Go the Blues

         

Edition 175 Monday February 25th 2013

Hi,just in case you don’t notice you are getting older time has a way of reminding you in an often not so subtle way! I got two such reality checks this weekend when my son Mark turned 30 on Sunday (Congratulations by the way son!)born 1983!!sobering thought for this Jones boy!Then I was found badly short of a gallop at step son Stephens stag do! You would think after a life time of training in pubs, clubs and Razzas the length and width of NZ I would have put up a better showing ,alas, not the case for this old fella. I was home tucked up in bed as my fellow stags amped it up to another level in the city !.....never mind Fletcher Jones will keep us young I am sure !

I was unlucky enough to watch some of the one day cricket decider on Saturday live at Eden Park, I was hoping NZ would make a better show of it but left disappointed well before the half way mark. My beloved Blues under new coach Sir John Kirwan salvaged the sporting day with a gutsy win away against the Hurricanes in Wellington. After the awesome match between the Chiefs and the Highlanders on Friday night this Jones household is looking forward to the coming ruggers season.

Busy family times continue at 48, long may it and the endless Summer continue.

I hope you are also making the most of your lives with family and friends. “Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant.” Socrates

Have a great week, cheers Jonesey.

Harry and the Hendersons are loving Sir John and Sir Graham’s influence at the Blues!

“Every great business is built on friendship.”JC Penney

We have a favourite Indian restaurant in the city that we would visit at least once a month when we both worked close by.

The owners staffed the restaurant with family and friends and they in turn treated their customers like part of the family. They took a personal interest in us, knew us by name and always asked questions and showed genuine interest in the answers. We knew it was geniuine interest because they could always recount what we had talked about the last time they saw us. It was noticeably different and motivated us to return on a regular basis (The Butter Chicken is to die for as well).

We called in again on Saturday night, the restaurant was full and there were people waiting. They recognized us and made a huge fuss over Fletcher and Christine (I didn’t mindL).They made us instantly feel welcome like we were visiting them at their home and being hosted by them.

This approach to running a business is built around delivering a personalized customer service that creates friends and as a result drives a fierce loyalty to their restaurant, hence they are booked heavily most nights and always have a line of people waiting Thursday through to Sunday nights.

What an awesome recipe for making money,winning and maintaining friendships not just customers. Making those friends genuinely feel like part of the family and in turn being rewarded with a loyal and regular restaurant full of happy campers.

The other good thing about this approach to customers and service is that the happy campers are so happy they tell all the other campers about their positive experience and your business grows more.

A simple business model you may think but more than a paradigm shift needed in most businesses to achieve this mind set.

We can all influence this change in our businesses by taking this approach to our own relationships with customers. Treating them like friends, the way we would like to be treated, building the friendship genuinely and engendering fierce loyalty to our brand,product or service…….good luck!!

“Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.” Chip Bell Founder The Chip Bell Company

Dont mention the V word!!

         

Edition 174 Monday February 18th 2013

Hi, ok I admit it hasn’t been front of mind but I guess that is no excuse for forgetting completely about my upcoming vasectomy operation! It seemed noble and honourable at the time however it hasnt been hard to forget about really ! The other thing that tends to have more than a major bearing on proceedings is the fact that we have sort of decided it would be nice for Fletcher to have a little brother or sister !!!!Crikey a lot can happen in the Jones camp in a week that’s for sure…..you heard it here first, watch this space!!

Speaking of things happening in the Jones camp congratulations to Mum and Dad on celebrating their 54^th wedding anniversary last week and welcome home to son Mark who celebrates his 30^th birthday next week. Mark is home catching his breath before heading off on a new adventure to Europe!!

Busy times as we count down to birthdays, stag doo’s,hens parties with an Easter family wedding approaching. Fletcher is loving being part of all the excitement surrounded by family which is cool. Again for me now is a time to reflect on just how important family is in the greater scheme of things. It is not hard to always draw the same conclusion time and again….”there is and will never be anything more important!!” We must never lose sight of this fact no matter how difficult it may seem maintaining contact and ties at times.

I hope you had a great weekend relaxing,hopefully touching base with your family and friends too!!

Have a great week, cheers Jonesey.

Harry and the Hendersons reckon the grumpy man should harden up about getting the ‘chop’ and reckon Harry looks Scooby Doo after his second #1 shave this summer,cool bro!

“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.” -Keith Ferrazzi

The best way to find out about what is happening in your industry, market sector, or business is to use as many other people to help you find out as possible.

I meet with a number of network groups on a regular basis to share information and contacts in an effort to provide leads and opportunities for others but to also expand my own knowledge about what is happeing in ours and other market sectors.

The beauty about us is our industry touches all others as there are very few if any businesses that don’t generate waste products and who are not interested in reducing that volume by introducing sustainable solutions….listen to me…..call me now !!!

Well as the quote above says networking is often  more about giving than receiving however always beneficial to all who participate. It is important that everyone contributes and that there is an atmosphere of generosity rather than greed.

Do you have a network group?, if not, how do you start one? A good idea is to think about other industry sectors that supply the same customers as you do and to introduce yourself to sales people from their business. Also talk to your customers about what is happening in their industries eg; new developments, innovations, new entrants to the sector etc, it is important to leave no stone unturned.

Or….get on www.linkedin.co.nz you will be amazed how many of your friends and colleagues are!!!

 It is amazing when you drop on to a new opportunity through a network contact and like a news reporter on to a hot story the excitement and the adrenalin flows as you close in on the ultimate prize, in the case of the reporter the scoop or the breaking news and in our case as sales people……the sale !!! Yeehaaa, what are you waiting for, set up that network now and get cracking!!

  “I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.”  -J. Paul Getty, American Industrialist

Growing pains

         

Edition 173 Monday February 11th 2013

Hi, Wow and I thought I was competitive,that was before I became a new parent again(six months ago Saturday!!!) Crikey we were over the moon to see Fletchers first teeth come through just before he clicked over the six month milestone. Well we were met with a barrage of parents telling us their kid got ten teeth at two months etc etc, then there were the ones whose kid didn’t have teeth still at nine  months….jeepers it could do your head in if you let it!!! We decided early on in that we were not going to freak out or get unnecessarily stressed if our kid was ahead or behind others older, younger or the same age! Although I must say out of the kids in our neighbourhood our son is definitely the best looking, has the most teeth and is the hottest on his skateboard!!! Ok, he isnt quite on the skateboard yet but he did mutter the magic word the other day (Dada) so he is a winner!(see photo).

DIY update…….progressing well with a third coat required to cover but hey while your there right, what is one more coat !!!...almost the difference between life and death for this weary old painter!!

We had a cool weekend continuing to make the most of the amazing weather to catch up with family and friends. I hope you got the opportunity to do the same, lets face it there is nothing more important or precious in the world. Have a great week Cheers Jonesey.

Harry and the Hendersons reckon white walls will never work with a  boy child about to crawl and walk and three dogs with a passion for creeks and the beach…watch this space !

Rarely do we find people who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our little private enterprise business continues to astound me as it grows like Topsy.

Whilst that is awesome and we are all over the moon it is also something that comes with more than its fair share of growing pains.

These are pains that threaten to affect the points of differentiation the business was foundered on the main one being prompt,quality,personalised service.

There is a fine line between saying yes to every service request and actually delivering on that requirement as promised every time.There is also a fine line between having enough staff to deliver on that promise or not enough people where the ones you do have are working overtime to keep up.

At present we are in the no mans land between , some days we keep up and other days we get blown out of the water and struggle to deliver on the promise. We are in a building mode and must take time to recruit the right people yet in the meantime have the existing staff step up and make sure we continue to deliver and grow as a result……a tricky balancing act.

The secret is to make sure the team continue to function as just that and make sure that everyone works hard but is recognised and valued for doing so.

The other key ingredient in amongst all the drama and pressure is to ensure we continue to have fun and feel pride in what we have created and continue to grow.

That is the challenge for us all no matter what business we work in and that is an important part of business, accepting that challenge and overcoming it but realising that change and growth are a constant and it is the businesses that cope with it the best that are the most likely to be around the longest and experience the most success……..your mission should you decide to accept it!

Some people regard private enterprise as a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look on it as a cow they can milk. Not enough people see it as a healthy horse, pulling a sturdy wagon. Winston Churchill

DIY in our DNA yeah right!!

         

Edition 172 Monday February 4th 2013

Hi, “DIY its in our DNA” yeah right…not if this last weekend is anything to go by! I spent most of it on the other end of a long handle roller painting ceilings. Things were going well while I could see where I was going until the second coat when I had no idea. Add to this arms, neck and general body fatigue and the DIY dream was well and truly a nightmare. In true Jones fashion and on the back of all that training I did as a painter in the school holidays with Dad I got there in the end…not without some heartache……..dont quit your day job Jonesey because a professional painter you are not mate !

You guessed it the test colour on the test wall didn’t last a week so we are back to billy basic white ceilings and now white walls…..hmm something to look forward to attacking on Waitangi Day !!!

On things to look forward to we are counting down the days to the return of my son Mark from his latest overseas jaunt that has taken him to some exciting places in South America and the US over that last two years. He is back for a couple of months for his 30^th birthday and his brothers wedding at Easter before heading off again for Europe on the next leg of his never ending OE, go for it mate!

Fletcher is looking forward to seeing another of his big brothers and we are looking forward to hosting three generations of the Jones clan at home in early March which will be so cool.

I cant wait to catch up with members of our family we havent seen for far too long, there is nothing more important to us so this will be the best time. I hope you feel the same way and have the opportunity to spend regular time with your friends and family too,have a good week Cheers Jonesey.

Harry and the Hendersons reckon DIY Jonesey sucks, harden up or hire someone they say!

“Opportunities come from knocking on doors until they open” Maxwell Smart

I know I could never be a professional commercial/house painter, why?, because it is not what I am passionate about or love doing. I know selling is what I love doing , that is my passion and whilst it is no bed of roses it is something that gives me more satisfaction than painting J.

Knocking on doors is tough going, getting nine ‘no’s’ before a ‘yes’ can be soul destructive and depressing however that one ‘yes’ is the legal high we pursue and embrace when we make the sale.

The sales journey is a roller coaster , it can almost stall then reach amazing heights and hair raising adrenaline pumping speed before the deal is done.

A good example came for me last week when pursuing sales with several business divisions of one of New Zealands largest companies appeared to be going nowhere then from one question I was landed with an opportunity to speak to these two divisions plus a dozen more at their annual supplier conference WOW, imagine if I had given up on this opportunity and all my competitors were at this conference not me.

The secret is to never give in no matter how long the sale is taking or how impossible doing a deal is looking you must motivate yourself to come up with different angles or ask the questions that turn up the answers that lead you to the next stage toward what you are pursuing.

The highway to the sale is littered with the abandoned old car wrecks of the many sales people who gave up along the way…..make sure you are not one of them, I bet like me you could tell a story or two of the time you either gave up and wished you didn’t or maybe hung in there a little while longer and were glad you did. Our mission is to make a habit of hanging in there and being there when the deal is done to tell the story not regretting we didn’t….. not simple,but satisfying…..good luck !!

‘People are not remembered by how few times they fail but by how often they succeed. Every wrong step is another step forward.” Thomas Edison

Cool Sunnies bro !!!!!

         

Edition 171  Tuesday 29th January 2013

Hi,Happy Birthday Auckland, crikey what a way to celebrate with three outstanding days of glorious weather. I hope those ‘Jafa’s’ amongst you got out and enjoyed some of the great places, spaces and events in the city over the Anniversary weekend. We marked the 150^th birthday weekend by mixing in a couple of compulsory picnics at Matua Vineyard with some exciting DIY activity! Not happy with our original paint colour we mixed a couple of colours together to come up with a winner (as yet nameless but hanging in there on the test wall) . If the test colour on the test wall makes it to next weekend she is all on for young and old as the kitchen and lounge will be transformed! Not content with some creative paint mixing we tore up all the old carpet to reveal a wooden pine floor screaming for exposure and recognition….you know the drill you start out just going to have a look and end up sitting in the middle of 400 square metres pile of carpet and underlay J Blooming satisfying though I must say although now I am thinking where to now Mr DIY?? Watch this space !

My ‘Be Better’ goal for 2013 is already biting me in the bottom, of course I told Christine proudly all about it and now I get regular reminders when things are obviously not heading in the ‘better’ direction!!!.......hmmmm action not words …..good though ehh no way I am going to get away with the grumpy old man act in 2013!!

Hey, here is a hot tip in preparation for heading off in the car on a sunny day….the other night I packed my lunch for the next day and placed it in the fridge. I didn’t realise but I had put my sunglasses in the cooler bag as well!!...they were chilled to perfection as I did battle with the sunstrike on the Nor Western motorway……I put them in my lunch bag every night now….you heard it here first !! you can trust the Joneses to set the trends yet again in 2013 !!

I hope you had a good weekend relaxing with family and friends, have a great week. Cheers Jonesey.

Harry and the Hendersons love the new flooring much better for dog sliding & dog hockey!

“Being ‘Upbeat’ is a conscious decision we must make everyday” Green Gorilla Boy!

I have struggled to get back into work rhythm this year . Last week was a classic example I started Monday with all the best intentions however never really got out of first gear. I felt flat and unmotivated in fact anything but ‘Upbeat’. It was tough going but I got there in the end.

Luckily I was scheduled to speak at our our first Toastmasters meeting first thing Tuesday morning.

WOW what a difference that made to the way I started the day in contrast to the day before. I was motivated and energised, I hit the ground running and kept the same pace all day. I was bullet proof and unbeatable all day. It wasn’t tough it was fun and I didn’t want it to end……..What a contrast !!!!!

Certainly reminded me that being enthusiastic and passionate is a daily decision we all have to make no matter who we are. It is easy to slip into a flat patch, a rut that we seemingly cant motiovate ourselves out of. That is why we need things like Toastmasters, network groups, clubs, organisations that allow us to mix with like minded people who motivate and inspire each other to succeed.

It is tough going doing this alone but we must develop a pattern that sees us starting each day the same way to ensure we are programmed to be our own catalyst for success rather than a catalyst for procrastination and failure or mediocrity.

As I have said on numerous occasions, being ‘Upbeat’ doesn’t happen naturally it is a discipline that takes a daily focus and lots of hard work. Yes there will be those flat days but that is when we know we are human and that we must seek the help, guidance and motivation of others to stay on track.I am proud to acknowledge without this help I would definitely struggle.Thanks fellow Toastmasters !!

“Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.” Tim Hansel

'Be Better'

         

Edition 170  Monday 21st January 2013

Hi,whoever said ‘life changes forever when you have children’ probably wasn’t a rocket scientist but they sure knew what they were talking about. Wow after just over three weeks on leave with Fletcher coming back to work seems like the restful/easy option when compared with child rearing !! To Christine and all the Mums and Dads out there I salute you. Your role in shaping the lives of your children through the good and the bad will never be understated or underestimated by me, it has and always will be a full time and vitally important role…..and a totally rewarding/satisfying one at that!

The secret I have found and attempted to perfect is not to get rattled or stressed (hmmmm not easy for the grumpy man). To establish a happy routine that involves all family members (including the four legged team) and to stick as closely to that happy little program as possible.

We had a cool time bonding as a family over the break and found that the program allowed for most stuff to happen in each day with little time for a lot else on most. As a result we spent an enjoyable holiday break visiting local venues within an easy drive of our place. A favorite haunt was the Matua Vineyard where we made the bottom field with its olive groves, vines and rolling fields our own for many a lazy late lunch afternoon picnic. Simple stuff but the best of times in an amazing setting that we find we have to ourselves most of the time! We ventured no further than 20km in any direction from home base the entire time and just loved it.

It was cool to catch up with Family, old and dear friends as well as locals we don’t seem to get quality time to connect with during the year, to us our break was everything it should be,time out to catch our breath before another year full of exciting new challenges and opportunities.

We hope you also took some time out to appreciate and recognise families,friends neighbours and maybe stuff you are too busy to notice in the busy fast paced world we operate in. We hope you all have hit the ground running and like us look forward to another positive year ahead.

 Cheers Jonesey.

Harry and the Hendersons wish you all a Scooby Doo New Year. They saw a bumper sticker they liked the other day, it said, ”Wife and Dog missing, reward for dog”!! ruff ruff.

“Building a better you is the first step to building a better World”. Zig Ziglar

This year instead of getting too carried away with lists of specific goals and objectives I have decided to apply the keeping it simple process to the point where two words say it all for me in two Oh one 3!

‘Be Better’

All my goals and objectives will be achieved if I contually focus on being better than I am right now.

By applying my focus to these two words at the start of each day my goal becomes a daily one to be better than the day, month or year before at achieving. If I am not capable of doing that myself then I will seek assistance but my mission will remain the same to get better at whatever it is I do.

Eg; Being a partner, parent, friend, motorist J, employee,person………….be better.

Customer service, productivity, communication,Management,colleague…………..be better

There you have it simple but powerful stuff, looking forward to a big one, hope you are too !!!

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” Dr Seuss

All Gooey !!

Hi,although attendees are a dying breed the Devonport Razza’s Christmas do is a must for all veterans and their mates who have survived another year! This years event was no exception with the keenly contested ‘housie’ session setting the scene for a rousing Christmas lunch with all the trimmings and customary refreshments flowing as the guests sat down to a sumptuous feast. My normal favourites,the succulent ham on the bone and the delicious rich, moist, tasty christmas pud garnished with warm gooey custard were there once again in enough abundance for seconds J

Apart from these gastronomic delights the other highlights for us included the appearance of Fletcher James Jones at his first official Razza engagement and an important one it was too as he was able to help his Grandmother Ngaire celebrate her ‘life membership’ award presented after dinner prior to the live band entertainment and all important drawing of the christmas raffles. Yes another cracking time was had by all and most were home tucked up in bed before afternoon tea…..God Bless Devo Razza!!

We took the opportunity to stroll along the Devonport waterfront with Fletcher and enjoy a cold Monteiths lager outside the grand old Masonic Tavern as we wiled away a beautiful sunny Auckland Day. Its days like these that make us truly grateful for what we have and where we live.

It was a timely reminder to us that you don’t have to go far or spend zillions to get out and enjoy the many places that are the jewels in the crown of our neighbourhoods throughout our country. Where ever you are this Christmas make a point of getting out and enjoying it with whoever you are with, life is for living not wondering. On behalf of Christine, Fletcher, Harry and the Hendersons I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe happy New Year. We have loved sharing our good,bad and ugly experiences with you this year and thank you all for your objective, honest and frank feedback. We look forward to linking up again with you from Monday 21^st January 2013 , have an awesome fun week and take care……….Cheers Jonesey!

Harry and the Hendersons reckon it would be ‘Scooby Doo’ if you all adopted a dog or two in the New Year. They have plenty of buds looking for homes….apply within woof woof!!!

“In each of these companies I do whatever needs to be done, whether it`s ideas, testing, marketing, catalog copy-writing, or dishes.” Amy Cameron Farmer

Every company I have worked in or ever been in the cafeteria of seems to have a problem getting people to wash their own dishes after a drink or eating something at work? (sound familiar?)

Does everyone do that at their homes as well?.....probably not in most cases so why when they get to work do thay have a major problem cleaning up after themselves??

Does everyone think if they dump and run that eventually all the clean dishes will run out and some unlucky soul will have to wash some if not all the dishes so they can use them !!! I am laughing as I write but it is so true…….now Ive started,what about those people who come along and use the last hot water in the jug or milk in the bottle to make their drink and then disappear so that the next person (seems its always me !!) comes along, has to fill the jug and either go without milk or go down the road to get some  aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!. I can see the majority of you reading this nodding your heads with smiles on your faces !!!! Inconsiderate lot arnt we !!! well at least that’s what I used to think until one day last week……….just when I was about to give up……..

We had some VIP guests and treated them to luscious date scones and bottomless cups of real coffee which impressed them greatly and left a pile of dishes a mile high afterwards!! I bit the bullet and got stuck into cleaning them to find that our Managing Director grabbed a tea towel and dried them!! I will never complain about doing dishes again and believe this simple act did more to inspire,motivate and lead than anything planned or premeditated. So pick up a dish cloth and join the revolution!!

 “Wishes won't wash dishes” The Boss