'Use it or lose it'

                                                      

Edition 87 Tuesday March 26th 2011

Hi, I have always hated Weta’s, they freak me out, so to see one scurrying flat stick towards me across the kitchen floor didn’t thrill me. After freaking everyone out within a 5km radius including Captain Courageous hound Harry! I managed to compose myself long enough to smother the man-eating invader with a handitowel and transfer him (or her?) outside without harm (catch and release).

Apart from this ‘cutting edge’ drama the Easter/Anzac weekend was an eventful yet restful one with a superb mix of good food, wine, chocolate, exercise,and company !

The highlights for this Jones boy without doubt the 7^th win in a row by the mighty Blues juggernaut and as always supporting my Dad and his mates at the Anzac dawn parade.

Heavy rain didn’t deter hundreds from turning out pre 6am at the cenotaph on the Browns Bay Beach promenade. The waves lapped gently at the shore as the light pierced the dawn and the eerie silence much as it would have done all those years ago at Anzac Cove. It was hard not to reflect and imagine how frightening it must have been for our troops as they approached the beach under fire that day!

What a sobering experience Anzac Day is as we remember, recognise and appreciate the efforts and ultimate sacrifice our servicemen and women have and continue to make on our behalf in conflicts past and present. Makes you glad you made the effort to get up early to be there in the rain…not much to ask really in the greater scheme of things…Jimmy Jones was pretty happy !  

I hope you had an equally restful/eventful and reflective Easter/Anzac weekend with family and friends.  Thanks for your continued support and feedback, have a great short week, Cheers Jonesey !

Harry the heroic hound hates Weta’s too but still turned out at dawn in his trench coat!

Learning “Its what we learn after we know it all that counts” John Wooden

I am a believer in ‘seizing the day’ when opportunities present themselves. My philosophy is you should always be looking for situations that will assist you to continually develop and improve.

Take public speaking as one example, once you have overcome the initial or perceived fear and gained the confidence and skill to allow you to speak in public then you need to ‘use it or lose it’.

The more you do something the better you get at it and that certainly applies to most things, especially speaking and presenting. I am also banking heavily on this applying to swimming, cycling and running as I plan and implement my winter training programme building toward next summer’s triathlon series.

It is important we don’t ever think we ‘know it all’’ privately or professionally as that is when we  stand still, overtaken by those using life’s successes or failures as experiences to learn and improve.  I suspect many give up without knowing how desperately close to success they were!

I say never turn down the opportunity to learn and develop new skills or knowledge, life is an exciting series of ‘moments of truth’ that present each of us with the chance to do this daily.

Through doing just that I have learnt heaps meeting people from different private and professional backgrounds and managed to share mutually beneficial experiences, skills and information.

It is too easy to cruise along in a comfort zone staying cosy and out of trouble, never extending yourself, however,what satisfaction is there in that?

My challenge to each of you is to actively seek an opportunity to extend yourself this week,try or learn something new or add another string to your bow “green = growing, ripe = rotting” , good luck!

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood” Madame Curie

Mission POSSIBLE !

                                                      

Edition 86 Monday April 18th  2011

Hi, legendary NZ triathlete Cameron Brown certainly wont be shaking in his lycras but I was pretty damn pleased! Sunday dawned fine and calm as hundreds of thin people without lives descended on Mission Bay Beach and the Auckland waterfront. This in complete contrast to the gale force storm that lashed the same beaches and streets the day before. Yes it was Triathlon II for the Jones boy and time to see if any lessons had been learnt from Maraetai a month ago. Well Im pleased to report that I didn’t have to resort to dog paddle or backstroke in the swim this time, in fact I almost enjoyed it. I remembered where my bike was and peeled my wetsuit off with banana skin like precision. I hung on like a flapping flag for my life to a paneton of crazy cyclists who carried me helter skelter gasping for air around the waterfront course. I managed to get blood to my numb legs before I fell over but still took at least half the run to repay the oxygen debt to my lungs from that madcap cycle ride! Crikey all this was happening while most of you were tucked up at home in bed stacking Zzz and dreaming of a Sunday fry up ! (see attached photos for evidence).

So what did it all mean?…well after asking some serious questions of my reconditioned heart and 50year old lungs I can confirm that due to some dedictaed swim training and a chance meeting with the kami kazi cycling club I was able to post a new best time by 3 minutes……happy with that !

I hope you all had an equally rewarding weekend as you ducked and dived a typical “four seasons in both days “ Auckland weekend… GO THE BLUES !!!, have a great short week… Cheers Jonesey.

Harry Jones is a happy hound as Autumn bites and his styley winter coat takes shape!

CUSTOMERS…basic rules;

• #1 The customer is always right.
• #2 If the customer is ever wrong…re-read #1
• #3 If you don’t take care of your customers somebody else will

I had an interesting customer service experience over the last week with my bank. My credit card had been fraudulently accessed through no fault of mine and the banks fraud team had detected this.

From this point on things turned to custard for me , their customer, as a series of events unfolded that proceeded to drive me quietly and then openly insane.

My card was suspended while the bank investigated, I was not informed and only found out after calling them when my card was declined. This happened over a weekend and I had to wait until the Monday to talk to the fraud team who only worked week days,nothing could be done in the meantime! Monday I called an 0800 to be put on hold because they were “experiencing high call volumes”. I was put on hold on each of the four occasions I attempted to call that day. The same pattern repeated on Tuesday until I eventually talked to a person wo promised to get someone to call me …but no call. Finally late on Wednesday I managed to get someone to issue a new card and send it to my nearest branch. So here we were at Thursday still without any credit or the new card and staring down the barrell of some auto payments declining if something didn’t happen fast. I had to visit the local branch on Thursday and again Friday before they finally organised the credit and sorted the situation, this was a full 6 days and 11hours after my card was suspended! During this time I had a steady procession of bank employees who failed to take ownership or accountability for this problem. There was a distinct lack of empathy or genuine concern for my plight that resulted in me getting increasingly frustrated , annoyed and angry at the lack of urgency or action. The upshot is I have cancelled my card and transferred all my business to a competitor who acted swiftly and efficiently to open new accounts and make me feel welcome…a message for us all here .

The moral of this story…”Always treat others as you would have them treat you”

“Make the customer the crown jewel of your business” Brian Tracey

Man and hound versus Wild !

                                                      

Edition 85 Monday April 11th 2011

Hi, it was ‘Man versus Wild’ West Coast style as my son Mark headed off last week into the Woodhill Forest. After living and working for the last 5 years in Melbourne and Sydney it was time to get ‘feral’ survivor style. So accompanied by that renowned watch dog (not),trusty hound , best friend and experienced hunting bush hound (not) Harry Jones they set off into the abyss. Against the advice of family, friends and Jim Hickey the weather man they remained determined. Off they headed into the icy south westerlygale force winds and pitch black darkness the self taught compass expert with his fearless hound ! Many smoko breaks later they set up camp and feasted in their bivouac on a banquet of precooked sausages, cheese slices, homemade rocky road and easter eggs !

An amazing adventure unfolded as they encountered two deer and a boar (don’t know who was more surprised!) as they proceeded to survive without having to form an alliance or vote each other off the island ! Sure, short of a Starbucks Woodhill is pretty well sign posted and tracked but still freaky dark at night.Armed with an endless supply of glow sticks and lighters our intrepid feral trampers felt the fear,ignored the search and rescue advice and emerged from the bowels of the forest triumphant, having done it anyway! Two more Jones’s to follow and keep up with ! 

I hope you had an equally adventurous and successful week with friends and family, cheers Jonesey.

Harry the ‘feral’ hound slept all weekend recovering from his visit to ‘survivor’ forest !

 

Word Of Mouth is the most powerful form of advertising and promotion” Zig Ziglar

In November last year our ‘greenpea’ company won a project that just kept getting bigger. The contract went over a weekend and we committed extra resource and staff to the job to make sure the work got done. Our team went the extra mile by working around the clock for our customer.

Our competitors chose not to work out of hours or over the weekend so we ended up securing the majority of the work and the revenue from the project. You may recall this was the job that Harry and I jumped in a truck to drive as part of our team on the Saturday night.

So why am I telling you about this again?, because the impact of going the extra mile for our customer that night and the word of mouth advertising and referrals we have had from it are still rolling in.

In a perfect example last week we were invited to tender for what will be the biggest project this year in our industry. Originally we were told that we would not be invited to tender this work however as a result of a referral directly linked back to the November project we now find ourselves with a chance.

There have been several other opportunities won as a direct result of relationships formed and built via referrals  from our customer who was so impressed with our commitment to exceeding their expectations that weekend in November.

See how important it is to have a team of people that will go the extra mile for your business. It is not only critical for the success of any project but of the company itself. Companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on all forms of advertising electronic and print but if they don’t have the people on the ground to deliver on that advertising promise that money is wasted . Repeat business is gained when customers are dazzled with quality service to the point where they are motivated to recommend your services to others. This opens previously locked doors to opportunities most never know about until it is too late. It is often not what you know but who you know and getting to know these people often happens through ‘word of mouth’.

Good people going the extra mile are the most valuable asset of any business, make sure you are one of them for your company.

“There are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile” Harry Jones Green Gorilla Bins Ltd

Winners are Grinners :)

Edition 84 Monday April 4th  2011

Hi,…”And representing New Zealand please welcome… Clinton Jones”…and then I woke up , yes it was a dream but imagine if it was real? There was a time where I was driven to represent my country so what happened?

Those thoughts and that passion flowed back through my mind and my veins on Saturday as I attended the Auckland prepared speech contest. I watched Aucklands best go head to head competing for the right to represent the city at the national final in May. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight as I remembered competing and winning the same trophy on three  previous occasions the last time over a decade ago !...so what happened?

Saturday rekindled my desire to compete, reignited my passion for winning a national title and ultimately the right to represent my country at the World Championship of Public Speaking.

I am so excited about planning an assault on the summit of the Toastmasters world, the pinnacle of presentation, the holy grail of oratory. Time to learn from the mistakes of the past, do the hard yards and leave no stone unturned in my quest to be the best I can be…look out world …so what happened?,watch this space I say, to be continued…

Wow, so glad I made the effort to attend this meeting, sometimes we need to be reminded to continue to follow our dreams, never to lose sight of them or the passion required to persevere and achieve them… a message I felt worth sharing today.

I hope you had an equally inspiring weekend with family and friends…Cheers Jonesey.

Harry the happy hound loved the extra daylight saving Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz bonus on Sunday!

“Winning is not a sometime thing; its an all-time thing. You don’t win once and a while, you don’t do things right once and a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing”. Vince Lombardi

Winner vs Loser

The winner- is always part of the answer;

The loser-is always part of the problem;

The winner always has a programme;

The loser-always has an excuse;

The winner-says “Let me do it for you”;

The loser –says”That’s not my job”;

The winner-sees an answer for every problem;

The loser-sees a problem for every answer;

The winner-sees a green by every sand trap;

The loser-sees two or three sand traps by every green;

The winner-says “it may be difficult but its possible”;

The loser –says,”It may be possible buts its too difficult”.

Be a Winner!

Thank you for the awesome feedback from last week. Speaking of winning we had an amazing week closing a number of deals we had been working on. When you have some wins you get a winning momentum and it is easy for it to become a habit. Its a great feeling being in the winning team one you need to embrace and enjoy. Winning is a culture winners develop and cultivate, it is infectious.

“Winners expect to win in advance. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Arthur Lydiard

The big OE

Edition 83 Monday March 28th  2011

Hi, there is nothing better than getting away for the weekend especially when you go overseas! We headed to the family holiday home on Waiheke Island a mere 45minutes from the grid locked chaos of downtown Auckland. It is so cool to get away from the city for a break, just a couple of days is like a week away.  The decision to take the motorbike had the potential to ruin hair, clothes, holiday and relationship but due to some skillful driving and a lot of luck we stayed together and relatively dry. The visit was long overdue, I had forgotten what a jewel this special place is in Aucklands crown… if you haven’t been for a while or ever, then why not plan a trip there with family or friends soon.

After our recent trip to Taupo we promised to get away more often on the weekends so we programmed this one in and several others going forward. Its good to have something to look forward to and always fun to visit different or favorite places. The Waiheke trip was also another tick on the goal list as I had promised Mum and Dad I would get there before the end of summer. Good feeling when you make a commitment and then actually deliver on that promise…good boy jonesey.

I hope you all managed to stay dry and have a relaxing weekend as well… Cheers Jonesey

Harry the hound was tired & tight muzzled about the state of the house and the party his brother had on Saturday night!

“Trust is the emotional glue that binds suppliers and customers together” Brian Tracy

I am in the middle of a deal at the moment and there are two major competitors chasing the same sale. The point of differentiation I have established is ‘trust’.

I have worked hard to earn the trust of my customer where my competitors have focused on rushing in to present features , benefits and price all the good old traditional sales tools and techniques. My aim has been to get to know my customers business so well that they see me as an integral part of their future. This involves building trust and thinking like a  member of their own team. This has taken time but has been well worth it as I have established a strong bond with the husband and wife owners of the company that has seen me gain the inside running to win their business.

My competitors have started to bad mouth me to the customer and apply closing pressure to them in an attempt to win the sale. This has done nothing but increase my chances of success as their approach has hindered rather than helped their cause. The amazing thing is that both competitors have the experience and the ability to do an excellent job however, instead, their approach to winning the sale has been unprofessional, complacent and aggressive.

Building trust and rapport will win this business for our company, ‘complimenting rather than competing’ is why we are the preferred supplier and why there is daylight between us and the others. This has been a good lesson for me and one I wanted to share with you . My advice to you is to forget going for the jugular and instead spend time listening and earning the trust of your staff and customers and you will find you will be more successful in any situation. Good luck.

“It takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it”  Zig Ziglar

TRI Hard

Edition 82 Monday March 21st  2011

Hi, “Clinton Jones…you are a triathlete!”, yes ladies and gentlemen the mid life crisis career has been officially launched! On Sunday I woke at sparrows and joined hundreds of others at Maraetai in East Auckland as a perfect day for destroying old bodies, reputations and ego’s dawned. The water was crystal clear and flat calm as the hooter heralded the frenzied start of the swim. 500 frantic metres later I emerged like a creature from the deep and then made my way awkwardly like a fish out of water,a tad disoriented, trying desperately to remember where I had racked my bike! Having perfected my wetsuit skin peel last week I was soon cleeted permanently to the bike pedals cranking along trying to remember the expert advice I had about the 20km cycle? It went something like 5km spinning,5km building,5km sprinting,5km spinning and above all stay hydrated. Well I forgot it all but I can confirm my head and both wheels were definitely spinning and I was thirsty! Having disregarded the cycle leg advice led to an amusing transistion from bike to run as I initially fell over and then wobbled along like rubberman unable to feel my legs for most of the 5km run distance!

Apart from the varying degrees of panic I was in from start to finish the day was an adrenaline pumping buzz and I will never forget the feeling of total euphoria at having finished my first event. It was a great experience and one I plan to repeat again at Mission Bay next month once the feeling returns to all my muscle groups! I hope you all had a equally rewarding weekend, Cheers Jonesey!

Harry the hound had a happy time out West running riot with Oscar and Kate staying over!

“My father gave me these hints on speech making: Be sincere…be brief…be seated.”   James Roosevelt

I have always believed that the level of success in our business or private lives can be directly attributable to how effectively we communicate with other people. This might sound obvious but how often do you hear people say the biggest problem at work or home is ‘lack of communication’. This can be between departments, divisions, branches, management and customers at work or between family members at home. So how do we improve our communication skills?...

I have always liked the sound of my own voice so I joined Toastmasters 20 years ago, what I didn’t realise was that this organisation teaches you to listen twice as much as you speak ( a good skill to have at work and at home don’t you agree?). Toastmasters was foundered in 1924, there are thousands of clubs all over the world including hundreds meeting here in New Zealand every week.

I am on my Toastmasters soap box again because last week our club Central Park in Auckland organised and ran a demonstration meeting to showcase our club to guests and prospective members. The meeting came at the end of an extensive 2 week Toastmasters advertising campaign that generated unprecedented interest nationwide. NOW is a good time to look up your closest local club and find out what the excitement is all about.Take a positive step toward overcoming one of the biggest fears people openly admit to having, the fear of public speaking. Along the way you will improve your communication and leadership skills whilst meeting like minded, motivated people that will be good for your career and private lives, CRIKEY what are you waiting for visit a club this week !

“Communication is to relationships what breathing is to life” Virginia Satir

Caught Napping !!!!

                                                      

Edition 81 Monday March 14th  2011

Hi, I remember my dad used to have afternoon naps on the weekend and I always wondered how he could sleep during the day? Well Ive now figured it out its because he was exhausted and sleep came easily to him, just like it did to me on the weekend as I also napped during the day! It may have had something to do with all the energy I used up getting in and out of my special ‘second skin’ triathlon wetsuit, crikey what a mission, must have looked hilarious on Pt Chev beach doing battle with it !

I love the weekend but have been guilty over the years of not making the most effective use of the those precious two days. By applying some thought to the process you can even afford to have the odd nap or two and still get the most out of the weekly break.My secret is to start the process on Friday by making them exciting build up days where you can infect everyone with happiness by reaching out and touching the weekend it is so close ! Form this habit and an ‘Upbeat’ buzzy Friday effectively becomes part of the weekend!...Then you need to take note of the ‘message to self’ from last week to get away more often and ACT…so we did,and duly booked some more weekends out of town not too far ahead. This is exciting and something we are looking forward to, I wish I could keep a secret because it is quite fun to make them a surprise for partners and family… too exciting for me. Weekends are precious and have taken on a new importance for me,I hope you also treasure these two golden days and always plan to  get the most from them…Cheers Jonesey

Harry the happy hound has perfected the art of the weekend nap morning noon and night!

“Person stand for long time with mouth open before roast duck fly in” Chinese Proverb

In my current role I am often out of the office driving too and from organised meetings and site visits so… last week I decided that each time I would take time to do one cold call each time as well.

I am out of the office approximately twice a day so this would mean at least 10 cold calls per week or nearly 500 calls per annum. If you applied the 10 calls for 1 order theory to this call total it represents 50 new customers per year.Sales is a numbers game and this simple maths proves it …so why do so many sales people struggle to make sales and achieve budgets? The answer is lack of planning and a reluctance to develop a simple plan like the one above and stick to it. The most successful sales people are not rocket scientists, they are organised hard workers who are disciplined and habitually work their plan.

Planning, persistence and perserverence are words we all hear on a regular basis,they are the corner stones of any successful sales career.Customers like to deal with people and companies that are proactive and innovative, not companies that ‘stand for long time with mouths open complacently waiting for the roast duck to fly in’.The reality is sales people cold calling will win ‘ roast duck’.

Back to me…(its all about me afterall!) my basic cold calling plan has had a significant impact on the customers I have called on and has netted me a number of new business opportunities as a result of timing, my good looks and natural charm. One new customer goes out of his way to tell our directors how impressed he was with my original cold call each time we call (cost me a small fortune).

“Fail nine times, stand up ten”. Japenese Proverb