Mahalo for the Mahalo
I was suprised today to open the November issue of Hawaii Business Magazine to find this substantial public “Mahalo” for my recent lunchtime talk at Morton’s. This is an example of going the extra mile and doing the unexpected and uneccessary. The article says;

“Mahalo Ron Martin
Hawaii Business Magazine and the sposors of the SmallBiz 2008 Luncheon, Bank of Hawaii and Avis, would like to thank Ron Martin of Success Dynamics, Inc. for being the guest speaker and reminding all of us to look for the positive and keep things easy.”

My “Mahalo” goes to Hawaii Business Magazine publisher David Tumilowicz and his staff at the magazine. This was both touching and appreciated.

Best Restaurant on Maui
When dining on Maui, my Restaurant of choice is the Lahaina Grill in the historic Lahaina Inn,  just off of Front St. in Lahaina.

Celebrity Treatment
I can always count on the “Celebrity Treatment”, especially when Owner Jurg Munch is around. When Bill and Mary Ellen Jelen were on Maui last year we dined there, and Jurg gladly posed with the Jelen’s.

The Celebrity Table
Last night Terri Kohl, co-owner of Brighton Collectibles treated me and her friend Carolyn Clarke to dinner at Lahaina Grill. Jurg was off at a birthday bash (his own), but we were ushered to the “Celebrity Table”. I had coffee with Jurg this morning and he explained to me that this is the table where Oprah Winfrey sits when there; thus the title Celebrity Table.

Mirror Man
At the end of our meal we were treated to a complimentary desert dish. I snapped this delicious desert photo of Terri and Carolyn with my iPhone and e-mailed it off to Jerry Kohl saying, “Wish you were here.” I’m getting pretty good at catching myself in the mirror while photograhing others; acidentally of course.

Breakfast at Longhi’s
It was exciting to have Terri Kohl (left), wife and partner of Brighton founder and CEO of Brighton Collectibles, Jerry Kohl visit Oahu to see the new Brighton Collectibles store at Ala Moana Shopping Center. En route from the airport to the store Terri dropped in for breakfast with me, Eddie and Patty Sherman. Eddie, the perpetual interviewer, ia always looking for a “story”, and he had a million questions for Terri. He was fascinated by the Brighton story and along the way it came out that Patty had sold Brighton products many years ago when working for Donny Borsack at El Portal when they were at Ala Moana. 

Eddie Gets New Brighton Belt
Eddie Sherman has had an illustrious career as a columnist, and loves asking people questions. When he learned that Brighton makes and sells men’s belts, his eyes popped and he showed Terri his well worn belt. That led to a trip straight to the Brighton store where Eddie was like a “kid in a candy store” where visiting Newport Beach, CA store manager, Linda helped him pick out a new belt. I think it’s safe to say that he was thrilled with it.

In Good Company
I was pleased to pose between Terri and Ala Moana store manager DeAnne Imamura.

Patty Too
While Eddie was picking out his belt, Terri helped Patty find a few things for herself. Belief in your product is the strongest attribute that you can have in selling, and no one has that more than Terri Kohl. My wife’s closet is a testiment to that fact.

More Food
Next we were treated to a wonderful lunch at Nieman Marcus by Terri. After lunch I ushered Terri to the airport where she flew off to Maui. A “Brighton Day” is always a bright day. 

Turtle Bay Resort
The beautiful Turtle Bay Resort was the setting for the first annual North Shore Chamber of Commerce Business Exposition.

Old Home Revisited
It was a treat to get out to my old North Shore stomping grounds. I was reminded of the peaceful environment and fabulous scenery where I called “home” for 15 years. I confess to having felt the urge to stay.

Great Turnout
Business owners from all over the North Shore turned out for the first North Shore Chamber of Commerce Business Exposition. We enjoyed lunch, information sessions and lots of Aloha.

Many Subjects and Speakers
I was honored to be among a distinquished group of speakers covering helpful subjects such as Grant Writing, SBA Loans, Sustainability Practices, Crime and Loss Prevention, Trademark, Patent and Copyright Law, Marketing/Branding, Business Plan Preperation, and my topic; Customer Service.

Small Groups
The large population was split off into several small and intimate breakout sessions where questions could be asked and we could all get to know each other. I was fortunate enough to speak to two such groups. I spoke on the important, yet often under estimated role that the salesperson plays in the business model.

Selling Books
Masae did her usual great job of selling books, keeping me busy signing them in between my speaking sessions.

No Waiting
My book customers were spotted around the hotel already reading the books they bought.
The day ended with a networking cocktail party where I mingled with my existing North Shore customers, met several new business prospects, sold more books and lined up future speaking engagements. I look forward to the next North Shore Chamber of Commerce Business Exposition. 

It’s Sooner Than You Think
There was a day when it was considered sacrilegious to even mention Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Well, like it or not, those days are over. Malls are decorated for Christmas long before the Thanksgiving feast begins.
Retailers that wait until Thanksgiving miss the opportunity to help their customers get a good jump on their shopping “chore”. No, it shouldn’t be seen as a “chore”, but the longer it is put off, the more of a chore it becomes.

Macy’s Ala Moana Gets It
Yes, people have started shopping. Retailers do their customers a big favor by giving them the tip to “start now”. A retailer told me today that she and some others had decided to pass on Christmas this year. I can’t think of a year where some added holiday shopping was more welcome than it will be this year.

Last minute shoppers face these challenges:
-The malls are crowded.
-The weather is bad.
-The merchandise is picked over.
-The prices are inflated.
People on the average have 25 people to shop for. The sooner they get started the more enjoyable it will be. Here are some things that you can do NOW to get the customers to start their Christmas shopping in your store TODAY.

Make a countdown sign.
Start Now, Say, “There are ONLY 65 Shopping Days left before Christmas.” Update it EVERY DAY. Go to iGoogle and get my Countdown Gadget. <<< Click There!
-Provide a wrapping station with paper, ribbons and cards.
-Start decorating now; small at first, and then go all out after Thanksgiving.
-Provide a printed shopping list to help people remember who they are going to be shopping for.
-Start the Christmas music playing right after Thanksgiving.

If you are in Hawaii remind customers that a gift from Hawaii will be the most unique gift under the tree.
Remember what they say about the early bird.

Joe Wurzelbacher
As we struggle to make sense of this year’s election, Joe the Plumber takes center stage, being mentioned 21 times in the last debate, while the old buzz word “change” was only mentioned once. I think that we are really lost in lies and minutia. I know you have read it all, but what bugs me is how a guy making $40,000 a year with an existing tax lien of $1,100 can make a legitimate argument about how the impact of a tax proposal on people earning over $250,000 a year would have on him. Even worse is that it was brought to everyones attention without being verified as factual.  
At the end of this CBS News media interview Joe said, “I just hope I’m not making too much of a fool of myself.” My take is that he already knows what he is; now we all do. The real fools here are the politicians that have elected to make Joe an issue in a national debate for the presidency of the United States of America. The rest of the world must be holding their ribs in laughter.

Partners in Success
In February of this year I was honored as a small business person by Hawaii Business Magazine and Bank of Hawaii. When David Tumilowicz, Publisher of Hawaii Business Magazine called me last month asking me to speak at the annual small business luncheon on October 9, I was honored again, and of course agreed.

Always Selling
Of course I asked if I could bring along a few books to sign for those interested. Masae was on hand early to set up the book table.

Morton’s Ala Moana
Morton’s Restaurant at Ala Moana was the scene of the event, and set quite a nice table.

All Smiles
I am always smiling when given the opportunity to present my favorite subject; success!

“Excuse Me!”
The Caesar’s Salad was well prepared, and looked delicious, but I was sure I smelled something “fishy”, and as a 40+ year vegetarian I had to question it. As you might imagine, there was “just a little” anchovy paste in the dressing, and the waiter was quick to replace it with a different dressing.

The Perfect Host
My host David Tumilowicz and I chuckled about the misunderstanding and compared a few notes before he introduced me.

The Economy
My message to the 95 or so people in the audience was to stay positive and search for evidence to the contrary of the dismal news being touted by the press. I cited some examples of sensational headlines and how they compared to the facts. Just type the word economy into the search box in this Blog to see the many posts I have written on this subject. This is a time when people need something positive and I can always find it.

The Proof
With the permission of owner Joe Green, I cited the record breaking month that Surf-n-Sea in Haleiwa had in September. While I agreed not to reveal the exact numbers, it was obvious, even from the back of the room that he did better than last year, or any other of the 43 years the store has been in business. Haleiwa is home to dozens of surf shops, mostly selling the same thing, but none of them can cite the level of success seen at Surf-n-Sea. The reason is the attitude and behavior of the salespeople in that store.
I challenged the crowd to be optimistic, and tout the successes around them. I ask everyone to do that. When the media spreads doom and gloom, (and they will) just refuse to participate.

At Last!
It took a long time and a lot of work to finally open the first Brighton Collectilbles store on Oahu. The Grand Opening ceremonies were held on Wednesday 10-9-08 at 9 AM.

But First…
The night before the opening Brighton treated the hard working staff to a deluxe dinner at 3660 On The Rise Restaurant in Honolulu. Robin Boyd was on hand from California to greet the staff and offer us all some Brighton history. She told us all about Jerry and Terri Kohl’s humble beginings 30 years ago selling men’s belts, and how it has led to the opening of this store along with Birmingham, Alabama in the morning, and five more before Thanksgiving.

Welcome Honolulu
Then the next morning Nikki and Chris rolled out the welcome mat, and the excitement started.

Blessed Event
I got a chance to pose with the Kahuna, Robin, store manager DeAnne Imamura and District Manager Nikki Wride prior to the blessing.

Hawaiian Kahuna
A Hawaiian minister is called a Kahuna, and one of the things they do is bless business openings to get a little divine help in getting the energy moving in the right direction.

Ribbon Cutting
DeAnne and Nikki then cut the ribbon and officially opened the store to the public.

Me First
I had told Jerry many months ago that I would be honored to be the first customer at this new store. Robin, one of “Jerry’s Angels” was right there to help me with my selection, take my card, get my signature and put me into the system.

Let the Shopping Begin
Customers began shopping immediatelly. They were very excited with the store and merchandise.

Robin Jumps Right In
Robin was mixing with customers and actually found one from her home town in Marina Del Rey, California.

Original Artwork
The ceiling in the store is a hand painted mural, as are the walls in the powder room. The entire store is a piece of art.

Pam Chambers
It was great to see Pam Chambers at the opening. She and I have shared many presentations at Brighton functions in Hawaii and on the mainland.
I headed out the door with my first purchase, put it in my car and headed off to have coffee with Pam and then to Morton’s for another event. Watch for that here tomorrow.

UPDATED PHOTO 10-10-08:

I visited the store the following evening and found it to be a “beacon” of light in the mall.

Kinko’s
I went into Kinko’s at 1:10 PM with what I thought was a simple job.

The Morning Report Boss Surf-n-Sea
I am speaking at a luncheon tomorrow sponsored by Hawaii Business Magazine for a group of Bank of Hawaii customers. My topic is “Remaining Positive and Generating More Revenue in Challenging Times”. I called Joe Green at Surf-n-Sea and got permission to hold up a copy of his September Boss Card from the Morning Report. I wanted to get it enlarged slightly so that a group of 100 people will be able to see it. Surf-n-Sea is a 42 year old company selling surf goods in a highly competitive environment; Haleiwa. In spite of the competition and tough economic times, September 08 was their best September EVER!

How Long Will it Take?
I asked Freddie how long it will take to enlarge this and print it on card stock. I gave him a disk to make it better and easier. He said, “It won’t be soon.” I asked him what time I could get it and he said, “Late this afternoon.” I asked him if he could be more specific, and he said, “About eight PM.” I said, “That’s too late, I will need to take it somewhere else.”

Busy?
He spent about 15 minutes typing the order into the computer, and then said, “I could try to do it by 4 PM, but cannort promise you as we have other jobs ahead of you.” I took this photo of the “business” with my iPhone, gave him my card and said, “My cell number is on my card, call me when finished, I will go visit the mall while you are doing it.”

One Hour Later
I went to the mall and dropped in on Jerry’s Angels setting up the Brighton Collectibles store for tomorrow’s opening. Watch for that right here. I was in there less than an hour when I got the call that my job was done. The amount of time needed to do this job went from seven hours to one hour. Of course I was happy, but how cool would it have been if I was originally told, “That looks pretty easy, we’ll do it for you right away and you can pick it up in an hour.” I remember the old “One Hour Photo” businesses. I’m sure they did a lot more work than this job required.
One thing you can do to “Generate More Revenue in Challenging Times” is to make every customer feel important. It’s actually pretty easy to do if you want to do it.

Who’s the Worst?
As both candidates prepare for tonight’s presidential debate, my stomach is turning already. If you believe what approximately half of the people in America are saying, both of these people are “bad guys” that will ruin America. If half the people in the country are right, then both candidates are wrong.
I remember days when we had to decide which of two “good people” would be the best person to lead America. I’m afraid those days are gone. As I watch the ads from both sides today, I feel major disgust. With so many important issues surrounding us, I find it appaling that these two campaigns are digging deep into the mud to find past faults with the other.