Pretty Geeky
I once claimed that I would never use a computer personally. I realized how much that goal has  changed this morning when I was “caught” doing three different “computer things” at once; checking e-mail on my desk top, tweeting on my iPhone4 and watching Steve Jobs give a press  conference on my MacBook Air.

“We Have Come a Long Way Baby”
While it was my intention to never “personally” use a computer, I have owned them since the 60’s. We had a computer room that looked much like the photo above. My iPhone4 does more in the palm of my hand than all of those computers (and a few employees) could.
What a World! What’s Next?

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
My specialties are Sales and Motivation, and I have been at it for more than 40 years. I read a quote long ago that stuck with me. It was, “You learn the most after you think you know it all.” I don’t recall who said that, but the concept makes a lot of sense. As someone who makes a living giving selling advice to retailers, I recently discovered that I had a lot to learn about some other important aspects of retailing. It happened when I read The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business, and it didn’t take long. Before finishing the first few chapters I started handing out copies to my clients.

Bob Phibbs
Bob got my attention right at the start by making the point that revenue isn’t necessarily profit. As mundane as that sounds, I realized that many of my own clients are making the mistake of marking down merchandise to get rid of it, or having needless, non-profitable sales that attract the wrong customers.
Then came lessons on the store layout, traffic patterns and case merchandising. These are also areas of retail where I claim no expertise. I now find myself looking at these things differently. Discovering how and where to put what you prefer to sell is vital.
I do possess deep experience when it comes to recruiting and interviewing salespeople, but here again I got my eyes opened up to several new (to me) approaches and philosophies to use. For example, I hate “Help Wanted” signs in store windows, but Bob shows a way to word and use them effectively, and points out who the target audience is.
“Aha Moments” continued for me throughout the book and I feel certain they will for you as well. So rather than try to learn from my sketchy review here, get down to your favorite bookstore or Amazon and get a few copies. I am certain you will want to share what you read.

Good Cause
Do you ever wonder what to do with your old phone when you get a new one? Each of these phones was “the best yet” when I got it. I have kept them in a drawer thinking that I might someday use them again. There have been several others that I just threw away. Well, I just discovered a new service called “Cell Phones for Soldiers.” They will recycle your old cell phone, and use the proceeds to provide pre-paid calling cards and cell phones to troops serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. That’s where these are going.

“You’ve Come a Long Way Baby”
When I got “The Brick” 20 or so short years ago I thought it was the coolest thing yet. The idea of making phone calls without looking for a phone booth was revolutionary. I also remember my $1,000 monthly phone bills that I somehow justified. When I compare The Brick to my new iPhone4 I am amazed. I also wonder what’s just around the corner.

Who Should it Be?

As we go into this special local election the people of Hawaii are deciding who to send to congress. I love to watch the posturing, hear the attacks and in general enjoy the show. But when it comes down to an opinion, I am reminded of something my wise Daddy told me, “In business, never talk about religion or politics.” So, with that advice in mind, I will stop right here!

“General Growth’s Bankruptcy Spooks Its Hawaii Tenants”
This headline in the Honolulu Star Bulletin is scarier than the bankruptcy itself is. The United States offers what is called “Bankruptcy Protection” under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code to essentially “Protect” troubled companies from thier creditors, allowing them time to re-organize and become profitable again, and hopefully pay off those creditors.
A chapter 7 Bankruptcy is quite different. That’s when the company throws in the towel and the creditors are hung out to dry. They may get something, someday, but not soon and not much.

Focus on Results
While nobody likes to think about bankruptcy, those forced into it are more respectable for going 11 than 7. We need to wish them well and give them the time they need to get things going back in the right direction. A company (or country) in financial trouble didn’t get there overnight. Change takes time.

Better Times
General Growth is not the first company with a huge stake in Hawaii to seek Chapter 11 protection. On March 21, 2003, Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition for reorganization. Fortunately for us all, their creditors, employees and customers stuck with them, and today, in spite of the current challenging times, they are one of very few airlines that are profitable, and proudly post the best on-time record in the industry. It took some time, but they did it and did it well.
By contrast, when faced with the same challenges, Aloha Airlines was not willing to spend the time and money needed to fix things, they shut down virtually over night stranding their employees, creditors and customers.

Ala Moana Shopping Center
General Growth owns Ala Moana Center, Ward Centers, Whaler’s Village and several other properties in Hawaii. They reported $29.6 billion in assets and $27.3 billion in debts. Those are some ptretty hefty numbers, and turning things around will be a pretty hefty challenge, but I think they deserve our support and patience as they seek to make things better for everyone.

Steve Hofer
20 years ago I had the opportunity to teach my Pro-Active, No Pressure Selling System to Steve Hofer while at his first job after college.
Steve has been successfully applying these concepts throughout his career. Steve founded and operated four businesses, including jewelry, cellular phones, software and outsourced services. His experience in retail sales and operations management, local Business to business and national corporate sales as well as franchise operations brought valuable insights and a consistent ability to organize and drive sales.
Steve has consistently risen to the challenges he faced throughout his career. He increased sales 50% after a major earthquake in San Francisco, become a #1 cellular dealer within 9 months, grew a startup from $0 to $2M revenue in 2 years and doubled sales providing services to homebuilders in the current housing market. He thrives on turning challenging issues into success stories.
I am very excited with the opportunity to have him working with me again. Steve will bring an added dimension to the things we have to offer our clients.

Pamala Alualu
Pamela is a retail sales consultant who has joined Team Success Dynamics. Pamela graduated from the University of Hawaii with a degree in counseling psychology. She recently moved back to Hawaii after spending 12 years on the mainland managing and consulting in the retail industry. During Pamela’s time on the mainland she became an expert at coaching, marketing, advertising, customer service training, merchandising, display presentation, sales and management training, as well as recruiting, hiring, interviewing, relationship selling and much more. She spent three years as a franchise owner of USA Baby and Child Space in Sacramento, California. 
Pamela’s entrepreneurial spirit led her career into the consulting business. Her most recent client, the owner of three large Ashley Furniture Home Stores in New Jersey; is a testament to her ability to teach and implemented a proven selling and management system. I am as excited as Pamela is to see her meet Hawaii’s business owners and introduce them to our coaching services and The Morning Report.

Better and Better
I am amazed by the continued development of Apple’s iPhone capabilities. I bought my first one a year or so ago because of its intuitive nature and large number of uses. They continue to issue updates which I download via iTunes, and each time it gets better. I held off getting the 3G, thinking I didn’t need the increased speed or GPS, but once I got it I was blown away by the improvements.

More and More
Then came the Applications. In January, just a couple of short months ago, Jerry Kohl asked me if I have some cool applications on my iPhone. I didn’t even know they existed. Now I have more than 20 of them; most of which I find myself using a lot. Many are free, others cost as little as 99 cents, and I haven’t paid more than $4 for any of them. With a touch of my finger I can find restauraunts, movies, stores or just about anything else around where I happen to be. The iPhone will listen to music and tell me what the tune is and all about the artist. With Pandora I can tell it which musicians I like and it will search the world finding radio stations playing their songs and send them through my ear buds endlessly. Excercising has never been so easy. I can locate recipes and books. iTalk turns my iphone into a recorder and allows me to label and then save and or e-mail what I have recorded. There is a MobileFiles application that synchs and sends selected files from my computer to the iPhone. And if I ever need a laugh there’s iFart. That’s one you need to hear to appreciate.

Twitter Tie In
Just yesterday I downloaded TwitterFon which lets me (or you) make live Twitter posts on the move, and even attach photographs stored in the iPhone, or take a picture with the iPhone and  and attach either of them.

Multiply This X $400 to $500
Apple sold 13.7 million iPhones in 2008, and they are not finished yet. This article just published yesterday announces the new iPhone 3.0 which will allow you to sell or buy goods and services via the iPhone. What can be next?

It’s Here!
Like it or not, the cyber revolution is upon us.

Embrace It!
You cannot outrun technology; it’s too big, it’s moving too fast.

Big, expensive and Cool
I had computers like this in the 60’s and 70’s, but the technology was so complicated that I didn’t even try to touch them.

Early Geeks
We hired people much different than us to move those big discs around. They were very smart; what they did was a mystery, and they intimidated the rest of us with their knowledge. As I look back on it, those computers didn’t do near as much as your cell phone does today.

Mo Betta!
In the 80’s I hung it up for a simpler life, surfing in Hawaii. All I had to think about every day was if to surf at Queens or Canoes; both in Waikiki. I was determined to never touch a computer. After all, I didn’t even know how to type.

My Phobia
The truth was that I was afraid of the fast moving technolgy. As I ventured into the business world in Hawaii I continued to shy away from what was “the future.”

Mobile To Da Max
The first time an emplyee brought a PC to work I accused him of playing games in his office. Soon we won’t even have brick and mortar offices. Today you can work from anywhere, all because of technology.

“Tweeting”
I was moved to compose this post today as a result of my latest “brain strain” called Twitter. Two weeks ago I said, “No way” when asked if I am “Tweeting” yet. Now I find myself drilling down into all of the benefits and possibilities of this latest “easy” technology. See what I mean right HERE!

Pipe Dream
If nothing else I may be seeing a glimpse of my life long after I want to “work’ any more. Don’t worry Honey, that’s not tomorrow.

Are You Twittering Yet?
When I got e-mail (Friday) suggesting that I get a Twitter account, my reply was rather sarcastic. I said something like, “First there was MySpace, then Facebook, then LinkedIn. I did them all; why I don’t know. In addition I have my website, my calendar, my Blog and my Daily Motivator to stay on top of. And then there’s the business to run.” Well, being the curious person that I am, I checked it out, and now I have a Twitter account with a rapidly growing list of people finding and “following” me.
This one is different, and as I spend more and more time understanding how to use it I am seeing some real benefits. First is that you do not have to post anything at all, you can just “follow people” that you have interest in. My favorite one already is the Honolulu Advertiser. Any time that anything happens they “Twitter it” long before it appears anywhere else. Restaurants can post menu specials, artists post art shows, retailers release new products, movie theatres movie times, all in real time. The list is endless. My current Twitter update says simply, “Working on new Blog post.” Maybe someone will tune in to read this before getting my Daily Motivator in the morning. In a few moments it will say, “Blog finished, working on Monday Motivator.” That one you will have to wait to see. C’mon; follow me!

Now More Dynamic Than Ever

“A quotation at the right moment is like bread in a famine.”
-Talmud

I have been inspired by memorable quotes as long as I can remember, even when I don’t know who the author was, like Talmud. I have been collecting quotes that I find inspiring and motivational for many years. I started sending a daily quotation to “My Favorite People” shortly after learning to use the computer. I love how wisdom aquired over the years can be imparted in a few short words. 

“A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience.”
-Miguel de Cervantes

In time I began adding other motivational stories and links to my daily e-mail, figuring that as long as I was sending it out, I might as well make it as valuable as possible to my readers. Without realizing it, this was slowly becoming a larger and larger daily task of love. My list of Favorite People had grown to the point where it was being seen as Spam by some e-mail systems.

Oh No!
Eventually my own e-mail server accused me of Spamming and shut down my outgoing e-mail. I was ready to stop sending out the e-mail quotes; after all there was no money in it; nothing for me but work and aggravation. But, as is the case with many things, the problem led to the solution and I discovered Constant Contact. With Constant Contact I could create my message and send to as many people as I want, more professionally without the Spam threats. Furthermore Constant Contact provided me with the opportunity to let people “Opt-In” to the list directly from the front page of my website without me having to add them into my address book and onto my quote list.
If you are reading this blog, but not yet getting my Daily Motivator, just CLICK HERE and sign up. It’s free, confidential and you can “Opt-Out” just as easily any time you choose to.