Call Sign February 2008 - Page 10 - ALLEN TOGWELL’S MARKETING PLACE

ALLEN TOGWELL’S MARKETING PLACE
Jasmine’s story… I have in the past been guilty of writing about issues not directly involved with marketing and I do so again because I genuinely feel it’s relevant - particularly at the start of yet another year in which the same old moans and groans will be heard. Grievances that have been associated with the cab trade since the year dot, many self inflicted, most that with little effort could be eradicated. But by and large, almost all are totally and utterly insignificant when compared to what’s going on in the real world outside of that 2ft by 2ft space on which you park your backside, whilst participating in a job you enjoy, with the freedom to work as and when you please and for the majority, hopefully blessed with that most valued of all assets, good health. A few months before Christmas, I was approached by the mother of a little girl who lives in Surrey, asking if it was possible to supply a taxi to take them to the Kids Nickelodeon Awards at the Excel Centre. From this request, I discovered that the daughter (Jasmine) who is just seven years of age, is terminally ill with a brain tumour and unlikely to live until her next birthday. I later learnt from someone who knows this family that there is a drug undergoing trials in Bonn, Germany, to treat this type of tumour and it was there that Jasmine and her parents had been travelling each Friday for the previous six weeks for treatment in the hope it might extend Jasmine’s life by a few more years. At the end of the six weeks treatment, an MRI scan was taken to ascertain whether Jasmine was responding to the drug (which she was) and if so a further six weeks treatment might prove beneficial. Needless to say the treatment plus the travelling is extremely costly and in an attempt to ease that cost, they approached the airlines to ask if they could assist with the fare. Unfortunately their request failed. On hearing of Jasmine’s plight and the fact that she needed to travel to Bonn for treatment on six more occasions, I felt compelled to try and help in some small way even if it was just writing to organisations for help in assisting with the cost of the airfare. Which is what I did and amongst those I contacted was The London Taxi drivers Fund for Underprivileged Children. I wasn’t too hopeful because I felt sure they must be absolutely inundated with similar requests from parents whose children are as in need of their help as Jasmine and the difficult task their committee must have of determining which of those they can help. But help Jasmine they did with the cost of the airfare and I was absolutely thrilled as were Jasmine’s parents. We all know the fantastic work the London taxi charities involves themselves with and how little is publicised outside of the cab trade. So I would like to take this opportunity to say a big BIG thank you to David Lessman (D19), Hon Chairman and the committee of The	London Taxi drivers Fund for Underprivileged Children for helping Jasmine and her parents. It really was a great start to their Christmas. Since my involvement, I have received the occasional news of what progress Jasmine is making and the news that her parents were lobbying the PCT (Primary Health Trust) to meet the cost for this treatment and for it to be available in the UK. Obviously when you lobby, you need the support of as many people as possible and for that reason I put a list on the notice board in the drivers reception for names and addresses of those who wish to lend their support. The response from Dial-a-Cab was extremely good, for which I thank all of you, both staff and drivers who signed the petition. The total number that Jasmine’s parents managed to submit to the PCT was in excess of 13,000. Unfortunately the petition failed. There are of course thousands of children suffering like Jasmine in this country and around the world, but quite often it’s only when you come into contact personally does it have a profound effect and really puts life into perspective. Above all, it makes a mockery of the many mundane things that we moan about daily. And in particular, hence the reason I mention the story, the moans, whinges and pathetic nonsense the Board and I hear daily from some members. I’m aware that each person’s grievance is relative and how they can be blown out of proportion in many instances by having time on which to dwell on them. This can happen within the isolation of driving a cab. In fact, the following is one typical bit of nonsense that I feel the need to mention because it epitomises the level of what we see in this trade as a grievance, to the point where it was actually reported in the trade press no less, something I read at the same time as I heard of the story of little Jasmine. The grievance concerned a taxi driver who took issue with the proprietor of a popular watering hole because there was no toilet paper. Yes, no toilet paper! Apparently all hell broke loose, a national incident was nearly created because a taxi driver who has the mentality to go to work totally unprepared, finds himself using a loo that was minus toilet paper. Whether that was before he availed himself of the facility or afterwards, I’ve no idea, although personally I hope it was afterwards, but either way it beggars belief how some drivers conduct their lives, how ill prepared they go to work and what they consider to be a crisis. The moment I read the story, I	thought immediately that it could only happen to a cab driver. A typical cab driver crisis and one that I bet whoever he told probably laughed their socks off, as he should also have done had he really thought about it. Had he put the situation into perspective, it should have made him laugh, not be angry. Maybe in future he will do what I did and many cab drivers do and have a small holdall stocked with toiletries, including deodorant and in the summer a spare clean T-shirt stowed away in the boot. All to be used to freshen up as and when required. But more importantly, I would ask all of you to use the above story for your new year’s resolution. Stop and think before moaning and whinging and taking up issues, which on reflection are absolutely meaningless when compared to those like Jasmine and her family. Perhaps then you will count your blessings, smile and give thanks to what life has given you. You will never be a millionaire driving a cab, but there is absolutely nothing stopping you being as happy as one. Finally, I would like to clarify a comment I’ve made on occasions to those drivers who give me an ear bashing about how we should increase our charges. I’ve accused these drivers, who have not a clue about being in a competitive business, that their attitude would put this Society back twenty years. It’s so easy to make statements that we should increase run-ins, gratuities, fixed prices and minimum fares etc, but in the real world it’s far from easy. Twenty years ago when I came on the Board as Head of Sales, I was continually handicapped by propositions from members being passed at AGM’s concerning charges, which took away my ability to negotiate and because of that, we could never compete with our main competitor at that time – ComCab. It was madness and for years we struggled in the market place. In fact one year our biggest client said the account was guaranteed to be lost unless I reduced our gratuity from 12.5% to 10%. I knew it would fall if I asked the members, so I agreed. I had no choice (without it we would have had virtually no night work) and all hell broke loose. I had drivers, including ex-Board members, storming my office threatening to punch my teeth out! Fortunately over the years we have managed to convince members to allow the BoM to manage and set the best charges possible from our knowledge of the market place and the competition, and slowly but surely we achieved success - in fact enormous success. I would hate, and it’s possible because of the make-up of our business, for it to revert back to how it was twenty years ago. And believe me if it did, our Society would most definitely fall to pieces. Hence my comment of putting this Society back twenty years… Allen well DaC Marketing allent@dialacab.co.uk

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