Dealers in Ohio are kicking off the New Year by celebrating a change in sales/use tax policy that will make the law more acceptable to out-of-state boat owners, thereby increasing business for Ohio’s marine industry. The general assembly passed this needed legislation, sponsored by Rep. D.J. Swearingen, and it was signed by Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this week.
According to the Boating Association of Ohio, the new provision will encourage out-of-state boat owners to use winter storage and related repair services in Ohio. That’s because under the old law, out-of-state customers faced a use tax on the value of their boat when it was in the state for winter storage for more than 90 days.
“In the past, boating organizations in neighboring states literally warned their members to never winter store your boat in Ohio unless you want to get hit with Ohio’s use tax,” says BAO executive director Michelle Burke. “As a result, hundreds of boat owners no longer sought winter storage and service here. This change will send a clear message to all boaters that Ohio’s marine businesses are open for tax-free winter business.”
The new law is effective immediately.
“Boating, especially on Lake Erie, and the economic impact it has on my district is critically important,” Swearingen said. “It’s been an honor to champion this bill, and I am certain it will help Ohio’s marine trade businesses thrive. We don’t want any customer to keep their business out of Ohio over fear of an unexpected tax bill.”
The Value of a Genuine Apology
“There’s an interest charge on my credit card statement that I don’t believe should be there,” I argued with a Bank of America customer service rep after going through phone hell to reach a real live person.
“Your right, Mr. Schultz,” she finally agreed. “You’ll get a credit on your next statement. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’m sorry for any inconvenience.”
Sorry? Really?
The incident got me thinking about those times in every dealership when things get screwed up, and the customer’s expectations aren’t met. Apologizing for a mess-up is a must, of course, but saying we’re sorry has become so commonplace it has lost all meaning. Is the customer calmed or satisfied by it? Can an apology even work these days?
I’m convinced it can.
However, it can’t be the mindless, scripted apology I got from the bank rep. It must begin with the fact that the apology is genuine because you’ve paused for a moment to really feel the disappointment that the customer feels. You want them to know you’re sensitive to what they’re feeling. So how can you get it done?
Anyone in the dealership that may have to communicate bad news or deal with an upset customer should be trained to avoid a meaningless apology. If it sounds rote, the situation can escalate, and hard feelings will result.
When an apology is in order, consider having the dealership owner, GM or sales manager join the conversation. An apology from the top always demonstrates sincerity and concern, and the leader has the authority to go above and beyond if the situation should warrant.
Such was the case for me with a Southwest Airlines reservation (before the recent holiday meltdown). I jumped on the computer to check in, and it said I didn’t have a reservation. I called customer service and confirmed I was booked, but something clearly wasn’t right with the computer records.
“Mr. Schultz, this just isn’t acceptable, and I am sincerely sorry this is happening to you,” the customer service rep said. “I’m going to have to go to a supervisor, and I don’t want you to be inconvenienced any more than you already are. I will personally take care of everything for you, and I will call you back when it’s done. And again, I really want to apologize for this.”
I felt that her apology was sincere — if she was reading from a script she should consider an acting career — and that she would, indeed, take care of me. She and her supervisor did just that and added priority boarding for my trouble.
So as meaningless as hearing “we’re sorry” can be these days, an apology done right can still be powerful, especially when it’s genuine and makes the customer feel important.
Author Maya Angelou may have summed it up best: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
A business lesson all should remember.
