Looking Good

Back in August I posted a Blog about a car accidentally running through the wall at Smiley Nails in Kaimuki. I received a comment on that post today suggesting that I do an “update”. I went there today and noticed that the salon front looks as good as new.

Successful Couple 

I went inside, met Tam and Ly and gave them a copy of Retail Selling Made Easy. It was Sunday afternoon and the place was packed. This speaks quite well for the reputation they have created in the seven years they have been there. This is a very competitive business and I have been into a lot of salons. Perhaps the most striking difference here was the professional white uniforms everyone was wearing and the primary use of English.

Shine Em Up 

I took Tam up on his generous offer to get a manicure directly from Ly. My nails are shining and I will be back.

Friday Night Special
Every Friday afternoon the Waikiki Yacht Club holds its weekly sailing yacht race. The motivation to win is strong with a bottle of champagne being the grand prize.

Captain Doug Smoyer
This is also a weekly “happening” for Doug and Joan Smoyer with a small group of selected friends that are invited to go out on their motor yacht and watch the race up close. Besides seeing Waikiki from this special perspective, Doug’s guests are often times entertained by his ukulele or harmonica playing.

It’s EASY
I feel honored to be among the invitees occasionally, and always cherish the time. There is always plenty of good vibes to go along with the great company, views, food and drink.

Peter and Bonea
This past Friday Doug granted my request to invite some of my own friends. Peter Skaaning has a tough time breaking away from the Honolulu Design Center, but the opportunity to get out on the ocean with Bonea and friends was one he could not resist.

(R-L) Steen and Carsten
The invitation was especially timely because Peter’s brother Steen from INspiration BC was in town, as was BoConcept boss Carsten Pedersen. Carsten logs over 250,000 air miles every year, so the relaxation was a welcome break for him.

Picture Post Card
I heard someone say, “Now that’s a post card moment” as we watched the yachts reach the half way point with the sun dropping down on the horizon. My thought at the moment was, “Lucky we live Hawaii”.

Tasks
Just like at the store, there are always some tasks to be done. Normally Doug and Joan can avoid this part since they have a “crew”. On this day the normal ”crew” wasn’t there, so the guests got a chance to help out. I didn’t hear any complaining, and I heard a lot of gratitude expressed from all for the experience.

Captain Doug Smoyer at the Helm

Mahalo Doug, you are Da Man! I Love You.

“Up” IS an Option

Alan Perry of Perry’s Emporium in Wilmington, North Carolina told me the other day that when he heard news of a “recession” he announced to his staff that he doesn’t choose to participate, and then increased his advertising. He went on to say, “I have more money in my pocket today than ever before.” He followed this statement up with a series of stories about things he is doing to counter the negative trend in the news and capitalize on the pessimism of others.

Opening March 7, 2008
Another optimistic example is Nordstrom. Spokesman Michael Boyd recently announced that in spite of the so called “slow economy”, that Nordstrom is scheduled to open eight new full-line locations in markets around the country. They will be holding more grand openings than any year since 2002. One of those will be on March 7th here in Honolulu. Neighboring department store pessimists that are busy cutting costs have a rude awakening coming.

It’s A Good Thing
I am often asked, “How’s the economy in Hawaii?” My answer is always, “Who’s economy do you want to know about? Mine is fine.” People all have their own “economy”, and at any time in history, the great depression included, there were individuals that chose to thrive on the pessimistic mentality of the masses. 
As long as I can remember, “bad news” circulated faster than “good news”. If you want to save some time when reading the newspaper, just scan it for good news.

CNN Money reported recently that “only 19 percent of Americans believe the nation will avoid a recession, while 57 percent believe that there will be a downturn this year. Another 19 percent believe the nation is already in a recession”. Rich Yamarone, director of economic research at Argus Research said, “If consumers who were only worried about a recession actually pull back on their spending reigns, then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.”

Go Deep!
Make you’re self-fulfilling prophesy one of abundance. As one successful farmer said during the drought, “We plow deep while others sleep”. If you practice “down thinking” you will go down. 
The problem with times like this is that after reading enough about other’s problems you might start thinking that it’s justifiable to have the same ones. It’s Not! Who wants problems anyway?

Do like Alan Perry, and make the choice to “not participate”. It’s all in your head!

Special Delivery

Here’s a story about customer service to Da Max:
While on Maui Wednesday afternoon I received an order for a Retail Selling Made Easy Audio Book from Erin Ushijima along with this note:
Hello!

I purchased your audio book CD’s this morning (”Retail Selling Made Easy”). I wanted to ask when the item would be shipped out, and by what shipping method. Please email me as soon as possible (it’s actually a Valentine’s Day gift). Any shipping info would be appreciated (tracking info, etc.). Thank you!

I replied with this e-mail:
Aloha Erin,
I saw your order today. I am on Maui, and my office may have already sent it. If not; depending upon where you are, maybe we could even deliver it to you since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.
Please give me a number to call you at, and tell me where you are.
Ron

Erin then e-mailed back saying:
Hello! Thank you for responding so quickly! I really appreciate it! If the audio book has been mailed out, that’s great! If you or someone from your office will be in the Mo`ili`ili area tomorrow (between 11 A.M.-5 P.M.), I can meet them somewhere. I’ll either be at the shipping address, which is *********.
If not, it’ll be OK if it’s shipped out tomorrow and arrives on the 15th (since my boyfriend told me part of my gift will be arriving late too–haha). If you guys will be around tomorrow to drop off the audio book, my phone number is: ***-***. I can let them know which address I’m at. Thanks so much for being so accomodating!
Have a good day,
Erin

Obviously this got me off of the hook. I already had the money, so I didn’t have to go any further. I checked with my office and determined that the book had not been sent yet.

I then sent this e-mail to Erin:

Aloha Erin,
The book has not been mailed, and mailing it tomorrow will not get to you by the 15th. My limo is picking me up at the airport tomorrow at 12:45 PM and taking me to Ala Moana. I will get the audio book to the driver, and have him bring it along. I will then call you when I get into the car and we can designate a spot to meet, somewhere between the airport and Ala Moana. Does that sound doable?
Again, I am curious as to what led you to getting him this book, and what his business is.
I’ll probably see you tomorrow… somewhere. This will give you the edge on the “present thing”. I may even want to get a picture of me delivering it to you to put on my Blog. After all, I do teach good customer service. Would this be good example of it, or what!
Ron Martin

Erin Replied:
Hello!  Sounds great!  I am trying to have my boyfriend come with me, as it would be a lot more meaningful if he gets his gift from you, in person.  The parking lot in front of Office Depot/Nordstrom Rack may be a good place for us to meet up with you, and it’s on the way to Ala Moana.  Sorry this reply is so late!  Anyway, awaiting your call!  Thanks!
Erin

Upon my arrival in Honolulu I called Erin, arranged the drop off, and sent her this e-mail from the limo:

Aloha Erin,
We are on the way. We should be about 15 minutes.
Ron

Erin and her boyfriend, Kent Izuka met us in that parking lot.

Kent is the owner of Security & Sound Systems. I signed and delivered the book, had my driver take the photo above, and off we all went. I think they were impressed with this level of customer service and had a great Valentine’s Day.
Now I better go take care of my Valentine!

Waikiki Sailing Yacht Races

One of the real highlights of being on Oahu is watching the weekly yacht races off of Waikiki.

The best way to appreciate this event is to climb aboard a friend’s motor yacht, loaded with friends and goodies, and get out there with them.

Doug and Joan Smoyer

Our hosts on many of these Friday afternoons are Doug and Joan Smoyer. Joan owns Noa Noa and Doug is… well, I like to call him “Mr. Retail”. No one knows more about what’s going on in the world of retail than Doug. I treasure any opportunity I get to be with Doug.

Whale Watching

On this particular evening Masae was the official whale watcher. She spotted a mother whale and calf that were spouting about a hundred yards from the boat. 

I just “kicked back” and enjoyed it all.
Mahalo Doug and Joan

Vince Wilson - Google Gadget Expert

I am amazed at how many people there are out there that have not yet become aware of Google Gadgets and how they work. The most amazing thing of all is that they are FREE. If you are adept at web page design you can create your own Google Gadgets.

If you are like me you should enlist the aid of someone like Hawaiian photographer and web builder Vince Wilson. Vince has close to 30 gadgets on the web now and is ranked in the top 10 gadget builders in the world, and he is right here in Hawaii.

Vince created my first gadget in September of 2007, and the hits to my site jumped from 1,539 in August to 4,385 in September. The hits have grown steadily every month. In the first week of February, 2008 I have already had 2,579 hits and am on track to have 10,684 hits this month alone. 

To see and get (FREE) any or all of my four Google Gadgets, click on the gadget name and click on “Add To Google”:

Success Tips Gadget

Retail Selling Tips Gadget

My Blog Gadget

Christmas Countdown Gadget

Hawaii Prince Hotel

A gala $100 per plate dinner was held on Wednesday February 6th at the plush Hawaii Prince Hotel. The purpose was to present the Hawaii Business Magazine 2008 Small Business Success Awards. The four criteria were; longevity; a unique service or product; rapid sales growth; and the ability to overcome challenges and make a comeback. There were many professional photographs taken and on a later Blog I will show you those taken of the Success Dynamics clients that showed up in force to cheer me on; and cheer me on they did.

Front Page News
It was exciting from the start as we were greeted by a giant copy the front page of this month’s Hawaii Business Magazine.

State Senator Sam Slom
In addition to Senator Sam Slom, our Mayor and Lieutenant Governor were on hand to help present the awards and offer their congratulations.

Senator Slom, Michelle McGuiness and Mr. Retail, Doug Smoyer joined Success Dynamics clients at one table.

Karl Sweitzer squeezed his way into a second table full of Success Dynamics clients.

The award itself was presented by Hawaii Business Magazine and Bank of Hawaii. When my name was called, our two tables of enthusiastic clients and friends let everyone in the room know that they were happy for me. I don’t embarrass easily, but I was really taken back by this reception and am very grateful.
More and better photos with client name recognition will be forthcoming, I just wanted to get something up here tonight to let those unable to attend know that we were well represented.

Here’s a slide show taken at the Business Magazine Success Awards by photographer Vince Wilson. Just click RIGHT HERE, then sit back and watch.

Small Business Success Awards

I felt honored to open up the February issue of Hawaii Business Magazine and see that Success Dynamics was a winner of this year’s Small Business Success Awards. 50 Hawaii companies were nominated. The four criteria considered were longevity; a unique service or product; rapid sales growth or rapid expansion; and finally, the ability to overcome challenges and make a comeback.

Matt Muccio

We were nominated by Techniques Hawaii CEO Matt Muccio. Matt is no stranger to success. He was last year’s recipient of the Hawaii Entrepreneur of the Year Award. At 29 years old Matt has captured the market for hotel events needing audio visual equipment. We are pleased to Have Matt as a Morning Report customer. He told me today that he now runs the company with the Morning Report.
Next week Bank of Hawaii and Hawaii Business Magazine are throwing a $100 per plate dinner to recognize this year’s Small Business Success Award Winners. I will post photos of that event for you to see.
I loved surfing, but selling success is even “mo betta!”

DONE! 3-May Friday 9 AM Strategy Session with Aloha State Sales
DONE! 3-May Friday 11 AM Managers Meeting Jungle Fun
DONE! 3-May Friday 1 PM Manager Meeting Frank at Hawaii Energy Connection
DONE! 4-May Saturday 7:45 AM Success Rally Hawaiian Accessories
DONE! 4-May Saturday 10:30 AM Success Rally Hawaii Energy Connection
DONE! 5-May Sunday 12 PM Appointment Coco
DONE! 6-May Monday 8 AM Appointment - Clark hatch
DONE! 6-May Monday 11 AM Hawaiian Accessories Sales Leaders Meeting
DONE! 6-May Monday 6 PM Surf-n-Sea Success Rally
DONE! 7-May Tuesday 10:30 AM Strategy Meeting Opal Fields
DONE! 7-May Tuesday 10:30 AM Meeting with Marshal at Xcel - Ala Moana
DONE! 8-May Wednesday 12 PM Appointment Calvin
DONE! 9-May Thursday 5:05 AM HA 206 to Kahalui
DONE! 9-May Thursday 7:30 AM Rally Lahaina Scrimshaw
DONE! 9-May Thursday 9:30 AM Success Rally Pictures Plus Maui
DONE! 9-May Thursday 2:42 PM HA 355 Fly to Oahu
DONE! 10-May Friday 9 AM IT Meeting Ala Moana
DONE! 10-May Friday 11 AM Managers Meeting Jungle Fun
DONE! 10-May Friday 11:45 AM Interview HA AM
DONE! 10-May Friday 1 PM Manager Meeting Frank at Hawaii Energy Connection
DONE! 11-May Saturday 8 AM Planning Breakfast Hawaii Business Magazine
DONE! 11-May Saturday 10 AM Appointment with Deanne
DONE! 11-May Saturday 1 PM Appointment at Clark Hatch
DONE! 12-May Sunday - Mother’s Day
DONE! 12-May Sunday 10 AM IT Meeting on Masae’s Website
DONE! 13-May Monday 8 AM Noa Noa Success Rally
DONE! 13-May Monday 10 AM Appointment Clark Hatch
DONE! 13-May Monday 1:30 PM Interview HA AM
DONE! 13-May Monday 2 PM Interview HA AM
DONE! 14-May Tuesday 10:30 AM Strategy Meeting Opal Fields
DONE! 14-May Tuesday 12:30 PM Appointment at Clark Hatch
DONE! 14-May Tuesday 2 PM Appointment Calvin
DONE! 15-May Wednesday 9 AM Appointment at Clark Hatch
DONE! 16-May Thursday 9 AM Appointment at Clark Hatch
DONE! 17-May Friday 9 AM Meeting with Linda Fernandez
DONE! 17-May Friday 11 AM Managers Meeting Jungle Fun
DONE! 17-May Friday 1 PM Manager Meeting Frank at Hawaii Energy Connection
DONE! 17-May Friday 4:30 PM Success Rally Loco Boutique
DONE! 18-May 17 Saturday 2 PM Interview HA Outrigger
DONE! 18-May Saturday 3 PM Success Rally Loco Boutique
19-May Sunday 8:45 AM Success Rally Opal Fields
19-May Sunday 12 PM Appointment Coco
19-May Sunday 3 PM IT Solutions at HT
20-May Monday 8 AM Managers Rally Noa Noa
20-May Monday 4 PM Mike Hulser Radio Show
21-May Tuesday 7 AM Aloha State Sales Success Rally
21-May Tuesday 10:30 AM Strategy Meeting Opal Fields
21-May Tuesday 2 PM Appointment Calvin
21-May Tuesday 3 PM ITG Meeting with Bill at Clark Hatch
2 PM Loco Boutique Meeting with Shelly
22-May Wednesday 6 PM Success Rally Angels By The Sea ???
23-May Thursday
24-May Friday 11 AM Managers Meeting Jungle Fun
24-May Friday 1 PM Manager Meeting Frank at Hawaii Energy Connection
25-May Saturday
26-May Sunday
27-May Monday
28-May Tuesday 10:30 AM Strategy Meeting Opal Fields
28-May Tuesday 1 PM Appointment Calvin
28-May Tuesday 2 PM Appointment Calvin
29-May Wednesday 6 PM Success Rally Angels By The Sea
30-May Thursday 3 PM Managers Meeting Loco Boutique
31-May Friday 11 AM Managers Meeting Jungle Fun
31-May Friday 1 PM Manager Meeting Frank at Hawaii Energy Connection