If you have been following the news recently, you will have read about how the Big 3 automakers are asking for a multi-billion dollar bailout. One of the things that stood out in my mind was some members of Congress noted that the CEOs came begging for money on private jets. This was interesting for several reasons.
1.) How much money do they need if they can afford a fleet of private planes?
2.) Why couldn't they fly first class on a commercial airline?
3.) Did they think that no one would notice?
The first two were mentioned a significant amount when the bailout was initially at the forefront. But one thing that I paid particular attention to was the third. Did they really think they could come asking for billions of dollars on private jets and have no one mention it? It does seem a bit hypocritical. I understand that a CEO of a giant company such as Ford or GM has a different role than a small business owner. They may feel like they are above other people and they can take these fancy jets, but it did come back to bite them. And you can tell me over and over it's for safety reasons, but until they went asking, I had no idea what these guys looked like or even cared. As one congressman said, couldn't they have jet-pooled? However, there are some things you should do to show that you actually "get it."
There is a small restaurant near my boyfriend's house that we like to go to called Francesco's Restorante Italiano. He thinks the food is amazing and while I do agree with that, there is more to this place that makes me go back. It's a small, family-owned restaurant. The food, I will admit, is some of he best Italian that I've had since my Italian grandmother was alive. Everything is cooked to order and you can change whatever you want. Plus, the ingredients are fresh, the bread is homemade, and the cannoli is out of this world! But the service and the atmosphere are really what stand out to me. Both times that I've been, I have learned and remembered the names of my servers, and they've asked for our names. Both times, they have personally recommended one of the specials (and let me tell you, they've always been right). But here's what makes this place different to me. Everyone does what is necessary. This past Saturday I watched the owner do many different jobs. Not only is he the chef, but he seated people when he wasn't cooking, he told them the specials, and even recommended a wine. Now, there are other servers there, but since it was slow, the owner took it upon himself. And I respect that. To me, it means that he is willing to do jobs other than cooking. He's invested in his business and he's doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. I may not be a great connoisseur of food, but I know dedication when I see it.
Happy Marketing!!!
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