Dispensation – Removal Of PH Plates

A chauffeur driven car arrives outside an office to collect a guest for an airport trip. The driver opens the boot, loads the luggage and then opens the door for the guest who appears a few moments later. They set off and then someone asks: were they licensed?

Last week I was at Manchester Airport when a fierce argument broke out behind me in the car park at Terminal Two. The problem was a car without any markings reversing in to a designated parking bay when a driver in a plated and liveried taxi wanted to park there.

The driver in the unmarked car stepped outside of his vehicle, opened the boot and produced a private hire licence plate. Obviously the driver in the other car was not aware of section 75 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

At DrivenByQ the majority of our vehicles do not display private hire plates. Instead they have a small badge in the window. Along with this there is a letter in the glove box stating we have permission to remove plates owing to the nature of our executive work.

As the first company in our area to be granted dispensation, we worked with our licensing authority to ensure we secured the right interpretation of the rules. For the general public our vehicles look inconspicuous but to a licenced driver we are legitimate and lawful.

A State Of Mind

Looking back at my blogs from the last year (or two) there is confusion regarding marketing, branding, growth and structure. The truth is, I do not always have the time to sit down and plan what to write or implement in the business – I suppose it is typical of growth when it starts to overtake you. I have to admit, I was not the best at delegating either.

We have been a bit messed up lately at DrivenByQ. Toward the end of 2013, things were starting to take their toll on me after becoming engaged, married and having a baby (which meant becoming a first time Dad); our turnover was growing; we had various projects on the go and in addition I was researching information on Google and VAT.

In December it was clear with the addition to the family things could not continue as they were. It resulted with me taking a trip to A&E and being hooked up to a heart monitor! Luckily the only thing wrong was a severe episode of sleep deprivation! From that point on though, I stopped driving, handed over the reins to my business partners and took a break.

I am glad to say in the last few weeks our baby boy has started sleeping at night and some normality has returned to our lives - I have even done a couple of driving jobs. I have not been completely dormant while off. In fact it has been good to step away and focus on what was important when I first made the decision to enter the executive private hire industry.

In nine years DrivenByQ has grown from nothing to a highly regarded and technically proficient (local) business. Despite being pulled in different directions we have developed. With the benefit of perspective and appreciation for our achievements I think we might be ready for a more structured approach and some very big developments.

Destination Planning

My recent blogs relate to plans to develop a social media and Internet marketing strategy. These will support the DrivenByQ web site. At the end of this month our management team are meeting to discuss them in detail. We recognise it requires analysis and creativity away from the daily distractions life can bring.

I am expecting some scepticism regarding the results we can yield but on a personal level I am confident of developing new business from every part of our plan. What is crucial to success is the identification and separation of different customer types who use our service. Furthermore we need to understand what is valuable or useful to them.

For example the communication required for consumers who travel once a year with us compared to the businesses that travel on a daily basis will be very different. What our vehicles look like might be most important for a leisure customer but cost centres on an invoice might be more pertinent to corporate clients.

The channels we use to disseminate this information must be considered carefully: mixing messages may alienate followers. We need to understand the different channels a social media campaign could use. Furthermore as a number of customers live in other countries (on different time zones) we should post messages at times relevant to them.

I guess we need a timeline of what we plan to communicate; where we plan to communicate it and what we expect to gain. Potential new business could be returned within a few weeks but the more intricate parts of our plan may take years to come to fruition. Either way, each and every part of our plan needs to add value. Otherwise, why do it?

Should I Buy This?

This week’s blog is related to our web site again. I’m not writing about technical stuff though - more about the business side of things and getting buy-in from our team because I want them to embrace a new strategy. The new website is ripe for development which could seek out new opportunities.

Some people think a new web site is an online presence but for me it is the start of something big. It fits in to a strategy targeting a different type of customer and market place. In respect of this we need realigning at DrivenByQ so everyone understands the key decisions being made.

A while ago I met someone who worked for a global printing firm. He travelled the world helping teams who fragmented and lost their way with projects. He did this by bringing people together and aligning their focus. So how did the guru manage to get them back on track so effectively?

He helped set simple, clear and understandable goals. This way people make decisions for the greater good. Take someone at Pepsi questioning if new equipment is required. Rather than thinking in isolation they should revert to the goals and ask: Will this help us ‘Beat Coke’?