Saturday Afternoon – Lunch Hour

When Honolulu Design Center owner Peter Skaaning and I duck out for lunch, we are usually in a hurry to get back to work, especially on a Saturday (Game Day).

We went into one of our favorite “fast food” spots the other day, waited in line, placed our order, paid, and then heard the person at the register say, “This may take a while because my manager is out somewhere and I am all alone”. With that he headed into the kitchen to prepare our sandwiches.
Several more somewhat shocked people were left standing in line. He got our order started and then came back to the register to take more orders. Meanwhile we sat there waiting for our food.
While we both admired this young man’s willingness to “do it all”, we couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in the head of the manager to leave him there like that while she “ran an errand” or something.
There are always other things to do, but none of them should ever take a priority over customers.

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What a show!

We were thrilled to see the USAF Thunderbirds doing a “practice run” in front of our eyes today. I took the photo above from our lanai, with my cheap Sony digital camera. To see some real photos visit the Honolulu Advertiser’s Photo Gallery.
You might also want to see them in action on this video. Pardon the commercials.
The big event will be this Saturday. Today’s Advertiser had all of the details, the most important being; unless you are there for the show, stay away from Waikiki, as they expect 150,000 people to be on the beach for the show.
Here are some more fabulous photos.
Just click on the little numbered boxes or “left/right arrows”.

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September in Hawaii

Yes, we do see fewer visitors in September than we do in the busy months of July and August. That does not have to equate to less sales.

September travelers are generally speaking more affluent travelers. They are not dependent upon school schedules or summer vacations. They select September as the time to visit Hawaii specifically because it is not as crowded.

Fewer travelers mean easier upgrades on airplanes and hotel rooms. Restaurants are not so crowded, making for better seating choices. These are people who may be “pampered” back home, possibly even “spoiled” by great service because of who they are.

If you keep that in mind, and give every customer the service that he or she expects, your September sales can surpass those done in the “busier” months.

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Opportunities Galore

Things are getting very busy at Success Dynamics these days.
Ron, Bob, Kristen and Erin are keeping a sharp eye on our existing customers, and looking for others we can help.
The Morning Report is spreading through jewelry stores across the country. There is more opportunity than we can reach. If anyone out there knows an ambitious jewelry rep, call me today.

They all count!

Numbers tell a story. It is important to know how effective your salespeople are at converting “traffic” into “sales”.

A door counter is a good way to measure many things. I used to discourage the use of door counters for fear that salespeople would use the low numbers on certain days as an excuse for low sales. We all know that how many customers you have is not as important as what you do with them. A question that I ask salespeople all the time is, “How many good customers do you need in a day to have a good day?” The answer is always a resounding, “One”.

My attitude about door counters changed once we found a way to present this information powerfully as a part of the Morning Report. I am now surprised at the number of retailers that don’t measure their store’s traffic. Without this number, measuring the true effectiveness of your salespeople is very limited.

We have always tracked things like, total sales, sales per hour, average daily sales, and units per transaction on the Morning Report. But now we can track and display two more very important measurables; Sales per Capita and Capture Percentage.

“Sales per capita” tells you how much every person walking through the door is worth to you, (on an average) regardless if he or she buys anything or not. The “capture percentage” will tell you what percentage of them bought something. These two stats, when displayed dramatically are very powerful motivational tools. This becomes a good way to compare stores as well as salespeople.

Predictably, some salespeople will point to the inaccuracy of the traffic counters. They will talk about employees coming and going, groups coming in together, and various other scenarios that might impact the accuracy of the door count. Of course you only hear these complaints from stores or salespeople that are not doing well. “Accountability” is tough on some people, but it is essential to your success.

There are numerous door counters on the market, ranging from under $100 to over $1,000. My experience has been that you don’t need all of the bells and whistles provided with the high priced door counters, while some of the real cheap ones are not reliable at all and break down too often.

Give us a call for our recommendations.

Get Some

Do you know about Google Gadgets?
This appears to be the newest and most exciting search product to come along yet.
I will be putting numerous Google Gadgets on my Google Home Page.
Please contact me to learn more about this fabulous product. I can direct you to someone to help you set up your own Google Gadgets, and drive thousands of people into your web site.

Kristin Smith

Kristin is working in our Honolulu Design Center office as an administrative assistant. She is a graduate from Northeastern University, in Boston, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science.
While there she also participated in Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Rowing, and belonged to the Figure Skating Club.

See Kristin up close by clicking on her photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Erin Takahashi

Erin is working in our Honolulu Design Center office as an administrative assistant.
Erin is a “local girl” who graduated from the University of Hawaii. She is currently majoring in Interior Design at Chaminade University of Honolulu.

See Erin up close by clicking on her photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Live and Unedited

The latest product we have come up with to help “Make Success Easy” (our mission statement) is a series of CD’s recorded live and unedited at my various Success Rallies.

So many times I finish a Success Rally and think, “We should have recorded that one”. Since I am never scripted, we never know when one of those “gems” just might pop up.

Bob came up with the idea of recording them all, and then taking the best ones and making them available on a CD for only $10. We will cover any tax.

The first one, recorded this past week is entitled “Systems Work”. It outlines the differences that following a system can make, as compared to “shooting from the hip” when selling, or playing “mental combat” with customers. On this CD I explain why so many customers reject a salesperson right from the start, and how you can break down that defense.

My complete system (Pro-Active, No-Pressure Selling) is available in my book Retail Selling Made Easy, or on the Audio Book with the same title, or on the DVD.

The nice thing about “RON RAW” is that it is just enough to digest while driving in your car or working on your computer. I will announce future recordings here on the blog and bring copies along when making presentations.
To get your copy, call 947-7500 or send me e-mail, or just post your request as a comment on this blog.
DO NOT POST OR E-MAIL CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.
If you want to pay by credit card, fax your request to 947-7505.

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Become Addicted to Exercise

Make endorphins your drug of choice. They are a strong analgesic, and provide a sense of happiness. Endorphins are best known to those who exercise a lot, and can trigger what is known as the ‘runner’s high’. Some people find the ‘rush’ from endorphins addictive, making exercise easy.
These chemicals are natural; they work on your brain in a way that helps relieve stress, promote good moods, while helping you stay happier.

Stay Fit

The “battle of the bulge” becomes tougher as we get older. Success, jobs, family and other responsibilities can hamper your appearance and physical condition if you allow them to take a higher priority. I find it interesting that some of the busiest (and successful) people still find the time to exercise regularly, while some of the most complacent are in bad shape.

Do Something

Dedicate some time to exercise. If you can’t go to go to the gym, don’t like the gym, or just don’t want to go to the gym, do something else. Find some sort of activity that requires the use of your muscles and gets your heart beating faster. It doesn’t have to be intense, but it does have to be regular.
Bill Clinton, David Letterman and numerous other busy (and successful) people found the time to exercise regularly after having their heart by-pass surgery. Don’t wait for that motivation; do it now.

Take a walk
One of the easiest and most effective forms of exercise is walking; and it’s free. There are no gym dues, you can wear pretty much what you want to, and you can do it all alone or with a companion.