
Riding Stables

Safety Equipment
Scuba Diving Store
Secretarial Services
Security – Electronic
Security Guard Patrol
Shoe Store
Swimming Pools (Installation / Repairs)

Travel Agent
Trophies/Awards

Video
  
Website Design
Website Hosting
Wine Merchant