Family Ties !!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 279 Tuesday April 28th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,we celebrated the Anzac Day centenary in style by taking an extra long weekend to spend time relaxing as a family.A poignant time for reflection and celebration to show appreciation for those who sacrificed life and limb to protect our rights to the freedom we enjoy today!

The futility of the great wars certainly puts a new perspective on “a bad day at the office”.At least after the modern day equivalent we get to come home to our families unlike many of our forefathers.

Today we trust business leaders and politicians to keep our economic cutter on an even keel however our troops didn’t have a choice as they followed orders of some who should have known better!!

Our typing and texting communique delivered instantly in the electronic world we live in are no match for the eloquence and passion ink penned and surface mailed arriving some months later.

Yes Ladies and gentlemen we have a lot to be thankful for so stop ‘sweating the small stuff” because it is all small stuff when you consider what others endured on our behalf all those years ago!!

Fletcher says; if you have a dent in anything its ok because you can take it to the ‘Dentist’ and he (or she) will fix it !!

Speaking of family times we had a cool time catching up with our immediate and extended family during the break including my intrepid adventurous Auntie from Melbourne.We managed to spend a quick evening with her before she blasted off in her campervan for a whirlwind tour of the North Island.She may come across our son Mark who fresh from the ‘Streetwise’ episodes ‘walking the railway’ and ‘saving John Campbell’ is hitch hiking the Coromandel before coming to you live from ‘J Day’ May 2^nd!! Throw in a volunteer fire brigade call to arms and it was certainly the weekend that had it all for the Joneses!!

I hope you also had a reflective/appreciative time with family and friends………..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they don’t ‘sweat any stuff’…cos life is Scooby Doo!!!

 

 

“Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.” Malcolm Gladwell (David and Goliath)

 

In an unbelievable move recently our major competitor who is also the biggest company in our industry sector in New Zealand decided to turn their guns in our direction?

This is a company that is twenty times our size who control over fifty percent of the market !

Rather than concentrating on identifying reasons within their own camp for the recent drop and loss of business they have obviously decided to take out their frustrations on the smallest new gorilla!!

We have enjoyed our time flying under the radar but have now emerged fairly and squarely in the headlights of the big guys!

Rather than playing the stunned possum in those headlights we have seized the offensive/initiative by commissioning a unique new resource recovery facility and hiring more sales foot soldiers.

In true Anzac spirit we will not be intimidated by this latest move. Instead we will focus on our unique points of difference to ram home our advantage in the market.

By focusing on what we can do to be better internally we will be a more potent force externally while our competitors continue to implode with reactive incompetence and envy.

There is no point worrying about the competition and their knee jerk reactions.We will continue to show a healthy respect for what they have achieved, but stay focused on being the best we can be!

Having worked for larger market leaders I know the hardest thing is not getting to #1 it is staying there! The biggest threat is internal arrogance and complacency,something we all need to watch!!

 

“Goliath was the best thing that ever happened to David.” Carla Lynn Hall

"Timid sales people have skinny kids"!!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 278 Monday April 20th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,whilst I have enjoyed the ‘endless summer’ we have had I also adore autumn and winter. The recent wintery blast from the South has seen us cranking up the log fire and digging out the comfort food recipes. There is nothing better than hunkering down in front of a raging fire with a nice glass of red and your favourite culinary treat!....roll on winter. We still have enough firewood left over (still on our neighbours driveway!!)to last another season!

Fletcher says; the mice that are invading our cupboards and ceiling are cool, it’s a pity we have to ‘shoo’ them away so quickly as he would like to get to know them better and feed them more!!!

Fletchers brother Mark fulfilled his desire to walk the train track from Kaukapakapa to Whangarei. After two full on days in the wilderness he eventually made it to…Wellsford weary,sore and bedraggled but totally satisfied!! Harry and the Hendersons were kinda relieved he didn’t call for volunteers to make up the numbers on the mission as the fireside at 48 was far more appealing!

Mark has uploaded this adventure and others on to youtube and his facebook page under the ID of ‘Streetwise’, look out Bear Grylls and Josh James!!

A funny thing happened the other day….I was chairing a meeting and had been noticing a few strange looks from the attendees. Then one of the team who could stand the intrigue no longer enquired why I had a different cuff link on each shirt cuff??!! As potentially trendsetting as this could have been I had to admit that it was linked to dressing in the dark that morning,much to the amuesment of al lJ.

I organised a meeting at a favourite local café also home of the infamous carrot café muffin! Well true to form I could not resist the charms of said muffin however I justified(kidded?) it to myself by promising to save Fletcher some…hmmm fat chance…...yes I ate the lot and double quick!!Sorry kid!!

I hope you all had an equally ‘Upbeat’ and exciting week and like me are looking forward to another long weekend as we celebrate and remember the mighty Anzacs!!….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they would have been up for ‘Marks mission’ Yeah right!

 

 

“Timid salesmen have skinny kids.” – Zig Ziglar

 

Its always a buzz signing business and achieving success after a long campaign.

We talked last week about perservering and ultimately winning in the end and how good that feels!

Well last week I had some success after another long campaign and this came on the back of one simple act rather than a series of them over time.

The customer I secured is fussy about the cleanliness of his yard and the appearance of his staff and his buildings.

Their two locations are immaculate and the staff have a commitment to keeping them that way.

When visiting last week I commented on how much this impressed me and what a difference it made compared to the way other businesses in this industry (Building Supplies) looked.

I also made an effort to pick up a small piece of vegetation that had blown from a tree on my way into the office. My new customer noticed this and thanked me.

These two small things assisted to clinch me the deal after months and months of negotiation, simple gestures that meant more in the end than the numbers.

It is the small simple things like this that ultimately make the critical difference between you and your competition.

I listened, I looked and I understood what was important to my prospective customer and that is why he is now my new customer. Unfortunately their existing supplier ignored the signs to their peril!

No matter how good you think you are you can never afford to become arrogant and complacent!!

 

 “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” – Zig Ziglar

We are FAMILY!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 277 Monday April 13th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,the week before last it was a cool matching white cane chair,then last week it was railway sleepers for the garden!Yes being a dustman is the most exciting thing you can do with your clothes on!

Of course one needs to exercise control at all times given there is an unwritten ‘no scavenging’ law in play so all ‘treasure hunting’ needs to be ‘by application’ only.Sooooo exciting,they do say, if you are happy in your job you will never work a day in your life….and ‘they’ would be right!!

Fletcher says; that whilst he understands his Fathers passion for pre loved stuff, does that have to extend to all his ‘sort of new’ toys!?It is also cool to have older brother Mark staying with us at the moment.He might be a bit older(30 years) but we still hang out and talk bro stuff!!!...very cute!!

We managed to get to one of our favourite places in the world Matua Vineyard for another picnic this weekend.Nothing better than having the place to ourselves to fly kites,kick a ball around and run wild amongst the vines….all for absolutely free…..shhhh don’t tell anyone, its our secret!!!

Thanks to those observant types amongst you who noticed the date on last weeks edition was one day out and to those of you that didn’t (like me)…whats a day amongst ‘Upbeat’ mates!!!?

Watching Mark and Fletcher bond and having Mum and my sister Postwoman Pat out for Easter Sunday brunch recently makes me realise yet again how important and vital having and spending time with family is.We don’t get to choose our family,that is beyond our control ,so through thick and thin we need to stand beside and behind each other….it is the type of thing that does make me well up inside with emotion just writing these words to you. Don’t ever let a chance go by to tell your family how much you love them and how much they mean to you….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon it wouldn’t hurt to tell them how much we love them too

 

 

 

“It always seems impossible until it's done.” Nelson Mandela

 

Ever question yourself or think you may have lost your touch?

I have been trying to get a deal across the line for nearly six months??? Many times in that period I have had occasion to question my ability to sell!

Selling is a confidence game, when you are on a roll nothing is a problem however when things don’t go your way it takes courage and a special ability to pick yourself up to keep going.

I guess life is like that too really. When things go well we feel invincible when they don’t go so well we lose confidence and begin to doubt ourselves.

Sport is also like that, take the Blues and the Hurricanes for instance……one who cant seem to put a foot wrong and the other who cant win a trick no matter how hard they seem to try!!!

Winning is a habit but so too is losing and the scary thing is there is only a thin line between them!

So anyway back to me and my elusive deal…..I could have given up months ago but I chose to persist and relentlessly pursure this salel. Others around me have given up asking me how I am going as they are sick of hearing about how hard I am fiinding things. This has doubled my resolve, I will not give in and I cant wait to roll up with the deal clutched in my hand. I will parade into the office savouring the sweet taste of success……hmmmm well that’s how I am imagining the way this story will end……I know there is more work to do yet but I am determined to succeed.

In a huge late breaking development last week I managed to advance things significantly…..watch this space because there is one thing for sure you will hear all about every detail of how I overcame the odds to successfully presevere in the end…never give in team !!!! Good luck out there!!!!

 

“If you are going through hell, keep going.”  Winston S. Churchill

Doggy bag please!!!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 276 Monday April 5th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,the Jones home at 48 the beach morphed into holiday program last Thursday night as we got right into the extended Easter break.Crikey we have just got over the Christmas /New Year indulgence and we were back into it Easter Bunny style with far too many hot cross buns dripping in butter!,choc easter eggs with hollow and sweet liquid centres and not forgetting the special medicine for parents once the dustmites in the district were tucked up in bed…hmm back to the gym big time tomorrow!!

Fletcher says; dance like no one is watching it’s the best and only way and its ok if you want to wear one of your Mothers dresses!! Crikey I hope that’s just a phase!!

Google map and GPS is all very well but what ever happened to the Wises map in the car?? I was trying to find a place the other day and reverted to my trusty book of maps and ended up finding my destination quicker than google or gps could deliver….in my day and today this is the best way!!!

Being a rubbish and recycling man is a thrilling occupation!!Everyday I see stuff in the rubbish that I know I can do something with or that I know someone else could use….the trick is recovering it without putting myself or others at risk. Sometimes you just cant save the item from its landfill fate but other times like last week I managed to secure a diamond in the rough. Yes a wonderful white cane chair to perfectly match my white cane bedside table in our guest room.Sure it didn’t look as great as when I first rescued it once I got it home but it will come up beauty!!Well lets face it if it doesn’t I will be in trouble and with the Blues playing so badly I have to find other things to do while ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘The Batchelor’!! are dominating the sports channel!!

I hope you had an awesome and safe Easter break with family and friends….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon freedom campers need to carry a doggy poo bag too!!!

 

 

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” — Lord Henry, The Picture Of Dorian Grey

 

I have often talked about the importance of referrals in business.

Companies pay out thousands and thousands on advertising and direct marketing campaigns yet the most effective form of advertising and marketing is often word of mouth.

I had a classic case last week when I referred a business acquaintance of mine to another who was looking for an expert company to look after a particular problem for him.

I thought nothing more of this at the time except feeling pretty good about being able to pass on the name and details of someone I knew would look after my friend famously.

The upshot of this is that the two people I put together did talk and organise to do business with each other on a specialised project that will be worth plenty to them both.

The best thing about this is the company I recommended to my friend rang me to engage our services for the project in a contract that will also be lucrative and rewarding for us.

So by passing on the details of a company we work with to another friend they ended up doing business but we also got some business from the move…..and that ladies and gentlemen is how referrals work!!!!

No money changes hands to do the deal but plenty changes hands once the deal is done and all parties prosper!!!!

So your challenge for the coming week is to ask for and give referrals of trusted and proven suppliers or people you deal with. I gurantee it improves your results and those of your company and the companys or people you refer others to. It is a simple and very successful way of operating!!

 

“Customers acquired through word-of-mouth spend 2x more and make 2x as many referrals themselves”. Jim Rohn