*555

 

 

 

Edition 247 Monday August 18th 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, driving a marked car has had a significant effect on me.Sure it was hard at first accepting there was room for moderation,tolerance,patience and goodwill for my fellow motorists but after numerous calls and emails to our office I eventually accepted the inevitable, yes, I had a problemJ.

I am pleased to say ‘had’ as I have been ‘clean’ of complaints for months and now actually notice and comment on others bad driving. I am not ashamed to admit that I have called the Police *555 line a few times to register concerns about some examples of bad and dangerous driving I notice!

By doing this I guess I am letting others know that just because you don’t drive a marked car doesn’t mean you can drive badly or dangerously and get away with it. It’s a bit vigalante and random but I figure if it saves an acident, injury or even a life it will be worth it, yes god does move in mysterious ways doesn’t he….who would have thought I could be responsible for improving others driving habits!

Fletcher says; he was happy to have aced his recent Plunket tests weighing in his 950mm frame at an impressive 17.75kg whilst continuing to  prove smarter than the average bear at everything else!!

I am excited to report the discovery of a couple of new second hand (pre loved junk/treasure) shops recently and it is only  going to get better! From next year Council inorganic collections will see materials collected from ‘behind the gate’ rather than the berm, sorted and available for resale from suburban treasure troves,and it gets even better because the proceeds will all go to local charities! One thing I have learned the hard way and a golden tip for all  budding treasure hunters is if you see something you like and want,buy it then and there, don’t leave it to think about it or try to come back because I can guarantee it wont be there!!! “You snooze you lose” as a treasure hunter!!

Stay cool after school with family and friends, take care and have a good one…….…… Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon the new inorganic collection from ‘behind their gate’ will be a bit of sport! They cant wait for those poor guys to arrive ‘behind the gate’ at 48!!

 

“Not returning phone calls is the severest form of torture in the civilized world.”

Marissha Pessl

I spent heaps of time on the phone prospecting last week. Now if ever there is a thankless part of the sales process it is the sales cold call or follow up phone calls!

Not for the impatient or disorganised the sales phone call needs to be meticulously thought out, planned and executed. After many years of attempting to perfect this call I have decided the only way is to set aside time where nothing but these calls are made.You need to be in your own space not driving or in a busy office or café. You need to be focused and single mindedly committed to win.

Often you don’t get to talk to the person you are seeking so a short well worded message needs to be left. It is essential the message provides a quick intro and enough info to motivate a reply.

The reality is that 90% of prospect calls/voicemails go unreturned and have to be followed up. The exception is the courteous and timely return call. These are rare and glow brightly in the lonely dark of a typical  sales persons day. The return call makes sales life worthwhile and motivates me to keep going knowing that the one sale in ten attempts needs nine no’s before the elusive number ten becomes a reality! Crikey she is a tough road to the sale but a response is a pure adrenaline shot!

Getting a return call regardless of outcome or an appointment is a buzz and has a positive flow on effect. It makes me show more empathy for people calling me and motivates me to be better at returning calls and letting people know where they stand not guessing or feeling ignored. It doesn’t take a lot of time but allows both you and the caller to move on with the sales process or other stuff. So how about returning all your messages same day this week and making someones life a lot more pleasant….it will make you feel better too and give you more time for doing business!!Just do it!!!

 

“People who are funny and smart and return phone calls get much better press than people who are just funny and smart.” Howard Simmons