It’s common at Surf-n-Sea in Haleiwa

Eddie Crawford - Store Manager 

At one of our regular manager’s Success Rallies at Surf-n-Sea on a Sunday morning, the manager, Eddie Crawford shared a very interesting story with us. He said that he received a call a while back from a local bank. He said that a very pleasant woman told him that they were doing an Economic Outlook Survey, and asked him if he would answer a few questions. One of the initial questions was, “Looking ahead do you anticipate sales to be the same as last year, down 10%, or down 20%?” Eddie laughed and asked, “Where’s the up option?” Eddie said that she was taken back by his reply and said, “Nobody is answering like that.” A few minutes later she asked about staffing; “Do you plan to maintain the staff you have, cut back by 10% or cut back by 20%?” Eddie again asked, “What about increasing it, that’s what we want to do?” She said, “Oh, I forgot, I’m talking to the optimist.”
Surf-n-Sea survived the Gulf War in 1991. When “911″ hit it was business as usual at Surf-n-Sea while others placed “Going Out Of Business” signs in their windows. When there were two major landslides shutting Haleiwa off from the rest of the island, sales kept right on climbing. Then came the so called recession. Eddie has good cause for his optimism. Sales continue to go up year after year.

Success Rally
I have been meeting with the staff at Surf-n-Sea in Haleiwa for close to 15 years. I have seen (and even caused) many changes in that time frame. One of those changes has been an increase in sales that is close to 10 times from where it was. Another change required a willingness to get outside of their current comfort zone and embrace the system; Pro-Active, No Pressure Selling.

“Aloha”
Salespeople began greeting customers and attending monthly “Success Rallies.” Next was a willingness to provide all new employees with their own copy of Retail Selling Made Easy. The Morning Report then came along, and Surf-n-Sea was one of the very first companies in Hawaii to get it, even in its initial raw form.

Be the Optimist

To enjoy continued sales in any economy,  tune out any negative thinking, and become an optimist like Eddie Crawford, owner Joe Green and the pro-active staff at Surf-n-Sea. It’s Easy! You can do it too.

Little Thing, Big Impression
I was totally blown away when I pulled into the parking lot at The Madden Corp. this morning and saw this sign on the front parking spot. I know that they have 150 employees that might like to park in that spot. Even though it was temporary, it made me feel very special. It was the thought that mattered; doing something they didn’t have to do. It was a great reminder to me of the power of recognition. Something like this is so easy to do, yet so few people would even think about it.

Big Guy Small Frame
While at Cutter Chevrolet checking up on their Morning Report, manager Terry Bennett took me back into the garage to meet Kevin, their top big engine mechanic. This guy fixes engines on big trucks and busses, yet he was moved so much by seeing his name at the top of their Morning Report recognizing his production success, that he had it framed.
What can you do today to recognize and impress someone?

Happy Birthday
Hildgund Jewelry is celebrating 136 years in business in a very unique way. 136 gift wrapped jewelry boxes are being  placed around town in different locations throughout the month of December. Each one contains a valuable piece of  jewelry. The deal is simple; finders keepers!

Bruce Bucky - Owner
I had coffee today with Bruce Bucky to congratulate him on this promotion. He shared some of the experiences to date  placing these boxes, and watching people actually walk right by them. Even though there’s a card on the box saying what  it is, many people didn’t read it, and turned it in as lost. To prove this, he handed me a gift box and told me to put it somewhere.

Never Walk by Opportunity
I first placed it on a table and sure enough people walked right by without seeing it. Next I moved it over to the table where the cream and sugar are. Again, it was overlooked, except by an employee who looked at it and commented, “Oh, somebody left this.” She did not pick it up or read it. Finally I put it on the floor, and it was amazing to see people walk by without noticing it.

Winner
Finally Isaac spotted it and told the receptionist to go pick it up. She didn’t, so he did. Now he has something nice to take home this evening. The gifts vary in value, but total $50,000.

What to Do?
As we left, Bruce gave me another gift box, told me to put it somewhere and let him know what happens. Stand by, this one is  valued at $200. I feel like Santa Claus.

Island Air Terminal
Several records were set during my recent trip to Maui. The first was the number of people at the sleepy little inter-island terminal. One of the reasons I like to fly out of this terminal is the small amount of traffic, making for easy, and hassle free checking in. Not this time. I have been flying in and out of this terminal for 28 years now and have NEVER seen it like this. My thought was, “What recession?”

Kaanapali Morning
One of the enjoyable things about Maui is waking up in Kaanapali. I normally stay at the Westin Maui, but this time it was overbooked and I could not get a room. I took this picture from my room at the Sheraton just down the beach. They were at near capacity, but I got in. My thought was, “What recession?”

Whalers Village Shopping Center
I have been doing Success Rallies for the merchants at Whalers Village for 18 years now. We meet at Leilani’s on the Beach. During that time I have seen attendance as low as 10 people, and as high as 50 or 60.

7:45 AM
The rally starts at 8 AM. I often joke that you have to get there early to get a back row seat. As you can see that was the case today.

7:50 AM
Five minutes later they are lining up to get in. The coffee is hot and the pastries are tasty.

7:55 AM
Besides hearing me talk and getting coffee and sugar, the attendees also get free parking stickers. Signing up for that usually creates a bottle neck getting in the restaurant.

8 AM - Showtime
By 8 AM the place is packed and it’s time to learn something. My topic today was “befriending” your customers in a way that makes them want to return to your store to buy more as well as referring you to those they know and meet. One suggestion was having your customers pose with their purchase and promise them that you will post their photo on line to share wiith their friends back home.

It’s a Record
Before leaving this morning I congratulated them on a record turnout and asked them to pose for this photo promising that it would be on my blog for them to see in the morning.

Another Record
One last record set this morning was in coffee and pastry consumption. Mahalo Whalers Village for 18 years of success; I’ll see you soon.
 

Why the Word ONLY?
I continue to be amazed and irritated by how the mainstram media looks for the worst possible way to present any situation. This headline; “Isle Economy Grew Only 0.7 Percent Last Year” in today’s Honolulu Advertiser would invoke a completely different emotion if it were to be without the word “Only.” To listen to many people, “ANY” increase in 2008 over 2007 would be seen as good news. After all, 2007 was a banner year.
At one point the article reads, “The last time growth was lower was 10 years ago, when the economy was coming out of the economic doldrums that afflicted Hawai’i during the 1990s.” Now tell me, is that good or bad? I for one choose to like the idea that we may be heading in the same direction as we were when “coming out of economic doldrums.”

Besides that, I continue to find and highlight businesses that are not only doing good, but even better than ever before. To see one such company, just CLICK RIGHT HERE!

Diamond Head
The sun setting behind Diamond Head made for a great backdrop for the Chinese New Year.

Michael Zhang
Michael Zhang was the perfect host as friends and family gathered at his home to enjoy food, wine and each other’s company.  Michael is the owner of Blue Hawaii Surf and Blue Hawaii Lifestyle, both long time Success Dynamics clients.

Loco Boutique
Even longer clients that showed up were Michael Fieman and Hisae of Loco Boutique.

More Old (long time) Friends
Then there was David Erdman of Pac Rim Marketing and Tao Miller, founder of Body and Soul, and Japanese retail consultant extraordinaire.

And the Food!
As the socializing was just getting underway the food began arriving.

Rock Garden Tour
Michael’s brother, Snap Jun, fresh in from China gave Masae and I a tour of the Zhang Rock Garden.

Chinese Good Luck Rocks
Unique rocks from China lined the stairway down to the waterfall. Along the way we saw extremely special rocks in the most unusual shapes. Each one had a story behind it that I cannot share with you because I couldn’t understand the language, but the beauty spoke for them.

It’s a Party
Inside there was food and more food as people gathered in the various rooms and out on the lanai. Mahalo to Michael and the entire Zhang family for a memorable evening.

78 Degrees and Sunny
80 plus small specialty retailers from all over the country checked in to the Westin Maui Hotel this week as a reward for their 2008 sales increases over 2007. The thing they have in common is they all sell Brighton merchandise. They were treated to a week of dining, socializing, learning and playing; with all expenses paid by Brighton. How many vendors do you know that do something like this for their customers?

Pam Chambers and I Arrive
Pam and I have been honored to speak at numerous Brighton functions in the past 6 years. We arrived at the same time Sunday evening and were greeted by the Brighton Welcoming Committee, and given lei along with a bag of “goodies.”

Evening Arrival Reception
The fun started with a reception at the Aloha Pavilion by the beach. As usual, no expense was sparred when setting out the food and drink.

Day 1
The following morning a lavish breakfast buffet was set out for all to enjoy. Everything you can think of that makes a great breakfast was there, along with excited people.

Opening Session
Brighton founder and owner Jerry Kohl kicked things off with his “Shame on You” message aimed at the big retailers who were advertising shameless discounts in an attempt to make their holiday numbers, and placing an added burden on small retailers that want to maintain their integrity and hard earned profits.

Jerry Knows Numbers
There’s no one any better at numbers than Jerry Kohl, and he was able to display facts that showed how Brighton fared the difficult holiday season better than the giants, while maintaining the integrity of the Brighton brand and refusing to play the “discount game.” 

Classes
Pam and I then met with the store owners twice. The goal was, “Finish by noon and then go to the beach.” My message was on “Success in Challenging Times.” Pam talked about what she looks for and expects as a customer. We were both thrilled with the attention and interest of the attendees.

Closing Session
After the morning information meetings, and before heading to the beach, Laura Young outlined company campaign plans for 2009 starting on Inauguration Day.

Dinner Sign Ups
Everyone was invited to sign up for dinners the following evenings at 1st class restaurants including Lahaina Grill, Longhi’s, Roy’s, Leilani’s, Merriman’s, Hula Grill and Tropica at the Westin. Pam and I hosted the 1st night groups at Leilani’s in Whalers Village and Tropica at The Westin.

Lunch with Jerry and Terri
Jerry and Terri Kohl then took those of us available and sill hungry to lunch at Hula Grill, where whales could be seen a few hundred yards away.

Tough Decisions!
There were so many great meals to choose from and whales to watch at the same time. Terri made it easy for me; she knew the menu and my tastes. This seaside meal was quite a treat, especially for those from the colder states, which was just about everyone except for Pam and me.

Work It Off!!!
By now I was reaching my food limit, so with dinner at Leilani’s coming up tonight, I decided to hit the gym at The Westin. It offers a pretty relaxing “work out” while watching TV and looking down at the pool and out to the ocean.

My Table of Stars
I hosted this great group at Leilani’s on the Beach. In addition to a fabulous dinner, we had a lively discussion about how these small stores in Texas dealt with the last two hurricanes. I was really impressed with the grit and generosity these people showed during those tough times.
All of this was on Day 1.

Closing Session
After a second day of food, fun, classes and information, Laura assembled everyone for a review session. Ideas were exchanged and commitments expressed. The enthusiasm was heartwarming.
Following are some more of the photos that I took at different meals and meetings. Enjoy the sights, and for any of you that were there who want more photos than this, just send me a note and I will zip up a folder full and send them to you.

BIG Mahalo!
Aloha and Mahalo to Jerry Kohl and Laura Young for providing this memorable experience.

The “Famous One”
A while back I was honored to sign a copy of Retail Selling Made Easy for my friend Wally “Famous” Amos at his Kailua Chip and Cookie store.

Wally and Christine Amos
I was honored again recently when Wally invited Masae and me to attend the grand opening of his all new Chip and Cookie store at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki.

The Famous Wood from Hawaii
One of the things Hawaii is known for is Koa wood, which grows almost exclusively on the Big Island of Hawaii. Success Dynamics client Hawaiian Accessories is famous for making unique souvenirs and gift items from this rich, hard, red wood.

Holiday Shopping In Hawaii
A film crew showed up at the Hawaiian Accessories store in the Outrigger Hotel last week to shoot a spot on famous places to shop for holiday gifts in Hawaii. They had just left Chip annd Cookie. Click RIGHT HERE to see the interviws with Wally “Famous” Amos and Patty Sherman, Hawaiian Accessories sales manager.

On Call
Star salesperson Sheri Layosa was asked to be there as well; at 7 AM. She was there, but they ran out of time before getting to her, so I promised that I would show her here anyway.

A True Shining Star
Sheri may have missed the video shoot, but she didn’t miss tying for the most Star Days on the Hawaiian Accessories Morning Report with 18 Star Days out of 20 days worked. Now that’s consistency. Here she is being congratulated by Hawaiian Accessories owner Curtis Wilmington and me.

“Don’t Buy Today!”
Jerry and Terri Kohl, the owners of Brighton Collectibles paid an impromptu surprise visit to their new Ala Moana store enroute to Maui today.
While there we walked around the mall looking at the various sale signs in the windows. As we walked past this sign in Nieman Marcus, which said, “Pre-Sale in Progress”, Jerry asked me, “What’s a Pre Sale?” and he laughed when I commented, “I don’t know.” It was as if they were saying, “Don’t Buy Today!”

The Man’s In Town
Terri was here a month or so ago, but this was Jerry’s first visit to the new store. He was very impressed and as you might imagine, the salespeople were thrilled to meet him and pose with both of them for this photo.

The Place To Be on Maui
Lahaina Grill continues to be the restaurant of choice for distinquished diners on Maui.

Good Food - Good Wine - Good Company
I was honored to dine with Jurg Munch, the owner of Lahaina Grill and Howard Ka’ai, who manages the Lahaina Ice Cream Parlor. Jurg treated us to a bottle of Domaine Serene Evanstad Reserve which is rated by the Wall Street Journal as the #1 Pinot Noir.

Clean and Efficient
After dinner Jurg took me on a behind the scenes tour of the kitchen and supply areas. I commented to Jurg that even Chef Gordon Ramsay, the star of Kitchen Nightmares wouldn’t be able to find a single flaw here.

Lahaina Ice Cream Parlor
The Lahaina Ice Cream Parlor is also owned by Jurg Munch. We started the Morning Report at Lahaina Ice Cream Parlor this month and fine tuned it over this great meal at Lahaina Grill. Mahalo Jurg and Howard.