During the 15 years I was responsible for Sales at Dial-a-Cab, there
have been numerous occasions when on visiting a prospective client,
that I have had to defend our Society's status as a Friendly Society
against that of a competitor who is a Plc. Similarly, I had to defend
my own status as a professional sales representative to many within our
own industry.
With regards to the former, it was quite incredible the
hurdles we had to mount - and still do on the odd occasion - just to
get to the interview stage with clients who were convinced that a cab
company run by a group of cab drivers was most likely to be situated
above a fish and chip shop. And as amateurs, that we would have little
understanding of the transport requirements of a large corporate.
Unfortunately in the early days when many of the Board members duties
were part-time and anyone visiting a client usually did so wearing the
same clothes they were dressed in to drive their cab, it was easy to
give credence to that myth. But today with the advent of communication
technology, marketing techniques and full-time Board members with a
dress sense influenced by image, arranging interviews is no longer a
problem. However, selling the credibility of a friendly society, whilst
much easier, occasionally involves unnecessary time dispelling the
nonsense preached by the competition.
As someone who has spent his entire life selling and
marketing in some capacity or other, I have always been conscious of
the power of appearance and image and during my time representing your
Society, I have endeavoured always to practice those principles and
have fought hard from the day I joined the Board to convince our
members to do the same because I still believe, even more so since the
licensing of private hire, that unless we show we can offer more than
just a green badge and four wheels, the radio circuits will drift into
oblivion.
With regards defending my status as a professional in what
I do to many within our own industry, I find the argument even more
incredible. Those of you who have been on DaC for ten years or more
would no doubt remember the regular vicious abuse aimed at me in the
letters page of our in-house magazine. I still have many of those old
copies and the hatred emanating from those pages is still quite
unbelievable, particularly so when one considers the individuals
concerned did not know me as a person and were not the slightest bit
interested in what I was trying to achieve. That was the same then as
it is now - to help make Dial-a-Cab and its members the most successful
taxi company in the UK.
For some weird reason, much of the hatred was because of
the manner in which I dressed, which in their ignorance they could not
associate with professionalism when visiting clients and for having the
temerity to speak the truth in suggesting that poor appearance and
attitude of many of our members was not conducive to the future success
of our society. OK so I didn't use those words exactly; I think the
term I used was more likely my reference to schlocks! Anyway, how dare
a bleeding cab driver act like a professional, how dare I voice an
opinion at all! "Listen matey," I was told - "you have a
badge and you have only been elected to the Board, so don't get carried
away, don't get above your station, you are and will always be a cab
driver but with one small difference; when you are out driving a cab
you can voice and have published the biggest load of crap imaginable,
however when you are on the Board it's 'button-it' matey. If you
have anything to say, keep it short, keep it simple, keep it within
your remit and make sure its only what we want to hear."
If It's In 'Taxi', It's In someone's Remit!
If any of you are smiling at this and feel there is a hint of
exaggeration, perhaps I should draw your attention to the contents of a
recent edition of a popular trade paper 'Taxi', in
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which Mr Steve McNamara
devotes half his article to condemning a DaC board member, Tom Whitbread,
for voicing a personal view in our in-house magazine on the night charge.
Exactly what Tom has done to Mr McNamara to warrant being referred too in
the most disrespectful manner, I don't know, but I considered it a sad way
to behave especially from someone who although I don't know him
personally, I have up until now respected the passion and honesty of his
views - although not necessarily always agreeing with them. The comment
that caught my eye was his statement that Tom, a fellow cab driver, an
elected representative of our Board, should stick to issues concerning
complaints and not to matters beyond his remit. Who, I ask, governs
Tom's remit. Why, I ask, should Tom be any different to Mr McNamara or his
fellow scribes such as Stuart Pessok who in the same issue considers it
within his remit to pen his opinions about the police, muggings,
robberies, arrests, touts etc, also the effects of passive smoking? Bob
Oddy's repetitive scribbling once again included slagging off DaC and a
piece about falling asleep whilst driving. Richard Massett gave his views
on the goings-on at Paddington station. Barry Hooper extolling the needs
for an independent market research into the issuing of additional badges
and the benefits of joining the LTDA plus his own personal grievance in
getting his cab passed. Tony Ellis wrote about touts etc. Laurie Lee -
sorry I mean John Thomas - giving his version of Cider with Rosie (I'm
being flippant not insulting) and lastly Steve Hawes praising the benefits
of congestion charging and being dewy eyed remembering with affection the
two occasions he tugged at his forelock at passing royalty. I have no
grief with these people, who I assume all to be cab drivers and with what
they choose to write about. As regular scribes, producing subject matter
is not always an easy task. But neither would I be so arrogant as to
publicly state what I considered to be their remit.
I have no need to defend Tom Whitbread, he is well capable of
doing that himself. In fact in all the years we've worked together, you
could probably count on both hands the times we have shared the same view!
But whatever our disagreements, we respect each other's right to speak our
mind...
Personally and I repeat personally, my view on the
increase in the night charge is that it is long overdue. However I didn't
agree with the timing, I believe it would have been more readily accepted
had it been introduced in April as norm. Also it would have been equally
accepted without the adverse publicity exacerbated by the negative
attitude of a so-called spokesperson from within our own ranks - although
not on DaC. People incapable of selling a product should keep quiet or
learn from Mr Blair and bury bad news in a crisis. For as long as I can
remember, I have supported the view of increasing substantially the
initial flag fall instead of just the mileage, I have always considered it
ridiculous that a cab load of people could travel cheaper than on a bus.
However, having said that, I have long held the view that cab drivers and
in particular some of the trades representatives, are the worlds worst at
promoting their own business! In my job I use taxis quite a lot, both our
own as well as cabs off the street and speak from experience at the
enormous failings of many cabmen against those running equally small
businesses. Success in the service industry is measured by the impression
you have made on the last customer to use you again. Would you
return to a restaurant if the Maitre'd treated you in the manner some in
the cab trade do?
And I am not just referring to drivers. I remember many years ago
going to M&O when they were in Wandsworth Bridge Road to buy a new
cab. I had saved up two grand, which was a lot of money in those days and
I relished the thought of being
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treated in a manner be fitting someone spending big bucks.
When I arrived, I spent the first 20 minutes trying to get someone's
attention, I was eventually told to wait in a dark little corridor
surrounded by a stack of old filing cabinets. When someone finally spoke to
me I was left in no doubt that M&O were doing me a big favour in
allowing me to buy one of their cabs, so much so that I let the salesperson
complete all the paperwork before sarcastically telling him not to bother
with the coffee that I was not offered and that I had changed my mind. I
decided instead to buy a cab second hand. Whilst I have never visited LTI
since they relocated to Holloway Rd, I'm sure their sales personnel are now
of the highest calibre and they treat all prospective buyers with the utmost
courtesy. But they didn't then and no doubt at some time someone obviously
woke up and considered changes had to be made or go out of business.
Yes, with the present situation dictated by the exorbitant cost
of a new cab, insurance, licences and maintenance costs due to the archaic
dominance of the PCO, the service to the public is still well under priced.
But not compared to sitting in a comfortable merc driven by a now licensed
private hire driver.
Before anybody starts attempting to squeeze more dosh from the
public, I suggest the LTDA employ the services of Max Clifford to teach
their spokesperson how to generate a little persona in front of the media
and how to convince the public that they really are getting a fantastic deal
and perhaps - just perhaps - a few words to their members that changes on
their part are a necessary part of the package.
An Impossible Goal...?
Driving a cab in one of the busiest cities in the world is
demanding to say the least and is such that the pace and stress often leaves
little time to consider the plight of others. It's Sunday 14th of April, a
bright and sunny morning and as I settle at my PC and force my brain to
produce something within my remit, my attention keeps drifting to the
activity in the street outside my window.
Sunday 14th as all of you know, was the day of the London Marathon and being
a resident of Blackheath, one of the starting points for runners of a more
senior age starts and proceeds along my road.
The activity on the heath as one could imagine, is enormous
with contestants and spectators arriving in their thousands, equally so was
the weird and wonderful sight of the many costumes. The London marathon as
we all know, attracts the serious runners but in the main the day is for the
fun runners, people who for whatever reason decide to attempt a seemingly
impossible goal; to complete 26 odd miles for the benefit of others by way
of charity. Looking at the faces of those OAP's limbering up, covered in bin
liners and waiting for the off, few appeared to be smiling, no doubt many
were regretting the task ahead but all had a look of determination that no
matter how long it took, they were going to succeed.
It is truly heart rendering to witness this courage and with
all the stories later learnt from those on TV of those competing with
terminal illnesses, it really puts life into perspective. Sadly I'm well
aware that life in the fast lane quickly diminishes the memory of those
worse off than ourselves, so it doesn't do any harm being occasionally
reminded and having done so, to use it to make your day better and also that
of your passenger.
Allen Togwell
DaC Marketing
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