YES!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 313 Monday 21/12/15

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,it has been one hell of an ‘UPBE4T’ year and I cant wait to have a holiday!Yes time does fly when you are flat out and focused and Yes it does take discipline and attitude to get and keep yourself in this zone…….Yes it is tough but so are we…..right !!!(YES).

Crikey I have had fun writing to you every week about ‘Jones’ stuff and lets face it even if you don’t feel like it sometimes at least you are ‘keeping up with the Joneses!’ on a weekly basis!

There have been a number of highlights but for me two stand out. The first being the clocking up of the mighty 300^th edition of ‘Upbeat’. The second was laybuying and working hard to get our very own personalised ‘UPBE4T’ plate on the road……albeit on Christines K9 troop carrier after my boss declined the opportunity to have it on the company car!!!Yes….I should have asked….never mind!

Fletcher reckons; Yes,Santa has been fully briefed and is good to go complete with signed good behaviour affadavits from his parents and teachers all of whom are personal friends of Santa!FJJ is also looking forward to providing apprentice assistance on the holiday maintenance projects!!He is determined to convince his Father this will add value rather than time to these projects!!!!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your ongoing feedback and support it has been well received and much appreciated. It is cool to hear that so many of you also have similar experiences and gain so much from them.I would also like to thank my family for their unconditional love and encouragement because without them it would not be possible to relentlessly crank out a weekly edition..Go team Jones!!

We are taking a well earned break until Monday 18^th January 2016 and we wish you, your families and friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,be safe and take care……Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon two walks a day should be standard holiday practise!

 

 

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”Dr. Seuss

 

I was honoured to be invited to a function last week to recognise one of lifes truly ‘good blokes’ I have worked with in various supplier/customer roles for nearly 25 years.

He is retiring after nearly 45years with Auckland City Council and he is a legend amongst his peers.

I am pleased he is retiring while he has a chance to enjoy that retirement whilst so many others leave it too long and don’t!

I am disappointed his wife and soul mate didnt get to share this milestone or his retirement with him.

She tragically passed away a couple of years ago on the eve of a much looked forward to world trip they had planned for years.Since this happened my friend has also undergone several operations related to the big C and has been reminded that he wont be here for ever either!

These events were a timely wake up call for my friend and he is now making sure he doesn’t delay his enjoyment of a life without the daily grind of work any longer.

He has a beach house in the winterless north that he will now use, he has splashed out and bought a new scooby doo Ford Ranger ute and he has his sights set on a camper van for a lazy nomadic kiwi pilgrimage……….so why not live a little, after all life is for living…..too right mate, go for it.

Made me think a bit….

Firstly about how important people are to an organisation and how few people these days are as loyal to a business or an industry as my friend.

Secondly about how important the people who support us are and how important spending time with them is now NOT later.

I guess this was a wake up call for me as well…..work isnt everything,family is and it is family that will be there for you when work isnt!!......Merry Christmas to you and your families !!! Cheers.

 

“Only you can control your future.”Dr. Seuss

"If only"

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 312 Monday 14/12/15

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,I was so delighted to hear the sound of a piano recently I followed its magical tones to the source and was happy to discover it was coming from our shack!I was stunned to tear jerking silence to observe Christine patiently teaching  Fletcher to play “Old MacDonalds Farm” on our much preloved piano.There are a number of things I wish I had done in my life and learning to play a musical instrument is one of them.I have lost count of the amount of times the shout has gone up at a ‘bit of a do’ for someone to grab a guitar or jump on a key board or piano!......hmmmm…if only!!! J

Fletcher reckons; his Fathers offer of being a ‘roadie’ for his future rock and roll band will definitely be considered seriously but will be subject to the passing of a fitness and age test first!...if only!!! J

The Muriwai Volunteer Fire Brigade has been called out five times in the last two weeks. Three of these incidents were to local road accidents!! It is said and proven we face more danger in our own hood than we do anywhere else.The latest events are clear evidence this is true and a warning to us all that we need to be on our game at this time of year to ensure our families have a happy and complete festive season.I guess we are more aware because we are living with one ear tuned to the local siren but it is a timely reminder to take care, drive defensively and courteously.…if only!

We have been busy with ongoing landscaping and beautification projects to get ship shape for the big day plus the normal mindless stuff we pressure ourselves into doing on the frenetic countdown,then wonder why afterwards!.....same stuff different festive season…..hang in there……Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon the siren is necessary evil but a bit scary for an old dog!

 

 

“One has to passionately believe it is possible to change the industry, to turn it on its head, to make sure that it will never be the same again.” Richard Branson

 

Sure the word disruptive means disorderly,rowdy,undisciplined riotous,wild,turbulent and attention seeking amongst other meanings but did you realise it also means new, novel, fresh, unconventional, inventive,ingenious,original.unorthodox, groundbreaking and innovative.I ran into this word usage at a recent function and liked it a lot.

To me it stood for people and companies who are radically reconfiguring their particular field of business with a smarter more competitive product,service or business model.

It said a lot to me about where we need to be if we are to lead rather than follow in our particular industry. It had special relevance to me last week when we were presented with the opportunity to win a customer at the 11^th hour with an apples for apples offer??

Apples for apples hmmmm….why just provide a quote for what the competitor was offering?....why not be a bit ‘disruptive’….offcentre,unpredictable,and responsible for stopping something continuing as normal because we said…..what if….apples are not as good in this case as oranges,pears or lemons and if we did this or that would that work for you?

Crikey it was an exciting and challenging approach to be thinking radically with no real idea what we were going to come up with but backing our collective experience and ingenuity do so anyway!

We found our customer was receptive to our ‘disruptive’ approach and they found it to be a refreshingly different approach that also captured their own attention and imagination.

There is no guarantee this approach will win us the business but we know that it has provided us with a distinct point of differentiation that has positioned us favourably.

We want to be known as a disruptive influence in our industry and plan to be in demand for being so!

 

“The potential for reinvention is all around us, and it’s an exciting time to be thinking about how to structure (or restructure) your business, your community, or your life in ways that create new value.Enjoy the possibilities.”Richard Branson

Tis the season

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 311 Monday 07/12/15

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,tis the season so I hope you are coping with the madness as we countdown to closedown!We are busy planning Summer Camp at 48 as we look forward to morphing into holiday home mode!The Muriwai Gym(look great at 48) program is ready to roll out. This will combine seamlessly with some delayed and much needed property maintenance plus the compulsory daily R&R sessions catching up on accumulated books and mags. Experience tells us there is no holiday time to lose!....we cant wait.

Fletcher reckons; tis the season to attend as many functions where Santa is appearing as possible.He figures the more Santa sees him the more chance of success on the big night. Besides if things go pear shaped he knows Santa is mates with Dad so he will sort it!This is without prejudice and subject to the required good behaviour terms and conditions agreed to by all parties!

Tis the season to head to our local “you pick we chop” real life live christmas tree guy for the biggest tree in the West.There is no substitute for quality and quality is remembered long after the cost is forgotten so paying triple digits for a  ‘one trip’ pine tree may be crazier than the average Auckland house price!......but it looks and smells amazing and more importantly it has transformed 48 into a special place preparing for a magical visit….and that folks is priceless J.Yes it can be a crazy time of year where you need to be on your game but taking the time to make sure you have fun and making it fun for others is what makes it extra special, take care……..Cheers Jonesey!!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon tis the season to be jolly jenerous to loyal hound dogs!

 

 

"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days."

Zig Ziglar

 

Tis the season…..for the classic line…lets leave it till the New Year we will have more time then!

The reality is if the deal or the decision isnt made this month then it is unlikely to be done before February next year if at all…..leaving it until a new year is not going to magically transform things!

So how do we stay positive about keeping our customers focused on making that decision and giving us that order this year not kicking us for touch till next year or permanently?

I guess applying some pressure for a decision before the break can flush out those who have been leading us on for too long….or expose those who had no intention or authority to buy anyway?!

So this is and can be a great time of year for doing business and tidying things up for a clean start to the New Year without unnecessary baggage.

It is important not to get drawn into cruise mode or the festive mindset as the year draws to a close!

This is a time where you need to focus on your priorities and the things you know you have done the necessary hard yards on to make concluding and closing them a natural progression for all parties.

Getting a commitment prior to year end doesn’t have to be that onerous or stressful and needs to be seen as a bonus and a benefit for all concerned.

Most customers we are selling to also want to have things tidied up before the break so we need to make it as easy as possible for them to do business with us as we can.

This means we have to be on our game making sure we have dotted all the I’s and cossed all the t’s to enable us to fulfill our part of the deal.

Deals that fall over at this time of year were probably never going to happen which is why we need to seriously question why those decisions should be or need to be prolonged.

Time to clean up the sales pipeline,do the real deals and cut loose the deadwood ready for a running start to your new business year.Good luck, don’t take “no” or “call me next year” for an answer! J

 

“Remember that failure is an event, not a person. Yesterday ended last night.” – Zig Ziglar