It’s not an accident that great sports teams are ‘great teams’. They are consistent in their play and standings year after year. Take for example, the New England Patriots, the New York Yankees, or even the Dallas Mavs.

It’s not an accident either that great companies are ‘great companies’. They too are consistent in their product and performance year after year. In this case, let’s look at Apple, PepsiCo, or Starbucks.

These companies, teams and brands are always looking for “what is missing”? They are not looking for “what is wrong”, but rather, what is missing that if it were there ‘it’ would make a qualified or quantified difference.

Incidentally, these leadership companies have leadership visionaries working there, who are constantly on the lookout for variables, technologies, processes and solutions what will make a difference in elevating customer value.

Late last week, Lexus announced it will be introducing two new posts at the dealership level. A  Vehicle Delivery Specialist, or VDS, will be responsible for reviewing the features of the car with the new owner. The second key position is the Vehicle Technology Specialist, or VTS, who will be charged with articulating and showcasing the technologies of the vehicle to the rightful owner. The VTS will be available to answer questions and review in a hands-on manner how the latest technology works. For many Lexus customers, including women, the VTS will prove to be a problem-solver and a difference maker, improving customer’s use and understanding of the advanced technologies. Having test driven Lexus products with Enform – see HER & HIS Lexus ES 350 review  - this new system, with an array of services, is extraordinary.

Bravo to Lexus for advocating and placing these change agents at the dealership level. Ford and other car companies have already taken notice, as the user advanced technology platforms in cars today really does require more than a ‘once over’ and a sales associate’s reference to the owner’s manual. Lexus customers will be on a first name basis with their VTS.

Lexus, a leader in customer engagement and satisfaction, has had top spots for years as measured by JD Powers and Associates. Lexus also is a top scorer with a growing segment of their buyers, specifically looking at satisfaction from women buyers.

Women-Drivers.com assists dealers in building trust and transparency with female customers by growing dealerships social communities and elevating conversion rates from women.. Women also rate their experience at dealerships in the United States and the company tracks these scores through the Women Satisfaction Index® or WSI metric.  Lexus has received the third top billing two years in a row* with scores of 4.83/5.00 in 2011 and 4.37/5.00 in 2010. These results exemplify Lexus’ consistent high scores from women who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person, and their overall dealership experience.

Look for even better WSI scores from Lexus in 2012, and, from other brands that take a page out of the Lexus playbook!

*The company launched in 2009 and began tracking WSI score by brand the year after.

If you have an iPhone, you have a valuable tool for any road trip. It doesn't matter if you're driving across town or you're heading across the country. The iPhone has a wide variety of apps that can serve any purpose and fit any need that may arise on the road. With the large number available, it's hard to filter through them all and decide which ones you need. Lucas Taylor from Kanetix.ca offers suggestions for three of the best apps for your road trip.

1. Maps Buddy - $0.99

Maps Buddy is an app for the iPhone that's useful specifically for searching Google Maps. Using the default phone browser can be a pain. Maps Buddy takes the default maps app stocked with the iPhone and enhances it. Maps Buddy automatically determines your current location when you fire it up.

Once started, it has a selection of buttons for common destinations -- coffee shops, Chinese restaurants, hotels, gas stations and more. Simply tap on the button for the destination you're searching for, and it will pull up a route directly to the nearest. If you have common destinations in mind that the program doesn't already know, you can customize them. No trip to a new destination should be without Maps Buddy.

2. Road Trip Lite - Free

Road Trip Lite is a free application for the iPhone that allows stat tracking for your trip. It helps you keep track of gas mileage, gas expenses, maintenance expenses, and much more. It's a quick and easy interface that allows you to input your data and be on your way in seconds.

If you want more, you can buy the full version of Road Trip for $4.99. The full version offers odometer readings, data export, currency conversion, enhanced graphs and even more. Five bucks may seem like a lot for an app, but this one does so much it earns its keep.

3. Road Trip Fun - $0.99

Road trips are a time of family bonding and mutual irritation. Parents having to deal with children is a fact of life. Remember the days of trying to spell the alphabet with license plates and road signs? No parent should be without the tools of the trade to keep their kids distracted.

Road Trip Fun is a simple application full to the brim with rule sets for various road trip games. Everything is present, from I Spy to the alphabet game to 20 questions. This simple app can save frustrated parents hours of energy trying to distract their children while they themselves are distracted.

When it comes down to it, a road trip can be a fun time, but there are plenty of hassles along the way. With these few simple iPhone applications you can solve much of the hassle, eliminate a wide variety of problems along the way, and keep your kids distracted so they don't make the trip a stressful experience. The best part is how cheap they all are. It's like having a complete toolbox for under ten dollars.

Kanetix is an insurance comparison website where you can go to check out rates from different insurance providers in Canada. You can compare car insurance, life insurance, and health insurance among other products.

Road trips are exciting and fun to say the least, but sometimes you need a little more than the radio or your passenger and their sing-a-long to their headphones to keep you company on those long, endless stretches of open road.

We know that breakdown cover, plenty of water and a spare tyre all come top of the list when it comes to planning the epic adventure, but a good selection of power ballads, rock ‘n’ roll and classic cheese are the only way to save your sanity when 600 miles of driving lie ahead of you.

So here we have it, our definitive guide to on-the-move karaoke, air guitar and scream-your-heart-out-with-the-windows-down songs.

Cake – The Distance

A slow and heavy bass-guitar driven tune with heavy drum beats and a rockin’ guitar solo. Throw in some trumpets and Cake’s specialty of not-singing-not-rapping to music and you’ve got yourself a tune that will make you want to put down the roof and push the pedal to the ground.

Steppenwolf – Born to be Wild

You have to play this at least once a day, if not more, to give yourself the sense of adventure and freedom that only becomes real on a road trip. Wind down the windows as you roar through sleepy towns to let the locals know what you’re all about.

Chuck Berry – No Particular Place to go

“…Riding along in my automobile” – what better song is there for road-tripping? No particular place to go is the best motto for road trips with no plan and itinerary. Some good old fashioned guitar music will get you through the slumps of enthusiasm you’re bound to get from time to time when behind the wheel.

Deep Blue Something – Breakfast at Tiffany’s

A feel good tune for groggy mornings when the night before was rough in more ways than one and a strong cup of coffee or three aren’t enough. This classic pick-me-up will get you through the roughest of days, as well as make nights by the fire with an acoustic guitar unforgettable.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Recreate the infamous scene from Wayne’s World with the ultimate song. Think of the endless fun you’ll have when harmonising your way down winding country lanes, air guitaring through the city streets of Paris or screaming after a bottle of vodka with your new friends in that bar in some odd town in Uzbekistan.

Rusted Root – Send me on my way

This feel-good tune will bring back nostalgic feeling of those teenage years and endless summers of fun. Turn this up when the sun is shining and you can’t get that smile off your face.

U2 – Beautiful Day

Sing loud and sing proud to this road-trip must – any day on the road is a beautiful day, whether it be the sun beating down, the people you meet or the food you taste. This is the song to inspire road trippers across the globe: “See the world in green and blue. See China right in front of you. See the canyons broken by cloud. See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out.”

Johnny Cash – All

It was too difficult to choose the best driving song by Johnny Cash, so we decided that no road trip playlist is complete without the whole Cash discography. If the whole get-up isn’t your thing, don’t leave home without I’ve Been Everywhere on at least 3 of the CDs you make.

Hanson – MMMBop

Maximise your guilty pleasure of the 90s with the king of cheesy music. Your passengers may protest at first, but as soon as they hear those first chords being played they’ll start to sing and grin like they did when MMMBop first came out in 1997. Mix in some Spice Girls and you might be pushing it a little too far though…

As Women-Drivers.com advises, it’s always smart to get a winter tune up—before winter arrives. Tires, batteries, belts, blades and fluids will all be checked or replaced to maximize your car’s performance and safety, during the most challenging months on the road.

To avoid accidents or sliding altogether, never exceed the speed limit. When driving in snow or in freezing conditions, reduce the car’s speed to allow time to react.
If you do hit snow or ice, brake gently, in other words, brake in a slow and steady manner. If the vehicle begins to ‘lock up’ and slide, take your foot off the brake and simultaneously down shift.

Did You Know? If in an accident, dial 911 to get help or to call for roadside assistance. Do not continuously run your vehicle’s engine. If you are stranded, run it about every 30 or 60 minutes to get heat in the car.

Winter Driving Safety Tips

• If you veer off the road and are unable to maneuver back onto a road, it’s best for your personal safety to stay in the vehicle.
• Use your lights, high beams, flashlight or flashers to get the attention of other vehicles. Use your cell phone to call 911 to get help or to call for roadside assistance.
• Do not continuously run the engine. If you are stranded, run the engine every 30 or 60 minutes to get heat in the car.
• Do not drink alcohol – it will lower the temperature of your body and increasingly make you drowsy.

Keep the following items with you in the trunk of your vehicle:

• Fist Aid supplies
• Jumper cables
• Ice scraper with brush
• Tire chains
• Blankets
• Salt or sand – or, kitty litter
• Flashlight and batteries
• Emergency flares
• Snow or retractable shovel
• Water
• Extra phone charger
• Large jar candle and matches
• Quart of oil
• Strip of bright colored fabric

CUSTOMER’S ANNUAL STAMP BUY SUPPORTS CANCER RESEARCH

For the ninth consecutive year, Eugene Platt today will purchase more than $1000 worth of Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamps at the James Island, SC, Post Office.

Each year, Platt buys the stamps in memory of his wife, Mary, who succumbed to the disease in 2003.

This year, a bright pink fire engine christened “Mary” — in honor of Mary Platt — will transport Platt to the Post Office for his annual transaction. The James Island Fire Department donated the truck to the South Georgia Chapter of Guardians of the Ribbon, a group of police and firefighters who travel throughout the country to raise awareness of breast cancer victims.

Since 1998, USPS has sold 918,296 million stamps, raising $73.5 million for breast cancer research.