During spring break Teresa and I went with Morgan to check out colleges. We decided on Tennessee for this trip. After only a 50 minute delay at Tampa International we finally got in the air. When we landed in Nashville, it was raining and cold. I asked Morg if she was sure she might want to go to school here, it's COLD!!! We checked into our hotel and she looked up the schools she wanted to visit. She set them up from furthest to closest to our Nashville location. So on Monday morning we set out to one of the State schools 2 hours away. Almost to our destination, I noticed a sign indicating 2 miles to the main entrance. It was rusted and bent. The next sign was in just as bad shape. When we got to the main street where we needed to turn,  the building on the corner was boarded up with trash all over the place. This was not a good first impression for a school that is going to ask me to write a check for 20K. The main road to the school was not kept up, full of pot holes and trash. The main entrance to the building was not well marked. Around it the trees were in very poor shape, the grass brown and missing in large areas. Finally we found the visitors' parking area. Morg said, "Dad don't bother I don't like this place." I said, "But Morg we haven't even gotten out of the car yet!!!" She said," I don't care if it's FREE I'm not going here! Well, being a smart man I knew it made no sense to argue with a woman!!! So I did the only thing I could do: find the closest Starbucks and get a double shot latte!!!! And get back on the highway. ( The lesson here is your customers will give you 10 seconds or less to decide if they like you or not!)

The next school was a 50 minute drive away. When we got off the highway the city sign said "Proud Home of [this  school]". About two miles from the school was a big sign telling me the school was right down the street and we were almost there!! When my GPS said take a right at the next street, I saw the building on the corner was in great shape and the road to the school was in great shape as well. The main entrance to the school was pristine, the grass Disney green and the trees and shrubs well cared for. There was a sign that directed future  students  to their own parking spaces. Morgan got out of the car and said, "I like this school I can see myself going here!!! "Just like that, without even talking to anybody she decided she liked this school. My 30K( yes they charge more)is almost in their checkbook and they haven't even said a word!!! Is that great marketing or what:They used their 10 seconds to the fullest. I suggested we go in and see what they had to offer before she moved in! At the front office was a volunteer who introduced herself as Mary and welcomed us to the school. Morgan explained to Mary that she was looking at schools and wanted information. Mary asked us to sit down, she would get us a counselor who could help us, and asked if we wanted anything to drink. The counselor came out and introduced herself as Joan. She first asked Morgan what her goal was for college. When Morgan said she wanted to be a physical therapist and that she played softball, Joan immediately got excited and explained that the school had a great team and thattheir coach helps with the U.S. National Team. (Marketing tip: pounce on what they say and give them your best) She said she would call the coach to see if he was in and would leave him a message if not. She told us about the athletic training program that went with their physical therapy program. She mentioned that the school has an internship with all the major Sports teams and the best students get to work the season and training camps. (Marketing tip: use your joint ventures to the fullest) Next Joan took us on a tour of the campus which included a trip to the softball fields, locker room and weight room as well as the gym (which was brand new). Morgan talked to a few of the girls from the softball team who were in the gym. All said they were happy being at the school and liked their classes. Later that day the coach called and talked to Morgan for a few minutes.  When we got home there was a nice letter from Joan thanking us for stopping by, saying that if we had any question to please call. ( Marketing tip: thank your customer for stopping by and doing business with you.) The next week Morgan got another letter inviting her to their summer softball camp!! (guess where I'm going in June) We also visited 4 other schools, none of which had customer service down like this one school. As of this writing, Morgan has not heard backfrom any of the other schools.

We, as business people, have to keep in mind that we are in business to get and keep customers who in turn produce a profit for us.

If you own a brick and mortar business you need to look at the surroundings. Are your neighbors hurting you? What condition are the roads in? What does the landscaping look like? Is it Disney or the Beverly Hillbillies' first home?

Hire someone to check out your customer service. Do your employees rise to the occasion or do they hurt your business? ( Recently, Starbucks closed all their stores for 5 hours to re-educate their employees on customer service)

And my final thought on this subject for this month: it is easier and financially more sound to keep a current customer than it is to attract a new one.