“The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.”
-Dale Carnegie

Saying the Right Thing
Knowing what to say and when can make a big difference in selling to your Japanese customers. These phrazes will help you. Print them out, learn as many as you can, and don’t be afraid to read them aloud to your customers. They will appreciate your efforts to help.

Please try this on. - (As in jewelry) TSUKETE-MITE-KUDASAI (sue-kate-ay-me-tay-kuta-sigh)
Please try this on. - (As in clothing) KITE MITE KUDASAI (key-tay-me-tay-kuda-sigh)
How about this one? - KORE WA DOO DESU KA (core-ay-wah-doe-des-kah)
It looks nice on you. - TOTEMO ONIAI DESU (toe-tay-mo-oh-knee-eye-des-yoh)
Please wait just a second. - CHOTTO OMACHI KUDASAI (cho-toe-oh-mah-chi-cuda-sigh)
More expensive. - MOTTO T AKAI (moe-toe-tah-kai)
Less expensive. - MOTTO YASUI (moe-toe-yah-sue-ee)
Bigger (than) -MOTTO OOKII (moe-toe-oh-key)
Do you prefer this one, or this one? - KORE GA II DESU KA, SORETOMO, KORE GA II DESU
KA? (Core-ay-gaw -ee-des-kah -sore-oh-toe-moe-core-ay-g aw-ee-des-kaw)
I understood - WAKARIMASHITA (wah-car-ee-mosh-ee-tah)
I don’t understand -WAKARIMASEN (wah-car-ee-moss-en)
Thank you - DOMO ARRIGA TO GOZAMASHITA ( doe-moe-are-ee-got-toe-go-zye-mash-tah)
Your welcome - DOO I TASH IMASHITE (doo-ee-tash-eh-mash-teh)
Please come back again. - MATA DOOZO IRRASSHATTE KUDASAI
(mata-doe-zo-ear-ah- shot-teh-kuda-sigh)
One more phrase, Happy New Year - SHINNEN AKEMASHITE OMEDEETO GOZAIMASU
(She-nen -ah -kay-mosh -tay -oh-may -day -toe-go -zye-moss)

Gift Packaging
Since much of what’s being bought is OMIYAGE, packaging TEISAI (tay-sigh) is very important. These customers will want a separate bag; FUKURO (foo-koo-row) for each purchase. Be prepared to make this offer. Once your customers see that you understand the importance of gift packaging, they will buy more from you.

Click on It!
When I was writing Success Made Easy a friend commented, “Hey Ron, if success was easy, everyone would be successful.” “Success” is just a word. It has a different meaning to everyone who says it. Yes everyone can be successful; in fact most people are successful at something. The differences lie in what you want and what you get. Those who get what they want are successful regardless of what that is.

Could THIS be Success?
Some homeless people are the most successful of all. They have decided that all they want is a place to sleep (anywhere) and something to eat (anything) and they manage to find both; Success. They overcome obstacles that are far more difficult than people in the workplace do.

It’s Your Choice
There are basically two kinds of people; those who take what they get, and those who get what they want. To get less than you want is to fail. Many people fail by simply not defining what it is that they want. Start there, and then set out to make its accomplishment EASY.

Over and Over
Repetition will make anything easy. Anything you do over gets easier and easier to do; good or bad. Some people get very good at some very bad things. The first time that you rob a bank it will be very difficult, but rob enough of them and it will become so easy that you won’t bother taking the precautions you did back when it was hard, and then find yourself in jail.
Define the behavior that will lead to the success that you want (anything) and then just repeat that behavior until it becomes a habit. You form the habits and the habits then form you. It’s Easy!

I Think So 

By a “broken heart” I really mean a “broken spirit.”
Example:
Joe Paterno was the winningest major college football coach of all times. He served as head coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team for 46 seasons. He won 409 games and took his team to 37 bowl games and two national championships. More than 250 of the players he coached went on to the NFL.

Joe Paterno was loved and admired by his friends, players, neighbors and family. He was fired in November as a result of the child sex abuse charges against his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The coach always bears the responsibility for what happens. He was suddenly disgraced after all of those years of admiration.

Joe Paterno - RIP
Shortly after his firing, Joe was diagnosed with lung cancer, he then broke his pelvis, and died just two months after the scandal broke out. I think that without the disgrace he would still be coaching and winning today. Yes; a broken heart can kill you.

“Tick-Tick-Tick”

Time is your best friend or biggest enemy. It takes time to do anything, and time can do anything. That may sound like semantics, but it’s not. Little things repeated over long periods of time create massive achievements.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
-Benjamin Franklin

Seconds become minutes, then hours, then days, months, years, and in the end a lifetime. What you do during those seconds will determine the quality of life you live. The time goes by regardless; it is either working for you or against you and it is what you choose to do that makes the difference.

Choose Your Path
It’s all about choices. As you choose the things you do, you are choosing the direction that your life will go in.
A little exercising on a regular basis will give you a fit body on a permanent basis. Eating good food every day will keep you healthy all day, every day. And yes, working fits in there as well. Good work habits will bring about a rich and rewarding career, regardless of the field you are in.

1935-2011 RIP
Art Parent and I worked together creating and building a million dollar company from the early 60’s to the early 80’s.

Visionary
Art could be as ferocious as a lion and as charming as a kitten. He was the true visionary in our company, I was the mass communicator of our mission.

On A Mission
During those years we raised our families, lived together in my house, worked together in his garage, played together all over the country and laughed together in our offices.

Industry Recognition
As a home party jewelry company we were innovators and looked up to by large companies in the Direct Selling Industry. Big companies like Mary Kay Cosmetics, Encyclopedia Britannica and others sought us out and picked our brains on how we used 3/4 video tape to train and motivate our thousands of “jewelers” across the nation.

“Aloha to Empress”
In 1981 Art bought me out, allowing me to move to Hawaii to Surf, Run and Play the rest of my life. Not a day has gone by that I didn’t think of the times we spent at Empress Pearls.

“Aloha Art”

I bid farewell to a good friend and dynamic business partner. May he Rest In Peace.

Unless you work at McDonald’s, chances are the answer is, “No.”
The 20% 20% 60% Rule of Retail say’s, “20% of the people who come into your store WILL buy something regardless of what you say or do. 20% will NOT buy anything regardless of what you say or do. 60% WILL buy or NOT buy depending TOTALLY upon what you say and do.” When you reach that 60 you get 80.
Obviously the percentages will vary slightly depending upon your product. The “WILL BUY” percentage will be a higher in a convenience store than in a high end jewelry store, art gallery or furniture store, but the principle is the same.
The person that is face-to-face with the customer plays a bigger role in the buying decision than anyone else in the chain of events leading up to the customer entering the store.
It’s sad to see a great location with great fixtures; fabulous marketing and great merchandise at fair prices fail due to poor service. It happens every day!
Anyone can sell to the first 20%, and no one can sell to the second 20%. To capture more of that 60% be sure that customers are greeted in a sincere manner, given the information that they need to make intelligent buying decisions, and aided in making those decisions.

“They say that Maui…”
I have always loved the words to that song. Personally it’s hard for me to say which island is the best, for they each have their own intrinsic beauty. I love the wide open spaces on the Big Island, the variety of Oahu, the mystery of Molokai, the fun of Maui, and I have often said, “I could spend the rest of my life as a rock if you planted me in Hanalei Bay on Kauai.”
I continue to see evidence of success is on Maui; but not for everyone. Here are some examples:

Full flight to West Maui
I snapped this photo on my Island Air flight to West Maui.

93% Booked
I asked the rental car shuttle bus driver about business. He said, “Were real busy; 28 of 30 cars are going out every day.”

Check In Line
Generally I hate lines, but I was pleased to see them lining up to check in at the high end Westin Maui hotel. In case you do not know how high, I got a special Kamaaina rate; $255 plus “resort fees.” I asked the front desk clerk how many rooms there are in the hotel and what visitors are paying. He said, “780 rooms at about $400 a night, some much higher.” I did some quick arithmatic, at 80% that’s about $250,000 bucks a night. The  evidence that people are spending money is pretty clear.

Lahaina Town
I checked in, caught up on my e-mail and headed into Lahaina Town at about 4 PM. That’s a pretty dead time as a lot of people are in their rooms resting up or dressing up for a night on the town. In spite of that, I saw plenty of “evidence” of people on the sidewalks.

Red Lights
I also looked into the stores and galleries, and as always it was feast or famine. In Retail Selling Made Easy I talk about “Red Light - Green Light” referring to the physical positioning of salespeople, and whether they are attracting customers or not. Unfortunately I saw more red lights than I to see:

For some, working to attract business was just too much!

Green Lights
In those cases where people were staying busy the green lights were drawing people into their businesses. People stop outside to decide if to go inside. What they see in there makes the decision. To be busy; get busy!

Almost Dinner Time
It was now getting close to dinner time so I peeked into a few Lahaina bars to see how they were doing. I was pleased to see a lot of people having a good time eating and drinking before dinner.

There was a waiting line already at Bubba Gumps on Front Street.

Show Time
I decided to head back to Kaanapali before dark to see how things looked at Whalers Village. As I was passing by Lahaina Cannery Mall I saw a lot of people gathering across the street, so I parked to check it out.

Old Lahaina Luau
People were lining up in large numbers to see the Old Lahaina Luau. I asked someone at the reservation desk how many people they have tonight, and she said, “280 so far, but there will be more walk-ins.” I aked the price and she said, “$93 per person.” Again I did the arithmatic; $26,040!

Hyatt Luau
On my way to Whalers Village I dropped by the Maui Hyatt Regency to see if they have a luau happening as well. They did; 480 people at $99 each. Added up that’s another $47,520! Are you keeping track? Are you feeling good about the opportunity yet? If not, there’s more.

Leilani’s on the Beach
As I arrived at Whalers Village I peered into Leilani’s on the Beach and saw a packed house having dinner. I looked across the sidewalk at Hula Grill and saw another packed house.

The Sunset
I looked around the other way and saw more people snapping memerable photos of the West Maui Sunset.

And as I headed into Whalers Village I was confronted by even more people on their way to the restaurants.
I really hope that these photos and stories will serve to boost your confidence in our Hawaiian opportunity. No doubt that there are still some people on the mainland who are depressed over this so called poor economy, but I must say they are not the ones making the trip to Maui. The people traveling to Hawaii are not the affected by high airfares and or gas prices. Those people are staying home. We are blessed to have a clientelle that is still coming to Hawaii and spending a lot of money to have a good time. Do NOT let anyone bring you down by talking about what is NOT here. Stay focused on what IS here. Help these visitors enjoy their vacation and they will reward you with their business.
Remember this Proverb:
“When the wind doesn’t blow; row!”
I hope you like my positive spin on things; it’s for you.
Happy New Year. Let’s make 2012 the best ever!!!

Talk Less; Listen More
The two hardest things to teach salespeople are to speak up and to shut up. The bad ones don’t speak up and the good ones (too many times) don’t shut up. When good salespeople learn the art and timing of shutting up they become great salespeople. Selling comes down to a verbal exchange between two people. The single most important exchange of information takes place between the salesperson and the customer. This is where the decisions are made that have the greatest impact on your income and company’s cash flow. It’s pretty simple actually; it all comes down to talking and listening. Too many times the salesperson thinks that the talking part is most important. It makes no difference how smooth your delivery is if the customer isn’t listening.

Fast Talker
A fast talking salesperson out to get your money is an instant turn-off. If you are talking at a faster rate than your customers are listening, they may fail to hear some very important information. Salespeople, intent on making the sale sometimes start thinking about their responses before the customer finishes talking. Give the customer a chance to talk. Missing one key point from your customer could easily cost you a sale. You will enjoy more selling success by concentrating more on what your customer is saying than what you want to say back. Listening when you want to talk can be difficult if it is not your habit. Developing good listening skills is like establishing any other habit. Practice; but you need to be certain that you are practicing the right way, not the wrong way. Practice this at home and in your social activities so that when you find yourself with a customer it will come more natural. Keep your ego in your back pocket and listen to your customer. Your time will come, and when it does, your presentation will more likely be on target than if you jump in assuming that you know what the customer is about to say.

Body Language
Remember also that non verbal communication is revealing as well. Watch as you listen to pick up on small body language messages that can keep you in synch with your customer’s thinking. And always remember that selling is for the customer more than you. Your customers are most likely to have what they buy from you much longer than you will have the money they give you.

Bring On 2012

Another Christmas has passed and another new year is in front of us. To make 2012 a great year, plan it that way. Start with reflection, followed by contemplation. Reflect back on 2011 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 it’s not impossible.