Here are five things to keep in mind when selling to the new breed of high-end customer:
Travel Market Report article here
business travel industry trends leisure travel luxury market trends
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/2knk9z6
The 1st Annual Official Vegas Invitational will be held Sunday, March 12 at 10:30 a.m. at the Revere Golf Glub, 2600 Hampton Dr., Henderson, Nev. Cost is $125 without club rentals and $175 with club rentals. Fees include green fees, cart, practice balls, two sleeves of balls, bottled water in ice coolers, food, and beverages. Sponsorships are also available.
Money raised will got to the Harold Berkman Memorial Fund and the Limo Patriot Ride, the two leading limousine industry charities.
To secure a golfing spot, email Adam@parkavenuelimousine.com. For a sponsorship, contact NLA executive director Sarah Gazi at info@limo.org.
charity Harold Berkman Memorial Fund ILCT 2017 industry charity Las Vegas LImo Patriot Ride National Limousine Association
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/2k43bJZ
Both sessons are sponsored by the American Bus Association. The Show is being held at the Sands Expo between the Palazzo and Venetian Resort Casinos in Las Vegas.
The first one, Mastering the Day-to-Day Challenges of the Bus Industry, will be held Tuesday, March 14 from 10:50 a.m. to 12 p.m. It will cover multiple aspects of operations, including mechanics, insurance, and how to enter and stay in the bus market. Moderated by Tom Holden, operations manager for Rose Chauffeured Transportation in Charlotte, N.C., the panel includes Gary Buffo, CEO of Pure Luxury Transportation Petaluma, Calif. and the NLA President; David Glazier, CEO of Fleet Transportation in Alexandria, Va.; and Jeff Greene, CEO of Greene Worldwide Transportation in Atlanta.
A second session, Capitalizing on Every Revenue Opportunity in Your Market, will be held Wednesday, March 15 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Also moderated by Holden, the panel will focus on how to develop the business business and tap into the events and culture in a local area, such as concerts, wine tours, universities, senior groups, and corporate. Panelists include Dave Brown of Premiere Transportation of Albany, N.Y.; Jennifer Buffo of Pure Luxury Transportation; and George Jacobs, CEO of Windy City Limousine.
American Bus Association building your clientele buses David Glazier Gary Buffo George Jacobs ILCT 2017 industry education motorcoaches revenue growth Tom Holden
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/2k4bkhF
Deliver Quality
Emam’s father knows it’s the small yet essential aspects to running a business that really make a difference. Having clean cars, properly dressed chauffeurs, and being on time and reliable are the essence of what a limo company should promise its clients.
“We still get calls from people who switch to our company and say they have to find one that’s more reliable than what they were using before; it’s still and issue,” Emam says. His father never wanted their fleet to become too large because he didn’t want to lose his company’s personal touch.
Emam and his father give their cell phone numbers to clients and their admins because they think it’s essential to maintaining a strong relationship with them. “If you’re a small operator and you’re not going to give out your personal number so you can be the person they can reach out to, then it gives your client the opportunity to go try someone else.”
This also means making sure your customers can use whatever means they feel most comfortable with to contact you. Clients can call, email, or even text to make a reservation with Chauffeurs Limo. Oddly enough, even in a time when people’s preferred method of communication seems to be whatever takes the least effort, Emam says admins booking rides still like calling in and talking to the company’s staff.
Family Teamwork
Emam has learned a lot from his father over the years, and the two have made a great team. “We have different outlooks on the company, and our personalities are different, but I’ve learned a lot of lessons from him and he’s still learning new things as well,” he says.
Emam was also tech savvy and able to help update the company’s social media presence with photography and videos. “Technology made me start liking [being involved in the industry] more. Instead of having to wake up at three in the morning to make sure chauffeurs were where they needed to be, the work load became more manageable,” he says.
When advertising (which his father never really pursued), Emam took the reins and made sure to get the company’s name out on Facebook. “It’s increased our reservations even in this small town because people can actually find us now,” he says.
“I reach out to clients and ask if they’ll review us on Google, and even big bankers who have limited time say they’ll do it for us.” Emam’s dad is still very hands-on and occasionally chauffeurs for some top clients just so he can say hello and keep them in the loop.
Something Emam has learned working in the industry is you shouldn’t jump into making a decision: Whether it’s vehicle- or customer service-related. “You have to step back and think about what you should do,” he says. “You never stop learning in this industry; there is no end to Limo University. Don’t be afraid to fail, because you can always try again at a different angle.”
Keep Growing
The company has never run more than 15 cars and now has nine. It always uses new vehicles and changes them out once a year. It sells them once they rack up around 80,000 miles. Their fleet is comprised of Lincoln MKT Town Cars and Continentals, Chevrolet Suburbans, and a Sprinter van.
“[The Sprinter] puts you in front of more affiliates, and our First Class Customs built one has nice leather seats and an Apple TV. That’s the way to go to beat Uber and Lyft because they don’t have vehicles this size.”
The business went nationwide last year, and Emam looks forward to fully getting back into the retail side of the market with vans. “Getting through the recession and 9/11 as a small business doing mostly corporate work is something to be proud of. When it gets hard, you just have to find ways to cut expenses and keep on hustling.”
The company also benefits from having a Sprinter since the client market is heading toward larger vehicles. They’ll continue to service their growing network of affiliates, which has increased significantly since he started networking.
“We didn’t network for a good 10 years,” Emam says. “The minute I started to was the minute we started getting more work. There are many more people to meet and learn from.”
customer service family businesses LCTFast40 Lexi Tucker Lincoln Lincoln-Continental Mercedes-Benz Millennials New Jersey operators Sprinter WebXclusive
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/2k45e0J
“Currently, all Uber and Lyft vehicles are required by law to have a gold and black sticker on license plates allowing consumers (and authorities) the ability to know the vehicle has been registered, and hopefully insured, adequately enough to safely get you from Point A to Point B,” Walsh said. “Nothing about this repeal makes sense. Think of the ramifications. Now there will be no way to identify a TNC car. TNCs can just hang out curbside at Dulles and Reagan airports and authorities will have no way of knowing if they are TNCs or not,” he explained.
The two companion House and Senate bills speeding through the legislature will remove the requirement that a TNC driver must register his personal vehicle for use as a “TNC partner” vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill also allows the Department of State Police to recognize another state’s annual motor vehicle safety inspection in lieu of a Virginia inspection.
Walsh said there are more than 144,000 TNC vehicles registered in Virginia. “Uber, a $64 billion company, believes this is unnecessary and takes too much time and effort and places a burden on our DMV. The reason we know there are that many vehicles registered is because it was successfully done by our extremely efficient and modern DMV,” Walsh said.
The legislation to repeal went under the radar of opposing parties “but this can set a precedent nationwide,” Walsh said, adding the VLA is trying to muster opposition to the repeal before it hits the governor’s desk for approval.
airport rules legislation Paul Walsh TNCs Virginia Limousine Association Virginia operators VLA
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/2k44ubP
How It Works
While the format is tweaked from show to show, the premise resembles speed dating. One participant stays in the same chair while others move one seat to the right every four minutes. There are plenty of LCT staff members on hand to help you get an initial seat and remind you of where you should move to when the bell rings. Yes, I ring a bell similar to one in a boxing ring at the end of each four-minute period. It is important to keep the flow going. Although you might be having great conversations, you must keep moving when the bell rings. I will give you extra time at the end of the session if you want to take your new friendship to the next level with a private one-on-one visit. There is plenty of time for that.
Tell The Truth
Just as in speed dating, sometimes people feel the need to exaggerate or make false claims to look bigger in the eyes of their prospects. I caution you to be truthful. If you will provide service any time, day or night, it doesn’t mean you are a 24/7 operation. Being a 24/7 operation means you answer your phone 24/7 and take reservations around the clock without sounding like you were just woke from a dead sleep. If you can borrow a buddy’s 55-passenger bus, don’t say you own a bus. Farming a farm-job is a very touchy subject so make sure you disclose you have “access” to a bus rather than own it. Don’t exaggerate your fleet size. Don’t lie about the age of your vehicles. It can and will come back to haunt you. Just be as honest and forthright as you can. Be sure to share any special permits you hold or specialty vehicles you operate.
Move To The Right
The biggest snafu we have in this session is the simple concept of moving to the right when I ring the bell. If you see someone you know in the room, don’t jump up to go sit with them. For starters, it ruins the process of moving to the right and we now have an extra seat because you jumped to another row. It also makes no sense in a networking session to go speak to someone you already know. The point of the session is to mix it up and meet new people. When you reach the end of the table, you will be directed to the next row over. Once seated in the first chair, you will continue moving to the right. The concept is quite simple. If you move to the right and no one is sitting across from you, raise your hand and a staff member will immediately pair you with someone else. This happens when people don’t move to the right.
About The Sponsor
Chosen Payments will sponsor B4 Business Networking at the 2017 International LCT Show for a third time. [Full disclosure: I work for Chosen]. During the session, Chosen Payments gets in on the action of the room by having each participant get the initials of at least seven other participants in the room to enter a drawing. The company gave away two ILCT passes during LCT East, and you can expect more of the same from Chosen at ILCT 2017. Chosen Payments maintains its own affiliate website for their clients to connect with one another and firmly believes in helping the industry to affiliate with each other.
Why You Should Attend
Whether you have been in the business for two months, two years, or two decades, you can meet new people. This session helps facilitate those introductions. The session is limited to the first 100 people. The participants include many affiliate managers from the big affiliate networks such as Commonwealth, BostonCoach, Music Express, and others. These affiliate managers want face-to-face introductions with potential affiliates. This is an opportunity to earn a spot on their affiliate map and create a relationship with them.
Smooth Operations provides a broad range of information focused on new ideas and approaches in management, human resources, customer service, marketing, networking and technology. Have something to share or would like covered? You can reach LCT contributing editor and California operator Jim Luff at Jim@LCTmag.com.
How To ILCT 2017 Jim Luff Las Vegas limo tradeshows networking smooth operations tradeshow preparation
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/2k43ep6
advertising Hyundai Hyundai Genesis Super Bowl
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/20kXKzC
For operators, success is all about what clients are willing to pay for brand image, especially in the niche that craves the Escalade. So it only follows that the less costly but still relevant Escalade generation ending in 2014 can provide high “coattails value”: Close enough in design and cachet to still be associated with the new and refined 2015-plus model years.
A 2014 Cadillac Escalade with 23,000 miles is available for $53,000 on Limoforsale.com, well below the $70k-range of the new ones. If your clients want to pay to reserve a new Escalade, get it and rake in the revenue. If they’re not yet ready, this one would work and likely command a lower rate.
DETAILS, PHOTOS AND CONTACT INFO HERE
After listing a fully-loaded roster of amenities, the seller comments: “Beautiful Escalade in and out. Maintained by local Cadillac dealer. Bluetooth and still under factory warranty.”
The vehicle’s exterior and interior ratings are all a 10, meaning this SUV can still tease out many a Hollywood red carpet.
Cadillac Cadillac Escalade LimoForSale.com online vehicle sales SUV used vehicles vehicle sales VIP service
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/1Q4048w
For the limo business, the fleet of limos is the primary asset and expense. Without vehicles, you cannot run your business, but those vehicles are costly to drive and maintain. Maintenance, insurance, repairs and fuel eat a large portion of your company’s budget. One way to ensure that your vehicles are driven in the most cost-effective way possible, without sacrificing the level of service your clients receive, is with fleet tracking. Here are some reasons why tracking your limos is essential to success.
Insurance is one of the only places where you can seriously cut your costs as a limo business. With other expenses, like fuel, maintenance and driver pay, you have less control. Fleet tracking will help lower your risk, and thus your insurance cost.
Why do insurance companies reward fleets that have tracking systems installed? First, tracking vehicles helps limit reckless driver behavior. Driver accountability will lead to safer driver behavior, because your drivers know that their activities are being monitored. Your insurance company knows this as well, and will lower your premiums as a result.
Second, vehicles with GPS tracking systems are easier to recover if they are stolen. Limos are a target for potential thieves, and you will have the benefit of being able to provide the last-known location for the vehicle if it is stolen. This helps the police recover it more quickly.
How much can you save? According to Automotive Digest, your rates might drop by as much as 15 percent with fleet tracking.
Your clients trust you to provide them with a safe ride to and from their destination. GPS fleet tracking helps ensure this, by implementing driver accountability, which leads to improved driver behavior. When tracking what your drivers are doing behind the wheel of your limos, you can better enforce safe driving practices and limit excessive speeding, braking and other unsafe habits.
Limos aren’t known for their fuel efficiency, but you can improve this with fleet tracking. Driving at high speeds or having a driver who sits in the limo with the engine running while waiting for a client can use fuel unnecessarily. You can set your fleet tracking system to alert you to specific vehicle speeds or excessive idling. Modern systems can even correlate speed alerts to the speed limits posted on a specific road using modern mapping technology. This, then, allows you to curb behavior that is hogging your fuel budget.
Some GPS fleet tracking systems can directly tie into the engine and provide diagnostic help when alert codes are triggered. Your system can also be set up to provide alerts when it is time for a service check or maintenance visit. By scheduling maintenance in a timely way, you can get more mileage out of your limo fleet and ensure you always have vehicles ready to deliver your clients where they need to go. In addition, fleet tracking helps you address small issues before they develop into costly repairs through better maintenance tracking.
Some limo companies offer a call-and-deliver service, picking up clients at a moment’s notice from their hotels or the airport. To guarantee prompt delivery of a vehicle when a last-minute request is made, you need GPS fleet tracking.
GPS fleet tracking shows, in real time, where all of your vehicles are. This, in turn, allows you to dispatch a limo and driver who is close to your target customer.
Also, GPS fleet tracking with mapping technology can show you real-time traffic data. With this information, you can route your drivers around traffic delays, ensuring they arrive at your customer’s location on time and are able to deliver their passengers to their chosen destination in a timely manner.
What’s the bottom line? If you are running a limousine service and want to provide the best service to your customers at minimal cost, you need the help of GPS fleet tracking. The benefits this technology provides means it will easily pay for itself through increased efficiency, enhanced customer service and lower insurance rates.
***********************************************************************************************************
Robert J. Hall is president of Track Your Truck, a leader in GPS vehicle tracking systems and software for small and midsized companies. Check out one of his other Limo Digest posts here.
via Limo News http://ift.tt/20kXJMf
custom coachbuilders How To limousine manufacturing manufacturing stretch limousine video
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/1KBU4Yw
The set shot before is usually on display at the actual party. This set can include photos of the couple in front of famous buildings, rivers, beaches, high mountains, or an Excalibur Limousine in front of a romantic lake in the mountains.
Chevrolet China operators sedans tourism vintage vehicles weddings
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/1Qny1RZ
The original 1975 Cadillac Limousine featured an MSRP of $14,557 upon its initial release and came equipped with a V8 engine rated at 210 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. In addition, this RWD limo weighed 5,842 pounds straight from the factory, featured a wheelbase of 151 inches, and also provided a 27 gallon fuel tank.
Cadillac celebrities custom limousines used vehicles vehicle sales vintage vehicles
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/1Qny1RK
Despite offering luxury and features that are a match for just about any SUV on the road, some people think there’s a limit to the Escalade’s appeal because it’s built on a body-on-frame chassis, like a pickup. European luxury brands SUV’s all use unibody chassis like the ones that underpin their sedans.
Detroit Free Press article here
Cadillac Cadillac Escalade General Motors new vehicles SUV
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/1Qny1Bf
Lincoln’s newest full-size luxury sedan is more upscale than the rest of its lineup and is poised to give the automaker’s image a makeover. Will the 2017 Continental help revitalize the Lincoln brand?
lincoln Lincoln Motor Company Lincoln-Continental new sedans new vehicles vehicle debut Vehicle Reviews
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/1Qny4gA
LCT has updated its 2016 lineup of LCT Shows and annual industry Leadership Summit being held at three of the most distinguished resort hotels and facilities in the country.
Celebrating its 32nd year in 2016, the International LCT Show is just a few weeks away from taking over the Mandalay Bar Resort and Casino — and recently expanded Convention Center — in Las Vegas Feb. 29 through March 2. The award-winning trade show is the largest industry marketplace and conference for limousine, charter and tour operators worldwide, and is on track to draw record attendance.
Once the Show is over, it’ll already be time to start planning for the annual LCT Leadership Summit May 22-24,at the SLS South Beach, 1701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. The Miami Beach hotel is located within walking distance of Lincoln Road and the oceanfront Art Deco District.
And after a strong relaunch in 2015, the LCT-NLA Show East drops anchor again in Atlantic City, N.J., Nov. 13-15, at the upscale Harrah’s Resort and adjacent Waterfront Conference Center.
Event Details:
Mandalay Bay: Regarding the Mandalay Bay, its adjacent Convention Center just underwent a $70 million, 350,000-square-foot expansion that now stretches the facility to more than 2 million square feet, including 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space. Further, Mandalay Bay will complete by January the final phase of a $100 million guestroom renovation project that will feature bright natural designs and furnishing and modern in-room work areas for convention attendees.
Harrah’s Atlantic City: The new home of the LCT-NLA Show East features the recently opened new state-of-the-art Waterfront Conference Center facility adjacent to the first-class hotel and casino and all under one roof.
The 100,000 square-foot facility is now the largest conference and hotel complex from Baltimore to Boston, where show attendees can meet, eat, sleep — and party! — all under one roof. The facility can accommodate up to 5,000 attendees, and has the flexibility to convert from meetings, to banquets to large assembly spaces. In addition, the facility has its own banquet kitchen to provide high-quality, fresh cuisine and beverage.
Atlantic city Harrah’s ILCT 2016 industry events International LCT Show Las Vegas LCT Events LCT Leadership Summit LCT-NLA Show East limo tradeshows Mandalay Bay Miami Beach networking
Follow @lctmag on Twitter
via Limo News http://ift.tt/1Sbdnud
