I opened a new bank account last week. I chose Arvest because of all the positive things I’ve heard about it.

When I walked in, they smiled and greeted me… no different than what other banks COULD do.
As I waited for an associate, they offered me free water, coffee, and popcorn… a cheap add-on that other banks COULD offer
They told me about their hours from 7am to 7pm… availability that other banks COULD use.
They gave me free online banking… which other banks usually offer.

The point is… banking is becoming more and more like a commodity. They all offer the same products in a different package. The only thing that is differentiating them from one another is service.

If you have a business that cannot differentiate itself from it’s competitors, you have to focus A LOT of energy on service. And whether you want to admit it or not, you’re selling a commodity.

      

I just talked to a friend in Nebraska and he wants me to come up for a four day float trip. I recently went on a trip to Las Vegas where I stayed in a friend’s condo… How great is that.

So, my new wish is that my friends will scatter throughout the world so I can have hundreds of places to visit and a free place to stay. Go away so I have a place to stay… if you’re looking for company, invite me… I’ll take advantage of anyone that will let me.

Let me know if you have a cool place to visit and a free place to stay and if anyone wants a place to stay in Little Rock, just let me know.

      

I’ve been a big fan of Google Trends since it was released. Google Trends allows you to view a graph of search terms and compare how often those terms are searched over a time period. I’ve had a good time comparing random things like Jesus Versus Satan (Jesus trumps Satan), Girl versus Boy (girl wins), Jesus Versus Paris Hilton (Paris Hilton usually wins), etc.

I’ve got a new habit now… it’s Google’s Hot Trends. Google’s Hot Trends show the top 100 most popular searches for the day… I’m not real sure how things get on the list but I think its some kind of time calculation.