Remember the Sandwich ... Taming the Caribbean Jerk War Pig

I travel a lot for business, which means I eat out a lot.  Honestly, you get tired of eating out after the second full day on the road.  No really!  it's the truth, so when I discover something special enough to even mention, you know it is worth your attention.

So, my youngest daughter and I were in Cleveland for business this last month and a friend told us to try this sandwich place.  I love sandwiches, so I have pretty high standards but I trust this guy when it comes to food.

The restaurant is called the Melt (Bar and Grill) and they specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches.  We split the Caribbean Jerk War Pig.

I'll just cut to the chase here ... it was transcendent, one of the top 5 best sandwiches of all time.  This from a guy that has had sandwiches all over the world.  I mean this sandwich was so good that I literally fell in love with it on the spot.  If it was a cult I would have shaved my head and donned a white robe and followed it to Africa.  It was so good the world stopped turning for a split second, sometime during the second bite.

Why am I mentioning it here?  Just to get a chance to say "Remember the sandwich with NuMemory+". Check out our memory supplement at www.intelligencetree.com and check out the Melt the next time you are in Cleveland!

What happened to Customer Service?

This week has been the worst week of customer service for me!  I spent several hours working on getting a phone / internet provider to do what they promised us they would do for our church.  They spend they same amount of time trying to get out of doing what they promised to do.  Plus they tried to make me feel stupid for demanding that they do what they promised to do when we agreed to let them provide the phone and internet services for the church.

Prior to that I spent a great deal of time talking to the bank that is doing the refinance on my home.  After telling me for 80 days that the closing costs would be one figure they proudly informed me on the eve of closing that the closing costs would be double what they originally quoted.  This without the slightest hint of regret or any explanation as to the difference.  They merely gave me the new figure and were puzzled why I told them no, I won't pay that without a reason. 

I struggle with this because I am in the service business, as an insurance Agent I have to take responsibility for the actions of the companies I represent even though I can't control what they do and that is on top of being responsible for what I do.

Think about this ... if gas goes up, we all complain to each other.  If your auto insurance goes up you complain to the agent.  No one ever tells the gas station attendant that they need to sharpen their pencil and give them a better rate on the gas.  Why would you think the insurance agent could make the insurance company lower its price?

I'm not complaining about that perception, I just want to establish that as an agent I have to provide great customer service or people will move on to a new agent ... and they should.  But by the same token, I demand the same level of service in my life that others do from me.

Demand good service and make companies do what they are supposed to do, then be loyal to them so that we can all finally get the service we deserve.  Those of us that provide good service want to know that you appreciate the effort, and those that don't care about their professional image should not be encouraged to continue giving sub par service. 

J

How important is good service when talking about life insurance? I'll be the one giving your loved ones a check when they need it most!

Never, Never, Never, Never, Never Give up!

Sometimes taking a stand is painful ... no scratch that, it is always painful!  Everyone (even those that stand with you) seem to have a ax to grind with how it is handled.  Some thing you are too strong, some think you are too weak.  Some say don't be so gruff, some say don't be a wimp.

The bottom line is that when you find an issue meaningful enough for you to take a stand on ... you know drawing a line in the sand and saying everything on this side is okay but when you cross this "we've got a problem" ... don't expect that the crowd will rally around you and praise your eloquent handling of those that have an opposing view.

People are often afraid of how the world will judge them if they stand too firm.  They're afraid that someone will "call them out" and make fun of them or argue better than they do.  In short they are afraid of being made a fool of, and that is a powerful deterrent for most folks.

As I age I'm less likely to take a stand on minor things but much less fearful of being made a fool of, in fact I could care less about people that know me thinking I'm being foolish.  The lack of fear is my best asset in a moral battle.  People can sense when you are are solid ground with your understanding and at peace with the consequences of your stance.

Your confidence will shake theirs, your fearlessness will instill fear in them, your calm attitude will shake their resolve.  When you are not worried about the pain of a moral stand ... truth and right will prevail!  So, don't be afraid if you are standing firmly on the side of right, the pain will fade and when the smoke clears the world will be better for your sacrifice!

Email me to see how inexpensive it is to protect you family's future!

Hog wrestling a noble pursuit for young people!

Living in Indiana and in rural Indiana at that, we have a culture that is a mystery to the rest of the world.  Since it is county fair time, hog wrestling is on every one's mind.  It is the single funniest thing you will ever see and is unique to the county fair.

A group of kids (some older than others) will be in a pit of mud chasing a pig around in circles with the goal of snatching that pig up and pl;acing it on a barrel top in the center of the mud pit, and the fastest time wins.

I have to tell you though, it is the slowest ones that are my favorite.  Everyone is covered in mud and laughing so hard that they are probably eating some of that mud.  It is one of the best photo opps ever! 

My kids have all tried it at different times and some years they were more successful than others but in the end it is about the experience for them and not the prize ... which I believe is a tee shirt.  So it is purely hog wrestling for the sake of muddy performance ... art for the sake of art.  What could be more noble than that?

I'd like to insure your home and auto ... send me an email to get a free insurance quote from a real person, not a talking lizard ...

I WON THE LOTTERY!!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!  I don't even buy a ticket most weeks ... and I never check the numbers until days later! This is sooooo cooool !!!! I can't wait to claim it and buy something stupid!  Don't call me at work this week because I'm sooo over working and I'm totally out of ....

     GOT YOU!          Happy April Fools Day! 

Most folks don't know that the new years celebration in the late 1500's in France was a week long starting the last week of march and ending April 1st ... when this was changed by Gregorian monks around 1582 the bulk of the population forgot to check their facebook accounts for several years and didn't get the word that New Years was now only one day and on January the 1st!  So those in the know would play jokes on the "fools" that didn't know!

This good to know info may or may not be true and was brought to you buy your favorite insurance agent in Greene County Indiana - no it's me Jason!