Happy Holidays-Ringing in the New Year

We’re right in the middle of the end of many holidays and New Year’s Eve. With the New Year coming up it’s a great time to reflect on the past year and to make plans for the year ahead. I know the older I get the more quickly every year seems to pass. I always find myself saying, “I can’t believe another year has gone by.” Some years nothing seems to change and some years everything seems to change. This year has been a year full of changes for me. It has definitely been eventful. Many things that I thought would remain constant in my life have vanished. Some new, great things have also unexpectedly come into my life. If there’s one thing I’ve seen over the last (just about 23) years, it’s the ebbs and flows of life. When things are going terrible, just wait a little while and they’re bound to turn around. When things are going great, just wait awhile and they’re bound to get worse. ;) To me it seems life is always in constant flux. I kind of like that about it, it keeps things interesting.
Well the New Year is a great time to reflect on the past it is also an important time to decide what goals you have for the year ahead and how you plan to achieve them. Over the last few weeks at Topaz we have been discussing our sales and marketing plans for 2011 and company goals. It has been helpful to put together a list of action items for 2011 and to have something to strive for. 2011 is going to be another interesting year in the travel industry, an industry that is changing constantly. Personally, I am excited to work with our clients this upcoming year to help them evaluate their travel agencies performance in an ever changing environment. I am also excited to help them reevaluate their travel programs to help them save on their travel spend. Recently, many new technologies are being used by the travel industry. Social media has taken off, like it has in almost all industries. I think this year the use of mobile devices will follow the trend of social media and become used more and more frequently for the searching and booking of corporate travel. I'm interested to see where this trend leads.
This past August at NBTA we gave out corkscrews with our logo to some of our clients. We gave them a card letting them know we appreciate their loyalty and that we wanted to toast to our relationship and to their success. I hope anyone who has a Topaz corkscrew takes a minute to use it this holiday season to toast to something special in their lives. Personal or business related, we wish you the very best.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful, healthy and happy holiday season. If you haven’t had a chance please check out our Topaz holiday greeting by visiting the link below.
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/nCQOuG6lpkvd9Xoop2aT

Fitness For A Cure

Fitness For A Cure 2010

Photos by Emilie Inc
St. Jude Performance Team




Fitness For A Cure Gala


Sherri Sarrouf



During the holiday season I tend to think more about giving back to others than any other part of the year. I also tend to have those less fortunate on my mind. I want to take a minute to let you know about one of the best events for giving back; Fitness For A Cure.

Fitness For A Cure is an event started by the owner of SLS Fitness, Sherri Sarrouf. Sherri hosts this event to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. For those of you who are not familiar with St. Jude’s it is a hospital known all over the world for finding cures and helping to save children with cancer and other horrible illnesses. If a child gets sick the child’s family can bring them to St. Jude’s where all costs not covered by insurance will be taken care of. As you will read about on the Fitness For A Cure website, “In 2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the nation in a public survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a highly respected international polling and research firm. St. Jude was also named the nation's top children's cancer hospital in the 2010-11, "Best Children's Hospitals", rankings published by U.S. News & World.”
The Fitness For a Cure gala raises money for St. Jude’s, but most importantly will change you as an individual. I attended the event for the first time last year. I had heard numerous great things about it, but wasn’t sure what to expect. Needless to say, I walked out of the event a changed person. My perspective about how lucky I am to be healthy, the stunningly sad realization of what it must be like to have a sick child, the inspirational attitude of the children who are extremely ill at St. Jude’s, How much of an influence people can have on a great organization if they all work together. So many things were brought to my attention I had never thought about before. The event included performances by the St. Jude performance team, a family who had lost a child to cancer, BC football player and cancer survivor Mark Herzlich, and a special performance at the end by the lead singer of the once popular band, Lonestar.

Bring your tissues! This year's event is on March 26th, 2011 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, MA. I urge you to check out the website and learn what Fitness For A Cure and St. Jude’s are all about!

"Are Attractive People More Employable"

My friend suggested I blog about this NY Times article,
“Are Attractive People More Employable.”

It is definitely an interesting topic, so here are my thoughts:

“Employer callbacks to attractive men are significantly higher than to men with no picture and to plain-looking men,”
As you know from last post, I am all about transparency. If I was hiring I may just be more inclined to call back the people with pictures than with no pictures at all. I feel like I can make more of a connection with people when I can put a face to a name. Do I think the people with pictures are necessarily going to do the job better? Maybe not, but I think they were smart to try to make more of a connection with the person hiring them. If they seem as qualified as someone without a picture they will probably get the call. (As long as it’s an appropriate picture that is!)

As far as calling back attractive men vs plain-looking men. I feel like the article uses tricky words here. Notice how it does not say “attractive vs. unattractive.” In that case, I don’t think I’d be more likely to call back one VS. the other. However, “plain-looking” is a different story. Did one man send a professional head shot of them while the other sent an off-center picture of themselves in a white t-shirt with stains? Yes, I may be more likely to call back the “attractive man VS. the “plain looking” man. Or is “plain looking” a simple a button up and not a suit jacket? If so, I’d have no preference to which one I called back. The article uses words that can be interpreted in too many different ways here.


“Women with no picture have significantly higher rate of callbacks than attractive or plain-looking women.”

What? This just doesn’t make sense to me! Unless you believe the next line in the article:

“We explore a number of explanations and provide evidence that female jealousy of attractive women in the workplace is a primary reason for the punishment of attractive women.”This explanation can only be true when a woman is doing the call backs…am I right? Otherwise that theory makes no sense.

The article then ends with this contradicting statement: “Previous research, however, has found that good-looking female workers receive higher raises than their plain or ugly counterparts.”Okay, so this directly counteracts what the article previously said about how attractive women get punished in the workplace due to jealousy. Or is that statement true and they get punished in non-monetary ways but rewarded monetarily because men are in charge of a majority of raises in the corporate work place? (is this even true?)

Basically, this article leaves a lot to be desired. Also, how did they come up with these statistics? Especially when people see “attractive and unattractive” in so many different ways. It reminds me of the stat on the new Match.com commercials…”One in five relationships now begin online.” What? How did they get this stat? Did they ask everyone in the world that’s in a relationship where they met? They didn’t ask me, I know that.

So, what is the truth about how someone’s appearance affects their marketability?
This reminds me of a case study I looked at in my Services Marketing class my last year of college. The case was about a man who was applying for a sales position at a company but was very out of shape. We had a long discussion in class about what role that factor should’ve played in this man’s marketability. In the end the general consensus in the class was that the man’s appearance (weight) did greatly affect his marketability. He seemed to have trouble walking up and down stairs, traveling, carrying luggage, etc. If someone just as qualified had applied for the job they should get it over him.

So, in the end, my opinion is that there are some factors of appearance that can definitely affect your marketability, even in the corporate work environment. While you may not be trying to join a professional sports team you are still trying to obtain a job that at some point or another involves your health. Just showing up for work is directly related to your health, never mind the travel you may have to do, the presentations you may have to give, etc. If it was up to me gender or a big nose wouldn’t make anyone less hirable (well, except maybe a model...) but shortness of breath and panting during an interview might!

Building Successful Relationships

This is a heavy topic, no matter which way you look at it. The relationships we create with people throughout our lives is one of the most important things we do, and also one of the toughest. These relationships create our best friends, our spouses, and often are what keep our businesses afloat. The opposite it also true: they can end up our biggest enemies, in divorce, or can be the reason people go out of business.
No matter which way you look at it; relationships are extremely valuable. What we choose to make of these relationships is up to us. Yes, of course, there are times things happen we can’t control, but often times we have the chance to make our relationships thrive.
In the travel industry relationships are extremely important. It seems like everyone knows someone who knows someone else. When people are together (as I learned at my first NBTA) they like to chat, have fun, and network. I am always trying to keep this thought at the forefront of my mind as I do my job on a daily basis.
I come from a family where loyalty is everything. My parents always taught me to put family first, and that if anyone I ever cared about needed anything to be the first one there. They taught me it’s important to appreciate those who appreciate us and at the end of the day, the important people will be there. My parents talked about relationships a lot. They spoke about their relationship with each other, our relationship with them, and their relationships with their employees. (They owned a restaurant)
Growing up talking about relationships with my parents and now taking some of my own experiences from the business world I think there are a list of important aspects that lead to developing successful relationship, from friends, to spouses, to clients. At the end of the day, I think these are some of the most important:

1.Communication: Once this slows or stops, everything else seems to fall apart and ceases to exist pretty quickly. Even the biggest mistakes or most confusing situations can sometimes be fixed by honest, open communication. Don’t forget to stay in touch with the people you care about. Don’t be afraid to shoot an e-mail or phone call off to an old client you haven’t talked to in a while. Is something really bothering you? Weighing on you? Say it. I promise, you’ll feel better!

2.Honesty: Lying gets you nowhere except into a relationship with bigger problems. Be open and straight forward. Don’t try to hide things. The more honest you are with someone, the more honest they will be with you. Besides, who wants any relationship they are in to be based off of lies?

3.Loyalty: If someone treats you well, remain loyal to them. If they need you, be there for them. If someone else wants to talk about the person behind their back, stay silent. Maybe even walk away or disagree.

4.Appreciation: Let those you care about and feel lucky to have in your life know it. Show them you appreciate them through words and actions. Don’t take people you care about for granted.

5.Transparency: Let’s face it, nobody likes to feel like they have to dig for clues about how you feel or what you’re doing. This is especially true in business….don’t give anyone a reason to doubt you.

6.Respect: Never act too good for anyone. You’re not. As they say: You gain respect by earning it, but also by GIVING it.

7.Intuition: This may seem like the odd ball out, but I think it’s really important. We all have it, somewhere within us. That feeling above all us that inspires us to make certain decisions. I think this feeling is so important in building successful relationships because every relationship we have is going to be different. No one is the same. You have to have an intuition which helps you decide how to appropriately deal with each individual relationship. You know what makes that person tick, you know their insecurities, personality, strengths….so take the time to think about them, follow your intuition and don’t treat any of your relationships the same, because most likely, they’re not.

I’m sure there are many other things people find important in developing and maintaining valuable relationships. I’d like to hear them. Shoot me an e-mail at jillian.walsh@etopaz.com.




My family at my sister's wedding

Travel Policies and Evaluation

Recently, I posed a question on a LinkedIn group I am part of: ACTE (Association of Corporate Travel Executives)
How often do travel managers evaluate their travel programs and travel agencies? How do they perform this evaluation?

Since I posed the question almost three weeks ago there have been numerous responses. Many people from different sectors of the travel world (travel managers, agents, consultants, suppliers) have given their insight into the question. After reading all of the responses so far it seems there are a couple of common points that people brought up. Here is a summation of the responses:

-Numerous corporations (even large ones) still don’t have travel policies in place.

-Many corporations who have travel policies in place, do not enforce them.

-Vendor contracts are reviewed quarterly or annually, using several different methods.

-People are looking towards technology to help book travel and analyze travel spend/performance

-Real time analysis is the most important analysis a travel manager can perform because it allows for immediate recognized savings.

-Travel programs differ and are enforced very differently depending on companies various cultures.

-Enforced travel policies and analysis of these policies is necessary whether you’re a small or large company.

-Many employees do not understand, are scared of, or abuse travel policy.

All of the analysis people have given has been very insightful. I hope to continue to pose questions that people are interested in discussing. To join the discussion, join the ACTE group or the Topaz International Group on LinkedIn:

ACTE: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=789767

Topaz: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=1833037

Standing Up After Falling Down

Vince Lombardi said it best, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” I’ve heard this advice from a few people in my life and always thought this made sense but never truly understood it until I was in a position of truly falling down and standing up again didn’t seem so easy. The truth is, looking back on it now I see numerous times I have fallen down and have had the choice to sit down or stand up. Most of those times I kept my head held high and stood back up right away. A few of those times it took a little more effort and a little more of a push to stand back up. However, it’s the couple of times when it took time, a true struggle, and a strong push to stand back up that have made me who I am today.
Bad times teach us something. Even when we don’t feel like we’re learning anything in the moment (or months), eventually, we realize how much we’ve been taught through the struggle. There’s something to be said about moments when you feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. One thing I’ve learned is that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It may not be the light you expect at the time and it may not be the brightest burning light, but it’s there. And once you reach that “light” at the end of the tunnel, whatever it is, you’ve got through the hardest part. Now you have the choice to take whatever that light is, small or big, and make it burn brighter, and have it fulfill your life in all the ways you need it to.
I think sometimes we have challenges we face that we never expect and we can’t imagine getting beyond. All our lives in business and life we’re taught that preparation is everything, and without it, you fail. So what do you do when something happens that you were unprepared for? How can you possibly succeed if you weren’t able to prepare?
These are the moments you may feel like a failure, but these are also the moments you have the chance to stand back up, start over, try again. Most of these moments’s preparation wouldn’t have helped you anyways. They are the things you can’t prepare for. The things you can’t wrap your mind around, the things you say, “That will never happen to me.” Well they did, it did, he did, she did………..so, what next?
I think back on all the advice I’ve received and this is honestly one of the best pieces. It happens all the time to people in all areas of life. It is the difference between being unhappy, scared, depressed, and/or stressed forever, or pushing forward onto the life you want to live with the success, love, happiness, fulfillment you want. So next time you fall down, feel free to allow yourself to feel the struggle, take the time in stride, and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you can just keep walking through it.

Topaz is Celebrating Higher Education!

Topaz International is Celebrating Higher Education!
Research? Student recruitment? Study abroad? Student Competitions? Conferences? Spring break trips?

Topaz International is celebrating our colleges and universities around the world for inspiring the growth of our future leaders! Recently, many colleges and universities have been utilizing Topaz services to help them save money on travel so they can bring the impact of their educational programs across the globe. We’d like to help you make a greater impact. All colleges or universities who audit in the months January, February or March will receive 10% off their total audit price!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personally, I’m very excited about us helping colleges and universities save money on their travel. Looking back on my college career my most memorable and life changing experience was when I went abroad to Italy for a semester. It was such a great opportunity to spend time outside of my comfort zone in a new culture learning a new language. I also know that many of my friends feel the same way. I’ve yet to hear someone have a negative experience that went abroad. I also had friends during college who went to Ghana, Africa to help teach entrepreneurship to children. They also told me how life changing their experience was.

I always think it’s a neat thing when institutions of higher learning all over the world can collaborate and travel to each other to share ideas and cultures. I think sharing knowledge is one of the most important things we can do as a society. I’m proud to help support an initiative that tries to make this easier for everyone involved. I look forward to working with many institutions of higher learning in the upcoming months!

PS: The picture above I felt was appropriate for this post. This is a bar in the middle of Florence, Italy that had US college shirts all over the ceiling and walls. Kids who have come there from all over have got to hang their shirts. :)

10 Great Reasons to Audit in January

There is a similar pattern I’ve noticed as I’ve been working with clients in the early stages of their audit process. Many of them come to Topaz with a desire to audit but have many questions about the process. Once we have had a few phone calls with a client and they are comfortable with the process they usually talk it over with their team and then decide to audit. One thing that has always surprised me is that often times after our clients decide they want to audit they choose a random month to do so. They may start right away because the audit was motivated by mistakes they feel their agency is making, or it may be a time when employees have complained they can find lower fares on the internet. Or sometimes it’s a month when they have a lot of their employees traveling.
However, sometimes I think there are certain months to audit in the year that are better than others and these times fly below the radar. One of these months is January. Most clients will assume January is actually a poor time to audit because it is one of their slowest travel months. However, if you look closely there are at least ten great reasons to audit in January:

1. Let your agency know you are serious about their performance and developing a relationship with them from the beginning of the year.
2. Utilize benchmarking reports included in your audit to set a baseline for 2011
3. Renegotiate contracts early in the year if you are seeing problems
4. Address specific employees or agents early on who are not following policy or making errors
5. Quiet the noise of your employees stating they can find lower fares at the beginning of the first quarter.
6. Ensure you don’t run out of money in your budget to audit by the end of year.
7. Compare 2011 data to 2010 data right away to see how changes in your travel program, management, etc. have developed.
8. Review your agencies performance during a month where there are fewer bookings and errors are possibly more likely to occur.
9. Ensure a peace of mind of your agency’s performance and collect data to show management later in the year if issues arise.
10. Take part in a responsible business practice half of the fortune 1000 companies are also a part of!

So if you are considering an audit for next year and haven’t decided when would be the best time, consider January.

Ronald Reagan - We Must Fight Speech

This video got me thinking today. Sometimes…we must fight.
I’m not talking about war in this blog, I’m talking about in business, in life. Sometimes, we must fight. Quite frequently it’s easier not to fight. It’s easier to accept. It’s easier to walk away, to settle, and to let something go. However, today Ronald Reagan reminded me that sometimes those are not the right answers; those are not the right decisions.
When something matters to us, when something is important to us, there is a time we need to take a stand and fight for those things. Fight for the things we care about most and are most important to us. We can’t let our own dreams die, without fighting for them to be pursued. When we have something that we have built, whether that is a business or a family, we have to fight with all we have to keep it prosperous and safe.
We have to fight for the things we believe in most, the little things which are actually big things. Clients, family, friendships, dreams, sometimes...we must fight to preserve all of these things.
We have to fight for ourselves. It seems everywhere we look there are people who are defeated. They have allowed themselves to be defeated by others or by themselves. They have lost their strength, their personality, their fight. They have lost some of the greatest things about themselves because they stopped fighting back themselves and others. The most important fight is forgotten: The fight to keep our own head above water.
The challenge lies in two things: Deciding what’s worth fighting for, and then fighting with all you have for those things.
“If we continue to accommodate, continue to back and retreat. Eventually we have to face the final demand, the ultimatum, and what then...Someday when the time comes to deliver the final ultimatum our surrender will be voluntary because by that time we will have been weakened from within, spiritually, morally and economically.”
We must fight.

Nothing Great is Ever Achieved Without Great Risk

Sometimes I think it's hard to decide if something is good enough, if something is right enough, if the timing is quite right, if the effort is worth it, if it will be too much of an investment, if it will succeed, if there's something else that should be done instead, if staying within your comfort zone makes more sense.

I think that often times our doubts, our fears, our uncertainties, our insecurities, hold us back. We talk of all the barriers in front of us before we stop and realize we've created 3/4 of them, and the other fourth are things we can't control or will never know the answer to what they truly hold until we try to break through them.

We close ourselves in, we shut ourselves down, we let our greatest ideas, our strongest passions, our biggest dreams fall to the way side. We miss out. We never know. We wait for the 'right time' and fail to acknowledge time waits for no one.

Then somewhere between all that doubt, uncertainty, waiting, and holding back it becomes..too late. I guess in another breath it's "Never too late" but then again…as much as we don't want to realize it, sometimes it is. Whether the patent was taken, or we suddenly lose our health, there are times when “too late” is the case.
It really seems to me, at the end of the day, none of the greatest things in this world would've happened without great risk:




Benjamin Franklin- 1752 on a stormy day ventures outside, flies a kite into the air with a key attached to it and feels an electric shock go through his body, inventing electricity. How many of you are ready to head outside during a lightning storm and fly a kite with a key attached to it and shock yourself to help change the world forever? RISK.



Chuck Yeager- First person to break the sound barrier in 1947, flying the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at 45,000 feet. A flying career of more than 60 years and a brigadier general in the United States Army Air Forces.



Neil Armstrong-First person to set foot on the moon in 1966, also one of the first US civilians to go into space. Performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft. Commander of Apollo 11, explored the moon’s surface for 2 ½ hours with Buzz Aldrin all to bring back research about outer space to earth.



Lance Armstrong- Most of us have trouble getting ourselves to go to the gym for 30 minutes a day. Lance Armstrong battled cancer and has gone on to push his body and mind beyond limits other people only dream about. Winning seven consecutive Tour De France’s and coining the phrase “Live Strong” he has now aided in donating millions of dollars to cancer research.



Sir Richard Branson- Set up Virgin Records, eventually expanding to an airline, Virgin Atlantic, pioneer of numerous humanitarian initiatives. Attempted the fasting Atlantic Ocean crossing, First hot air balloon crossing of the Atlantic, attempted to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon, Fastest crossing of the English channel in an amphibious vehicle. This guy never stops taking risk as an entrepreneur and being innovative.



Mother Teresa-Dedicated her life to ministering to the sick, poor, dying and orphaned. At the time of her death Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity were operating 610 missions in 123 countries, helping millions of people. Awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1979.

All of these people took such great risks and all of these risks lead to such amazing, important achievements. Risk and faith are so important in all of the things we do every day. In business, in life, in love, in everything we do. Taking risks on things were unsure of is often the only way we ever truly know the answer to anything. Whether that risk turns into something that goes nowhere or you happen to invent electricity…..the risk was the first step.

The word “risk” sometimes has a really negative connotation because I think often times we associate it with, “failure”, “scary”, “venerable”, and “impulsive.” The truth is, it is possibly ALL those things, but it is also “courageous,” “necessary for change,” “passionate,” “rewarding”, “life changing”, and the one way you’ll really ever have an answer to some of your most important dreams and desires.

So get out there, take a risk, and get your answer. Be electric, break a sound barrier, reach for the moon, live strong, circumnavigate the globe, and help people who need it most.

The Way The Flight Attendant Safety Brief Should Be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqh8e2KYIrU&feature=player_embedded

Why can't all flight attendants do this? I don't know about anyone else but I would be relaxed and in a good mood after this. This isn't amateur hour either; these people have rhythm and are in sync. Not to mention the fact they have up to date and upbeat music. I'm going to have to give Cebu Pacific a WIN for this one.

Southwest To Aquire Airtran-The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

With Southwest recently acquiring AirTran for $1.4 billion, there are now officially only two low cost airlines in serious competition in the US, Southwest and JetBlue. After the current mergers of United-Continental and Delta and Northwest, there are only four legacy carriers left. I’ve heard many different reactions to the Southwest/AirTran acquisition and airline consolidation in general. What will it truly mean the consumer? In my opinion; The good, the bad, and the ugly:

The good:
-AirTran customers will now get better service and be paying fewer fees
-Lower prices for consumers in Southwest’s newer markets
-Legacy airlines will have to be more competitive with pricing now that Southwest has such an expanded market throughout the US
-Americans will always have other transportation options, and will use them if necessary (This one is debatable because as we know, there are many times flying is our ONLY option. This is especially true for corporate travel.)
-Fewer delays and cancellations, due to more rerouting options in some areas.

The bad:
-Higher prices for consumers where Southwest and AirTran used to compete before the acquisition
-The potential of Southwest’s customer service to take a hit if they’ve stretched themselves too far
-Corporate travelers will likely not reap the benefits of this merger as discount airlines are often not used by corporate travelers.

The Ugly:
-For Delta…will likely lose a lot of business in places they share hubs with AirTran, such as Atlanta, Georgia
-For Jetblue…they are Southwest’s main competitor and Southwest’s growth could hurt their revenue share.
-The influence of more airline consolidation in the future creating higher prices and fewer options for consumers
-The airline industry has already changed dramatically over the last 20 years, for the worse….let’s hope we don’t allow continual merging of airlines that are already performing poorly individually. (Luckily, Southwest isn’t one of them!)

What are your thoughts on the acquisition/merging of airlines such as Southwest and AirTran?

Capital Grille, Boston, MA

Disclaimer: My parents owned a restaurant for 18 years; I grew up in the restaurant business and I’m a business major with a marketing concentration. I am definitely someone who critiques almost everything that is happening when I go out to dinner (Or anywhere else for that matter!) it’s in my blood. I notice and can’t stand the bad stuff, but also notice and greatly appreciate the good stuff! Here is a review of an experience where I had the opportunity to notice and greatly appreciate the GREAT stuff!
This weekend I had the pleasure of eating at The Capital Grille in Boston, MA. I had never been to the Captial Grille, but had heard good things about it. My sister and I were taking my mom out to dinner for her birthday. My sister called a few days in advance to make our reservation. While on the phone she was asked if it was for a special occasion and my sister let them know it was my mom’s birthday.
When we arrived, the ambiance of the Capital Grille spoke for itself. It was gorgeous inside, beautiful windows, great table settings, and professional attire worn by ALL staff from the host to wait staff. When we arrived at our table there was a birthday card sitting there from the staff at the Capital Grille. The staff had all signed the card (as you could tell by the different signatures) At the bottom of the card, there was a quote that read, “Good friends, like wine, get better with age.” What a PERFECT quote combining a birthday, the friends and family you are probably dining with, and wine, which you will probably drink in celebration. Surrounding the card on the table were small pieces of birthday confetti; just enough to look classy, but still stand out. This was the first “little thing” I noticed about the restaurant that I hadn’t seen in any other restaurant. The second “little thing,” while technically “big thing” I noticed was the size and layout of the menu. The thing is massive! However, I really liked it. It made it seem important and unique. The first page is the full food menu and inside it is full of all different wines. There must’ve been hundreds! There is no way you’re going there and NOT ordering a glass of wine.
The service: Unbeatable from start to finish. Our server, Paul, was friendly, personable, funny, knowledgeable about the menu, and attentive. I assumed he must’ve worked there for 20 years. The bus staff was just as attentive as our server. At one point our server came over and was clearing our plates. After he was done clearing them and holding them in his arms my mom asked a question about desert. A busser noticed he was holding them while speaking so he came up beside our server and they transferred the dishes from his hands to the bussers hands as if it was a piece of cake. Let’s just say holding that many dishes was impressive, never mind TRANSFERRING them.
The food: Phenomenal. The three of us ordered three dishes to share. We got The “Wedge” salad, Filet Mignon, Filet Oscar, and a side of Sam’s Mashed Potatoes. Everything was cooked perfectly, presented beautifully, perfectly portioned, and very, very good. We couldn’t find one thing we didn’t like. (Which if you know the three Walsh women..that’s not easy!) Notice I used the word “find..” yes, we were LOOKING!
For desert they brought my mom over a piece of complimentary Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with a single candle. Our waiter dropped it off and said, “I won’t sing and that’s your gift” cracked up, and walked away, as my sister and I sang happy birthday to my mom. It was perfect.
My favorite “little thing” came when we got the bill. Think about that for a minute…if anything good can come from the bill...this place must be amazing!! Inside the guest check was our waiter’s business card, with HIS name on it. Brilliant. Business cards for servers. How often do you go to a restaurant and like your server and want to have them again but you can’t remember their name by the end of the meal or the next time you go back? Not at the Capital Grille. Stick that business card in your wallet. PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! And we will be asking for him again! Also, the bill….the Capital Grille is definitely pricey, but when all was said and done I thought our bill was completely reasonable based on our food and experience.
And last but not least, of course because we were so impressed and appreciated our experience, my mom stopped the manager as he was walking by right before we were about to leave. She told him about our great dinner, service, and told him how great of an idea we thought the business cards were. He SAT down at our table with us, immediately gave us his card and had a conversation with us about the philosophy of the Capital Grille, how happy it made him that we appreciated the little things, and also asked us to check out their Facebook page. (Notice they allow YELP reviews on there! That's definitly having confidence they got more good reviews then bad!) Yes, he brought social media into the conversation…I was IN LOVE! Ha-Ha. He basically “sealed the deal.” I told him I would have to write a Facebook “status” about how great our experience was. As I chuckled, he said, “Please do.” And he’s right. So I did. And I took it a step further and wrote this blog. Great customer service, great food, great atmosphere, and “the little things” are so rare these days that when they happen they should be TALKED about, they should be VIRAL! Maybe if everyone made it a point to talk about the good stuff as much as the bad stuff more good stuff would happen! In closing, congrats Capital Grille…you do it RIGHT! I will be back soon!

Hello? Is anyone there?

We wonder why so many people e-mail each other instead of picking up the phone. Here’s one reason:
How many times have you called somewhere recently and you are listening to a recording? Half the time the option you’re looking for isn’t given. The other half of the time when you press the option you feel best suits your needs, it leads you to another recording which doesn’t answer your questions. All the while you’re just praying you get an option which tells you which button to press to speak to a live person. In fact when it gets to the point where it starts telling me my call will be recorded for “quality assurance,” I’m practically jumping out of my seat with joy! At that point I’d give them my fingerprints just to hear a human voice.
Why don’t companies recognize the importance of speaking with a live person? As we know, human interaction is very limited in business today and has been overpowered by technology. However, if someone picks up the phone they most likely are trying to break down that barrier a little and are looking for an answer that couldn’t be found through technology or they are looking to have a conversation that couldn’t be had through e-mail or social media. Please don’t give them a long winded recording.
What a difference hearing someone’s voice makes in today’s world. If Southwest can change the airline industry by innovative changes no other airline has considered; why can’t one big corporate company say: We are DONE with recordings, NO more; you will always get a live person when you call. Maybe it'd be a welcome change and the benefits would outweigh the costs. I know I'd be impressed and a lot happier as a customer.

How do YOU think a live person VS a recording changes a phone call?







http://bit.ly/9FuhM1

The Hands of Time

My friend and I were in the car the other day when she told me she had purchased a new watch. She put her wrist out and showed me her lime green watch. The first thing I thought about was how long it has been since I’d seen anyone my age wear a watch. The only watch’s I ever see my friends wear now a days are digital watches they use to keep track of their times running.
Later on in the night I asked my friend what time it was. She glanced down at the watch for a few minutes, looked confused, flashed it towards me and then said, “Whoah, I can’t even tell if it’s 7:45 or 8:45.” She looked for about 60 more seconds and then finally decided the hands on her watch read 8:45.
As she described, it had been so long since she’d looked at the time on a watch, more specifically a watch with hands. This is true for most people. In this day and age, it seems anytime someone is looking for the time they immediately take out their cell phones, read the numbers, and instantly know the time. There is no thinking involved.
We are living an age of instant gratification. When people in their teens and 20’s want something it is given to them immediately through social media and technology. Our minds have to do little work. Whether it’s typing a math problem into a calculator, texting to communicate, writing on someone’s Facebook wall or following a GPS….brain power is no longer as necessary.
Could this age of using our brains less actually hurt us in the future? They say one of the best things you can do for your muscles and body as you get older is lift weights and keep exercising. This is because our bodies need to be continually moving, working, and thinking to keep our body and brain fresh. They say to use your brain as much as possible as you age, because just like working out, it helps keep it in shape.
As much as technology has improved the world, it scares me that it has also hindered it. I really hope that as time goes on we don’t completely lose the value of knowing how to multiply, the value of a face to face conversation, and knowing how to get to a common place if our GPS dies.
Until then, I think I’ll do the simplest thing possible to keep my brain moving…buy a watch.




(http://bit.ly/9K4kuc)

Fast food restaurants Vs. In-door skydiving: The relationship between passion and customer service

Going to a McDonald’s, Burger King or Wendy’s, driving up to a window ordering a burger, fries, and a drink should be easy. I mean really its a few simple steps. You order your food, you pay for it, and you receive it. They place your order, take your money and get the food. However, I would say when I go to a fast food restaurant I am constantly expecting something to go wrong because that has been my experience for so long now. I think a lot of us have that attitude. We’re pretty sure the line will either take forever at the drive through, they’ll mess up our order, they’ll forget something we asked them to put in the bag…we just know it. Not to mention we’re fully expecting no enthusiasm from the employee from the beginning the end of the process. In fact, saying they seem like they hate their job would probably be a fair statement.
Okay, I went in-door skydiving recently and when I left I was thinking about the service just as much as how much of a good time I had. You’d think the only thing on my mind would be how awesome flying in a wind tunnel was….yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about their customer service. In-door skydiving seems a little bit more involved than a visit to a fast food restaurant, yet the processes were so much more efficient and simple and the customer service was 20x better. Everyone I spoke to was pleasant, relaxed, and fun. They all took their jobs seriously but interacted with me in a way that made me feel comfortable being there, made me not nervous, and made me feel like I was dealing with a professional. If you’d never flown in the wind tunnel before (which 2 minutes of time is equal to 3 skydives from 13,000 feet!) you took a 5 minute class, put on some gear, and you were in. (Literally faster than going to a drive through window) If you’d been before you didn’t even have to sit through the 5 minute class at all. The instructor is so confident in his ability and the simple signals they have to help you, everything happens like clockwork. After our group had gone into the wind tunnel and “made our skydives” the instructor then got in there and he put on a short show for us. All of the instructors get to do this at the end of their classes.
That’s when it hit me, the difference: Actually loving what you do. There is so much to be said for being passionate about your job and what a difference it makes. I think I’ve noticed it more than ever recently. Most of the people at the fast food restaurants we visit are teenagers who are working to just get by. I’m not trying to stereotype but based on my experience at fast food restaurants those who seem to love their job are few and far between.What I’m beginning to notice though is that while I gave the example of fast food workers, there seems to be a growing number of people who simply hate their jobs and count the hours until their day is done. It’s written all over people’s faces in grocery stores, restaurants, banks, cell phone stores, corporate America, it’s everywhere! It really is a shame.
Loving what you do creates a passion in people they don’t even realize. They smile without thinking about it, they provide great customer service barely having to try, and they are focused on making you as passionate about what they do as they are. As a customer I LOVE going places and dealing with people that love their jobs. I love the smiles and passion they bring out in me. I love the simplicity of the transaction, and the good old fashioned business relationship you actually build and enjoy. And just the opposite is true…I HATE going places and being around people who clearly don’t want to be there and don’t like what they’re doing. Negativity, as well as being positive is so contagious!
So if you have a choice between a job you’ll love and one you’re not so sure about…even if you’re going to make more money at the one you don’t love….think about it, and think hard. Passion changes everything..maybe even your opportunity for growth in that company in the future.
And if you get a chance…check out Skyventure NH, you won’t be disappointed. The energy is contagious. http://www.skyventurenh.com/index.php




http://recreation.leapfish.com/Sky-Diving/NH/Freedom




http://www.knowmore.org/wiki/index.php?title=McDonald's_Corporation

NBTA 2010-Houston, TX

NBTA 2010-Houston, TX

I had my first experience attending the National Business Travel Association exhibition last week. What a great time! I arrived in Houston on August 7th, VIA Southwest airlines. I have to say, I was quite impressed with the service on my flight and we even arrived 35 minutes early! What other airline can you fly where they call someone up to the front because it’s their birthday, put a crown on their head made out of tea bags and straws and then ask everyone to shut their window shades, push their call buttons (as candles), sing happy birthday and then “blow out the candles” by shutting off their call buttons? Not many! Good job Southwest!
Houston itself is a very hot, humid city, with not too many exciting things to do. This makes it the perfect place for NBTA! People actually walk around to the booths instead of spending time outside or touring the city On Sunday, I had the privilege of attending the “first timers” luncheon. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it turned out to be a great way to get some brief information about the history of NBTA. We also got to watch a presentation by Dan Thurmon. www.danthurmon.com I was extremely blown away by his performance. Combine motivational speaking and acrobatics and you have Dan. Who else can juggle to the pace of his story or juggle axes on a 6 ft unicycle? No one else I know!
The three days of exhibition were a great way for us to meet face to face with clients we had been corresponding with through e-mail. I always value meeting people in person. There is just something still so important about this. Maybe it’s even more valued now that it happens so less often in our technically advanced world. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to meet with us!! I’m looking forward to doing business with you in the near future!
I really appreciated listening to Richard Branson speak. He seems like a really genuine guy and has done so many different things in his life. He was a great pick to be one of the speakers.
Lastly…the parties. The travel industry is one FUN industry, let me tell you. From Astros games, to House of Blues, to hospitality suites. There is always a good time to be had. A special thanks to all of our new and old friends who we shared many laughs with!
Looking forward to next year….Denver 2011!

The Simple Things...

The Simple Things

My last blog got me thinking….it’s the simple things. This reminded of all the times I travel and see things that seem so simple and so useful, yet for whatever reason are only in some areas of the world and not others. Both places in the world I think of normally have the technology to both have these simple inventions, yet some places simply choose not too. I recently spent half a year in Europe and there were a few things that particularly stood out to me. Two I have pictures of, one I do not (You’ll have to use your imagination.) Now, my disclaimer is that I don’t know where else these things exist, all I know is the things I saw existed there and not where I spend most of my time now. (New England)

#1: How many times have you been standing at a T stop in Boston and you have no idea how long till the train gets there? You’re not sure how long ago it was there, how long until it’s coming back, if it broke down, etc. So you’re standing there freezing in winter or sweating in summer praying it’s 2 minutes away. What a simple invention in Rome, Italy so that you no longer have to wonder. So simple. So helpful.




#2: How many times have you been on an unfamilar subway system and are unsure of the stops in between the stop you need? Or even times you are familiar with the subway but it’s crowded and your leaning around people trying to look out the window and see where you are? Why do the maps on the subway in Boston,MA say the names of stops, but don’t light up and tell you which one you’re at? The subway system in Barcelona, Spain….Simple and brillant.





#3: We talk a big game about conserving energy here in the US. I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t been the most environmentally conscious person my whole life, but over the years I’ve realized how much more we could do as a society. One of the best and most simple inventions I saw while in Europe was in the hotel rooms. How many times do you leave the lights on when you leave your hotel room? It’s not your electric bill, you’re paying for the room…what do you care? While in Europe some of the hotels I stayed in would force you to put your room key in a light switch instead of flicking on a switch. Your room key would stay in the switch until you left and you had to obviously grab your key if you wanted to be able to get back into the room. Once the key came out of the switch, automatically all the lights turned off. I guess in Europe they finally realized the only way to conserve some energy was to not give people a choice to turn the lights off if they wanted to be able to get back in the room. GREAT, great, great, SIMPLE, simple, simple idea!!
I’ve yet to see this in the US, although I’m sure it’s out there somewhere.

These were really just silverware attached to lights, no big purpose, just creative. …….but by far this restaurant had the best food I had on my whole trip. Oh and their menus…we’re on wine bottles. I loved this place. It’s the simple things.










This quote hung on one of the walls of the places I stayed. I always liked it





Enjoy the simple things in life, and appreciate them; whether it’s an invention, a warm smile or a pleasant hello. They make all the difference.

No Smoking…No Kidding

I’ve decided there are a lot of things that companies waste money and resources on. I think we all need to take a day and go through our websites, our collateral, our services, our products…our “spaces of communication” and figure out what is unnecessary or useless spending. How could we spend our money more wisely? How could we communicate more effectively in these spaces?

Recently, while flying across the country I couldn’t help but notice the “no smoking” signs above every row of seats on the plane. Not only are the signs there, they are constantly lit up as to remind the passengers that “no smoking” is in effect. Is there ever a time when the light is turned off and you can smoke? Not that I know of. With all of the announcements flight attendants make and all the rules of flying you would think that space could be used for something more useful. What if that space was used to warn people how much time they have left before they can turn on or need to turn off their electronics?

Smoking was prohibited on all U.S. domestic flights in 1998. It’s been over 10 years and we still have no smoking signs throughout entire planes. Obviously switching all of those signs to something relevant would be a large change over cost, but after 12 years you’d think the signs would be replaced with something more useful and continually wasting that space with a useless message would be costly enough in itself.

What Happened to This?

Take a good look at this picture.

What happened to this?
That is my theme for today’s blog. I saw this photograph today and I couldn’t help but think about how I’ve been pondering the changes in the airline industry for a long time now. LOOK at what it used to be.
I know I’m young, but even I remember a different experience. In fact this is what I remember:
My parents telling me we were flying somewhere on vacation. The morning of the flight my parents were excited. They didn’t seem stressed about airport processes, or nervous about terrorists. They would actually get dressed nicely. It was such a special experience to fly that we’d usually take a limo to the airport. When we got there we’d be greeted by friendly people and go through standard security and boarding processes. We’d check all our bags for free and bring on a small carry on; Going through security seemed almost unnecessary; terrorism was rarely on people’s minds. I remember boarding an American Airlines flight and getting to go into the cock pit and meet the pilot. He’d let me see all the equipment and then I’d cheerily head to my seat. “Stuarists” were always dressed up, always looked similar, always had friendly smiles and most were actually polite. They all seemed somewhat happy to serve me my FULL meal and drinks for FREE. Flights were usually on time, people looked happy to be in the airport. Things were different. So what happened? That’s up for discussion and I’m sure people all have different opinions, but more importantly my question is….will we ever get back there? Will a picture like this ever exist again…or is the airline industry forever changed?

Why Corporate Travel Auditing Just Makes Sense

The word audit may sound scary, in fact it sounds intimidating. The word audit has a negative connotation. Most people associate auditing with someone doing something wrong and needing to catch them. However, the more and more I think about what Topaz does and auditing in general I realize not only is it not scary, it is something that should be budgeted for in every company.
The top three expenses in corporate business are:
#1: Wages
#2: COGS
#3: Travel

So I pose a few questions:
-Would you ever hire someone without an extensive interview?
-Do you monitor your employee’s performance?
-Do you measure your employee’s contributions?
-Do you have meetings and quarterly reviews with employees?
-Do you search diligently for good suppliers to buy from?
-Do you spend ample amounts of time creating an appropriate cost structure?
-Do you monitor how your money is spent on your goods or service that you provide?

Most companies do all of the above. They do those things because they are directly related to how a majority of their money is being spent. Unfortunately while many companies understand travel is one of the biggest costs in their business they fail to monitor it the same way they would employees and their goods or services.
Auditing your travel produces the same results that an employee review and supplier research does: A peace of mind that you are getting the most for your money. Simply put, not auditing your travel is as irresponsible as hiring someone and never reviewing their work.
At Topaz we have Fortune 500 companies who audit with us continually. These clients understand the importance of the peace of mind that comes from auditing the #3 cost in corporate business. They are continually given a report which allows them to see if their travel is being booked correctly and if not, how to fix it.
The word audit can be scary, but only if you allow it to be. Next time you hear someone mention a corporate travel “audit,” try to change your mindset and remember what it truly represents: A responsibility to monitoring the #3 cost in corporate business.

Bags Fly Free…a Break?

As we all know over the last few years airlines have been cracking down more and more on checked bagged fees. First it was a fee for your second bag, then it was a fee for your first, then the fees got higher and higher….eventually everyone just started stuffing everything into a carry on; Which makes me think about my flying experience and how it has changed since these checked bag fees have come into play. There are a couple different aspects/travelers of the trip that stand out most:

-The “I had no idea”: These are the people that have their whole family going on vacation and get to the front of the check in line and are told their bag fees are going to total hundreds of dollars. These flyers don’t fly a lot and put on a shocked face while saying…..”I had no idea!” They then start scrambling unpacking all their bags, trying to stuff all of their stuff into two bags, only to discover this just makes those bags overweight and there are fees for that too. These are the people that hold up the line and almost make you miss your flight.

-The “I don’t want to pay for my checked bag, but I need to bring things in my carry on I’m not allowed too.” There are two different types of these people. The first type didn’t realize they had 3,000 liquids, gels, and aerosols in their bag until they were in the security line. They begin searching through their bag, dumping things into trash cans, while talking to TSA asking them if this or that counts as something they can’t bring. These people are annoying, but I’m a little more forgiving of them then the other type. The other type is well aware of what they can’t bring but they feel they have to have it anyway, so they rebel against TSA and hope they can get through with illegal items in their bag. (In their defense they’ve probably gotten through 9 out of 10 times) However, when they don’t get through they’re the ones with their bags getting rescanned, asked to step aside, searched, asked to get back at the end of the line and “try again.” All the while you’re standing there wishing they had just checked their bag all along but then realize they didn’t because of the fee.

-The “You told me I could carry this on when checking in and are now telling me my bag doesn’t fit on the plane!” This whole situation just cracks me up. One minute the airline is telling people they absolutely need to pay fees for their checked bags, the next minute your carry on doesn’t fit on the plane and they’re checking it for free. Or how about the poor people who don’t check their bags to avoid fees, and save time (often business travelers) then happen to be the last ones on the plane and are told they need to check their bag. Where is the airlines compensation for that inconvenience? Do they look at it as a reward because you didn’t have to pay to check it? Uh, maybe if they were allowed to carry liquids, gels, and aerosols in there, didn’t throw half their stuff away, pack light, and you let them skip baggage claim.

-Of course we have “The stuffer.” This one is plain and simple: You’re trying to board an already delayed plane, standing in line in the aisle waiting to sit down and “the stuffer” is trying to shove their bag into an overhead compartment it will never fit in. Often times, “The stuffer” is followed closely behind by the, “Pleasant flight attendant” who looks like she is about to have a heart attack and is “politely” yelling at “the stuffer” saying, “You need to check that, it doesn’t fit. You need to check that. Give that to me. I’ll check it.” She obviously doesn’t realize “the stuffer” doesn’t give up.

-And finally the “This is way too heavy and stuck for me to get out.” Often this is “the stuffer” once the plane is de-boarding or young women. (I know, sorry gals, I’m one of you too!) Somehow we got our stuff up there, but we just can’t seem to get it down and everyone can see we are struggling. Often times the “This is way too heavy and stuck for me to get out,” Is helped out by someone nearby who is pretending to be polite but usually just wants to get the he** off the plane and is so annoyed by them.

-Which brings me to the article I read today: http://businesstravel.about.com/b/2010/06/02/checked-bag-fees-free-skymiles.htm “Finally, a break on checked bag fees…” business travelers flying on Delta and using a Delta SkyMiles credit card can now check their first bag free. WELL….wooo flippity hoo. Someone finally realized that checked bag fees are not worth the hassle of everything above? Believe it or not many people avoid flying all together because of things like the above and what the airline industry has turned into. In the end, they’re probably losing more money because of these fees rather than trying to creating an extra revenue stream and cut costs.

In my opinion, someone could have thought of something a little better to help airlines. There is a reason Southwest is so successful, where bags fly free all the time………they focus on their operational efficiency. They save money, make money, and people are happy.