Is That All?

People Magazine reported that Britney Spears said to Ryan Seacrest recently, “At the end of the day you gotta know in your heart that you are doing the best that you can.”

In my classes I say that none of us are “doing the best we can”, at least not every day. When you say that, either to someone or just to yourself, you are saying that you can’t get any better. Don’t be guilty of such limiting beliefs. Instead ask yourself, “How can I do better than I am today?” Asking that question will lead you to ideas that when acted upon will invariably lead you to greater heights than you may have felt was possible.

$80,000,000 Could Mean “Go to go!”

Mesa Air Group on Tuesday was ordered by a federal judge to pay Hawaiian Airlines $80 million in damages for using confidential business information to gain an unfair advantage against its inter-island competitors.

Faris declined to order go! to stop flying, saying the $80 million judgment adequately compensates Hawaiian.

I have to wonder if this ruling today by Judge Robert Faris will at the very least stop the crazy Air Fare War going on between our three inter-island air carriers. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the long range effect of money losing fares will not be a benefit to the islands. Driving each other into the red is crazy.

Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO Mark Dunkerley called the ruling “a triumph for fair competition and ethics over dishonesty and illegal behavior. Nobody benefits when a company like Mesa misuses confidential information to gain an unfair competitive advantage then lies about it and destroys evidence.”

55 Total To Be Exact

Bob was out visiting customers today, and thought everyone would enjoy this observation.
The anticipation of the Holiday season seems to be on everyone’s mind. With Halloween tomorrow, I was telling people that there’s just one more day until the Christmas shopping season begins.

We all know how it used to be; Christmas shopping started the day after Thanksgiving. That is not the case anymore. I’ve already seen Christmas decorations up and others are in the process of putting theirs up.

Look at the photo above. It might be hard to see, but they have both Halloween items in the window and in the store, however they are being overshadowed by the large display of Christmas decorations going up on October 30.

Hold on, “tis the season” is just around the corner. Click Here to get your own Google Gadget to add to your iGoogle home page, counting down the days until Christmas.

Ron and Famous Amos Smiling Anyway

My friend Wally Amos and I were on the runway, about to fly from Maui to Honolulu this evening when the plane engines suddenly stopped. We looked at each other and said in unison, “I don’t like the sound of that”.

The next thing we heard was the pilot saying, “I’m sorry folks, but while going through our check list before take off I noticed a problem with our brakes. We need you to leave the plane and return to the terminal while we have our mechanics take a look at it.” He went on to say, “We only have a 30 minute opportunity to fix it before it gets too dark to take off”. We were at the tiny Kapalua Airport on West Maui, where there are no runway lights.

Everyone returned to the terminal and got on their cell phones to announce our delay. Wally got on his Blackberry and I opened up my lap top. Wally got us both laughing when he said, “Hey, I have an e-mail here from Ron Martin, what a world this is.”

The good news is that we were able to re-board in time to take off before dark. While in flight we talked about the importance of pilots going through their pre-flight check list even though they may have flown the plane thousands of times. It is surprising to think that most salespeople don’t go through their check list before greeting the first customer of the day. When flying an airplane doing so can make a life or death difference. In selling it is only success or failure.

To see those smiles up close, click on the photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Good or Bad?

Unhappy customers can be bad news for any company, yet properly dealt with can be a huge benefit. It only takes one poorly handled one to ruin your day, and perhaps even your reputation. One handled well can do just the opposite.

The first rule is, “Don’t take it personal”. The customer may not be right, BUT, the customer is ALWAYS right. It could be a “mood thing” on the part of the customer. Never let your mood become a factor. Some customers have unrealistic expectations, while others may have a legitimate gripe. The important thing is for YOU to make things better.

Here are some things that YOU can do to make unhappy customers your ally rather than your enemy.

1. Listen, and do not interrupt customers while they are venting. They need to tell their story and feel that they have been heard.

2. Say, “Thank you”. You do not have to agree to be thankful. You can say, “Thank you for calling this to my attention.”

3. Apologize: Again, you do not have to agree. You can say, “I’m sorry that you feel this way”. Do not attempt to lecture the customer, make excuses, or attempt justify what has happened. Doing so will just make it worse.

4. Seek a Solution: Ask your customer, “What do you think we should do about this?” Oftentimes the customer’s solution is easier than what you might have in mind. Sometimes the venting and apology is enough.

5. Agree: Look for a solution that will satisfy the customer. The cost of the solution is most likely less costly than a tarnished reputation would be.

6. Do It Now: Show a sense of urgency. Your willingness to fix the problem quickly will do more FOR YOU than the problem DID TO the customer.

7. Follow-up: Make sure that what you agreed to do was done, and done right. A lack of follow through can undo all of the good you just did.

Remember; STUFF HAPPENS. It’s how you handle the STUFF that is more important than the STUFF itself.

Saddleback Mountains

Saddleback is the landmark formed by the two highest peaks in the Santa Ana Mountains, and the ridge between them. This formation, which resembles a saddle when viewed from most of Orange County, California, dominates the county’s eastern skyline, and on the clearest days can be seen from most of the Greater Los Angeles Area; from Santa Monica to downtown L.A., to the highest points of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, to the Inland Empire, and to Palomar Mountain and San Diego’s North County.

The view today is marred by tragedy as the worst fire in the history of California rages through these beautiful mountains. Our hearts go out to everyone directly connected to this disaster as well as all of the lost wildlife with nowhere to hide.

Trabuco Canyon was for many years my secluded weekend hideaway when living in Southern California. I shudder to think of what is happening there today.

For a full view of this majestic, tell-tale photo taken from Lake Mission Viejo click on the photo. Then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Longs Beware!

Pacific Business News announced today that the Walgreen Co. plans to open their first store on Maui late next year.

The store will be 15,000 square feet, and will be built in Lahaina across from the Lahaina Cannery Mall. It will include a drive-through pharmacy, and they are expected to employ more than 40 people. With unemployment being as low as it is, this should be very interesting.

They announced earlier this year that they intend to open 30 stores in Hawaii and will position them as close to Longs as they can. This one will be right across the street.

The nation’s largest drugstore chain is set to make its Hawaii debut on November 1, when it opens its first Hawaii store on November 1 in the former Tower Records store on Ke’eamoku Street in Honolulu.

Keeps the Doctor Away

The old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” is more than folklore. One medium size, unpeeled apple provides over 3 grams of fiber, more than 10% of the daily fiber intake recommended by experts.

The apple’s two types of fiber lower cholesterol levels, and thus reduce your risk of heart attack, and stroke.

Adding just one large apple to your daily diet has been shown to decrease cholesterol 8-11%, and eating 2 large apples a day has lowered cholesterol levels by up to 16%!

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as apples, helps prevent heart disease. Almost 10,000 American adults participated in this study and were followed for 19 years.

Lowering cholesterol levels isn’t the only benefit of eating apples. The pectin they contain removes toxins like the heavy metals lead and mercury, from your body.

Another antioxidant, vitamin C, also found in apples, will boost your body’s immune defenses, providing yet another way that apples protect against cancer.

For me, eating apples sounds better than going to the doctor.

#5 in the Nation
Pacific Business News reported today that Honolulu ranks fifth in the nation in the percentage of adults that post and comment on Blogs.

The study was done through a random survey by Scarborough Research of New York City. The study reported that 12% of Honolulu adults read or contribute to Blogs.
Austin, Texas ranked #1 at 15 percent followed by Portland, Oregon at 14, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle were both at 13%.

Last place was Buffalo, N.Y. and Pittsburgh tied at a mere two percent.

Promotions and Deals

CNNMoney quotes the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) as saying that this year’s holiday sales will be “the softest levels seen since 2004″. Their prediction is that “retailers will be relying on promotions and other deals” will be the way most retailers will deal with the softening trend.

While these marketing efforts might bring more customers into the store, my suggestion would be a stronger focus on selling to those in the store.

It’s amazing to see the lack of attention that shoppers get these days, and the biggest violators seem to be the biggest stores. My father told me that “volume can make up for a multitude of sins”.

While that is probably true, why not capitalize on what is in front of you with better service?