The car picked us up at 8:30 am yesterday and we breezed into New York on the Acela smack on time, where another car took us to the W Union Square, a few blocks from my daughter’s apartment. The driver then took us back uptown for some heavy duty shopping in Bergdorf’s and Tourneau.We rendezvoused with my daughter and son-in-law for pre-theater dinner at 5 Napkin Burger (don’t laugh, it’s in Zagat’s, requires reservations, and dinner for four was $200!). The burgers were as advertised, as were deep fried pickles and sauerkraut. Then off to Billy Elliot, which was terrific, about 95% of the London performance we caught a couple of years ago.Observation: Restaurant packed, theater filled, high-end stores mostly empty. Today it’s a haircut at the Barrett Salon back in Bergdorf’s, lunch with Omar (co-author of The Global Consultant) at Petrossian, then a business meeting at the Grand Havana Room and a cigar from my humidor there (with the best lichee martinis in town).Maria is helping Danielle cook all day, sounds like a fair division of labor!Maria and I send our best to everyone for a happy and joyous Thanksgiving with loved ones, friends, and family. Life is short. Take some time to appreciate its blessings.
(Bergdorf’s Goodman Holiday Windows)
(Deserted Grand Havana Room)© Alan Weiss 2009. All rights reserved.
Subscribe
Alan’s Books
Alan’s Workshops
Profiles:
- Alan Weiss:Good!
- Richard Martin:Hi Alan, Very appropriate words at this point in time for me. Thanks, Rich Martin
- Graham Franklin:a question of hubris overcoming enquiry.
- Alan Weiss:Excuse me, but I don't care about your view. 1. I told you not to write me. 2. A client you never met has a need and
- Dave Gardner:It sounds as if your client wants to tell consultants what the solution to his problem is: CRM. Software alone is seldo
- Alan Weiss:That's a pretty good idea. Too many companies, particularly financial services, see their customers and clients as poten
- Tim Wilson:Alan, In reading this post I couldn’t help but think about how customer service has declined overall. It seems that t
- Alan Weiss:I've had three consultants to the dental profession in my Mentor Program, and they all make their money by improving the
- Jason Burke:Coincidentally, I just recently finished "The Art of the Examination" by Barry Polansky, a book written by a dentist for
- Alan Weiss:That works, too!
- John Martin:I sometimes need a bonfire under my chair, and this kind of input does the trick just right. Thanks Alan.
- Alan Weiss:Just received a form letter from a Noel Pearlman in charge of US Consumer Product Management at Bank of Montreal express
- Alan Weiss:The degree of actual contempt for customers in financial institutions is often amazing, but when you see such dysfunctio
- John Martin:'They are worried that customers might hurt them instead of how customers are important to them' And that has just hi
- Simma:Always thankful for these reminders
- Alan Weiss:It's arrant stupidity. The letter was offensive, their response was tepid and pro forma, their follow up letter obnoxiou
- Volkmar Voelzke:I think it is not a specific Canadian issue (even if there are many gaps to good customer service in Canada as well). St
- Alan Weiss:Except I told him that "elevator pitches" were useless!
- Aras Geylani:Hi Alan, Saw your name in Harvard Management Communication Letter article about how Barnett Helzberg of Helzerg Diamond
- Alan Weiss:American Airlines followed up based on my blogging, but I doubt BOM will do anything but wonder why so many clients are
- Philippe Back:I wonder what the follow up will be... there may be something as those posts usually have "interesting" side effects.
- Alan Weiss:Here's a comment from Kevin Pare, posted with his permission: You hit the nail on the head. I had the exact same expe
- Alan Weiss:Can you imagine, out of the blue, deciding you'll alienate clients who are the best kind because you're changing the pol
- Noah Fleming:That's a hilarious story. Congrats BMO! I'm Canadian - we are good polite people. I do my business banking with B
- Alan Weiss:I'm sorry, but if someone can undergo the grueling (and often absurd) demands of medical school and beyond, they can run
- Alan Weiss:You can't make it up!
- Lisa S. Griffith:Mr. Weiss, Doctors schedule patients back-to-back patients every day all week because their income is controlled direct
- Noah Fleming:On the money Alan. Great story about the $377k proposal. Thanks, Noah
- Alan Weiss:Aw....I get a lot of that!
- Alan Weiss:I was just asked that in a speech this week. Generalize as much as you can to maximize your range of buyers and to prote
