YAY !!!!

         

 

 

Edition 205 Monday September 30th 2013

 

 Hi, the last of the birthdays during the Joneses birthday season is fittingly my Fathers on the 28^th. These birthdays are always special as Dad reckons he was born at midnight so the celebration should be a two day affair over the 28/29 September!! This weekends event was certainly special and different as our family assembled in his hospital room complete with cards, presents, cupcakes, chocolate cake and bubbles (compliments of his biggest and most loyal supporter my beautiful Mum). Crikey I don’t know how much of it we were legally allowed to have in there but it didn’t matter to us as the most important thing to us was Dad!

It was a bit surreal as Mum gave the first public speech I have ever heard her do and the rest of us mixed and mingled with Dad in no doubt this was indeed ‘his’ special day which was cool.

It is times like this that I regret not having made a bigger effort to be closer to my brother and sister or that I havent visited Mum and Dad more often. It is also times like this that I realise saying family is important to me is one thing, doing something about it is another thing altogether !! I guess I am lucky that I still have a family and an opportunity to do something about that regret.

Dad is booked to become a member of the open heart ‘zipper club’ on Wednesday so very cool for his family to be together prior to this life enhancing surgery,wow isnt life a wild roller coaster ride!

Speaking of roller coasters what an amazing few weeks it has been following Team NZ’s fortunes in San Francisco! I don’t know about you but it all got too much for me and I had to stop watching and just got text updates from Christine. I couldn’t bear it and was left totally gutted and flat at the end of what had been an amazing journey for the counntry and especially the team in San Fran. I know everyone will have their own opinions and heaps of them but for what it is worth I am proud of the team, I think it was money well spent and I would do it all over again in a heart beat,so its out there.

Yay the All Blacks, Yay daylight saving and Yay another exciting week ahead, have a good one! Cheers Jonesey!

Harry and the Hendersons  feel very strongly that they should always go with us in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in our ears !!!!!

 

“No one has a greater asset for  their business than a persons pride in their work.” H Ballou

I saw an amazing thing last week……a local road is getting a much overdue conversion from gravel to tar seal. There are workmen, diggers, rollers, tip trucks and graders everywhere. The weather has been all over the show and all the gear is covered in dirt but I saw a truck driver out cleaning the body and cab of his truck with a rag while he waited to be loaded. I couldn’t help myself and asked him why he was doing that? He asked me ‘what I did for a crust?’ I told him I was a ‘professional sales person’ (I like saying that!) to which he said “do you clean your car ?” I said yes and he said then I clean my truck for the same reason! I am proud of what I do and the state of my truck reflects who I am and how I feel about that and what I do……I thought OMG how true is that !!!

I clean my car regularly because I want to set a good example to my staff, I want my customers to think I am proud of my company and what I do so the appearance of my car is an important part of maintaining that image. I feel privileged to have a company car (even if it has a Gorilla on the side of it) and I think it is important I treat it like I would if I owned it. Funny thing is I feel better  about myself and my company and its services when I am in a clean car!!

I didn’t stop there I cleaned my shoes, ironed my shirts and even purchased a couple of new ones because I was so impressed with what I saw the truck driver doing.

Pride in appearance and pride in vehicle cleanliness both reflect to others what type of person we are and what is important to us.I believe this sends an important message to people about us and our companies before we utter a word or provide any service or product.

Thanks to Doug my new friend the truckie for a timely reminder about the importance of ‘pride’ J

“We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work.” Barack Obama

In a heartbeat

 Hi,if someone tells me to take it easy I usually ignore them and go twice as hard out! Seldom have I listened to my body preferring to take the ‘she’ll be right’ approach to most injuries and ailments. I was guilty of playing footy when injuries weren’t right and as a case in point have continued to train over the last three weeks with a chest infection opting for the ‘sweat it out/break the fever’ cure rather than the ‘rest and recover’ approach!

I believe this behaviour is sort of thanks to Dad who was and still is exactly the same today in his 80’s!! So it was not a surprise for me to learn late last week that he had been admitted to hospital  experiencing breathlessness and chest pains after a week at their Waiheke retreat where he had been over doing things! Crikey , tell me about it, this,not three months after dodging a bullet from a near fatal car accident ! Talk about having a charmed bullet proof life, if he was a cat he would have well exceeded the nine so called lives they are allocated, years ago!!

After observation it appears the expert smart money is on valve replacement surgery where all going well with the rest of the body the new valve has the potential to see this caped crusader hit triple figures……..god give the rest of us the strength and patience,we love you Dad!!..hang in there!!

Talking about health and living longer, a smoker friend of mine revealed he has managed to kick the habit which is a huge achievement but not as BIG as the annual saving calculated at nearly $9000!!!   The final word on living longer this week goes to Winnnie the Pooh who  said  “ If you live to be a hundred years old I hope I pass away a day sooner so I never have to live without you”…….that perfectly sums up feelings about true friends and family for me !!!

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

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon if you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits per dog in your pocket and then give each only two of them.

 

“Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely.” - Kay Lyons

 

There are 148 hours in every week, if we are lucky we will sleep for approx 56 of those and if we are unlucky or disorganized we will work for approx 60 of those or maybe 50 if we are on to it! You don’t have to be an Americas cup scientist to realize this isn’t a lot of time in the scheme of things.

We are all surrounded by time thieves who have nothing better to do but steal time from us.

A perfect example of this was a meeting a colleague and I had last week that ran for 4 hours!! Yes 8% of an organized work week or 6.6% of a disorganized one, in any ones terms a big slice of time! The thing that made it worse was it was pretty much a waste of that time when related to the value it added to our business. We learnt some lessons that are relevant for all meetings; 1)Keep any meeting to 1 hour max,2)Set an agenda for all meetings and stick to it, only add extra items before the meeting starts not during or at the end, 3)Before setting the meeting ask yourself “Is this the best use of my time”, could we do this over the phone or via email? 4)Follow up all meetings with minutes and an action list with deadlines. I am sure there are other ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ but this was a good wake up call re time and its value for us. I guess the important thing is we are committed to learning from it and putting in place measures that will ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Time is such a precious commodity!!.....use it or lose it !!

 

“Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it and spend it rather than invest it.” – Jim Rohn

'Upbeat'

         

 

 

Edition 203 Monday September 16th 2013

 

 Hi, Spring is an exciting time as daylight saving and the long hot days of Summer approach. Inevitably the days are not the only things getting longer as the ‘to do’ before Summer list also starts to grow. Whilst that can be daunting it is also exciting as you build the list and start to tick the boxes as the tasks are ‘knocked off’ one by one…….hmmmm sounds easy enough. Well it sort of did till we took time out this weekend to compile our ‘to do’ before Summer list! It was exciting to visualise us achieving our goals yet hard to see the spare time required! So like that chap who posed the question about “how to eat an elephant?” we decided that we will consume our list one ‘bite’ at a time. Project ‘Summer 13’ is officially underway with the soft launch being the list completed this weekend and the harder version being the two physical projects per weekend till Christmas starting next weekend!..watch this space as “The Block” moves to our shack at Muriwai !!

Wow,big sporting weekend @ 48 with plenty of action, drama, blood, sweat and some tears. Speaking of tears given Fletchers impressionable age and penchant for repeating what those around him explete we have introduced a gold coin fine system to discourage swearing especially during close sporting encounters ! The proceeds are going into Fletchers BNZ piggy bank and ultimately into his Kiwi saver account !!! Needless to say after this weekends events and the subsequent stream of non compliant language he has done nicely out of the deal. Swearing = being lazy and is not a good look, time for the grumpy man to get more creative with vocab !!

From the ‘Upbeat ‘ file….Last week I heard the word ‘Upbeat’ used a number of times which always brings a smile to my face. I was prompted to visit the personalised plate website to find that someone already has the plate ‘Upbeat’ but that if I parted with a mere $899.00 I could have several other versions using numbers  instead of letters! !hmmmmmmmm,better buy paint instead!!

I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable Spring weekend, have a great week ahead, Cheers Jonesey!

 

.Harry and the Hendersons reckon dogs can teach Fletcher fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down!!!

 

“Monday you can fall apart. Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart. Thursday doesn't even start. It's Friday, I'm in love.” The Cure

Most people I know are more ‘Upbeat’ and happy on Fridays than any other day of the week.

The Friday mind set can be counter productive as there is a tendency to perceive that people don’t want to see or talk business with anyone on a Friday given they are on the weekend wind down.

This applies especially to my profession ‘sales’. If I had a $1 for every time I have been told by a colleague that there is no use calling on a customer on a Friday (especially after lunch) I would be a wealthy man. This is a dangerous perception and one neither we or our colleagues can afford to have.

To give you a good example I was able to call on three customers last Friday afternoon. In two cases I had arranged appointments without any hassle and in the third I called in to close a deal I have been working on for some time. In all cases my customers were pleased to see me and happy to talk.

The myth that everyone is winding down for the weekend on a Friday is exactly that, a myth. If you think that no one wants to see you on a Friday or that there is no business to be done on a Friday then you need to have a Stephen Covey style ‘Paradigm shift’ and change your mindset. The fact that people are more ‘Upbeat’, happier and expectant of a cool weekend makes them easier to do business with. Fridays are BIG business days and maybe the reason they are is because a large number of your competitors arn’t out there,preferring instead to waste time in the office and finish early to get a flying start to their weekend !!! Believe me, Fridays are BIG for business, I bet if you focus on making this the case you and your company will benefit….good luck, have fun on Fridays!

 

“Monday you can hold your head. Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed. Oh Thursday watch the walls instead. It's Friday, I'm in love.” The Cure

Team NZ

         

 

 

Edition 202 Monday September 9th 2013

 

 Hi, from as early as I can remember the Ranfurly Shield has always had a special magic for me. At Primary and Intermediate school I can remember interhouse rivalry for summer and winter sports  trophies and I guess the Ranfurly Shield struck me as being the same thing in the real world! The sheer excitement of challenging, the euphoria of winning as challenger or holder or conversely the desperation and disappointment of losing as challenger or holder,Ranfurly Shield games have magical ingredients that often produce drama, events, games,outcomes and key players that are legendary and become folklore for generations to come.

Speaking of which,WOW!!!!,. what a month it has been with firstly Otago winning the shield off Waikato after coming so close on so many occasions previously, in fact their first time with the ‘log o wood’ for over 50 years, then losing it 7 days later to Hawkes Bay who hadnt seen it for even longer!!! And then Counties taking it from Hawkes  Bay a record shortest tenure time of 6 days later to secure the Shield for the first time in that unions history since coming in to being in 1958 !!!! If you or someone you know  hasn’t been affected or captivated by this amazing series of games then you need to tune in and get blown away by ‘shield fever’.

As a player my two greatest memories were of being involved in shield games. The first in 1979 when as an under 21 player I played the curtain raiser to the Auckland v Counties game at Eden Park. The crowd swelled to 50,000 by the time our game concluded and the atmosphere was electric. The second was 1986 when I was lucky enough to play in an actual challenge for North Harbour against Auckland again at Eden Park and again in front of nearly 60,000 people!! Yes a long way from Primary and Intermediate School sports challenges but as fiercely contested and celebrated afterwards……great memories and testament to the game that is woven so deeply into the fabric of our society. The last month has been an enjoyable and motivating return to my rugby womb!!!

Hey how about those America’s Cup sailors and the mighty AB’s !!, capping off an amazing weekend of sport for ‘Aotearoa’ land of the long white cloud……be proud Kiwi’s….life doesn’t get any better !!! Cheers Jonesey!!.....stop press, and our Equestrian Eventers at Burley…..YAY.

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon“why keep dogs if you are going to bark heaps yourself?”

 

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

 Mark Twain

I was lucky enough to represent our Toastmasters Club at an Impromtu speaking competition on the weekend. I was even luckier to have things go my way well enough to win that competition!!!

Yes I am competitive and yes this was a huge thrill and an honour to compete successfully at this level. Impromtu speaking is just one of the many skills I have worked hard on a fortnightly basis to get ‘better’ at in the many years I have been a member of a Toastmasters club.

Any success is never an overnight thing, it is usually the culmination of many hours hard work honing skills and techniques to produce a consistent quality performance….ask any golfer or goal kicker!!!

My goal in 2013 is to ‘be better’ at everything I do so my choice to become a Toastmaster over 20 years ago has enabled me to continue achieving my objective this year in the many areas that this organization benefits members…..visit www.toastmasters.org.nz to find out more !!!!!

As Toastmasters we are taught to listen so we can evaluate and provide objective feedback to others. I often evaluate non- toastmasters and provide advice and it is my opinion there are plenty of people who would benefit from being better communicators including prominent figures who talk often in public. The only way to get better at anything is to work longer and harder at it,good luck,go for it!

Victory is sweet however this doesn’t guarantee photographers will catch your best look(attached)!

 

“There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.” 

 Mark Twain

C.O.A....(centre of attention!!)

         

 

 

Edition 201 Monday September 2nd 2013

 

 Hi, early September is the best time for me, not only does it signal the start of Spring, warmer weather and the end of the winter hibernation but it is also time for Fathers Day and my birthday. For someone who finds being the centre of attention rather stimulating and impulsive this is a time where it sort of happens without me having to force the issue. Being made to feel special and appreciated is one of my favourite things and a reason why I enjoy this time of year so much. Whilst I am a Father I am also a son so it is a time where I get to give and say thanks to my Dad who god willing is still going strong in his 81^st year!!. I feel particularly lucky to have both my parents around and especially so in Dads case after his close shave with death earlier this year. I know a lot of people are not as fortunate and I feel blessed to have the continued opportunity to say thanks in person. As a son I respect and admire my Father and have always wanted to emulate and please him, I will be eternally grateful to him for the huge sacrifices he has made in his life to enable me to always pursue my dreams. I am lucky that my Father has always been a role model and example for me and one that I have tried to replicate for my own sons to want to follow. That to me is a key element of Fatherhood, seeing the pride and delight in the eyes of your son as you lead, explain, or demonstrate a way forward. Reflecting in his excitement and satisfaction, wiping away the tears of occasional failure and sharing the joys of  more regular success and a bond for life as Father and Son!!

Wow, in all the excitement I conveniently forgot to focus on the fact that another year and digit has slipped by however I have found that by focusing on this years goal to “be better” at everything I do the relevance of my age has been zapped by my own delight at being noticeably better at most stuff.

We had a cool family time this weekend remembering , thanking , being remembered and thanked I hope you did too. Take care and have a great week ahead, Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons were sad to see Schmichael the Great Dane pass away on Coro Street this week They are regular watchers and BIG Schmichael fans!!! RIP mate, Scooby Doo had nothing on you!

 

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” Aristotle

 

If you won lotto would you still turn up to work on Monday?

Like everyone who takes a lottery ticket I dream about what I would do if I won all that money or even just a slice of it.

I can honestly say that I love selling so much that if I won I would turn up to work on Monday and keep working……………yes really !!!

I do get pleasure out of being a sales person. I get upset with some peoples perception of our profession and I often imagine myself on a personal crusade to rid our industry of the poor image many out there have of us.

Guess what?, I sold cars at one stage of my career, I can honestly say it was one of the most exciting and satisfying jobs I have ever had, in fact, if I had my sales time all over again I would start on the car yard. It wasn’t a place where sales people were hell bent on ripping people off or pushing them into hire purchase arrangements well beyond their repayment capacity.It was a vibrant learning environment where we cared about people and making sure theirs and their families needs were exceeded without overextending their budgets or their circumstances.

I reckon car sales people are amongst the best trained in the sales profession and that being a professional sales person in any field is such a sort after career that winning a few million bucks on lotto should and would only form a minor distraction to the thrill of the selling chase !!! Just do it!!

 

“You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it.”

Oprah Winfrey

2 hundy Not Out

         

 

 

Edition 200 Monday August 26th 2013

 

 Hi, Crikey!, can you believe it, you better believe it, ‘Upbeat’ edition 200 coming right at you!!

Upbeat began life as the ‘Monday Morning Motivator’ at Hirequip back in May 2007 !! 99 editions later it was replaced with the first ‘Upbeat’ on Monday 8^th June 2009  and now 200 turbo charged ‘Upbeat’ editions and over 4 years later we are still going strong ,how Scooby Doo is that?? !!! :)

It has certainly been a roller coaster ride for this Jones boy having experienced and more importantly survived a wide range of lifes trials and tribulations during that time including open heart surgery and the global financial crisis to name a couple The highlight undoubtedly for me apart from sitting down each Sunday afternoon to share some of these special personal and business experiences has been meeting my soul mate Christine after 50 years of searching and having two wonderful sons 30 years apart !!!

Being ‘Upbeat’ is not something that comes naturally to me and is definitely a work in progress. I use ‘Upbeat’ to provide me with the discipline and focus I need as I review the positives from my previous week and use them to create a personal ‘Upbeat’ state of mind as I prepare to face the challenges and maximise the opportunities of the coming week.

I could not have come this far or continue on without the regular support and feedback I get from many of you and so I consider  reaching this and future milestones is part of an overall team effort which we can all share and be proud of. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment honestly and frankly, your objective feedback has provided me with ideas and guidance that has challenged and assisted me to be ‘better’……and crikey isnt that what this thing called life is all about, you bet !!!

I look forward to continuing to share my experiences and thoughts with you and trust that the process continues to be a mutually beneficial one. Thanks again, take care and always make sure you remain true to yourselves and try hard not to miss the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends.Don’t live life regretting you didn’t make the most of every minute. Have a good one!!

Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons say the 200 ‘Upbeat’ editions would be the equivalent of 1400 in the canine world WOW !!!....not bad in their opinion,and a big thanks to their fans !!!

 

There are three intolerable things in life - cold coffee, lukewarm champagne, and overexcited women...” Orson Welles

 

Coffee culture saga ….part 3

I am overwhelmed with happiness to say that the ‘Cosy Café’ continues to exceed my coffee and customer service expectations in every way. The food is also superb and reasonably priced, the staff call me Jonesey and make me feel like I have been a loyal customer for life!

I know what you are thinking, that you already knew all this but what I want to demonstrate to you today is that the power of keeping customers happy is not just in having ‘upbeat’ and repeat customers, it goes deeper still than that,happy J customers tell their friends and business associates!

I have introduced four other people to this café and held two business meetings there since becoming a convert. The owner James is over the moon and most appreciative. You see happy customers are a steady and regular source of new customers by referral so it pays to keep customers ‘cosy’ J Conversly unhappy customers L also tell others and prevent prospective new customers from using businesses who don’t take the time to listen to their customers or make the effort to satisfy them !

 

“The powers of a man's mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks.”
― James Mackintosh

Nothing about nothing!

 

Edition 199 Monday August 19th 2013

 

 Hi, I am pleased to say I excelled at relaxing this weekend. I tore into doing absolutely nothing with great gusto. I cant believe how tiring doing nothing is so I had to sleep for long periods to recover. Stacking up ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz should always be the ultimate pursuit on the weekend closely followed by couch and sport channel surfing.

As I was busy doing nothing during a typical Auckland weekend that featured all four seasons I was able to share a special weather moment with Fletcher when a massive rainbow formed in the sky(see attached). You sort of forget how amazing that sight or how cool it is to explain it to a wide eyed one year old who is trying to figure out exactly what is going on.

Life is full of stuff like rainbows, sunrises and sunsets that we walk, drive or run past daily without stopping or even slowing to appreciate for their beauty or significance to us.

The rainbow on the weekend made me stop and think a bit and this was a good thing because the next evening I spent time watching and explaining the amazing sunset to Fletcher as well.

So while I was on an educational roll I thought I would also introduce him to watching the All Blacks live on TV however the 10.00pm kick off proved a bridge too far for the weary student and this chapter of his education will have to wait for a local game with an earlier kick off.

Great win in Sydney for the AB’s and a cool welcome back for Richie(Clark Kent) McCaw.

I hope you were also able to have a relaxing weekend doing nothing but chillaxing with Family and friends. I hope this also means you will be able to hit the coming week with everything you have.

Cheers Jonesey!!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon to err is human—to forgive, canine.

 

 

“Coffee is a language in itself. “ Jackie Chan

The continuing coffee customer service saga;

After complaining to the new cafe owners over three weeks ago and having not received a reply or any acknowledgement I decided to vote with my feet yet again.

I know what you are thinking I am rapidly running out of cafes in Onehunga to adopt ! and you would be right as this is now #4!

I am pleased however to announce that the ‘Cosy Café’ on main street Onehunga is my new favourite place. Not only do they have my favourite brand of coffee but the staff have learned my name already and welcomed me with open arms whilst also setting me up with a loyalty card from day one without me even having to askJ

This café is small and cosy with a quaint ambience that none of the previous cafes have had. I feel like I have found a place where I am at home and somewhere I will be appreciated where I can relax and read the paper whilst enjoying my favourite brew. I always loved the programme ‘ Cheers’ because of the family atmosphere and fun a regular group of patrons engendered at their corner bar in Boston. I know it was a sitcom but it was so well done that I always felt like a Cheers regular when I tuned in each night! Well my new café is my new ‘Cheers’ on main street Onehunga…”where everyone knows your name!!”

All I am looking for (like every customer who buys anything) is to feel wanted and appreciated……not rocket science really is it…..hmmm time will tell at the Cosiest café in Onehunga, watch this space!

 

“I am a coffee fanatic. Once you go to proper coffee, you can't go back. You cannot go back.” Hugh Laurie