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Yesterday was the Leadership Graduation from the class that Rubye Del Harden teaches. Each student had a tremendous final project and I enjoyed listening and learning from each presentation. Luke and I left very inspired from these presentations and proud to have employees as dedicated as you all are. Thank you for your participation in the class and congratulations on graduating!
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

Have a great Friday and great weekend!

Louis

Most people are unaware that September 12 is the National Day of Encouragement. Following on the heels of one of the most reflected days in America which is of course September 11, the National Day of Encouragement was created in 2007.

In June 2007, a group of high school students in Arkansas were presented a challenge. At the National Leadership Forum being held that year, they were asked to create an idea that would make the world better. They concluded that most problems, such as drugs and alcohol, start with discouragement. This led them to the idea of having a day dedicated to encouraging one another. Then President George W. Bush signed the declaration, making September 12 the official “National Day of Encouragement.”

One of my favorite quotes simply says “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.  Be Kind. Always.”  So, on this day, celebrate the National Day of Encouragement by performing a random act of kindness.  Call, text or email a friend or family member that you haven’t connected with in awhile, tell someone they are doing a good job and most of all don’t forget to smile.  In this great big world, YOU can make a difference.

Rachel

When I hear this date, my thoughts quickly turn to the tragic events that took place 12 years ago today.  Most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing that morning.  I was living in a suburb of Jackson, MS at the time.  It was during my early morning commute downtown when I heard on the radio that the first plane had flown into the north tower.  By the time I made it to my office on the 10^th floor I walked in just in time to see the second plane hit the south tower on live television.   The horrific scenes replayed again and again during the days to follow will forever be etched in my mind.  Today, and every day, we should honor those who lost their lives both during the events of September 11^th, as well as, during the long and grueling war that followed.  We should also thank those who continue to fight to protect the freedoms we hold so dear and remember the families awaiting their loved ones safe return. 

~Kandi

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.  ~Elmer Davis

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.  ~José Narosky

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.  ~Cynthia Ozick

On Friday’s blog, Louis mentioned that we had a business consultant visit our home offices last week.  Most everyone who met with the consultant is thankful for the wealth of knowledge we were able to gain from his many years of professional experience.

This week we are in Savannah, GA attending a “Twenty Group” meeting in an effort to improve our “buy here pay here” dealerships.  The “Twenty Group” is made up of, suprisingly, twenty “buy here pay here” dealers from across the country who meet three times a year to compare financials, sales figures, customer service standards and a variety of other information in an effort to improve our given businesses.  No matter how good we think we are doing in business we always find we have much more to learn.

Some people complain of “constant change” but we prefer to look at it as “continuous improvement”.  If you are not moving forward then you are actually falling behind.

I hope everyone has a successful week. — Luke

“Improvement begins with I”.  Arnold Glasgow

Luke and I spent the last three days meeting with a business consultant that has been very successful in an industry similar to ours.  He was very impressed with the cleanliness and neatness of all of our locations that he was able to visit.  The consultant believes that these two qualities have played a huge role in his success.  Thank you all for the great job you are doing in making your office appearance among the best in our industry!

Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goeth

Have a great day–Louis

With Labor Day weekend upon us I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the hard work and effort you put in on a daily basis to serve your customers.  You play an important role in your customers’ lives and I know they appreciate you very much.  Thanks again for being there for your customers.

I hope everyone enjoys the Labor Day Holiday.  Be careful and have fun! — Luke

“The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.”  Elbert Hubbard

PS-  I hope those who attended the Manager Meeting recently are enjoying the books.  I have received some positive feedback already.

I received a picture by text message this weekend that brought a big smile to my face and I wanted to share with everyone else….Ricky and Melissa are married!!  I would like to wish them all the happiness in the world.  Melissa, you deserve it!!!

A reception will be held for friends and family on September 8th from 2-4pm at the Ballardsville Baptist Church.  Each of you are invited to attend.    ~Rachel

I was recently visiting with a friend of mine who manages a small regional hospital.  I was venting to him about a bad customer service experience that I had recently received from the health care industry.  He explained that next to patient safety their customer service is the most important thing to his hospital.

He informed me that the most important part of their customer service was correcting mistakes properly after they occur.  Customers who had visited his hospital and experienced some type of problem, but had it addressed in a timely and proper manner rated their experience with the hospital more favorable than the customers who had dealings with the hospital and didn’t experience any problems at all.

His management team created a term, Service Recovery, and an action plan to address mistakes made by his staff.  He concluded that they now see these mistakes as an opportunity to offer exceptional customer service.

One thing we can be assured of is we will make mistakes as we deal with our customers everyday, but I hope we can take the approach of the company mentioned above and look at these mistakes as opportunities to leave a lasting impression of exceptional customer service.

Learn from the mistakes of others–you can’t live long enough to make them all yourself  – Martin Vanbee

He who makes no mistake never makes anything.  -English Proverb

Have a great day….Louis

We are having our Managers’ Meeting today in Tupelo.  I thought these quotes would be appropriate for today. — Luke

“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or  intellectually without effort, and effort means work.”  Calvin Coolidge

“There’s only one growth strategy: work hard.”  William Hague

““You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.” Abraham Maslow

“If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.”  Charles Kettering

“Success breeds complacency.  Complacency breeds failure.  On the paranoid will survive.”  Andy Grove

“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”  Winston Churchill

“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.”  James C. Penney

We are going to spend most of our time today putting the final touches on tomorrow’s  manager meeting.  A lot of thought and planning has been put into the meeting preparation.  I would like to thank  Kim, Janna, Tracie, and Jon Jon for all the work they are doing to make sure tomorrow’s meeting will be the most exciting and productive day.  I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Have a great day!

Louis

Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle… when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.

-Unknown