I'll Do My Best

Bob Montgomery

by Bert Carson
Christina and I are writers, bloggers and runners.  In addition, we are two of the three employees of United Portrait Studios–a three person, child portrait photography company.

Though we each invest 60-80 hours per week in the small business, it needs more: time, expertise, and effort.  That's where Bob Montgomery comes in.  He's our account manager–our "go to man" at Advanced Photographic Solutions, a 90,000 square foot, volume photo processing facility located in Cleveland, Tennessee.

If it weren't for the super-human effort he expends on our behalf on a routine basis, we wouldn't have time to do anything else outside of United Portrait Studios.

Account Managers, once a mainstay in our economy, are a vanishing breed, and I know why.   When financial managers look for places to cut expenses, account managers scream from the P&L statement, "Here, I am.  Take me," and all too often, that's exactly what happens.  Then when the business begins to circle the drain, those who pulled the plug on their account managers, their only direct links to their customers, shrug and said, "I guess it's just the economy."

I know that we are fortunate to have Bob Montgomery assigned to our account, because I know when I explain to Bob what needs to be done and he says, "I'll do my best," that is more than good enough–it is a done deal.

"I'll do my best," isn't an empty phrase with Bob Montgomery.  "I'll do my best," is Bob's commitment to me, Christina, Adrienne, and all of our customers, that the job will be done.

Bob, thanks more than you'll ever know-and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my friend.