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The biggest threat to our industry has nothing to do with the disruption from Uber, them buying Black Lane and other things going on in the space. We are self-defeating. I have probably been in the back of cars for at least a dozen companies this summer. If you expanded it to all of 2026, I've been in the back of cars of 20 companies all over the country. Many of them not my clients. And I will tell you this we are blurring the line between what is executive level chauffeur service and what is just a ride to and from. Saw him yesterday. Um, but this is a solo episode. Don't don't go away. We'll still have fun, and there'll be a lot of good stuff that'll come out of this, and it may devolve into a rant. But I just want to caution you about that. So I need to step back. I don't know if you guys knew this, but I wrote a book called Driving Your Income on how to maximize your income as a professional chauffeur. Don't go buy it, it's on Amazon, but don't buy it. It's like the worst book in history. At some point, I'm going to rewrite it. But I don't know if all of you knew this, that I was a founder and former CEO, started a company from scratch in Tampa, knew nothing about the industry, zero. And in our first year, we did a million dollars. And within five, we were a five million dollar company. We became one of the 50 largest leads in the United States, top 8% in terms of revenue. And that was way back in the day, between 2007, yeah, 2006 to 2013. By the way, I had a consultant help me along the way named Tommy Mazagod, rest the soul. But I'm also a graduate of the Rich Carleton Executive Leadership Center. After we did the presidential conventions in 2012 for Ambassador Limousine, we did $1.4 million in 14 days. Had a fantastic team, but we were the primary on the presidential conventions uh for ATT. They're one of the biggest sponsors. And we had planned that out starting in 2011. We serviced that. The Republicans were in Tampa that year, and the Democrats were in Charlotte. And we actually serviced both of them, uh, $1.4 million and 14 business days. So after that, my staff said to me, You grumpy, you need to get out of here and go on vacation. So I took it upon myself to enroll in the Ritz-Carlton Executive Leadership Center, which was in Pentagon City in Washington, D.C. And I lived up there. So I left the company, and then I went up there and I did nothing but full-time go to the executive leadership center. And I have a uh certificate of completion. Successfully completed the Ritz-Carlton Executive Education, and it was a great experience. Then I went back and I rewrote all of our company service manuals and the Schoffer manual. So after that, in March of 2017, when I had been out of the business for a long time, I went to the Disney Institute. And it was to learn Disney's approach to business excellence. And between those two things, I tried to write a book on it, and the book was terrible. But anyway, I can tell you what I what I know for sure that both the Ritz-Carlton and Disney have mastered how to deliver an exceptional service experience. Now, I'm not going to go down the road. I don't belie agree with a lot of stuff going on with Disney right now, but I won't talk about it. But I will tell you both of those, I've studied, I've read the Ritz-Carlton Gold Standard. I think it's behind me on the bookshelf. And I've read the book about Disney called Be Our Guest. And Walt Disney had a saying: if we lose the details, we lose the story. And with the Ritz-Carlton, the gentleman that owned the Ritz-Carlton, who started the Ritz-Carlton gold standard, if you will, the original founder, he basically said, Look, we are ladies and gentlemen serving, ladies and gentlemen. And those two organizations I've studied, their approach to delivering exceptional customer experience. And the bottom line is that in order to be recognized as a five-star hospitality company, or recognized as one of the best places in the world to get a leisure experience, you have to have service excellence, you have to have foundational service delivery processes and procedures. And not only do you have to train on them, but you absolutely have to make them muscle memory. And not everybody can deliver them, by the way. So when you look at the chauffeur service that we offer, I will tell you the biggest threat to our industry has nothing to do with the disruption from Uber, them buying Black Lane and other things going on in the space. We are self-defeating. And why do I say that? I have probably been in the back of cars for at least a dozen companies this summer. I would say to you, if you expanded it to all of 2026, I've been in the back of cars of 20 companies all over the country. Many of them not my clients, because you know, I'm going in to do things and I don't necessarily want to announce why I'm going into a city or whatever, if I'm working with an investment bank or if I'm working with a private equity company. So I've used a variety of clients and non-clients. And I will tell you this we are blurring the lines. And many of them, by the way, have been company cars, house cars, and quite a few have probably been one-car operators. But we are blurring the line between what is our primary competitor, primarily in airport transfer, which is Uber Black? We are blurring the line between what is executive level chauffeured service and what is just a ride to and from. So today is going to be all about why people use chauffeured services and what they buy. So what do customers really buy when they buy chauffeur transportation services? What will eventually evolve into private transportation services? Why do they do business with private transportation businesses? Okay. It's not the ride to and from the airport. Okay. I'm just going to tell you that right now. Yesterday, I was uh in Atlanta for the NLA Tech Summit, and I had a great experience, first of my life, riding Marta. And I was with Eddie McCoy from Fast Track and Sean Arena from Full Steam Limo Anywhere and Amir from GNET. And they were really commenting on how excited I was because I've I've I haven't never ridden public transportation in my life, except maybe once in DC 150 years ago. And I was all excited because we had left Full Steam's offices and we were taking Mart out. So why am I bringing that up? If people were buying the ride to and from the airport, they could go public transportation, public transit, they could drive themselves park at the airport, their neighbor or family could drive them, they could take a local taxi service, they could take a TNC, they could rent a car to and from, they could use a gypsy on Facebook. But no, they've chosen when they call any one of the operators that in the chauffeured industry, they have chosen chauffeured transportation. They expect a five-star service delivery. Only 11% of the entire population regularly uses chauffeur transportation more than six times a year. Who are they? They're the captains of industry, they're corporate executives, they're the road warriors that are mid-six figures and they travel first class, business class. They are also the wealthiest people that live in your areas, doctors, dentists, lawyers, the top 1% realtors, my lovely sister Deborah, top 1% realtor. Okay. She uses Uber, okay. And every once in a while she'll start complaining. And I'm like, Deb, then you need to use Showford services, okay? But when she absolutely has to be at the airport at four or five o'clock in the morning, she's going to use the show for services, no question. Financial advisor, bank presidents, private company owners, from a corporate perspective, C-suite executives, absolutely. Public companies, C-suite executives, etc. So the wealthiest people in the country, the top 3 to 5% of wealthy, and then the largest companies, they own chauffeur services. So what do they expect? They expect a luxury service experience. What do I mean? Not just a ride from point A to point B, not just a clean vehicle and a nice driver, not just a safe ride. These are all the basics, by the way, they expect that. It's like walking into a restaurant and expecting not to get food poisoning. Okay, they expect you to put the food on the table, it's not going to make you sick. 80% of the operators just try to deliver the basics. And 80% of the chauffeurs out there think that that's the job. Ride from A to B, keep my vehicle clean, keep my mouth shut, safe ride. Okay, that's 80% of the chauffeurs out there, I'm convinced, think that's the job wrong. The top 20% in any profession understand that it is absolutely the finest points, the finest details of what they do. The best plastic surgeons know it is absolutely about the details. The best weight staff and chefs know it is about the finest details. And I'm sorry to say that I do think it's about 80% of the operators just try to deliver the A to B. They're just logistically trying to manage and they forget the fine details. Again, as Walt Disney said, if we lose the details, we lose the story. Okay. So they expect a luxury service experience. It's the reason why brands like Ritz Carlton, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, Lincoln, Rolex, and Tiffany's exist. Do you think that I can get a cheaper wedding ring than going to Tiffany's? Yeah. Do you think I can wear a cheaper watch than a Rolex? Yeah. But I choose a Submariner because I like it. It's the same reason why I choose to have a custom-made suit made. One out of three of my suits is custom. Okay? When I have to perform and be best on stage, I'm wearing my Rolex and I'm wearing a fantastic suit because, you know, I'm only five foot eight, makes me look taller. Anyway, luxury service experience brands understand this is what it takes: absolute consistency, absolute efficiency, absolute convenience and ease of use, the safest choice. So for our corporate clients, they don't choose us because of low price. The executive assistant chooses us because we make them look good and we make it so that they don't have to worry whether their boss is going to get two from the airport. Every luxury brand understands superior quality, superior amenities, demonstrated superior value above any other alternative, exceptional customer service, the finest details. So, why do customers choose luxury experiences? I'm going to tell you right now. It's emotional. It's emotional. There's part tangible, all of the things I just talked about: convenience of use, safe choice, consistency, efficiency, amenities that come with it, superior customer service. Those are the tangibles. The intangible is the personal preference, the perceived quality difference, the perceived value, and the experience. Those are all emotional. You let me down personally, you let me down on the intangibles. I don't care whether you get the tangibles right. So they buy luxury goods because they have certain expectations above and beyond any other choice, but they choose based on the feeling. They won't remember anything you do, but they'll remember how you made them feel. So we must be the best at delivering these. The belief is total trust, total safety, total enjoyment, pleasure, ultimate experience, and a VIP feeling special. By the way, do you think I felt special on Marta? No. I felt special because I was with my friends and they were getting the kick out of me watching which uh stations we were traveling through, right? Um, but it was an experience. But when I get in and out of a chauffeured car and when I order a chauffeur car at the airport, VIP special. I want to feel special. That's why people buy luxury service. I can go to Outback for my steak or I can go to Bern Steakhouse. I go to Bern Steakhouse in Tampa. They still know my name at the front desk. They still greet me as Mr. Lucci because they've been told to do that. People buy luxury goods based on personal preference. They like what we do. Perceive quality, they know that we are better than Uber Black. Okay? So we better be. And I submit to you, we're blurring the lines. Perceived value, they know we're worth it. They know that we're 20 to 30 percent higher. You don't want to wait in line at the airport with 75 other people looking down at their phones. I want to be met in baggage claim. I want the LCD screen to say, Mr. Lucci, I want to be greeted by the Chopra's, Mr. Lucci, etc. And we'll talk about some of that because there's some touch point problems I've experienced. The experience overall should leave me feeling much more special than if I took an Uber Black. When consumers choose luxury, they do so based on those feelings, based on feelings special. If what I'm saying was not true, we would all be staying in Motel Sixes because those are clean, comfortable rooms. We're gonna leave the light on for you. Versus JW or Ritz Carlton, the highest quality, the best amenities, the elegant surroundings. We are ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen. We stayed at the Hyatt yesterday. When I came in, I was greeted. Mr. Lucci, how are you? Well, of course, I had to when I checked in, I had to say who I was at the front desk. But they said, Mr. Lucci, how are you? By the way, we have a message for you. So-and-so is looking for you, but let's get you checked in first, um, etc. Okay, they used my name three times. When consumers choose in every category, they choose based on trust, pleasure, and feeling special. Now, if I want to eat, if I'm hungry, I can go to McDonald's for fast and convenient. I can go to Outback, good value. If I want maximum fine dining, I'm gonna go to the Capitol Grill over the Outback Steakhouse. Do I do it every day? No. But when I do it, I expect an exceptional service. Every single day we make choices. And we you may not think that you choose luxury, but you do. Example, my coffee. Everybody who knows me knows I'm a Dunkin' Donuts guy. Okay, that's the middle of the road to me. If I wanted the foo foo experience, I'd go into Starbucks. That's just not important to me, right? But there is a large segment of the population that is in love with that experience, that quality, the barista, okay. And there are a lot of reasons. By the way, do you know why they use your name in Starbucks? Do you know why? Instead of a number? Because it makes you feel good. That's one reason. Number two, it creates loyalty. Okay. If what I'm saying was not true, we'd all buy our coffee at 7 Eleven. God forbid. Anyway, so who are the most loyal customers? Oh, are they the people who buy on price? No. No, they'll always leave you for a lower price. And what I I have clients that I that I deal with constantly, and one of them does a ton of SEO and he does a ton of airport work around the country. And when I look at him, he does he does it all by SEO. When I look at him, like you're attracting one or two people based on price instead of going low and deep. It's just a lower and deeper in the relationship. But those people are going to leave you for the lowest price. That's not the client for shopper transportation. Okay. People who choose value, the more value you provide, the more loyal the customer is. Okay. Shout out to Dan Moroni, my tailor, who was introduced to me, by the way, by Mike Barretto in the industry. I just was saying, you know, I want to get a couple suits made. And Barretto said, Hey, you need to go to see Dan Moroney. He gave me his phone number. And Dan treats me like gold. Comes in on a Saturday because I have to drive to see him. Treats me like gold. Ken, do you need any water? Would you like any, would you like any coffee? And just delivers fantastic. After that, once I do my fitting and once I've gone back to pick it up, 30 days later, he gives me a text message. Hey, Ken, how's the suit? Everything going okay? Do you need more shirts? Okay. The more value you provide, the more loyal the customers. By the way, his shirts are not $10 shirts. Okay. So let's get to Schauford. As far as Schauford services are concerned, okay, the bigger the gap we provide between the Uber Black and Schauford experience, the more value we create, the more loyal the customer is. We're blurring the lines, okay? Let's face it, Uber has better technology than us. And they now have Uber Elite, which I don't think is going to work. They now own Black Lane. Okay, so the tech they have is 10x better than what we have. But what we have is the ability to create the luxury service experience. The bigger the gap, the larger the perceived gap, the more we can grow and succeed as an industry. It starts with how you answer the phones. Okay. It starts with how you answer the phones. It's how absolutely attentive you are on the phones. It's the service level on the phones. If you've got people answering the phone dispatch, or you've got people who are answering the phones, and I say, you know, I'm coming, I'm coming to such and such a city, and I need to pick up the airport. The first thing they should ask is, have you used this before? No, I haven't. Well, welcome. You've made the right choice. Can I ask your name? My name is Ken Lucci. Do you prefer Mr. Lucci or can I call you Ken? No, call me Ken. Ken, why are you coming to LA? Well, I'm doing some business. Great, terrific, Ken. And by the way, how often do you travel? If we can be of service in any other city, we'd be happy to. You're gonna love what we do, okay? Versus someone who never uses my name, spells my name wrong, et cetera. Okay, so the service experience starts with how we answer the phone. But once you're in the car, and once the service experience starts, which to me it starts with the text messaging and it starts with the communication to let me know car is on the way, vehicle on location, you know, my chauffeur information, et cetera. But let's get into the car. So again, your job as a chauffeur today in 2026 is to deliver superior quality, absolute consistency on everything you can control, and focus on total satisfaction. Flawless customer service experience. Let's start with the chauffeur experience is two parts. One, it's a hospitality mentality. If you don't like taking care of people, go deliver packages for Amazon. It's a concierge level mentality. In my book, I call it service DNA. I think that was an original idea, by the way, service DNA. It really means a servant's heart. You have to like taking care of people. If you don't have it, you're in the wrong business. Second, two parts: hospitality mentality, concierge level mentality. And by the way, concierge mentality is all about saying the words yes, of course. It's never saying no. Superior service delivered, exceptional quality vehicle, meaning vehicle cleanliness is absolutely perfectly clean, no dust, no remnants of another client, and superior show performance. Experienced focus, like any other luxury service experience out there. Here's one of the biggest problems I think we have as an industry. I stay at five-star hotels when I'm on business and when I'm on vacation, but normally I just stay at a regular, you know, right-of-the-mill hotel, and all I want is a clean room. As a chauffeur, you might not stay at a five-star review uh hotel, but walk the five-star hotel. Walk into a five-star restaurant with white tablecloth and see how you greet it. We have to be able to meet the expectations of the client, which are used to those luxury service experiences. Raise the bar on your individual chauffeur performance. Raise the bar. By the way, don't copy competitors. Don't they're not getting it right. Think of the best hospitality and service experience you've ever had, okay? And duplicate it with what we do. Okay. So what's it take to be a professional chauffeur? Excellent driving skills, excellent area knowledge, excellent vehicle cleanliness and amenities. When I trained my chauffeurs at an ambassador, I would say to them, open that back door. First of all, no smudges on the back door, no smudges on the windows, in and out, absolutely no evidence of the prior guest. Okay? Put your butt in the seat, by the way, without putting your feet on the carpet, and look and take in what the client sees. They shouldn't see your coffee cup. They shouldn't see your GPS. They shouldn't see anything but factory perfect amenities, the spring water, I think a charger, offering a charger is there, which by the way, my chauffeur yesterday did. Exceptional performance and acute focus on delivering luxury. You can't control the traffic, but I'll tell you what, you can absolutely control what takes place in that car. The essentials of being a professional chauffeur, first of all, safe and the most professional driving. Second, enjoyment of the guest. Third, deliver the service that we sell. As a chauffeur, go on any of the largest networks and see what they talk about. They talk about customer service. Go to any luxury website, any hotel, any resort, any luxury crew, talk about, see what they talk about. Fourth, have common sense and diligence. Fifth is have and display service DNA, which we're going to get into. By the way, I want to just tell you something. 80% of success in life is showing up and looking good. Okay. 80% of what we do as a chauffeur is showing up and looking sharp. Solid black suit, no blues, you know, dark gray is okay. No mismatch, no stripes. Solid white shirt, not off-white. I I'm a couple months ago, I was shocked. I went to uh I just spoke in front of a 20 group and I landed at the uh airport, and there were three chauffeurs there, and my guy was the one with no jacket on, with a blue shirt and no tie. I was shocked. Shiny black shoes, black socks, if you like, white gloves or black driving gloves. Nice extra touch. The other 20% of the job is being prepared, mastering the concept of prior planning and preparation, properly stage and restage your vehicle throughout the day. Was in Boston the other day visiting my sister, and my sister is really tough on her cars. I mean, so what do I do for one of her birthday presents? I bought her a full detailing package. So I got my forerunner clean at the car wash, and I'm standing there waiting for that, and I see four SUVs show up, right? And I say to the general manager, geez, you get a lot of limo guys. He said, We give them special deals. And I talked to one of the chauffeurs, he's I said, When'd you start? He said, 4:30 this morning. He said, It's 11 o'clock. Where are you getting your car clean? He said, I won't be done until six. The car's gonna be clean inside and out. No remnants of any climate. You get it, man. No remnants of anybody being in that in that car before him. Let me ask you a question. You go to a hotel room. When you go into the bathroom, doesn't it gross you out when there's hairs in the shower? Grosses me out. No offense. I don't want to see any remnants of anybody else in that hotel room. I don't want to see any wear and tear. When I'm saying at a JW or a Ritz, it's there's no question about it. If I stay at a Motel 6, okay, all I want is the room to be clean. But I want immaculate when I stay at one of those high-end properties. It's the same in the in our cars, delivering exceptional customer service. We're going to get into this. And our version of what I call the core four, what are they? Number one, a warm and sincere greeting. Use my last name in all dialogue. Thank you for traveling with us today, Mr. Lucci. Mr. Lucci, is the temperature to your liking? I was Hank Steinbrenner's body man for many years, and I used to drive him all the time. First of all, when he when I was mad at him, I used to call him Henry. But in public, I used to say Mr. Steinbrenner. If I ever found myself calling him Hank in front of other people, I was making a mistake. It's too familiar. But I mean, I spent hours with that guy. What if I know them? It's still Mr. Steinbrenner. Can I take care of that for you? Familiarity, the more familiar you are, the more off your game you become. Now, my job with them was multifaceted, so I always had to be on point. But the simple airport pickup, number one, don't assume that the guy you're driving has been in that town before. It would be nice if the reservationist asked, but if you're the chauffeur and you're sending a text message, Mr. Lucci, I'm your chauffeur today. It's never your driver. Mr. Lucci, I'm your chauffeur today. I've been told your baggage claim is number eight. Would you like me to meet you there? Okay. Have you been here before? I know it's a longer text, but make sure that there's no miscommunication. Always use my name. By the way, don't call me Ken. I'm Mr. Lucci until I say to you, hey, listen, just call me Ken. Thank you for traveling with us today. That's number one, a warm, sincere greeting. Number two, provide a flawless in-vehicle experience through concierge level service, luxury amenities, and superior driving skills. Number one, properly staged, perfectly clean, water chilled. The best services I know, a guy in Colorado picked me up last year when I went out to speak there. Yusuf. And it is Car was immaculate. He said to me when I got in the car, and he knew I was, so he maybe was a stage. Ken, still are sparkling. I'll take still. Thank you very much. Delivered it with a napkin. By the way, absolutely perfection. I taught that at Ambassador Limousine. Don't hand me the spring water bottle with your fingers on the neck of the bottle. Hand me the spring water bottle with a napkin. If you're gonna have it staged, put a napkin underneath it. Arthur Messina, I used to buy cocktail napkins from them constantly. Ambassador limousine, it made the difference. I think it cost me a penny, each one of them. Anyway, perfectly staged, water chilled. They expect safe driving within the speed limit, wide turns in front of you. I want you to keep something in mind. When you have somebody in the backseat of the car, they can't see over the hood of the car. It makes them look like you're tailgating the guy in front of them. Rolls-Royce, in their chauffeur manual, used to have something called, you must be able to see tires and turf. Meaning, if I'm sitting in the backseat, I want to be able to see the turf between our car and the car in front, and I want to see their tires. Also, don't break the eggs. What does that mean? Don't spill the glass. Drive the car as if there's 12 eggs sitting in the back in a triangle. Don't break the eggs. Don't spill the glass. Pretend I'm drinking a glass of water. Don't spill the glass. Your vehicle should appear factory-like new. No warning lights because every passenger looks at the dashboard. No defects of any kind, no interior issues, and all amenities working. Provide a flawless in-vehicle experience. So your service, quiet, refined, professional, and in control. No politics. Even sports, be careful. Tommy Mazzi used to tell a story, God rest us all, that there was a driver in New York who picked up a guy at an FBO and it was driving him to Long Island. And the chauffeur had the Mets game on. And the passenger said, geez, you know, how is they how are they how the Mets doing? Oh, they're down XX. They suck. The manager was this, the manager is that. It's absolutely terrible. It's a horrible season. I don't even know why I listened. There's a shitty team. Do you know who the guy, the passenger was? He was the owner of the Mets. Okay, no offense. Nobody wants to hear your politics. Okay. Nobody wants to hear about your religion. Nobody wants it. Just keep it refined, professional, and in control. That's step number two. Step number three, anticipate and climb, comply with the guest wants. Okay, what does that mean? Always have a pen, always have paper, always have a charger. If I start patting my and looking at inside my jacket for things, Mr. Lucci, may I help you? Yeah, I don't have a pen. Stand by, I'll give you a pen. Charger. I shouldn't have to ask for a charger. Mr. Lucci, would you like to charge your phone? Okay. Total expectation. Always anticipate. The art of anticipation is absolutely what the best hoteliers teach. Anticipate and comply. The other thing is never say the words I don't know. Never. Your job is to say yes, of course. Somebody asks you a question, hey, you know what? I'm in Atlanta for one nine. I want great sushi.

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Mr.

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Lucci, I apologize. I'm not a sushi person, but when we stop, I will get you that answer. Your answer is always a variation of yes, of course. You know who says no? People who don't want a gratuity. Those are the people that say no. Okay. Final step of the core four. A fond farewell. Give a warm goodbye using the guest's last name. Mr. Lucci, thank you very much for allowing me to service, take care of you today. Is there anything else I can do for you? Do you need anything before I leave? Okay. Unbelievable how those core four make it all worthwhile, make the person feel special. So let's talk about some rules. Exterior vehicle. Absolutely no smoking in or around the vehicle, please. No scratches, no gouges, no dings or dents on the exterior. If you've got any issues, report them to management. And if your management doesn't care about the fact that the vehicle has defects, go work for another company. Clean and pristine exterior all the time. Regardless of weather, the entry doors and trunk area have to be pristine, regardless of weather. The windows and windshields have to be clean in and out. This is a true story. I'm not going to say the town. The city, I flew in, I get picked up at the airport. First of all, God doesn't use my name at all. Doesn't ask me, Mr. Lucci, how is the temperature? Mr. Lucci, can I get you any spring water? Didn't confirm the address. By the way, I'd been in that town in that city three times before in that same year. Do you know what they put down for my hotel? The hotel I stayed in the last time. This time I stayed at a different hotel, different part of the city. Always confirm the address as soon as you get in the car. We're going to go down that list. No stickers on the body of any kind except the required regulatory permits. No bumper stickers, no aftermarket accessories visible. On the inside of the car, there is a zone. And the zone is what the customer sees, not what you see. What the customer sees. In that zone, the guest expects immaculate cleanliness with like new factory, new interior. Okay? The driver's seat, including the floor area, shall be kept as clean as possible. No factory electronics. By the way, I don't want to hear your GPS. That's for amateurs. Your GPS, if you need it, should be on the left-hand side of the steering wheel. And if you have to hear it, put an earbud on your left-hand side. Keep your right ear free so you can hear what I'm saying. But the dashboard should be clean. Seat belts should be retracted on all seats. All of the factory mats should be perfectly clean and squared. The guest primary line of sight should be free of anything personal, anything non-factory. I used to carry a black briefcase, not because I was a professional, but because the black briefcase usually was on the floor of the passenger seat. In case they wanted the seat next to me, I could just move it into the trunk. Which, by the way, if they want to sit in the front seat, you got to be ready for it. Always refresh the interior between guests. Okay. So on board at all times, business umbrella, multi-port charger, paper pen, new uh notepads. I always tell this story and I've got time to tell it. So I drove a regular executive down in Tampa, and then I turned him over to another chauffeur. And then one day, a couple of years later, he called the office and he said he needed to speak to me. He said, Listen, I know you don't drive anymore. I said, Nope. Say, say no more. I always keep my suit and gold tie. When do you need me? He said, I'm going into Tampa Bay. I'm going into the downtown. I need you to stay with me. I'm going into a high rise. And I'm like, okay. Picked him up at his office in St. Petersburg and provided service. Took him into the um the tower. And while we were driving up, he started fumbling around. And I said to him, Sir, what can I assist you with? You seem to be looking for something. He said, Ken, I don't have a pen. So I had a Mont Pong pen, and I took it and I handed it to him. And he said, Ken, this is a Mont Pong pen. I said, Don't worry about it. No big deal. And he went up into the high-rise and he signed the documents to make his company public. He was probably a millionaire when I picked him up, but he came down worth about $100 million. And he said to me, Ken, I can't tell you, I really appreciate you letting me use this pen. I said, What did you do? He said, I just took the company public. I said, guess what? You're keeping that pen. I said, I I I want you to keep that pen because this is a it's a monumental thing. The look down at the pen, looked at me, and he's like, That's that's fantastic. Okay. Anyway, so always anticipate. Onboard, multi-port charger, paper, pens, notepads, available out of view. Business umbrella. You got a lady out back and she's it's raining and she doesn't have an umbrella. What do you think an umbrella costs? Nothing. I've given out my umbrella 150 times, always had a spare. Chill water, etc. The interior should be kept clean. All right, how about your conduct? Always use the guest's last name as soon as you meet them. Right from the beginning to the end. Confirm the drop-off location and flight information before you start and turn the key. If you're picking somebody up at the airport, confirm their drop-off. If you're taking them from their house, confirm the flight information. Ask if the temperature and climate control is your guest liking. Ask if they would prefer a specific station or would like the sound turned off. By the way, nobody wants to listen to your sports radio or Howard Stern. Okay, you get enough downtime. Do that stuff when nobody's in the car. Your car should be on smooth jazz or something very low-key and classical. By the way, I can't tell you how many chauffeurs that I've been in. These are chauffeured cars where the chauffeur has taken a call in the middle and it's obviously personal. And I'm sitting in the back seat listening to this guy's marital problems. That's totally unacceptable. You get a phone call, Bruce of all, your ringer should be off. But if you get a phone call, your response is, I'm with client. May I call you back? That's your response. At the end of the trip, check and make sure there are no belongings left at the final drop-off location. By the way, your cadence when you put the car in park is always disembark your client on the curb side. Okay, if you've not been trained that way, I'm telling you. And always say to the client, please stand by while I come to the back. I'm going to get your door for you. That's your job. Your job is to attend to the door. Their hands shouldn't touch the door, shouldn't touch their luggage, shouldn't touch the trunk. Period. End of story. After you've disembarked, use their name and again say, Mr. Lucci, thank you very much. It's been my pleasure taking care of you today. Is there anything else you need for me? Refresh and clean the car in between rides. So your manner and verbal communications should be formal. May I please handle your luggage for you? If they say no, have a follow-up statement. But Mr. Lucci, that's what we get paid to do. Because the guy is not going to give up his luggage and he and certainly might not give up his laptop, but always follow up and say, you know, that's what we do, Mr. Lucci. Ma'am or sir, would you like chilled water? Present a wiped bottle or present it with a napkin. Mr. Lucci, is the temperature inside okay? I've got it set to 72 degrees. And when you're disembarking, Mr. Lucci, please remain seated. Allow me to come around and open the door. By the way, you always come around the back of the vehicle, okay? So during the worst traffic, you're attentive and you're alert, you're calm in control. I don't care if somebody cuts you off, okay? Even if you're in New York and you might want to flip the bird or say something, you have to remain in control. Remain quiet, communicating in concise, to the point, refined, formal manner. Somebody wants to talk to you, you always say less than you would in a normal conversation. And you wait for them to continue the conversation. Respond to the guest shall always be some variance of yes, of course. Nevertheless, no or I don't know. Master your service essentials, the greeting, refined communication, excellent driving skills, and the final crescendo, if you will, is the disembarkment and the goodbye. So while you're in the vehicle, it's important at the beginning, and make yourself a cheat sheet if you have to, is always confirm the location before you put the car and drive. I have you go into the JW Marriott downtown, Mr. Lucci. Is that correct? And ask them if they need a charger or anything beforehand, because you don't want to take your hands off the wheel. Always handle the luggage, always guide the guests. By the way, I don't believe in shaking hands with a chauffeur. I don't believe the chauffeur should extend his hand. I think that if the client extends his hand, you shake his hand or her hand. But you basically can say more with a nod than you can with anything else. As far as women are concerned, offer your shoulder, offer your elbow. Don't take a woman's hand. That's very presumptuous in certain cultures. Okay. As far as the end, use the guest formal name. Mr. Lucci, thank you for allowing me to be of service today. Is there anything else you require before I depart? You know what you're doing there? You're priming the client for the cash tip because you are a professional. Okay? So about handling the luggage. Insist on carrying the luggage. Don't tear it out of the hands. But especially for a guy, you know, Mr. Lucci, I hear what you're saying, but really it's what I do. It's what I enjoy doing. Please let me take your role up. Do you want to hold on to your laptop bag? Always ask about personal items. Don't ever grab for the laptop bag. Handle with quiet care. When you are putting it in the trunk, you do it with two hands. You don't swing it like you're swinging a bat. Always have the client in the car first before you take their luggage through the back. Never take it out of your hands, but make sure the client is taken care of. Place it in the trunk silently and remove it with care. At the airport, you will get points for carrying it as close to the final door as you possibly can. And then you say your goodbye. I can't tell you how important it is and how I think we're really blurring the line on remember your job every step of the way. Your job is to make sure that people see the difference in black and white. I always like to say in gold, in black and white, they know the difference between you and an Uber black. If not, we're going to find ourselves in a bad place in this industry where we're just going to be working for those big companies. We're not going to have our own private clients. And unfortunately, I think also, you know, I think we're going to suffer because if we don't get our tech in place. But at the end of the day, I want you to understand something. People love to be treated special. And that's the primary reason why people use chauffeur services. But if you're not treating them special, they've got no reason to use you next time. Okay. You can't control the traffic. You can't control the weather. But you can be the best professional chauffeur with the servant's heart with service DNA. A few other things. You're at the airport. You are an ambassador of your brand. Stand at attention. Never lean or sit. Always wear your jacket. Always wear your tie. You are always on. I tell this story. This is going to be the final things that I do today. I was flying into Massachusetts when I was still an operator, and I was using one of the a very much a larger company. And I go to the airport and my car wasn't there. So in Logan Airport, you go outside the terminal, and everybody is at like the curbside private vehicles. Then you go out one more set of curbs, and that's where all the black cars are. That's where all the chauffeur cars are. So I go up and there's a guy literally out of central casting, right? He's got a military-style raincoat. It was black and it was impressive, tall guy. And he sees me looking at five black cars. And first of all, I don't see my name, right? The chauffeurs are not outside of the car. And he said to me, Excuse me, sir, are you looking for your chauffeur car? I said, Yes. He said, Tell me, what company is it with? And I told him, and listen, we don't embarrass people here, so I'm not going to say the name. He said, No, sir, they're not here yet, but I'm sure they'll be right, they'll be right here soon. If you'd like, go wait inside that little bus stop area. So get out of the rain. And it was heated. And I said, Do you work for the airport? He said, No, I work for such and such a company, much smaller company than I was using. And I said, You really can I have your business card? He said, Well, we, you know, we don't like to give them up because you know, you're already working with somebody says, No, give me your card. And I wrote the owner of the company a note and mailed it to him with the guy's business card and said, This guy delivered fantastic service, and I'm not even your customer, but I will be your customer in the future. Okay. So 100%, you are always representing your company. We're getting to the point where some people in the space who one car operators think that having all kinds of personal shit in the back of the vehicle, like I'm gonna have Kleenex, the only place for a Kleenex box is in a black leather container on the back near the back windshield. Or you keep it up front, and if someone needs a Kleenex, you give it to them. Every time I get into a car, I see all kinds of crap. We're way past the point where you should have sanitizing, sanitizing in a pump, in a pump. No, if you want to give me a little sanitizing packet, self-contained packet to take with me, that's fine. But there should be nothing except if you want to stage spring water, absolutely. But the rest of the vehicle should be factory. So last thing I'll leave you with for as a chauffeur, if you're working for one a larger company, besides all of the things that I just said, you know what your job is? Your job is to practice service DNA. It's five A's. Your appearance has to be impeccable at all times. Yeah, accuracy on what you're doing to and from, making sure that every step of the way you are making sure that you're where you need to go. Alertness, attitude, and anticipation. Your job, if you practice service DNA, is you will become the most requested chauffeur. That is your job. You will become the best reviewed chauffeur. That is your job. Best time in my life was the first year of Ambassador Limousine when I had my own SUV and a laptop, and I ran the business from that. By the way, anytime a client was in the car, the laptop was away. But the bottom line is I enjoyed taking care of clients. I enjoyed dressing up in a suit, always looking impeccable, and anticipating clients' needs. And that was before I went to the Ritz-Carlton School. So a few things. Definitely get the book Gold Standard by the Ritz Carlton. Definitely get the book Disney B Our Guest. Absolutely, without question, get John DeJulius' books. Just look up the name DeJulius, D-I-J-U-L-I-U-S, okay, above delivering fantastic service. And subscribe to PAX Training. It's the best investment that you can make. And when other Limo operators know that your PAX, and this is not a commercial for PAX, but people will do business with you because they know that you've invested in training. And at the end of the day, your chauffeurs are a reflection of you. You may be a big company, but at the end of the day, how your line employees act and the service they deliver is a reflection of your brand. I am pretty optimistic about the future of the chauffeur transportation industry. I think we have some challenges on the technology side, but we know that we're better at providing service than the TNCs. We know that we have better relationships with the clients. But if it doesn't translate into everything we do in the back of the car, those two suburbans that pull up, one being an Uber Black and the second being a Schoffert car, they absolutely blur the line. The only way, because the vehicles are the same now, the only way you can differentiate and make sure that that client comes back is absolutely delivering five-star service. So I'm going to leave you with that today. I really appreciate your time. It didn't devolve into a rant. I will just tell you that it is critically important that if you're focusing purely as an owner operator, as getting people from point A to point B, getting butts in seats, you're not delivering what the customer expects. What the luxury client expects, the client that will pay the differential, is extra value, demonstrated value. By the way, it's not a value proposition. Delivering the value. And a lot of it is the in-car experience. It's also examine how you're treating your clients are being treated from the phone call in, how your website portrays your brand, how you send out the bill, how everybody talks to clients. And the number one thing is making the clients feel special. First way you do that is the respective using their name. Spelling it correctly and pronouncing it correctly is good too. But at the end of the day, look at your in-car experience, secret shop your own service. Ask your best clients, would you mind just looking out for these things? Okay, and making sure that you're turning your training into muscle memory. And it does start with hiring people with the right attitude. If they have the right attitude, you can absolutely teach them anything else. But delivering the five-star service is the expectation. And the industry, in my view, has to take massive steps forward because we're blurring the line. We're delivering mediocre service. Nothing kills a business faster than delivering so-so mediocre service. Delivering exceptional service is the memory that they will carry with them. It's not what you do, it's not the ride to and from the airport. Get me there on time, that's fine. How did you make me feel? Did you use my name? Did you thank me for the business? Did you thank me for traveling with you today? Goes a long way. So I'm going to leave you with that. It's another exciting episode. The Ground Transportation Podcast is in the bag. James Blaine from PAX Trading, great to see you yesterday. But uh see you again on another co-hosted episode. In the meantime, please subscribe. We have a lot of people that listen to us, but we need subscribers because that's how YouTube judges us. So we need subscribers and double down on your customer experience and your customer journey and how you treat people in your cars. Thanks and have a terrific day.

SPEAKER_00 56:13

Thank you for listening to the Ground Transportation Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please remember to subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. For more information about PAX Training and to contact James, go to PaxTraining.com. And for more information about driving transactions and to contact Ken, go to driving transactions.com. We'll see you next time on the Ground Transportation Pod.