Bring On 2009

To make 2009 a great year, plan it that way. Start with reflection, followed by contemplation. Reflect back on 2008 and identify the things you did that resulted in success. Reflect also on the things you did that resulted in failure. Past failures can lead to future successes when seen in the proper light. Take responsibility, don’t accept any excuses. Do something different.

 ”Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
-Albert Einstein

Whatever you did last year got you whatever you got last year. If you truly want more next year you must do something differently. Decide the changes that you would like to bring about and then think about the behavior that will lead to those changes. Always focus on things within your control. You can control what you do and when you do what works best, you will get the best results.

New Year’s Resolutions
Make New Year’s Resolutions and then stick to them. Most people break them when it gets a little tough to live up to them. Sticking to your resolutions and making changes can be difficult but not impossible.  
The American Psychiatric Association offers seven tips for attaining Your New Year’s resolutions. There is nothing on this list that you cannot do.

Island Art Gallery - Hyatt Waikiki
Saturday December 27 was a very special evening for The Island Art Galleries as they filled the entire Hyatt Waikiki gallery with art painted by the famed Makk family.  Eva Makk, her husband Americo Makk, and their son A.B. Makk are all artists in their own right and have over 45 years of professional experience and accomplishments.
Americo Makk was born in 1927 in Hungary. He studied art at the Hungarian National Academy in Budapest and won a scholarship to Rome, where he won the Vatican Portrait Award. He and Eva were both appointed Professors at the Academy de Bellas Artes in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There they became official artists of the Brazilian government. In 1962 they came to New York City to escape Brazil’s political instability.

Me and Eva by On Wings
I was excited to get a picture taken with Eva next to her painting, “On Wings” which has hung dominately in my home since 1991. I saw it in the window of a gallery one day, walked in and bought it. Later I learned that Eva was born in Ethiopia. Her father was a diplomat, and her mother was an Hungarian baroness. She began painting at age four, studied art in Paris and graduated summa cum laude from the Rome Academy of Fine Arts, where she met Americo. Together they painted huge murals while in Brazil and once spent thirteen months in the Amazon jungle on a painting expedition.

Masae, A.B. and Eva
In the photo above you see Masae, Eva and her son A.B. who was born in 1951, while she and Americo were living in Brazil. A.B. began exhibiting at the age of five, when he was called “the little Picasso”, for his then cubist style works. He graduated high school in New York City and got his degree in psychology from the University of Hawaii. Masae brought along her Makk Family book “A Vision of Life” and had it signed by the entire family, including Sylvia; wife of A.B. and an artist as well.

New Masterpiece
Americo helped Eva unveil her latest masterpiece, and then went on to show new works by them all. This was a memorable evening finely presented by the team at Island Art Galleries.

Unexpected Signing
I was really taken by surprise when three girls visiting Hawaii from Greece popped in and presented me with copies of Retail Selling Made Easy to sign for them. They had just got the book from a retailer that hired them for seasonal work while here on vacation. This world is really shrinking.

Traffic is Traffic
I snapped these photos of the Ala Moana Shopping Center parking lot at 2 PM today (12/26). This is one of the few times that I have seen more cars than on the 4th of July when masses park there to watch the fireworks. The fireworks today are in the stores with retailers offering ridiculous discounts to attract buyers and move out old merchandise.

Boxing Day
Then there are the customers returning or exchanging gifts. There’s so much of this going on in Canada that today is called “Boxing Day” where people box up the gifts they got and head to the malls. To my way of thinking it doesn’t matter whether they are bargain hunting, exchanging or just plain shopping, one thing is for sure; people do have mmoney and will spend it when motivated.

Cut-Cut-Cut Your Throat
Too many retailers are killing one another by playing the “discount game.” Oddly enough some of my most successful retail clients are those that do not discount at all. They maintain their credibility and profits at the same time. If all you want to do is rid yourself of old merchandise, donate it to the Goodwill. You are in business to make money, and to sell things at a loss just to get traffic doesn’t make any sense to me. If you are losing money on what you sell, you cannot make it up in volume.

“What do you want for Christmas?”
I am the toughest person I know to answer that question. The reality is that if there’s something I want, I probably already have it. Well, just about anything. Masae isn’t that much different. Suprising her is a real challenge. I don’t dare buy her clothes or jewelry as my opinion is not likely to match her taste and if she goes along it’s not a suprise. What a dilemna this is a couple of times a year.
This year she suggested something real unique.Since we have both upgraded from vegetarian to vegan recently, she said, “How about we go to the Whole Foods Store and buy the ingredients needed for a dinner, and then our gift to each other will be the time spent together preparing the meal as a team?”
I’m no cook, and Masae doesn’t really like to cook, but the “time together” part sounded cool as that’s the one thing I don’t seem to give very much of to anyone, making it valuable. So I went to Google and searched for vegan recipes. We agreed on “Totally Awesome Tacos” and then we went to Whole Foods and had fun buying the ingredients pictured above. The recipe is below, and when done I will post a photo of the finished product at the end of this post. If this works out, gift buying in the future will be easy and delicious.
Totally Awesome Tacos

Ingredients (vegan version):

    1/2 cup chopped onion
    1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 cloves garlic
    1 15 oz can kidney beans, light red
    3/4 cup water
    1/4 cup nutritional yeast
    1 packet vegan taco seasoning

Directions:

1) Saute onion in olive oil til brown.
2) Add green bell and garlic.  Salt if you like. Saute 3-5 min more.
3) Add in beans, water and 1 packet of taco seasoning.
4) Let simmer until reduced, stirring occasionally.   While stirring, smash up the beans as much as you like (use a potato masher to get them fairly smooth).
5) Stir in nutritional yeast.
6) Place into taco shells and top with your fave toppings: avocado, tomato, lettuce, veg sour cream, etc…
Also, makes an awesome chip dip or layered bean dip.  Enjoy!
Serves: 2-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Tearful Task
Chopping onions will indeed bring tears to your eyes.

Done Deal - Let’s Eat
We all like to look back at a job well done. I go to the table with a newfound appreciation for the cook in the house.

Yummy!
I can now attest to the quality of the recipe above. We WILL do this again. No photos of the “dessert” that followed (the dishes). Merry Christmas.

No Waiting
I felt a bit sorry for the Ala Moana Santa Claus this year as I saw him sitting there all alone most of the time with an empty knee. I remember the lines being very long throughout the entire season. What’s happened?

Same Day - Apple Store
Meanwhile at the same time that I snapped the shot of Santa Claus I took this one from the doorway of the Apple Store. As I look down on the parking lot at 9 PM this evening (12/23) the place is packed. People are shopping.
I don’t think we can count on Santa Claus to fill our dreams this year, we will need to do it ourself with creative efforts and positive thinking.

No Service; No Wait; No Customers
Lex Brodie’s is one of the few reamaining gasoline stations in Honolulu that will “fill it up” for you. They won’t check the tires or clean your windows, but they will pump the gasoline. As I approached their Queen St. location yesterday I noticed the line for gasoline going out into the street. I’m one of the few people I know that still likes (even insists on) service, and I was low on gas, so I got in line. As I sat there waiting (working on my iPhone) I was thinking that business must be real good, I saw two people in front of me get tired of waiting, pull out of line and drive away. I am sure they found gasoline somewhere else. I am also sure that Lex Brodie’s didn’t know they lost those two customers.
As I got into the driveway I noticed something new; they have added some options. You can serve yourself (only) in one lane and use another for cash only. It was interesting to see that the cars waiting in line were all for the credit card lane WITH service. That’s the way they all used to be. The other two lanes were not only empty, but everyone wanting service was forced into one lane, thus creating the wait, and lost business. My next thought was, “I wonder who came up with that idea?” After that, I thought, “I wonder how much longer it will be before the service line is gone forever, along with a lot of customers who can pump their own gasoline at any number of other ‘No Service’ stations?” I will continue to insist on and be willing to pay for true service.

If You Are One, Contact Me
There are always people looking for a job, and always people in need of an employee. If you are either of these two, and not currently employed by a Success Dynamics client, send e-mail to me.
Ron
-Three Students From Chile Available Until February 23
These three girls are squeaky clean and willing to work as much or as little as needed. They have working Visas and proof of health insurance. If I had a retail store I would hire them in a heartbeat. To meet any of them, CLICK HERE to reach me by phone, or send a secure message with your e-mail address included.  

One Chance
First impressions ARE indeed lasting impressions, and you only get one chance to make them. New salespeople show up on day one ready to succeed. Sometimes they even sell more than existing “old timers” are currently. What’s with that? How can a brand new person with very little product knowledge outsell a seasoned veteran that knows it all? It’s because the new person still thinks everyone is going to buy, that you have a great company, and that your way is the right way.

The Right Attitude!
That shiney new salesperson may not have the knowledge yet, but still has the enthusiasm it takes to make the right first impression on customers. That means more than knowledge alone. Answers to questions can be found, and sometimes just the honest admission that one doesn’t “know it all” can go a long way to making the sale.

“Water Cooler Training”
It’s important to shield your new salespeople from influences that can be harmful to their success. Too many times we see people get hired and then turned over to the existing staff to “train” them. A past partner of mine had a rule; “Live with them the first week.  Keep them by your side, have lunch with them, and even stand outside the restroom when they go in there.”

“Here’s how it really works.”
At the interview and in your initial meetings with new salespeople they hear how it is supposed to work. Then, when they get to work with your existing staff they find out how it really works. Unfortunately old timers pick up some bad habits along the way. They learn shortcuts that sometimes lead to short paychecks. They start accumulating excuses for missed sales. They gossip about company policies and decisions. Your shiney new salespeople can be influenced by these impressions, and before you know it the shine is gone.

You Cannot Train People!
Animals can be “trained” to do something, and once “trained” will always do it. One would assume that if you can train a dog to sit up, that you can train a human being to sell. I have a problem with the word “training.” Managers sometimes think that once a person has been “trained” that he or she will always behave in the way taught, and the learning stops. The reality is that “sales coaching” is an ongoing process whereas “training” is thought of as a one time event.

Hands on Coaching Works
“Coaching” is understood in athletics, it never stops. Top athletes continue to be coached on how to get better at their craft. I prefer the term “coaching” when teaching selling skills, and as with athletics, it must be an ongoing process. That’s just the way it is!

Who Gets the Money?
Please submit questions or answers you may have on this important topic.

Question: Should salespeople be on individual commission or work as one team?
Answer: My answer to this one varies depending upon the nature of the store or business. Generally speaking when only one person is involved in the sale, an individual commission makes sense. When other team members are required to complete the sale then a team based compensation makes more sense.

“Can’t We Just Get Along?”
Question: How do you best solve disagreements between salespeople as to whose sale it was?
Answer: When two (or more) salespeople are arguing over a sale and I am asked who is right, I say, “You are both wrong. The commission on any one sale is never more important than your relationship with each other. I wasn’t there, get together and work it out, and then tell me what you have decided is fair.”

Then What?
Question: So what’s the solution when they cannot come to a decision?
Answer: It’s Easy; Make it a “House Sale.”

Teams Work
Question: Why does teamwork work?
Answer: It’s Easy; Unless you are a “One Man Band” you can get much better results by working together towards a common goal. Regardless how your compensation program is structured, emphasizing and rewarding teamwork as a part of it will go a long way.

Say It Isn’t So
When I read in this article today that President Elect Barack Obama declared that you won’t catch him lighting up a cigarette in the smoke-free White House, I was hoping that it would go on to say that you wouldn’t catch him smoking a cigarette anywhere. By, NO, it said that he still occasionally smokes a cigarette. During the campaign he said, “I figure, seeing as I’m running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack.” Well, now you are the President and you need to think about being the right role model younger people need to see. Obama is admired as much as any President we have had, and he hasn’t even taken the Presidential Oath yet. I hope that before he does he will take a “Health Oath”.

Mo Betta Image
We would all be better off if Obama were to maintain a healthy image and set healthy standards for Americans to follow. A while back, when the campaign began I read that he was going to quit smoking because “his wife wants him to.” While it’s good to know that she is that smart, that isn’t a good enough reason to quit.

Times Have Changed
A number of years ago the country as whole wasn’t very smart about the effects of tocacco. I remember my father lying in a hospital bed dying of lung cancer and smoking cigaretts provided by the hospital. Such a thing would be thought of as absurd today.

Manly Image?
When John Kennedy lit up a cigar he was seen as a “man’s man.” Today doing so would be seen as foolish. I doubt if he would be a smoker today.

Big Thinker?
And a pipe smoker today, unlike in Gerald Ford’s day, would more likely be thought of as a stinker than a thinker.

“Hey Dude, whazzup?”
And what was this guy smoking anyway?