I-Laugh Archives
Your Working Humor Discussion List
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I-Laugh - Your 'Working' Humor Discussion List
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Moderated by : Eva Rosenberg mailto:eva@workinghumor.com
Assisted By : Gunjan Saraf mailto:gunjan@workinghumor.com
http://workinghumor.com
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10th October 2001 # 028
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"My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with
me." ~Benjamin
Disraeli, British Statesman, Prime Minister
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IN THIS DIGEST :
Moderator's Comment -
~ Gunjan
_____________________
NEW DISCUSSIONS
Can Error 404 pages be fun?
~ Gunjan
Getting to Know You
~ Gunjan
REPLIES
Know it all Customers
~ Jan Crowell
~ Scott Simmerman
Still Out Smarting Our Auto Mechanics
~ Eva Rosenberg
INSPIRATIONAL HUMOR
Terrorists
~ Arik Schenkler
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Moderator's Message
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Dear LaughMates,
"IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we
had everything before us, we had nothing before us..."
Thus begins Charles Dickens's - 'A Tale of Two Cities'. Food for thought isn't it? Could it be that he is describing today instead
of a time in history?
Of course there are people who, in light of recent events, economic problems etc, question all the positive
sides but a quick look at Arik's inspirational humor post should convince you that the positive side is alive and well.
Anyway, the reason I got to thinking about all this in the first place, was because I was just thinking about I-Laugh.
I mentioned Sunil's problem of know-it-all customers in the last issue. Sunil didn't dissuade me from mentioning
it but I could make out from his expression he didn't really
expect anything concrete. The way Sunil works - marketing, salesmanship, etc. may reap results for tons of people. Yet,
as far as he's concerned they are 'not workable' and by that he means not workable for him.
When I received Jan's post, I could see that with a little twist it might interest Sunil too. I was so thrilled I gave him
a call a 7 AM and told him. He laughed for quite some time and more importantly declared it 'workable'. He added he
was now looking forward to the next 'know-it-all' customer.
So it feels great that I-Laugh has made a positive contribution and we look forward to hearing from LaughMates on difficult
situations they face at work and seeing whether I-Laugh can help more Laughmates with positive suggestions.
That's on the happy side. On the unhappy side two things have been bothering us.
1) I-Laugh is not growing at anywhere close to the speed we hoped for. One of the things we'd like to work on to
speed up its growth is discussed in the first post. The other, of course, would be if you're enjoying I-Laugh, would you
please recommend it to a couple of friends. Nothing can help it grow faster than a word from you.
2) Another thing which I suddenly realized was that this week I-Laugh should cross the 500 subscribers mark.
(With your help we could possibly reach 1000 instead ;-) Out of these 500 subscribers I know barely 40 to 50. And I
bet most of you LaughMates know even fewer of your mates. For our discussion group to really feel like a group, I think
it'll be great if we start to get to know each other better. With this in mind we're starting a new section in I-Laugh
titled - "Getting to Know You ." (without the music...)
For this week I'll introduce you to one of our LaughMates. However, may I request you to kindly send in a post
introducing yourselves to I-Laugh. Feel free to use this opportunity to put in a plug for whatever work you do,
whether it's online or offline.
That's enough rambling from me for one issue. (When I proof read the stuff I write I realize sometimes what a pain I am :-)
So let's move on to.......
Gunjan
Please, send any comments to:
mailto:posts@workinghumor.com?Subject=laughter
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===== New Discussions =====
====> Can Error 404 pages be fun?
Dear Friends,
We have an arrangement by which from some of the Search Engines and portals when they come to an
error 404 (File not Found) they display our page.
We get about 2000 pageviews a day on this page, but are converting and getting just 1-2 subscribers a day from
this. We want to figure out how to improve this page so we start converting at least 1% of the traffic. Please send us
any suggestions on making error 404 pages fun.
Any subscribers who joined us this way, we'd love your feedback on what you liked on our page (so we don't
knock that off) and what you didn't like so we can try to improve it.
Gunjan
www.workinghumor.com - Let
your Humor Work for you !
P.S - Since I wrote this post I've found a great site called the 404 research lab (http://www.plinko.net/404/index.asp)
which has some super ideas in case any of you would like to beef up your 404 pages too. However I'd still love to have
your suggestions.
Comments :
mailto:posts@workinghumor.com?Subject=error
====> Getting to Know You
Featured Laughmate - Dr. Justin Santosh
http://www.intellimediatech.com
Hi Friends,
Dr. Santosh is an expert on Elephants. (No he is not a vet, but a PhD in Ecology.) His thesis was on the
Behavioral Ecology of Asian Elephants. (The introduction to his thesis was featured in I-Laugh #17,
(http://www.workinghumor.com/archives/issue17.shtml)
He did his doctorate at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, one of the premier scientific institutions in our
country, and also taught there for some time. He did quite some pioneering work for the IISc website back in the
dark days of the Internet (around 1993 :-). He also developed a software for estimating population sizes of Asian elephants
by estimating defecation related parameters.
Yet, when one starts talking to him about academic life, his most vivid stories are of his Master's, which he did under the tutelage
of Professor Rauf Ali. Professor Ali had a totally unique style of teaching, often conducting his classes on the beaches of
Pondicherry/Auroville or even at a local pub. From his batch Prof Raoulf accepted just 3 students. Santosh and two girls.
Among the first lessons he taught them was a trip to a local peak Berry Jam (above Kodaikanal). Giving them
enough supplies and making sure they were safe, they were left totally alone. The exercise was to stay isolated
for as long as one possible could without seeing, talking to, or having any contact with any other human being. Dr. Santosh recounts
sadly that he managed just 7-8 days as compared to one of the girls who managed 12 days.
(And we say women can't live without gossip ;-).
Although Dr. Santosh still loves science and having a discussion on evolution or any other scientific topic with him
is certainly an enlightening experience (he's got me hooked and I now love doing a bit of reading, either Richard Dawkins
or Stephen Jay Gould, and then getting an insight from him whenever he can spare some time.) his love for logic,
programming and the internet has made him switch fields to New Media and the Internet. The background in behavioural sciences helps
him at work where his team is involved in creating high-end Digital Presentations, Websites and
other digital Communication Collaterals. Explaining the deep reasoning behind his switch he once confided -
"Imagine a world where all genetic "weaknesses" can be overcome by technology. In its extreme simple form, an
example would be the scenario in which a person is placed in an uncomfortably hot and arid environmental condition.
'Earlier', under such conditions he would have possibly come under close scrutiny by Natural Selection (increased
chances of being hunted down because of fatigue or risk of dying due to dehydration).
Now, with air-conditioning and water supply, his genetic 'weakness' (in that environment) could easily be surpassed
and he had as much chance of not dying from heat as, say, a Bedouin or maybe better. In this new world, technology, communication,
information, could probably become the
new currencies for survival."
So if you are planning a corporate website and you want it to have a chance to overcome the evolutionary turmoil of the
internet industry who better to talk to than one who understands both - the IT Industry and the Survival of the Fittest. ;-)
BTW - I forgot to mention Dr Santosh is also a fantastic drummer and plays for the local Rock Band - Midrange.
Neil Peart, the drummer of Rush is another of Doc's favorite discussion topics.
That folks is a brief intro to LaughMate - Dr. Santosh. I hope to hear from a many of you introducing yourselves
and hope to carry at least 2-3 introductions in every issue.
Thanks,
Gunjan
Comments :
mailto:posts@workinghumor.com?Subject=intros
===== Replies=====
====> Handling Know-it-all Customers
Jan Crowell <webby@wt.net>
My mechanic broke me of "knowing what it was wrong" by asking me, now if I fix what you think it is, for $500,
and it turns out to be what I think it is, are you going to be mad, and who are you going to be mad at?
My mechanic is very very good, and very, very, weary of people that who know it all. He said that with a weary
put-upon air, and it's about the only time that being visibly put upon has been really appropriate.
I laughed, and agreed that he knew a lot more about it than I'll ever know. I asked him what he does when a customer
thinks they're right and won't budge. He said he makes them sign a form that says he stated the problem was this; whereas
they insisted it's what they think it is and they insisted
he fix what they think is wrong.
Most give up then, but a few die hards (who wouldn't come back anyway) sign it, so sure they're right, and then they
really get mad when he charges them to fix whatever they insisted and it doesn't fix the problem.
So he gets paid for the diagnosis and the aggravation, and maybe, just maybe, they learn. At least they can't take
it to court. About 10 people a year prefer to sign the contract to get what they're sure is wrong done, and about
10 people a year are wrong.
This is a mechanic that can meet me on the driveway, telling me what's wrong with my car. He's a master of
his trade, best of class. I'm lucky to have him.
BTW, the perk for backing down immediately was a big one. Now half the time when I take my car to him, he tells
ME what to do to fix it, and sends me on my way. Of all the people I've sent him, probably 50 over the 15 years
since I discovered him, he's only worked on maybe 10 cars at their initial visit.
He tells the rest how to fix it themselves and sends them on their way. So, who would YOU go to?
Jan Crowell
Ed Note - The change I suggested to Sunil was that instead of a form he discuss with the customer a side
bet. Tell them he'll take a side bet that it's what he thinks it is. If he loses the repair would be free but if he wins
the customer will pay an extra XX $.
He should then first check out the problem that the customer thinks it is. In this way he can charge for
repairing the non-existent problem, the real problem and get the extra bet money. Maybe after Sunil has 3-4
customers of that sort we'll ask him to be a sponsor for I-Laugh ;-)
====> More on Handling Know-it-all Customers
Tough one.
>Sunil's pet peeve is - Customers who think they know all about
>cars. He hates it when he can clearly hear a differential
sound
>but the customer insists it the wheel bearings. He normally
>gets irritated and just tells these kind of clients to repair
>their car themselves since they know so much and screams
>them away.
But no way to out argue a customer who thinks they are expert. No way to educate those that don't want to learn, either.
I was in a tire shop last week and this woman and the service advisor were going at it. And at it. She brought her car in
for "a noise."
The tech discovered the rotors worn thin on the brakes and replaced them. She drove off and had the same noise - turns
out that it is a frame problem on very hard braking (why she always brakes hard is a whole 'nother question, I guess).
Anyway, the service manager got VERY exasperated with the woman. He had the tech bring in the old rotors and a set of
calipers, trying to show her that the brakes were worn thin. And on and on. After about 30 minutes of this, I drifted away.
Eventually, he offered her the brakes for the price of the parts, no labor. And, she was asked to go to the dealer for the frame
problem since it was out of the knowledge expertise of the tire shop.
Funny thing was AFTER all this, he got in the car with her and she showed him the noise. I watched as the nose of the car
dropped down as she slammed the brakes! Luckily, he had his seatbelt on. Afterwards, he got out and she pulled away. I
watched as the nose of the car dropped as she got to the street to exit the parking lot.
Since I had done service quality consulting for a number of years (more than 10) and since I'd worked a lot with service
managers in car dealerships, he and I started talking about the situation. His problem was he wanted to win the argument. So,
what he would do is ask what she wanted and then (quickly) answer for her and explain more about the mechanics of
the problem.
She did not know what she wanted, only that she did not want to appear stupid nor get taken advantage of because she was
a non-mechanical woman. AND, she just wanted someone to complain to. Thus, this "conflict" took nearly an hour
to resolve.
She actually promised to come back for tires, so the outcome was good. And the service manager did recognize that they
misdiagnosed -- they should have been slamming on the brakes!!
Yet there was real potential for anger given that both sides took a long time to suggest their positions. My comment was pretty
simple: Make an offer and shut up.
"Okay, ma'am. How about we simply charge you for
the parts
with no labor. You NEEDED brakes and although
this did not
solve the noise problem, would this be a fair
result?"
Then, he could have easily smiled and resolved it.
The good news is that he had the right attitude overall: He wanted to keep her as a customer and was willing to negotiate
a short term solution for a long term benefit.
But the length of these "negotiations" would have easily
caused exasperation, maybe an escalation to his boss and all that. As
it was, he had to go back to the technician and crack a few jokes about driving like a
woman to get him to get over what he perceived as a professional competency insult...
When you are dealing with a dummy OR an expert, you need to quickly get to a desired final outcome, methinks. Otherwise, you
do get the tendency to get into a shouting match. Maybe your friend just simply needs to agree to fix whatever the customer
insists is the problem and then, after insuring that it is fixed, address what is wrong.
Kinda like consulting, I guess!
--
For the FUN of It!
Scott Simmerman
Performance Management Company - 800-659-1466
mailto:Scott@SquareWheels.com
Comments :
mailto:posts@workinghumor.com?Subject=knowitalls
===> Still Out Smarting Our Auto Mechanics
It seems that we all have to live with autos and the related problems. Have you noticed, lately, that the really biggest
problem about auto repairs is the down time? The waste of your time and energy: getting the car to the dealership -
in their time frame; taking time off from work to pick it up; the time spent arranging for/picking up a rental
vehicle while they have your car; the time going back and forth because they didn't fix the problem.
Well, I never had patience with that kind of thing. So, somehow, I always managed to find a way around it.
Let me tell you two clever and rewarding ways I managed to resolve this annoyance:
==>The Star System
Back when I used to work in Huntington Beach, I met this adorable young man who owned a Union 76 5-Star
service station. By then, I had figured out that Union 76 stations with that rating tended to do a better and cheaper
job on my cars than dealers. And they treated much better too. So, while getting gas each week, we struck up
a bit of a flirtation.
Naturally, when my car needed service, I brought my car to him - to take care of the work and those noises. But, I
needed a car. And he had one. His baby. A silver, special edition, 25th anniversary Corvette.
Yes, you know what's coming. Yup, I persuaded him to let me borrow his precious treasure. And with his car in
my hands, I didn't care how long he took to fix mine. Of course, he had an incentive to get it done quickly
and well.
Incidentally, I'd thank him by getting his car cleaned for him. One of those things he seemed to do less often than he'd like.
Your Humble Guide.
Eva Rosenberg
http://taxmama.com
=========== Inspirational Humor ==========
>From Arik Schenkler <shenkler@netvision.net.il>
It is the year 2032 and a father and his son walk the streets of lower Manhattan. Approaching the site where the World Trade
Center used to be, the father sighs and comments, "To think that right here used to be the Twin Towers..."
The son, not understanding, asks his father, "What are the Twin Towers?" The father smiles and looks at the son, and explains,
"The Twin Towers were two huge buildings that used to be here until 2001, when the terrorists destroyed them."
The son looks up to his father, and asks, "And what are terrorists?"
AMEN!!!!!!!
Comments :
mailto:posts@workinghumor.com?Subject=terrorists
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