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.

Here’s where I am in October  
  
1-Oct >>> 2 PM Appointment Scott Kortveleski
2-Oct >>> 
3-Oct >>> 
4-Oct >>> 
5-Oct >>> 9 AM Avery At Uraku
6-Oct >>> 6 PM Rally at Surf-n-Sea
7-Oct >>> 
8-Oct >>> Time TBD Fly to Maui
9-Oct >>> 7:30 AM Rally Lahaina Scrimshaw
9-Oct >>> 9:30 AM Rally Pictures Plus Maui
9-Oct >>> Time TBD Fly to Oahu
10-Oct >>> 10 AM TCA Wireless Rally at Uraku
11-Oct >>> 
12-Oct >>> 9 AM Avery At Uraku
13-Oct >>> 
14-Oct >>> 
15-Oct >>> 
16-Oct >>> 
17-Oct >>> 4:30 PM Loco Boutique Rally at Ala Moana
18-Oct >>> 3 PM Loco Boutique Rally at Malia
19-Oct >>> 9 AM Avery At Uraku
20-Oct >>> 
21-Oct >>> 12 PM North Shore Chamber of Commerce Event
22-Oct >>> 
23-Oct >>> 
24-Oct >>> 10 AM TCA Wireless Rally at Uraku
25-Oct >>> 
26-Oct >>> 9 AM Avery At Uraku
26-Oct >>> Time TBD Fly to Maui
27-Oct >>> 8 AM Whalers Village Merchant Rally
27-Oct >>> 10 AM Whalers Village Kiosk Rally
27-Oct >>> Time TBD Fly to Oahu
28-Oct >>> 
29-Oct >>> 
30-Oct >>> 3 PM Loco Boutique Managers Rally
31-Oct >>> 

“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!

Customer Contact

Dealing face-to-face with customers can feel like “mental combat” at times. Not everyone is cut out for it. While customers are not always nice, salespeople must be.
“We found that we could hire nice people and teach them how to sell. We had problems hiring salespeople and teaching them how to be nice.”
-The Nordstrom Way

“Leave Me Alone” 

Customers do not always welcome a salesperson’s approach, even when it is a friendly one. Customers have all encountered pushy salespeople, and think you just might be one of them. Customers can be pretty “closed up”.

“How about…?” 

Getting close to a customer is a lot like flirting with a love interest. One person may want more out of the deal (at the moment) than the other, but both have an interest, or they wouldn’t be there. You want the sale and the customer needs your help. Timing can be everything.

Togetherness 

Your goal is to build a bond with the customer and break down those barriers early on. 
The tricky thing is doing it without appearing phony. The best way to come across as “real”, is to be “real”. The customer is in your store. Talking about the weather or anything outside of the store can be seen as insincere. Sincerity sells!

“Come On In” 

Your customers take a big step when they make the decision to enter your store. Their purpose is not to tell you how they are doing today, so don’t start off by asking that question. Doing so (unless you know one another) is phony. They don’t think you care how they are doing today, and you probably don’t. Be Real!

“Relax and Look Around” 

You probably have a lot of things for your customers to look at, and if you ask, “May I help you?” the answer will most likely be, “No thanks, I’m just looking”. Bad Question!
Always ask a safe, but meaningful question to get started. When you ask a question that assumes a purchase before the customer has seen what you have to offer, like; “Is there something in particular you are looking for?” you set yourself up for an answer you don’t want to hear.

Launch the Discovery 

Most customers are on a discovery mission. You can get in synch with your customer’s mission, launch their discovery and seize control all at the same time by asking the right question. Ask, “Is this your first time in our store”, or in the case of a repeat customer, “How long has it been since you have been in our store”. These are both non threatening, safe to answer questions that set you up to talk about the store and fulfill your customer’s mission.

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!

You Need To Dig For It

If gold could be found laying on the surface, everyone would pick it up. The fact is that you need to dig for it, sometimes deeper than you may want to. The same is true whether prospecting for gold or for new business. There are two kinds of people in the world; there are those who get what they want and those who take what they get. Guess which one gets the most.
Customer prospects (and gold) are everywhere.

Put On Your “Prospecticles”

The good prospector is always on the look out for new business. Regardless where you might be, chances are there are some good prospects within sight, but you must be looking for them. I have a term; DBWA (Doing Business Walking Around). It is amazing how many people you can meet if you have your “Prospecticles” on while you are anywhere.

W. Clement Stone

Like many people I have walls of framed mementos in my office. Perhaps the most treasured of them all is this 1975 photo of me and W. Clement Stone (May 4, 1902 – September 3, 2002) taken in my Hollywood office (very faded), along with the one of him wearing an oversized “Do It Now” T-Shirt that I sent to him.
“Clem”, as he was affectionately called was a prominent businessman, philanthropist and self-help book author. “Do It Now” was Clem’s motto. While in my office that day he told me this wonderful story.

As Clem was getting into the elevator to go up to his office at Combined Insurance Company of America, a man stepped in and said, “Hey Clem, I’m ready to buy that policy you have been talking to me about”. Clem said, “Okay, I will drop by your office later today to write it up”. The policy was for a million dollars.

By the time the elevator reached the top floor Clem had an idea. He called a spontaneous meeting with his top salespeople and announced, “Just a few minutes ago a man in this building told me that he is ready to sign for a million dollar life insurance policy. I told him that I would come down today and write it up. I’m kind of busy today and was wondering, would any of you like to go take it?” Of course they all raised their hands enthusiastically. Clem then said, “Great, go find him”.

Clem told me that they sold well over a million dollars of insurance that day, in that building, and never found the man. Think about it! This story has stayed with me for the last 32 years. All of those “prospects” were in that building all along while his salespeople were sitting on their hands drinking coffee (or something). The business was right there under their noses. All it took to get them out there “prospecting”, was the assurance that someone would buy. That assurance is always the case.

“I start buying when I run into someone that is selling”
-J. Paul Getty

Clem died at the ripe old age of 100. I hope you will take the time to click and read this story. If you don’t find it inspiring, have someone take your temperature.

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.