YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE

No, this is not me.

*Scroll down to see some more recent posts.

I moved to Hawaii in 1981 to enjoy the sun and surf. Several years of unprotected surfing has left me with sun damaged skin. Here are two things to remember about sun exposure.

1. Sun damage to the skin is like the odometer on your car; accumulative and irreversible.
2. There is no such thing as a healthy tan.

Jay Grekin, dermatologist extraordinaire, and my good friend of many years suggested that I undergo this Blu Light with Levulan treatment. It is a week long procedure that burns away layers of skin, while identifying and destroying keratoses (pre skin cancer lesions) that lie beneath the skin waiting to erupt into skin cancer.
Dr. Grekin said that besides the skin cancer removal that the treatment will make me look 10 years younger, and I am going to hold him to that.

I plan to stay indoors for the next few days. I can’t shave and I don’t look good.
I will post the progress in the photo bar to the left as a reminder to those of you still surfing to be careful. Also for those of you that already have the sun damage to see how this works on me.

Vancouver, BC

My last visit to the INspiration Interiors store in Vancouver, BC included a ride to the top of Grouse Mountain with Steen Skaaning and family.

Sightseeing is wonderful, but my real passion lies in the opportunity to meet with the sales staff.
As usual is was great, but this time the press was there and a story appeared in the BUSINESS in VANCOUVER weekly publication.
Writer Gregg Felton referred to me as, “Part sales guru and stand-up comic, easily mistaken for a refugee from the Summer of Love.”

They say there is no such thing as bad publicity. Read the whole story HERE!

No Mo on Kauai

There was a time when cruise ships first sailed into Honolulu Harbor and passengers were greeted by local residents with music, kisses and lei.

This headline in today’s Honolulu Advertiser “Hawaii Superferry officials have indefinitely called off future trips to Kauai” indicates that times have changed. The story tells a sad tale of Kauai residents “having their way” with force to keep the Superferry off of Kauai.

This behavior is NOT in keeping with the Aloha Spirit.

460 Suites Sold Out in One Day!

I get asked questions every day about the economy, and how people are doing. Judging from the recent growth in Honolulu condos, I would say that “all is fine”.

For example, the all new Trump Tower will be the most luxurious development in Waikiki.
Trump’s Waikiki Tower units will range from 500 square feet to 3,000 square feet, and sold for $500,000 to $7 million each.

As I say in Success Made Easy; “If you want it, you can have it; It’s Easy!”

Fox News

No matter how nuanced his confession for involvement in dog fighting, Michael Vick got no leniency Friday from the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who suspended the Atlanta Falcons quarterback indefinitely without pay, just hours after Vick filed a plea agreement that portrayed him as less involved than three co-defendants and guilty mainly of poor judgment for associating with them.

Vick acknowledged bankrolling gambling on the dogfights, but denied placing bets himself or taking any of the winnings. He admitted that dogs not worthy of the pit were killed “as a result of the collective efforts” of himself and two co-defendants.

The commissioner said Vick’s admitted conduct was “not only illegal but also cruel and reprehensible.” Even if he didn’t personally place bets, Goodell said, “Your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player.”

High Fives for Commissioner Roger Goodell!

Read this story about Radar. This was not in the Deep South, but in so-called civilized San Francisco. If your eyes are not moist when you finish it, there is something wrong with you.

Next: the jury. Let’s hope he doesn’t get the same one O.J. Simpson got. Let’s hope he gets the one you see HERE!

PS
Check out this signature.

Jury of Peers!

If only it could be this fair!

Click on the cartoon for full visual impact, and then your back button to return to the blog.

Salespeople hate hearing, “No”.

Jerry Kohl, the founder of Brighton Collectibles, once told me that he used to require reps to come to a weekly meeting armed with two “No’s”. My initial response was, “Wow that must make for some negative meetings. Jerry said, “No, you would be surprised how many “Yes’s” they found looking for those two “No’s”.

Interesting; by making the dreaded “No” okay he got people calling on stores that they might otherwise drive on by thinking, “No, they wouldn’t be interested”. They went in thinking, “I’ll get one of my required “No’s”, and damn, it became a “Yes” and they had to keep on looking for the “No’s”.

In Retail Selling Made Easy I say, “If NO to the wrong item is not alright with the salesperson, then YES to the right item will not be okay with the customer.
The minute you try to sell me something that I don’t like, there is something else I don’t like.
Guess what that is.

Fare Wars Take to the Air Again

This story appeared in today’s Pacific Business News:

Hawaii interisland carrier Go! set off another round of airfare wars Monday, announcing the sale of one-way tickets for as low as $19.
Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines matched the fare today.
The Web-only sale is not limited to frequent flyers, and there is no minimum stay or round-trip purchase requirement. The same policies apply to Aloha and Hawaiian.
________________________________________

When Go! first arrived in Hawaii people remembered the short lives of Royal Hawaiian Airlines, Mid-Pacific Airlines and a few others who were shot down by the Big Two. The thinking was that the same would happen with Go!, but NOT!

Now that they are succeeding to get a foothold the spin is that they are doing this until they can shut down one or both of the Big Two, and then come out with higher prices than ever.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome, the people of Hawaii are enjoying affordable air travel for the first time in many years.

We may just discover that they could have been doing that all along.

Shortages are Costly; but Controllable!
There are two basic sources of missing merchandise;
1.) Customer theft
2.) Employee theft.
Statistics show that employee theft is the largest.

Employee Theft:

Employees have the best opportunity to seal if so inclined. They know what your security systems are, who is watching and when. It is almost impossible to keep an employee that wants to steal from doing so. They can steal money as well as merchandise.

What can you do?
You can be more careful when hiring. Do background checks and call references. When in doubt, do without. A person who will lie to you on a resume may also be inclined to steal from you on the job.
When scheduling, keep in mind that it is easier to steal when alone than when working with another employee. There are many good reasons to have people working with someone. An even bigger reason than theft retardation is added sales. Once one person gets busy with a customer, that’s when more customers come into the store, and they are not as likely to be serviced.

Happy employees are not as likely to steal, so keeping people happy is another deterrant. Watch for trouble signals. When someone starts complaining (about anything) it may be time to move on.

Customer Theft:
The pros are going to get you; accept it. That being said, you can lessen their chances of being successful in your store by keeping a few simple things in mind.

The biggest deterrent to customer theft is an alert salesperson. The simple act of making eye contact and greeting a customer will cause some would be thieves to turn around and leave.

Your constant attention drives shoplifter’s nuts. A person intending to steal from you gives up as a result of your willingness to help with information and buying decisions. It is interesting that the things you can do to lesson theft are the same things that increase sales.

Thieves know how to remove security tags, so check the change room when someone leaves and limit the amount of merchandise taken in there. When someone comes out of the change room looking like he or she gained a few pounds in there, be suspicious.

If you see someone put something in his or her pocket or purse, say something like, “I think you accidentally dropped that Rolex you were looking at into your purse. Will you please take it out?”

There is no crime committed until the culprit leaves the store. Should that be the case, make a good note of the person’s description and license plate number, and then call the police. Don’t be a hero! People about to get busted can become violent, and your health is more important than the merchandise.