The other day a friend of mine offered me a special deal on buying a new Chrysler car or truck. (Of course, the Viper, Challenger, Wrangler 4 Door and Grand Cherokee SRT8 are excluded, and I really can't blame Chrysler for doing that.) I really appreciate being included in this offer, and just might take them up on it.

But, a couple of things have come to mind. First, I must like the hybrid or flex-fuel options on any car or truck I choose. My car is five years old, so it has lots of life left. I'm not going to trade my 35 mpg small car for a Charger, as much as I want one.

The bigger question, though, is in the $2.99 gas deal. At first glance, this sounds really cool. The folks at Freakonomics, however, are casting a bit of doubt on the value of this offer. Clearly they didn't have my gas bills when I was commuting to work every day. So, let's do a little math, and then I’d love to hear your opinion.

Every week we come to our team meeting with three things:

1. One big thing I'm working on
2. One thing I'm going to change
3. One big, "what if"

Today, Nicole proposed a really big "what if" for our team -- calculate the energy savings we could realize if we each worked from home just one day a week.

Many of us work from home from time to time, to focus on a project or figure out a problem, or just change up the pace to re-invigorate our energy. But, we've been thinking about how this can really impact our overall energy consumption and jump-start our own environmentally conscious changes.

This turned into a great discussion this morning. We’re all obsessed with "going green" and being not only good corporate citizens, but also how we can grow as individuals. We talked about how working from home can save energy: not driving to the office, not starting up the computers in the office, eating the food that's already in our fridges.

But that's not where it stopped.

We're giving Kelly a break today while she works on some great stuff about reverse mortgages. But, we'll still put her in the limelight with an email she sent the other day...

CNN: Buy, Sell or Comb-over?

In recent years, a pseudoscience has emerged around the theory that left-partedness signals leadership potential, while parting on the right suggests a little something off-kilter. Among CEOs of the 50 largest companies in the Fortune 500, only three part their hair on the right.

Here is CNN Money's  hair analysis.

What I want to know is, where is this research? CNN doesn't quote it, and a simple Google search turned up the same quote used by CNN. Whatever the research, our Chairman has got the right looks for the job.

A while back, Kriste lamented a dispute with T-Mobile customer service, and how hard it was to fight charges on her bill. T-Mobile made good by Kriste and gave her a refund. Her persistence paid off. Next, here comes AT&T with a schedule of fees based on how you pay your bill.

What??

If I happen to be running errands and want to drop my payment off I have to pay extra? And let's not forget what the good folks at Consumerist point out as the really unfair part -- people who don't have checking accounts to pay their bill pay more, too. Yes, you get charged extra if you pay your bill in cash.

This one hits home because somehow I totally forgot to pay my phone bill a few weeks back, and so I called in a payment to make sure it got there on time. Guess what I found on my next bill! Yes! A $30 fee!

AT&T, I'm sure, realizes it's the first place people go for basic phone service. Kinda like Blue Cross is the "insurer of last resort" in Michigan. If you can't afford a cell phone or cable-based phone service, you can still get a basic phone line through AT&T.

I'd like to see AT&T use that situation to improve their reputation, not leverage it to make more money. Can you imagine the power of a movement by AT&T to embrace its position in the community? The ideas are already teeming... identifying community outreach programs is as easy as paying attention to how people pay their bills.

Does AT&T have the guts to make good, too?

When you get to a web site, what kinds of things make you run away? You know... hit the "Back" button, start a new search, or even shut down your browser. Of course, there are the downright offensive web sites, but I’m talking about seemingly normal sites, where you get there and you just can't believe "this company" is in business.

Here are a few examples from people here at Quicken Loans:

1. Circuitcity.com – Ouch! My eyes hurt! And why do they have to use a popup to advertise their sweepstakes? It's almost as painful as trying to find something inside the store. Hm. Maybe there’s a clue...
2. Staples.com – If everything is a link, which link do I click? I literally gasped when someone forwarded me this entry. Out loud. And I work all alone. The guinea pig thinks I'm insane. If I wanted envelopes, I'll subject myself to the corner drug store and pay the higher price, thankyouverymuch.
3. HM.com – Just go there. After I figured out how to pick the country, I still had no idea what this site was about. And then I got there… the US home page. I still don't know what H&M (now that I see there's an ampersand) sells, and the main message is about a podcast. You have to be a hard-core H&M lover already to get past this.

Now, think about the web sites you absolutely love. You know… the ones that grab you in 3 seconds flat and suck you in. Sometimes you’re looking for them, and sometimes you aren't. Seth Godin talks about the idea of creating an experience that attracts people because they're ready for you. We'd like to share some web sites that do a great job of this, and even attract people before they’re ready to buy. This next list of sites make sure you’ll come back when you’re ready to plunk down your cash.

After 10 years, we have finally retired our gas grill. We abused that poor grill through winters and rain and no proper shelter from the flaky Michigan winters. So, we went all out and got an infrared grill from Lowe's. Don't get me wrong, I love the grill. Infrared was definitely the way to go for us.

But I just gotta tell you about the packaging on this thing! You know how places like Lowe's try to sell you the assembly, and, we, thinking we're smart, decided to try assembling it ourselves. Usually that goes bad. We've made that mistake before, and yet we still don't learn.

This time it was different.

Not only was this grill easy to put together, they even packaged all those tiny bits well. You know it – you open the box, and along with all the random big pieces, you get the wad of plastic bags with screws, nuts, and other silly metal things that are hard to identify.

"Which screw am I supposed to use?"

Work request for Quicken Loans 
Facilities team, Livonia, Mich.:
Raid Clayton’s desk for gum. 
Watch for random squid 
and octopus hiding in his lunch.
Put mustard packets on 
Ryan’s chair.
Steal Kaufman’s Metamucil 
(and secret diet pills).
Wrap everything on Jen R’s desk 
in bubble wrap.
Create a big banner with “The Reg” and hang it from the ceiling.

A task list like this is what they get when they leave The DIFF Critic in charge for a day. I won’t divulge what happens to people who walk away from their computer without locking it first. Good thing for Josh, eh?

Yes, that’s right! All those crazy folks from the Quicken Loans team that handle web-based e-commerce-y stuff have taken off for the day. (Thanks, Matt… ever since we did away with titles, I have no clean way of referring to this talented group of people!) What’s better? They left me in charge of The DIFF!

But, wait… where did they go? They are all off brainstorming cool new tools and content for quickenloans.com, Q-topia and Quizzle, and probably dreaming up some new stuff that I wouldn’t be able to tell you about yet anyway. And they all went to a cool place – The Parade Company Studio.

I moved from Michigan to South Carolina last year. While my family is dealing with the usual adjustment issues, I’m also confronted with lots of stereotypes – Yankees, Southerners, dialects, and who eats what. It’s been an experience with a lot of surprises. I’m really enjoying watching all these nasty assumptions fall apart. Really, it’s for the best that they do.

According to Infoplease.com:

It took 15 years to create the federal Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. Congressman John Conyers, Democrat from Michigan, first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday four days after King was assassinated in 1968.

Michigan. Yeah. That makes me proud.

What makes me not-so-proud:

2005: South Carolina becomes the last state to make MLK Day a paid holiday for all state employees. Until now, employees could choose between celebrating it or one of three Confederate-related holidays.

I can excuse barking back at an unruly customer. I understand setting someone straight who is out of line. But what do you do, as a customer, with a salesperson that bites your head off when you’re being nice? No complaining, no whining, no demands, just a pause.

Is there a new customer service tactic being developed that trains the sales person to strike first before the customer has a chance to complain? If so, I’m the first victim.

I had travel plans go sideways, for reasons that I won’t bore you with. So, I decided to call Northwest Airlines (whom I now affectionately call Northworst) to see if we could fly rather than drive to get our plans back on track. As always, when asking for the nearly impossible, I always start out as kindly as I can, explaining that I understand if what I’m asking for can’t be done, but I have to ask anyway, just in case it can.

The person on the other end was very clear with her answers, and explained what I would need to do in order to get three tickets from Greenville to Detroit tomorrow. I paused to consider the cost, and then it came:

Old news by now in the architecture community, but Cleveland has hired the firm that built Greenville’s "Liberty Bridge" to create a community-building element for Cleveland’s downtown-on-a-comeback. Liberty Bridge is not only the largest pedestrian suspension bridge – with a curved walkway – in the U.S., but it’s what ties downtown to the Reedy River and Falls Park into a unique mid-sized urban experience.

Okay, Greenville is a small town. There are about 50,000 people who live within the city limits, and the surrounding area claims half a million residents. So, what’s this small town doing setting a precedent for the likes of a large city like Cleveland? It works. It’s original. And the idea was thought not to work at all, and end up as a waste of $4.5 million.

Of course, the idea that’s least likely to work is the most likely to win.

They have no clue how we felt when the Berlin Wall came down.

"Where's Berlin?" some may ask.

Keeping up with the world around you gives you an edge in relating to others. Just as much as youth is wise to respect age and experience, our elders would be wise to acknowledge the difference in perspective for the people just entering adulthood. The eye-opening Beloit College Mindset List® for the Class of 2011 is out, and you can read for yourself why things like the Berlin Wall have no relevance to today’s college freshmen.

However, I will argue with #66: The World Wide Web has been an online tool since they were born. Considering that the Mosaic web browser didn’t enter college consciousness until 1993, these kids were more inclined to be exposed to the World Wide Web beginning at earliest age 4. More realistically, though, the web browser is still struggling to get into some classrooms, so I’d hold off another five years before adding this statement to the list. Being the social analyst that I am... not.

The answer? No clue. So, if you’re wondering what web site I'm talking about, take a look at www.gmability.com/education. GM-what? GMability. As in, General Motors, ability, is able, can-do. Yeah, it's a stretch for a name, which could be part of the reason why this site isn't known by more people.

GMability is a "thing" that's focused on the environment, advanced technology, community involvement, and (what?) education. The bulk of the site is GM, trying to shout over the din of anti-automotive/anti-manufacturing voices on lots of public policy stuff. Then, nestled right in there is this really cool web site where kids can learn about the science behind greenhouse gases, fuel cell technology, satellites and even how cars are designed in a digital world.

Watch this commercial:

It’s not hard to see why I’d point this out as "the diff." It’s one of our sayings that we use in the office all the time: We are the 'they.' Many people use this saying to mean that we all are responsible when something goes wrong. Think about how many times you have said, "...but they told us to do it that way." Tough luck, because you are all part of the same team, and whether it was you or someone else who made the mistake, you are a part of the solution. That means moving past the blame and fixing it. Period.

But "they" is a two-sided coin, and this Liberty Mutual commercial is the other side of that coin.

When we all look at "they" as "us," it hits you. Who else is going to help that person who has dropped all of her books in the school hallway? The dad who can’t get the baby to burp while sitting in the DMV line.

"They?" No, it’s YOU. Because if you don’t do it, no one else will. And I’ll admit to not having helped that dad. I could tell why the baby was crying. But I felt odd walking over there to help. My own personal hang-ups held me back.

This commercial is a perfect example of how kindness spreads. Helping people spreads. The message is one of responsibility. We are responsible for each other, not just ourselves. We are the ones who are to step out of ourselves and help someone else. Not because there’s something in it for us. We are the "they" everyone talks about. You. Me.

By Stephanie Powel

Nearly 1,200 Sprint subscribers got the ax June 29 when the nation's third-largest wireless service provider deemed this group’s 40,000 monthly customer service calls, "excessive."   Some may see reason for such harsh consequences, but enacting mass contract terminations sends a clear message to their remaining 53 million Sprint customers and to the world at large, "We don’t want your business!"

The termination letters read as follows:

Our records indicate that over the past year, we have received frequent calls from you regarding your billing or other general account information.  While we have worked to resolve your issues and questions to the best of our ability, the number of inquiries you have made to us during this time has led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs.

Editor's Note: This week, the winner of our Summer Intern contest gives a little peek into the world of mortgage banking and customer service.

This was very inspirational to me, and I feel this story really defines what Quicken Loans is about: Excellence. 

One of the things I find so awesome about Quicken Loans is the company-wide standard of excellence. The dedication to provide the absolute best for each and every client, every time, no exceptions, no excuses. It is absolutely amazing to see it in action.

Yesterday’s unveiling of a dozen 7-Eleven stores as "Kwik-E-Marts" of The Simpsons fame certainly is a bit of marketing smarts. Those of us on the inside at Quicken Loans, Rock Financial and Title Source got an extra bit of snickering out of it this morning.

Here is how we top off our corporate structure, according to our internal company roster:

Okay, so we have two "Chairman of the Chairman" positions. I think it would be very Homer-like to change Simpson’s title to "Chairman of the Chairman’s Chairman."

It's something we do every year. Everyone from Quicken Loans, Rock Financial and Title Source gets together for a barbecue. I'm sure I don't have to explain the concept or the food served. But, this year's event took place on the same day as our own version of "Take Your Kids to Work" day.

Since school schedules vary so much in the Detroit area, we have our "Kids Day" in the summer. It seemed to work out well having the kids at the barbecue, too. Bryan Stapp's daughters look quite happy. Maybe it was the ice cream.

By Kathleen Wright

A few weeks ago I was going through a perfectly normal burger craving about lunchtime and thought (to myself obviously) that Champps sounded pretty good.  Knowing that I would have to swing over to the ATM before I picked up my lunch, I gave a call as I was leaving, and Shocker #1: was told that my order would be ready in 45 minutes. 

Thinking (again, to myself) that they must have to go out back and knock off another cow for the lunch rush, I figured it would be well worth the wait for a nice hot 1/2-pound of protein, nicely arranged on a toasty bun with waffle fries...

Congratulations to Cassie Bixler, who won our Intern Challenge contest with this entry about exceptional leadership in a university classroom. Cassie will be posting here on THE DIFF each week during her summer internship, covering the things that she feels expose the gap between average and excellent, as well as sharing what it's like to be an intern at Quicken Loans.

Cassie is currently an intern on our Mortgage Insiders team, and a senior at Purdue University, majoring in Selling and Sales Management. She is 23 and from Warsaw, Indiana. In her spare time, she rides horses and spends a lot of time on the lakes with her friends.

Welcome to THE DIFF, Cassie!

Editor's Note: Computerworld chose Quicken Loans as the #1 "Best Place to Work in Information Technology" for the third year in a row. Our CEO, Bill Emerson, couldn't wait to share the news last Thursday evening, as soon as he heard. Here is his email.

From: Emerson, William
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2007 7:38 PM
To: All Company
Subject: It's a three-peat!!! 

Good afternoon, everyone. 

I have great news to share! Computerworld magazine has named us 
the #1 "Best Place to Work in Information Technology" for the 
THIRD YEAR IN A ROW!!!   

The list will appear in the June 18th issue of Computerworld, 
along with an article featuring interviews with Frank Laura 
and several of our Technology Team members. Along with the 
article will be a photo of those same folks taken a few weeks 
ago on the court at the Quicken Loans Arena... our way of 
highlighting the coolness of the "Q" Express!!! 

Like other Best Place to Work awards (we’ve won a few now), 
the rankings were based largely on an anonymous survey that 
250 members of our Technology Team completed. The folks at 
Computerworld said that the constant theme appearing throughout 
these surveys were comments about our culture, ability to take 
ownership of projects, work collaboratively with other teams, 
and to make a difference by building, not outsourcing, our 
technology!  

Following is a news release with some additional information 
about the selection process. 

Congratulations to everyone involved in making this a great place 
to work for people in any career field... which is everyone!! 

"You’ll see it when you believe it!" And we believe!  

Bill

This is Seth Godin. He is wearing mismatched socks. Why? To illustrate a point: Be remarkable.

Godin writes about marketing, and how to stand apart from the crowd. I am intrigued by much of his work, and so I was really happy to hear him speak at a conference in Toronto this week. To illustrate his point, he talks about a company that stands out – Little Miss Matched. They make and sell socks.

Okay, so you can buy socks at Target. I don’t understand the passion behind socks, but I understand their passion to be great. And to be great, they had to find a niche. They had to build one. As Godin puts it, “12-year-old girls have nothing to talk about, and all day to talk about it, so they created these socks to give them something to talk about.”

Little Miss Matched makes great mismatched socks, and customers love them. It’s a product that is remarkable – worth making a remark about. Not crazy, not outlandish, impressive. The DIFF.

Godin was remarkable the other day because he took the extra step. Not only did he tell us about these socks, he showed us the socks. Remarkable.

That’s a statement you’ll see plastered all over the walls here at Quicken Loans. It sounds nice, and it’s what everyone should do, of course.  But how do you do this differently? How do you move this from a nice saying to something that actually impacts others?

Sure, we talk a lot about companies that “get it right” when it comes to client service. And we talk about companies that say this type of stuff, but don’t deliver. But let’s take this down to a more personal level. The people that understand client service have a special skill – they look outside themselves and appreciate the needs of others.

When you, as a representative of a company (or a team within a company) answer the phone, is it an interruption to the majestically important things you are doing at the moment? Or, is there someone on the other end of the line that possibly needs your help working through a problem? Or, is it simply looking for a little bit of information to put some puzzle pieces together faster?

Rather than finding the things I hate about the things I hate to do, Angry Ed, I prefer to focus on the good stuff that happens.

For example, I hate commercial air travel. I’m spoiled by knowing a few private pilots. (Okay, so I have to jet off to wherever they are going, but any airplane ride is a blast for me.) I hate airports. Of course, I hate Detroit Metro more than any other airport.

But, unlike Angry Ed, I still find things I like about Metro. Like the Pangborn Design store in the new McNamara terminal.

And you will not expect what I found this time, while traveling through Metro this past Memorial Day weekend.

Ever since Clayton Closson joined the Quicken Loans Marketing team; he has gone head-to-head against Doug Peeples in a "Costco vs. Sam's" battle.

Costco is Clayton's favorite place to be. Not his favorite store, but place. He'd rather be at Costco, sampling all the hors d'ouvres, than at the Red Wings game.

After listening to them do battle day after day, I noticed an article in Costco's Connections magazine. (Yes, I choose Costco over Sam's as well.)

This article details how Costco goes above and beyond.

By Kathy Fawcett

Cheering for McDonald’s is hardly cheering for the underdog.

But that’s kind of how I felt when I heard that Consumer Reports Magazine ranked McDonald’s breakfast brew to be better than Burger King’s (duh), Dunkin Donuts and even Starbucks.

That’s right McDonald’s coffee "beat the rest," according to Consumer Reports. It was "decent and moderately strong. Although it lacked the subtle top notes needed to make it rise and shine, it had no flaws."

Many people like to pick on the mortgage and real estate industries. I'm sure they enjoyed this little slip.

That's "Title Source Inc." listed right under Scotty's Potties and Thornton's Portable Toilet.

Yes, Title Source is affiliated with Quicken Loans and Rock Financial (we have to disclose this stuff). And, no, we're not mad at YellowBook.com. They've graciously fixed our listing online.

Thanks, Kim, for keeping an eye out for Title Source!

I can't go into Home Depot now without whining that they don't offer baskets throughout the store. You know, the little ones you carry when your arms are full of duct tape, cabinet door hinges and paint brushes. Just as you're about to drop everything, you find the one thing you forgot you needed: Swiffer dust cloths. Now, at Lowe's I could skip to the end of the aisle and drop everything into a basket and be happy.

But, no. I have to get cranky, because I've come to expect Home Depot to understand my plight and pre-empt my need with the solution.

I've become very critical, and I blame Dan Gilbert.