$400 a Night???
When I was told that I was going to have to pay $400 for a room at the Maui Sheraton because they were full, and thus no Kamaaina rates, I whined about it. Then I caught myself and said, “Oh well, I should be glad that I can afford it” and off I went.

That’s All?
When the car rental guy picked me up, he informed me that they are totally out of cars, but are holding one for me. I whined a little about the model of the car, but then remembered that I only need to drive about 5 miles, so I switched gears from whining about the car to being happy that I got one.

Pretty, Pretty Nice
I took myself out to dinner and whined about the lack of vegetarian dishes offered. So, I ordered a glass of Merlot and a Cobb Salad. It turned out to be all that I could eat, and the wine helped stop the whining.

Whale Sightings
While eating I looked out from my table and saw whales spouting and breaching just off shore. I thought, “Now this is pretty cool.” I looked around me at a restaurant full of happy people on vacation and was reminded that I am lucky enough to live here all year round.

WHAT?!?
I got back to my room and began whining that the WIFI didn’t work, so I decided to watch TV, only to discover that the remote had bad batteries. So, I treated myself to an early retirement. The air conditioner was noisy, so I decided to get up at 4 AM and go to Starbucks to check my e-mail. When I went to get my car I saw the sign above and began whining some more. Someone appeared shortly and got my car which stopped my whining.

Now What?
After two great Success Rallies I went to the West Maui Airport to catch my flight home and was told that my plane was delayed about an hour. Now that’s worth whining about. I decided to do some computer work and remembered the view from the airport. Once again I saw whales playing off shore. My flight was a mere 45 minutes late and the only thing left to whine about was the $18 parking fee.

Home Sweet Home
This was all in the last 24 hours. As I sit here at my desk, I am full of gratitude, and all there is to whine about is all of the whining I have been doing.

Here We Go Again
I often joke that I get the pleasure of addressing groups of people every day of my life that are assembled against their will. I never know what to expect.

“Uh-Oh!”
I have been doing consistent Success Rallies for the merchants at Whaler’s Village on Maui for 19 years now. I always arrive a bit early and usually find Lelani’s to be empty. Fear rushes through my body, thinking, “Will they show up this month?” or “Did they get the memo?” or “Do they still like me?”

“Whew!”
In a short time my fears are washed away with the adrenaline created by the arriving crowd. There is a buzz of excitement in the room as they all get their coffee and sugar rush. I always head for the airport with my head already in the clouds.

“Oh No!”
The very next day I get to do it again, in this case for the merchants from the Outrigger Hotels on Oahu. Once again I show up early and get the “Uh-Oh” feeling in my gut.

Yeah!
But then as usual they begin arriving and my spirits soar again. My mission is to always say something that they can all take away from the rally and add to their selling routine that will make more money for everyone and create a lasting memory for their customers. Look for the “Yeah’s” in your job. Life is an exciting adventure.

Or, at least tone it down.

This guy at the airport let everyone 10 rows away know about the details of the bridge his company is building. When you add his comments to the loud speakers in the airport itself and the other cell phone users screaming their business, and airport lobbies are becoming the worst noise polluters there are.

What is it about people talking on their cell phones that cause them so talk short of the scream level? It is almost as if they think they are talking on a tin can through a string.

Turtle Bay Resort
The beautiful Turtle Bay Resort was the setting for the first annual North Shore Chamber of Commerce Business Exposition.

Old Home Revisited
It was a treat to get out to my old North Shore stomping grounds. I was reminded of the peaceful environment and fabulous scenery where I called “home” for 15 years. I confess to having felt the urge to stay.

Great Turnout
Business owners from all over the North Shore turned out for the first North Shore Chamber of Commerce Business Exposition. We enjoyed lunch, information sessions and lots of Aloha.

Many Subjects and Speakers
I was honored to be among a distinquished group of speakers covering helpful subjects such as Grant Writing, SBA Loans, Sustainability Practices, Crime and Loss Prevention, Trademark, Patent and Copyright Law, Marketing/Branding, Business Plan Preperation, and my topic; Customer Service.

Small Groups
The large population was split off into several small and intimate breakout sessions where questions could be asked and we could all get to know each other. I was fortunate enough to speak to two such groups. I spoke on the important, yet often under estimated role that the salesperson plays in the business model.

Selling Books
Masae did her usual great job of selling books, keeping me busy signing them in between my speaking sessions.

No Waiting
My book customers were spotted around the hotel already reading the books they bought.
The day ended with a networking cocktail party where I mingled with my existing North Shore customers, met several new business prospects, sold more books and lined up future speaking engagements. I look forward to the next North Shore Chamber of Commerce Business Exposition. 

Brighton Dallas Success Rally

After three days of wonderful Brighton Success Rallies at 7:30 AM in Austin, San Antonio and Houston I was all set for the next one at 7:30 AM in Dallas.

When I arrived (at 7:25) the food was out…

The coffee was hot…

But the room was empty… I began to worry (just a little), until Preccia showed up “early” (at 7:45 AM) and informed me that the rally starts at 8:30 AM. Whew!

By 8:15 AM it was looking more like a Brighton function…

There was even someone wearing a Hawaiian purse, just for me.

By 8:3o AM Tamara, Preccia, Marsha and Margie were in full swing with a great contest naming the features of different Brighton bags.

When it was my turn I asked who was happy to be there on a Sunday morning and got a typical Brighton reaction as the morning went from “Good to Great”.
I even got a standing ovation at the end… Now that’s a first.
Mahalo Team Dallas.

Help Wanted - I Guess So!!!

One thing I look forward to when traveling is the opportunity to get a shoe shine. This is a non-existent business in Hawaii.

The other night I saw a shoe shine stand in the San Antonio Airport and asked for a shine. The guy said, “Sorry, but I am about to close”. The airport was busy, but I decided to cut him some slack since it was after 8 PM.

Today I was back in the same San Antonio Airport at about noon and saw this sight!
#@!~

14 Hours Later

Just 14 hours after arriving at the Vancouver BC Airport we have arrived in Houston. Next is to catch a flight to San Antonio.

If all goes well I will get to my San Antonio hotel by mid-night. That will give me a chance to update the forum, respond to e-mail and maybe even get a little sleep to re-energize for two Success Rallies tomorrow.

Today’s experience is a good example of how people tend to blame a whole company when things go wrong and the people working there fail to handle it well. Continental Airlines was getting a lot of bad publicity today, yet there was no real fault there. We should be thankful that they catch and fix mechanical problems on the ground, not in the air.

All we needed was more empathy from the flight attendants and all would have been much better. We also saw how forgiving people can be; as we landed the passengers all applauded. I haven’t heard that in a long time.

I Am Not Smiling Anymore

Nobody knows more than I do that STUFF HAPPENS; it’s a chapter in my book. That being said, my patience and understanding have run out and I am finding myself in a rant.

After sitting on this airplane for close to three hours without a word being said, I look out the window and see the guy in this photo taking bags off of the plane. I casually asked one of the flight attendants what he is doing, and he said, “Oh, he is taking off bags for people that we have accommodated on another flight.” You can imagine how my “mood” changed.

After giving him a little “lecture” on communication and “Aloha”. He just gave me a blank stare; he couldn’t care less. I headed out to the lobby to get “accommodated on another flight”.  Well, after setting off a security alarm and being accosted by another unfriendly agent, I was told that there are no guarantees, and if I want to change to another flight to “wait in that line over there”.

I never have been very good at “line waiting”, but I went to the back of the line anyway and stood there with several angry people for a half an hour and the line didn’t move an inch. So, I came back on the plane and began writing this post. The first friendly employee that I have seen all day came over and said, “I think you left your glasses case in your seat when you left.” She was actually smiling, so I dumped on her about my felings; sorry!

She explained that they have another mechanic coming out to help and that he should be here in an hour. She also said that there is a good chance that this plane will get me into Texas before those other accommodations might, and without the hassle of changing planes, gates and even losing my 1st chosen seat, that I had to fight for upon checking in.

She was so pleasant, that I calmed down immediately and got back to work. A few minutes ago she came back and told me that she has an agent checking to see if there is any better way to get me to San Antonio any faster.

As in selling, it’s all about people, how they act, and what they say.

Stay Tuned! 

 Keep Smiling!

It isn’t always easy to keep smiling when things are not going as they should, but you should.
My patience is being put to the test right now as I sit on a Continental jet in Vancouver when we should be in the air flying to Houston.

Just last night I was talking to a group of managers about the importance of using check lists, and I mentioned airline pilots as an example. Just before take off this morning our pilot saw something wrong on his check list and returned to the gate for the mechanics to check it out.

Having got up at 4:30 AM to catch this flight, it was a bit annoying to say the least.

We were given the opportunity to stay on the plane or get off. Almost everyone got off. I see it as an opportunity to get some work done completely uninterrupted.

Stay Tuned!

 C-O-L-D

A few other words that come to mind are, “dreary”, “nasty” and “miserable”.

I guess that “42 degrees and raining” is a bit worse to those of us used to Hawaii weather. When I stepped off of the plane last night without a jacket on, I got a fast and rude reminder of the phrase, “Lucky we live Hawaii”.

In a few short hours I will be in Vancouver, BC, and although I don’t anticipate it being much warmer, I will be in the warm company of Steen Skaaning and Team INspiration BC. They always warm my heart if not the temperature outside.