27 Years Ago
That’s when IBM introduced its first personal computer.

Then came:
Bill Gates
The Internet
The Mac
Steve Jobs
Floppy Discs
Hard Drives
Windows
The iPod
CD ROMs
E-mail
E-commerce
Instant messaging
The dotcom boom
The dotcom bust
Mobile phones
PDAs
Notebook Computers
Digital Cameras
Computer viruses
GPS
Google
My Space
iPhone
Cloud computing
YouTube
IBM drops out of the PC business
iPhone 3G
iPad
And Now…
iPhone4

Time Flies!
Are you keeping up?

Thinking Together
Napoleon Hill’s Master Mind Alliance concept was; “Whenever two or more minds come together, with a common goal, and in a spirit of harmony, there is an invisible mind created. That invisible mind is more powerful than the sum total of the individual minds, and it feeds the individual minds with ideas, hunches, motivation, inspiration and all of the things it takes to be great.”
Make note of the two essential elements that must be present for this phenomenon to work; a common goal and a spirt of harmony. Without those two elements you might have anger, resentment, ego clashes and self serving ideas that are not easily accepted. Does that sound familiar?

“That was MY Customer”
When two salespeople argue over whose customer it was, I like to remind them that it was the company’s customer, and that they both work for the company. I have been asked to “settle” far too many “after the fact” disputes between salespeople who were both there at the time, but I wasn’t. Who do you believe? If forced to make the call I ask, “Okay, who did the customer give the money to?” Would you drop your tip on any old table in the restaurant after receiving great service? Probably not. It is oftentimes quite obvious to the customer who made the sale, and it’s not always the first person that said, “Hello.” Selling starts with a good greeting, but it doesn’t stop there.

Teamwork Works
It usually takes more than one person for a company to succeed. Without the company succeeding there is no opportunity for anyone. Everyone on the team is important to the success of the company. When emotions run high, step back, take a deep breath, count to 10, and ask yourself what’s best for the customer and the company. The answer is usually evident. When it isn’t, be the one to take the high road.  

Almonds
Almonds are one of the most nutritious of all nuts. Not only are they a tasty and crunchy snack but they also have numerous benefits for the body.
If you feel like snacking on nuts, you can’t go wrong with almonds.
Two ounces, or about 24 almonds, give you more than 50 percent of your daily requirement of magnesium, a mineral that’s important for the health of your heart.

Here are a few of the benefits of almonds:
• Almonds are good for building muscle & fighting food cravings
• Fight obesity, heart disease, muscle loss, cancer
• A good source of vitamin E, fiber, and monounsaturated fat, all hearthealthy nutrients.
• According to a recent study, eating almonds may also reduce the risk of colon cancer.
• Almonds are the most nutritionally dense nuts – which means you get the maximum amount of nutrients out of the calories you consume.

To enjoy the health benefits of almonds, it is best to eat them with their skins intact.
Quick recipe:
For a quick popcorn alternative, spray a handful of almonds with nonstick cooking spray and bake them at 400 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes or toast them on low-medium in a skillet on the stovetop with a little butter for the same amount of time (stir frequently to keep from burning). Take them out of the oven and sprinkle them with either a brown sugar (or honey) and cinnamon mix or cayenne pepper and thyme.
Did you know?
Eating 2 ounces of almonds (about 24 of them) can suppress your appetite, especially if you wash them down with 8 ounces of water. Try doing this 30 minutes before your evening meal.
Ways to increase consumption of almonds
• Almonds and apple slices make a simple, yummy power snack.
• Enhance a healthy sauté of curried vegetables with sliced almonds.
• Add a few to your favorite salad

Mahalo to Rod Newbound for permission to print this tip.

WHO is Watching?
When I opened an account with Constant Contact, my original mission was to send some informational e-mail to retailers about how the Morning Report has impacted so many people that I work with, and ask if they might be in the need for some added revenue. I quickly learned that I cannot send unsolited e-mail to people, and that new people wanting to get my Daily Motivator would need to either request it, or be someone I am currently doing business with. I was told by many people that to send unsolicited e-mail amounts to Spam. I guess I knew that, but thought it must be okay since I get so much of it. Well, I chose to follow the law and subscriptions to my FREE Daily Motivator continue to grow steadily. If you are not on that list and want to be, just CLICK HERE:
Also growing steadily is the amount of Spam e-mail that I get, currently 150 to 200 a day. This leads me to wonder, “Who Is Watching?” Those of us in business all know that we must “Inspect what we Expect.”

Robo Call Monster
I was pretty excited when I read recently that robo calls had been outlawed. A robo call is an automated, recording that calls and pitches you on this or that. In spite of this LAW, I continue to get such calls daily. They usually will ask you to press a number at the end of the message to reach an operator. I used to just hang up, now I press the number and ask the “operator” where she got this number. The answer is always, “It was computer gererated.” I realize that the “operator” is just doing what she was hired to do, so I am nice to her, but I ask a few more questions. I ask if she is aware of the law against robo calls. The answer is always, “No.” I then ask for the name of the owner of the company; I never get a name. My final question is, “Do you have the ability to remove my number from your list?” I either get a “Yes” or an ubrupt disconnect. I don’t get called again with that same message.

Why Do You Ask?
Salespeople and yes, even Starbucks clerks should always listen to their customers.  I seem to be picking on the coffee houses these days, but that’s just where these things happen.
I asked a Starbucks clerk at Kahala Mall the other day for two cups of coffee, one small and one medium. He prompty asked me, “Room for cream?” I said, “Yes please.” Then when I removed the tops from the cups I found no room for cream and thus poured some of that high priced coffee into the rubbish. This happens all the time. Maybe they are being generous, in case all I want is a thimbal of cream, but I sense it is more a matter of asking the question perfuntorally and not listening to the answer.

No Choice
When I was in the Air Force, back in 19… Oh well a long time ago. We used to laugh at the chow hall cooks serving breakfast. They would scoop two eggs on to the spatula, then look you in the eyes and ask, “How do you want your eggs?” and then slip them onto your plate as they were, regardless of your answer. I’d like to think of Starbucks as a bit more evolved than that, but…

Evolution
Actually there is some evolution happening at Starbucks. I just read that starting next month, July 2010 they will have free wifi access at all stores. With that deal I won’t care about the cream room in my coffee cup. Good Move!

Too Busy?
As I was finishing up my walk this morning I decided to take a break and check out a new coffee shop in a luxurious condominium by the beach. When I entered, there was one man waiting to be served. I got in line behind him. The person behind the counter was doing what appeared to be some opening chores. She eventually greeted him, got his order and turned around to prepare it without looking at me. I waited a few minutes (about 5) and then left to walk some more instead of drinking coffee.

Think About It?
As I was walking I started thinking that if she had only greeted me I would not have left. I didn’t miss the coffee (that much) but the store missed the business (not much) and even worse a potential customer (too much) in the future. The sad thing about this experience is that the owner has no idea what transpired. It surely wasn’t a big enough deal to complain about and I’m certain that she saw nothing wrong with what she did. Actually it wasn’t anything she did wrong, but rather something she didn’t do right. You cannot add up the business you miss.

Forget the Dollars?

Businesses don’t seem to understand that grabbing nickels and dimes from their customer’s up front can cost them dollars in the end. There’s an “assumption” (haven’t we all seen that word broken down before?) that when tacking on a few bucks or removing a few inexpensive frills here and there, that the customer will continue to do business with you; not true. Everyone has a breaking point, and once the customer say’s “Enough”, you may never see him or her again and never know why.
I am referring to little things like:

-Surcharges on rental cars
-Added costs to take baggage on the airplane
-Accomodation charges at the hotel for things like parking, and spa usage
-Automatic tips added to the restaurant tab, regardless of the service provided
-Increases in CAM fees for retailers
-The list goes on and on

I think they must go to the Thesaurus to find nice words to articulate grabbing a little more without asking you. They call them “service charges” and “accomodation charges” expecting the customer to just grin and bear it.

I say, “Put a fair price on your product, tell me what I get, and what else might be optional for what amount”. I think there’s a great opportunity out there today for companies to be straight up with their customers and knock the socks off of those who choose to be sneaky greedy in the name of “economic conservation”.

“How Did You Know?”
A mainland client recently described her visit to 40 stores in Ala Moana Shopping Center. She told me that in the vast majority of stores the greeting was, “Hi, where are you visiting from?” And this is in a mall where 50% of the shoppers are local.

“Ole!”
When people travel somewhere, they try to do look like they are local to that place. Everyone likes to “fit in.” They look at how the locals dress and act, and then set out to look and act like they do.

“Me, a Tourist?”
When you ask, “Where are you from?” you run the risk of offending a local person and fail to flatter a visitor.

“Tourists? Not Us!”
Instead, ask, “Do you live around here?” I asked this couple recently if they live in Waikiki. They lit up, and the man proudly stated, “No, we are from Nigeria.” Sure, there were a few clues that they were visitors, but by overlooking them, and purposly mistaking them as locals created an instant bond.

Friends!
Asking people if they are local implies that locals shop in your store, thus creating added credibility, and says that you are not just a “tourist trap.” I complimented this couple on their great selection of Aloha wear and they were tickled. People who are traveling love to get to know someone who lives locally. It works. Try it!

Taste vs. Health
I recently broke a promise to myself and had some frys at McDonalds. This was after eating nothing there since the early 60’s, when they became famous for their 19 cent hamburger. The feeling I had afterwards moved me to to reprint this blog post from a few years ago.
In 2002 McDonald’s pledged to introduce new zero-trans-fat cooking oil, but with $23 billion dollars at stake, they were very slow to make the switch, citing the taste concerns. After increasing pressure from consumer advocates to make the change, they eventually did, but did so quietly.

Fool Em!
Much like the devilish Chef Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen they let people taste the “healthier product” before telling them that it lacked the animal fat. Even then, they pre-cooked them in beef fat before sending to the stores to “re-fry” in vegetable oil. I was one of those that belived the 2002 pledge and on occassion (too many occasions) “treated myself” to some fries. However I noticed that without fail I suffered heartbun that evening along with an unpleasant feeling in my stomach. When I learned that the “pledge” was not honored, I stopped eating the fries, but did not forgive McDonald’s for the deception. I’m sure I am better off without them.

A Choice Worth Considering

One of my favorite sayings is, “There are two types of people in the world; those who get what they want and those who take what they get.” I’m not sure if I read that somewhere or came up with it myself, but I am sure that it’s true. Those that choose to “get what they want” decide just what it is, and then take action to get it.

Lights; Camera; Action!

Life is a lot like a movie where you get to write the script. Write it the way you want it, and then when the lights come on (the sun comes up) and the camera starts rolling (time is going by) TAKE ACTION. It’s a lot easier to sit back and wait for something to happen and then respond to it. Choose to be proactive as compared to reactive. Be the person making things happen, not the one watching.