Having 'balls'

Hi, wheeling and dealing has always been a passion of mine. I am keen to turn a buck out of anything, even something as simple as taking Harry and the Hendersons for a walk has turned into a money making venture ! How so??, well we head for the local golf couse and walk in the rough alongside a couple of holes. The dogs love it off the beaten track and this Jones boy always uncovers a couple of golf balls along the way (record is 5 on one walk to date). So after a month of this I have amassed a pile of golf balls and most are top quality,near new. The commercial plan is to sell these back to the club pro shop who in turn sell them back to their original owners with us all clipping the ticket along the way. A quick calculation based on the return from two holes multiplied by the remaining 16 on the course and this could become quite a lucrative pass time. My thinking was I could hire some kids after school to cover the other holes and maybe the other courses in the district. I would pay them per ball add a margin and on it goes. Another money spinning initiative has been selling roadside inorganic throw aways on trademe. Apart from the buzz of running a trademe auction every little sale adds up, especially when the goods come at no cost. There is real truth in the sayings…..There is “money in muck” and “someones trash is someone elses treasure”. Yes it will take some time to amass enough cash to buy the Kim .com mansion but every high roller has to start somewhere. For me it is the fun aspect more than anything that drives me and the fact that stuff that was headed for the landfill is given another life via my passion for wheeling and dealing…..the perfect environmentally sustainable outcome for a Green Gorilla.

As predicted last week supporting the Blues this season is going to cause health problems so I am close to considering another team (Highlanders looking good) or shock horror possibly even resorting to the ‘minor code’ Warriors as my team this year? If the Blues didn’t come back from South Africa I  don’t think I would be too upset after their feeble start to the season….over it !!

I hope you all survived the ‘weather bomb’ and had some fun with your families and friends over the weekend. Have a cool week , take care, cheers Jonesey.

 Harry and the Hendersons could have told anyone that would listen that the Blues were ugly this season. The canine care union(CCU) is also angling for a slice of the golf ball venture payment action on their behalf !!!! ….crikey ,give an entrepreneur a break !!!  

“Passion drives positive attitude, together they are powerful allies.”  Vince Lombardi

I had to meet a GM last week to interview him as part of an acquisition evaluation project. I was impressed to observe how amazingly passionate this gentleman was about what he and his company were doing.  His passion was infectious and it became quickly apparent that any future involvement with him and his business either directly or via the company we were looking at acquiring would have a high chance of success. It was one of those meetings that you know is going to go well right from the start with the obvious passion driving and creating a positive upbeat attitude toward the opportunity we were discussing. Add to this the fact that we had a lot in common from our business and sporting past and you had a recipe for open and progressive discussion. The result couldn’t have been better with an agreement to work together and a strong endorsement for the acquisition opportunity we are considering.The thing I got the most from this meeting was the obvious effect the passion and positivity had on the proceedings. I know I talk about the benefits of adopting an ‘upbeat’ attitude to everything we possibly can but here was a real life example of how much of a difference doing this can make.It was tremendously satisfying to see this working back towards me and to feel first hand my own reactions to being treated in this manner. I hope that you are all adopting this approach to your business and private lives and noticing the difference it can and does make for you and to others.

“Passion burns bright in the eyes of winners from deep within their soul.” Zig Ziglar

Caffeine and Crunch

                                                      

Edition 128 Monday 27^th February 2012

 Hi,how far would you go for a juicy slice of ginger crunch? I am a sweet tooth, always have been, so no distance would ever be too great to travel in search of such a mouth watering morsel. Such was the case on Sunday as we fired up the recently neglected Suzuki Retro 750cc mean machine and headed off in pursuit of caffeine and crunch !! Its cool adventuring on two wheels with the wind in your face and the road disappearing under the speeding rubber as the motor purrs its approval at being out there where it belongs rather than in the shed keeping Harry and the Hendersons company!

I love my bulletproof Suzuki,yes, it is a midlife toy but one I will never regret indulging myself with !

Another reminder of the mid life meno-pause me was my son Mark turning 29 last week!! 29 !!!!**#? Crikey mate good onya, just don’t tell too many people bro, I know, how about we count it backwards now for the next few years just to avoid that big 30 for a while longer….his thoughts exactly !!!

Speaking of time flying I don’t know about you but I was caught by surprise on the weekend when the Super 15 season ripped into life. I was flicking between the ruggers and the cricket which was bizarre. Looks like it is going to be another tough season for Blues supporters if Friday night is anything to go by? I love you Piri but time to cut down on the pies,bottle milk and doughnuts bro.

I hope you had a great weekend flicking between winter and summer weather and sporting options ad that you got to do some fun stuff with family and friends.

Have a great week as we farewell Feb and welcome March, cheers Jonesey.

 Harry and the Hendersons love chasing sticks and swimming in the local stream on the weekends, now there something you cant do on your precious Suzuki pal !   

“Planet Savers” Green Gorilla mantra

There is something satisfying working in an industry where you get to make a difference everyday.

I used to sell new vehicles in the mid 90’s and whilst it was an amazing adrenaline rush to sell a car I cant say I ever felt that good contributing to the pollution issue in the city by increasing the number of large gas guzzling automobiles on the streets !

Working in the resource recovery and recycling industry is completely different as we get to work with customers to reduce their waste streams and assist them to divert this material away from the landfills . We do this in a number of ways and by reprocessing and recycling various parts of the waste stream. There are the traditional materials that have established commodity trading demand like paper, cardboard, plastic, and steel. We have alligned ourselves with new players in these industries and together with them we are building creditable alternative outlets to the ‘big guys’.

We have talked about the arrogance and the complacency of the big guys and how this has given us an opportunity to get established but we know this wont always be the case. In fact it is getting tougher right now even as I write this to you.

So now we are in the game how do we stay ahead of the tiger who has awoken from his snooze and discovered we have him by the tail !!!!!

That is the exciting part….last week I managed to find outlets and recycling options for a number of waste types that no one had ever dreamed or thought a reuse possible for. As a result of this we are in the box seat for large competitor business because we pushed the envelope and challenged ‘normal’ and the ‘status quo’. No I am not a particularly smart or bright spark just someone who is desperate to win business in a competitive and tight market . I am trying to be smarter than others who may not be driven by the same desperation but who are awakening from their comfort sleep and will soom be getting smarter or copying us…..exciting and scary but that folks is business today!!!

“If you see a ‘bandwagon’ its too late.” Sir James Goldsmith

Battle Scars!

Hi,I love running in the rain although running first thing in the morning these days is a bit more difficult as the days shorten and it is dark again. The dark and the rain conspired last week making vision difficult and I ran into a tree overhanging a narrow walkway!!! Crikey talk about bleed, my use of a daily blood thinner doesn’t help when the skin is broken no matter how big the cut is. Being a bloke I kept going and thought no more about it until I got home.My face and neck were covered in blood and I had to do some quick talking to avert the 111 call to the Westpac helicopter!! Harry and the Hendersons did a good job of cleaning me up, leaving a fresh scar across my cheek and ear! It was more than noticeable and I spent the rest of the day explaining how it happened, as you do ! Saying “I ran into a tree” was weak and suspicious and only fuelled speculation of how I had really received the injury. Its amazing how quickly people notice stuff like that and want to know all the details ! Funny things visual scars, they are telltale signs of bravery, clumsiness, luck or just some close scrapes along the way. Good to know and be able to talk and laugh about.

Last week the tragic suicide of an old school and rugby mate made me think about the other scars, the invisible ones, those we don’t see, the ones that are hidden, those we don’t know about? How many of our family, friends or others around us have invisible scars or internal battles they deal with daily, weekly or monthly that are not obvious or known to us? Made me think long and hard about trying harder to stay in touch and in support with and of friends and family and about how helpless something like his loss made me and others feel. I guess all any of us can ever do is make the most of now, appreciate how lucky we are to laugh and joke about the external scars and hope to have loving support to identify, confront and control the internal ones.

To that vitally important end I hope you all had a magnificent weekend in the sun having fun with family and friends. Have an amazing week, stay fit, focused and take care. Cheers Jonesey !

 Harry and the Hendersons can tell you about real battle scars, how long have you got?

“Entrenched thinking is the enemy of progress” Richard Boock

Most new ideas are firstly condemned as ridiculous;then they are dimissed as trivial.Finally they become what everybody knows. Way back through history there are examples of this being the case before great ideas and massive changes in thinking and direction were accepted and adopted.

So last week I was not daunted when several new ideas, I had, met the same initial fate. They were put forward as a ‘left field’ , ‘out of the box/square’ solution to some age old customer issues.

My ideas are yet to be dismissed as trivial and still a way off becoming what everybody knows but they were certainly right up there in the condemned as ridiculous stakes !!!!

Instead of letting this deter me I have used the initial reaction to provide the motivation to prove my ideas will work. My suggestions came as part of a ‘brainstorming session to work up a sales  strategy for a new customer. There was no way an apples for apples quote would win the business. A complete change of thinking from buyer and seller was required. Fellow brainstromers had clearly left their creativity and that side of their brains at home or in the lift, car or train and it was up to me to bravely go where no recycler had ever been before. So I duly sacrificed myself and laid out my brilliant ideas that had come to me that morning in the shower , the birthplace of many a solution to the problems of the universe!!!! After the laughter had subsided slowly but surely there was a growing feeling of appreciation for a new idea, something to examine for flaws and reasons it wouldn’t work. Someone has to be first, so why not us, we don’t have the business now so what have we got to lose with a refreshingly different ,bold, sassy approach? You get what you pay for and we know they are not happy at the moment so why not. Instead of dismissing it as trivial why not lend your support to make it become what everbody knows……..and they did, how good does that feel !!!!

“Things do not change:We change.” Henry David Thoreau

'The Naki'

Edition 126 Monday 13^th February 2012

Hi, few things beat getting out of town for a weekend, last week was extra short for us as we headed off to the ‘Naki’ on Friday to check out the Half Ironman event on Sunday. Wow talk about find the summer sun, we roasted in high 20’s degree heat all weekend and I paid the price now resembling a steamed crayfish! We went ‘back in time’ staying at a seaside motorcamp just out of town overlooking the Port and the Tasman Sea. It bought back some memories of family times spent at these type of camps up and down the country. We mixed it with a wide cross section of campers, all nationalities and ages under canvas, in mobile homes and cabins all off for a real kiwi adventure doing the same thing. It was exciting to share the experience with so many like minded intrepid travellers and to be reminded yet again what a great place this is we live in. There is some truth in another old adage and that is not to “ leave town till you have seen the country!” The Half  Ironman event was a buzz and further fuelled our desire to train hard in order to  have another crack!

Thank you for the ‘heart’ felt feedback from last weeks edition, things have quietened down for me nicely with  all systems in synchronised harmony. I appreciated your concern and the timely wake up call. I have focused hard on reducing the stress levels and relaxing more.

On that note I hope you all had a great weekend relaxing and having fun with your family and friends wherever you were and whatever you were up to. Life is too short to drink bad coffee, bad wine or not to take time out to enjoy it with family and friends.

Take care and have a great week ahead (don’t forget Saint Valentines day Tuesday !!)Cheers Jonesey

 Harry and the Hendersons met dogsitter ‘little John” who spoiled them rotten all weekend. They cant wait for us to go away again, thanks John, you are a dog legend!  

“Jealousy and anger shorten your life” Mainfreight quote on their building Sunday 12/02

I have mentioned it before and I will mention it again I am sure but Mainfreight are a kiwi success story. Started with one truck running on the smell of an oily rag  the business is now an International freight heavyweight and a favourite home grown stock for kiwi investors to support.

Mainfreight is  one of those companies you cant help but notice. Their vehicles are always immaculately presented and all feature motivational, positive quotes prominently displayed for high exposure. The appearance of their fleet is no accident as their company policy ensures that all vehicles are cleaned and polished daily before they leave their respective depots. Appearance, image and perception is everything , sharp look , sharp company!

Their offices all feature the same motivational vibe with quotes prominentyly displayed and in some cases electronically changing daily (like the one above on their Airport Branch). I had an appointment with one of their Auckland Managers recently and was lucky enough to visit their Head Office.

The atmosphere was positive and “UPBEAT’, their staff looked and sounded happy to be there and all made an effort to engage in conversation and to assist.

They have a Mainfreight training centre that all staff spend a week in being inducted to their business. All staff learn what the company does and follow an item of freight from its entry to the company to the time it is delivered to its destination and all the important stuff that should happen to it along the way! Mainfreight figure out if you have ‘blue blood’ in week one, if not then you don’t get to week two, if you make it through week one then it is highly likely you will be there for life which is what makes the company so successful. They are there because they want to be and they make you feel you are lucky to be doing business with them. I felt priveleged to be exposed to their culture.

I think we should all be looking for a business like Mainfreight to model our own on and one from which we can learn from personally and collectively. I know I drove them nuts asking heaps of questions about why they were so good….to me this is a key secret to success, how about you??

“Think, believe, dream and dare” Compliments of Walt Disney and the team at Mainfreight NZ

"In a Heart Beat'

Edition 125 Tuesday 7^th February 2012

Hi, someone once said “Don’t sweat the small stuff…and its all small stuff”. It’s a pity I don’t adhere to that philosophy enough on a daily basis. Last week was a case in point and a real wake up call for me personally. The week started normally enough after a nice long weekend but I soon wound myself progressively into a hypertensive knot over what was in essence a bunch of minor stuff. I have a bad habit of letting little stuff that I have no control over take control of me. The upshot was a couple of bouts of cardio arithmia during exercise and the motorway commute that reduced me to a sweaty breathless basket case. Apart from being scary for me and those around me it was a huge wake up call for someone who should and does know better. After eliminating other potential triggers I decided conclusively that my old enemy self induced ‘stress’ was the key perpetrator. After calming down a bit , a couple of calls to the Auckland Heart Group and some honest self analysis I was sort of relieved to find that no one else was to blame but me ! It is so important to focus on things you do have control over and not waste time on sweating the small stuff. Reminds me of another old adage about us “not worrying so much about what other people think of us or what we are up to if we only realised how little any of them do!”  Even superb athletic specimens like me find it hard running up hills cycling or swimming km after km when the top and the bottom of the heart are marching to their own beat……scary , you better believe it. Calm down Mr ‘Upbeat’ the last thing you want to be remembered as is Mr ‘No beat’ !!!  A useful wake up call , listen to your heart, its in charge so don’t mess with it or let self induced stress invade or restrict your lifestyle.So to that end I hope you , your family and friends had a relaxing Waitangi weekend together. Have an awesome short week ahead. Take care. Cheers Jonesey.

 Harry and the Hendersons have developed the perfect ‘stress free’ lifestyle. Its all about keeping life simple as follows; sleep, eat, exercise, sleep, eat , exercise, sleep Zzzzzzzzzzzz  

“You only live once, but if you work it right , once is enough. Joe Louis

I just finished the last chapter of the book ‘Ultra Marathon Man’ the story of this amazingly committed long distance runner Dean Karnazes.Crikey it has been an inspiration to read. Like most autobiographies it is an insight into an incredibly driven individual. Here are a couple of extracts from his conclusion that  sum up a life well lived….have an inspirational week, good luck.

On ‘passion’

“Running has taught me that the pursuit of a passion matters more than the passion itself. Immerse yourself in something deeply and with heartfelt intensity-continually improve, never give up-this is fulfillment, this is success”.

On fulfillment….

“Most people never get there. They’re afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance. But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not constantly demanding more from yourself-expanding and learning as you go-you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”

On ‘life’…

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW!! What a ride!”     

"BIG" is GOOD !!!!!

Edition 124 Monday 30th January 2012

Hi, happy birthday Auckland, and thanks to our city forefathers who decided we should all receive an annual Anniversary long weekend to celebrate! Anniversary weekend is a time for us Jafa’s to reflect on what a great place we live in. It’s a day we can take some time out to enjoy one of many jewels in Aucklands crown.I hope you were able to do just that either in parks and forests or on beaches, boats,islands,mountains or tracks there is certainly a lot to do and be grateful for if in this great city.

The following is favourite extracts from a Herald article over 100 years ago describing the Anniversary regatta on Waitemata Harbour, check out the amazing word pictures, I love this…..

“The harbour gleamed and rippled so that one understood why the Maori’s named it ‘Waitemata’ or ‘shining water. Shining it was with a thousand hues-golden and opaline. And over its broad expanse swept scores and scores of whitesailed boats; the finest squadron of sailing craft in the southern world manned by the finest class of sailors. Purely from a scenic point of view yachting on the Auckland Harbour was something worth studying. The stately beautiful creations gliding with noiseless speed over the water, their sails white against the clear surface of azure blue made pictures fascinating. So varied so extensive are these sailing grounds that none among the oldest of Auckland yacthsmen knows them all,and he who knows them best longs the most to still explore”.

Nothing has changed over the years as yesterday the Harbour came to life again with thousands of Aucklanders taking to the sparkling Waitemata against the background of Mt Victoria, North Head, Bastion Point and triple coned Rangitoto Island. Yes we are blessed so best not to be complacent about where we live, best to get out and enjoy it,happy birthday Aucklanders…cheers Jonesey

 Harry and the Hendersons love anniversaries, long weekends and any chance to party hard and then sleep it off while the vacuum chokes on the furry fall out !

 “Fish where the fish are”……A learned fisherman

This quote might seem obvious but every day, week, month sales people everywhere waste a lot of time fishing for sales in all the wrong places.

Its all about knowing your products and target market for them. Again this may seem obvious but too many sales people and companies don’t know their customers or their market?

Here is a recent example of mine……there is a large multi national company that is a prime candidate for our range of environmental services. I am responsible for sales to that customer. They have a staff cafeteria located in their head office that is also open to the public. Not many people know this but I was lucky enough to find it out through one of my contacts in this company. I now make a point of meeting this guy over a coffee in their café. By doing this I have been introduced by him to a number of the other divisional managers who are now also contacts. I have also established that most of their divisions are members of their respective industry associations (eg; Master Builders, Contractors Federation etc) This is called fishing where the fish are and can result in a lot of leads and sales being made. It is not rocket science and good business for sales people to quickly establish where the fish are by simply asking plenty of questions and for referrals to other contacts within the same industry sector. I asked for referrals last week when I was with a good customer and received two full pages of leads from within their industry sector. I was pleased that our hungry green gorilla sales team had called on most of these but receiving the list was a good result.  I called on a govt department last week and asked about others in the same sector and discovered they were about to combine their environmental requirements into one tender. We got the short list of preferred tenderers! Lessons; 1)Find out where the fish are and fish there 2)Always ask for referrals 3)Join industry associations related to your business 4 )Read industry publications related to your business.

“Excite, Ex=excellence, c=customer,i=integrity,te=team” Mega Mitre 10 internal values…….. BIG is good!.....best of luck sales sizzzzzzlers!!

BIGB

K.I.S.S.

                                                      

Edition 122 Monday 16^th January 2012

Hi, Happy New Year and welcome to the start of 366 days (yes 2012 is a leap year !) full of opportunity, challenge, success, failure, happiness, sadness, wins, losses, grins, frowns, laughter, tears, celebrations, deliberations and above all else excitement ahead.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee so we were happy to beat off all other Trademe bidders for our very own Breville Barista machine complete with milk frothy thingy. The Latte’s and Flat whites were cranking and legendary status was soon reached at café 48 ! Needless to say the caffeine investment has paid for itself many times over (doesn’t take long at $5 bucks a pop !).

We were also lucky enough to do a deal on a pre loved leather lounge suite for a bargain so decided to sneak it in to the budget and the house as our chrissy present to each other,problem is we love it so much we have spent a lot of time relaxing on it in the last few weeks….yes,the perfect gift.

To that end I have enjoyed finishing the Shaun Quincy book Trans Tasman Trespasser 2 about him rowing the Tasman single handed emulating his Dad (recommended amazing read). I also read a book called ‘Ultra Marathon Man’ about a guy Dean Karnazes who was an amazing athlete who pushed his body to unbelievable extremes to cover hundreds of miles without stopping. In one example he ran from his home in San Francisco 100 miles through the night to the start of a marathon in the Napa Valley, he arrived 5 minutes before the start grabbed something to eat and then proceeded to chop out the marathon in 3 hours 15 mins !!! another recommended read.

We moved 10km to the local store 3 times in 2 weeks and in between caught plenty of Zzzzzzzzzz and enjoyed hosting family for chrissy day and friends. We boogie boarded and exercised between naps, watched TV movies and generally embraced the change of pace…life doesent get any better.

Boris the cat has mended well and is now out of his cage and loving his new dedicated ‘dog free ‘ area downstairs. The free spa pool trial nears completion in Ranui Heights and life is generally good for the Joneses, hope the same goes for you and yours….looking forward to another big one !

I hope you all had or continue to have a relaxing and enjoyable festive/holiday season with family and friends and that 2012 has started and continues well for you privately and professionally.

 Have a good one, Cheers Jonesey

Harry the hound loves being in the ‘Dog Box’…only place for a hound to be truly happy !

 “In the Dog Box?......flowers help” Seen outside flower shop Henderson…..clever marketing.

Crikey another year is upon us and already off to a flying start, things to do , people to see sales figures to meet. Tough times don’t last, tough people do though.

Lots of hype about new year resolutions and goals as you come to expect at this time of year.

Rather than come up with an elaborate list of goals and things you are committed to changing I am in favour of a K.I.S.S. solution …. Yes there is no substitute for keeping things simple my friends.

So….here is what you do……you only need one goal, one focus for 2012……..wait for it…………………:

GOAL 101……Continually strive to improve everything you do this year………..so;

• If you are in sales …sell more every day, week , month continually challenge yourself.
• Seek opportunities to improve, training, reading books, join clubs, industry groups
• Communicate more effectively……join Toastmasters (you knew it was coming !!)
• If you are trying to give something up, try harder seek more help get better.
• Help others get where they need to go and you will grow, develop and achieve yourself
• Be a better, son, daughter, mother, father, friend, husband , wife, partner…commit.
• Get it?.......go to it………good luck, have a great year.

“If its to be… its up to me”.   Daily quote for all ‘Upbeat’ people to say as they look in the mirror!