Just my opinion.......
In the name of choice
The other day during my radio broadcast I got an e-mail from someone who received an invitation to my launch party in August. The invitation was to promote the new season of my radio show, my magazines and my new TV show (The Tony Wilkins Show) and included an offer from Lyft.com (thank you) for a discount to new customers. The rather hostile e-mail was from a “seasoned” cab driver (one of the few female cabbies in San Francisco) who took issue with me “not doing anything to help small business “owners and for” taking money out of their pockets”. As you can imagine I took issue with this and so I thought what greater way to address this topic of choice and free market than in a business magazine. Here are my thoughts….
1.I take cabs on an almost daily basis. Cabs in this city are the life blood of this city particularly if like me you don’t drive and need to get to multiple locations quickly. When I’m in a cab, I’m not just a passenger, invested in the cab and the driver (not to mention their success). One way I accomplish this is by engaging the cabbie in meaningful dialogue. “How’s business”? Where are you getting most of your fares these days”? If the driver is doing well it tells me that the economy is doing okay. During the most recent economic crises of 2009, every cab driver I spoke with said that they were struggling to make ends meet. It also means that I may tip a bit extra if I get a particularly great driver.
2. I don’t use companies like Lyft.com, Uber ,etc. on a regular basis. But as a consumer I want to choose the best option that will get me where I want to go for a reasonable amount of money. So when I hear a cab driver taking issue with me for choosing a car service versus a taxi I have two reactions. First I’m empathetic because as a small business owner myself I often wonder why a customer chose someone else versus my firm. Was it cost, experience, temperament that made them choose the other guy? For me, when it comes to choosing a travel vendor it comes down to convenience, price and customer care. One reason I don’t use Lyft.com and other car services (other than limo services) is the downloading of the app. They state that it’s easy to download but damned if I have yet to download one of these suckers successfully. I’m a phone guy so I need customer service and a phone number I can call when I need service. I don’t even turn on my cell phone unless I plan on using it that day ,so I can’t say that using an app to book a ride is a convenience(for me at least).
3. I believe in “free market”. I believe in choice. I believe that when you have a product or service it’s your responsibility as the business owner to make sure your customers are happy or risk losing them to the competition. I don’t believe in shaming or bullying someone who chooses to use a different service. So my suggestion to this cab driver was thus. If you don’t want your customer base to go to the competition, then provide better service. For example, I called for a cab on 5 separate occasions and only 2 of them actually showed up but she expects me to only use cab service simply because she’s picked me up a couple of times? Really?
4. It’s important to note that in the past, I’ve invited said cab driver to come on the show to discuss her concerns and educate the public about the plight of the cabbie(she never made contact with me). And by the way, one suggestion I made to the lady cabbie was to station herself outside of the event to offer customers the choice between Lyft and her service. The lesson here is to look for solutions rather than a reason to bitch. If you can’t be proactive with your “business” then stop blaming others for your inability to make a buck.
So the bottom line is that although I support and encourage small business (it’s how I make my living after all) I don’t support a monopolized market. I want a choice of restaurants, of contractors, of car services to suit my needs. It’s about choice. If you don’t want your competitors going after your market and customers, then step up your game for God’s sake. Just my opinion.
Small Business Forum Magazine 268 Bush # 2518 SF,Ca. 94104 415-267-4872 [email protected] TonyWilkins -Publisher/Editor in Chief