Month: March 2015 Page 4 of 6

Research by 24/7 Wall St., published in an MSNBC.com article, examined the sales of 23 of the largest selling beer products in the United States. The research found that eight had suffered a decline of 30% or more in sales between 2005 and 2010.

Americans have lost the taste for the following 8 beers:

1. Budweiser (30% sales loss)
2. Milwaukee’s Best Light (34% sales loss)
3. Miller Genuine Draft (51% sales loss)
4. Old Milwaukee (52% sales loss)
5. Milwaukee’s Best (53% sales loss)
6. Bud Select (60% sales loss)
7. Michelob Light (64% sales loss)
8. Michelob (72% sales loss)

Observations

It appears the Milwaukee beers are having a tough time right now. The noticeable trend, however, is that full-calorie beers are not too popular today, given they have about 145 calories per can. Light beers, on the other hand, contain about 100 calories, and ultra light beer sports 90 calories. In a culture that has become more health-conscious, Americans are opting for beers that have a smaller impact on their waist size.

Change or Become Extinct

I was sitting at the LAX airport recently making my connection from Seoul, South Korea to San Antonio. I had about an hour or so before my flight, and the United Airlines Red Carpet lounge was in Terminal 7, which was too far away, so I decided to have a drink at a bar restaurant.

The menu read something like this …

• Item #1: Big Burger and Fries
• Item #2: Cheesy Quesadillas
• Item #3: Chicken Fingers and Fries
• Item #4: Mediterranean Chicken Salad
• Item #5: More fried stuff!

This airport restaurant is following the “full calorie” beer producer’s strategy. Given the recent trends, it appears that the days for high-caloric food are numbered. I understand a segment of the population, such as males between the ages of 20 and 34, will continue to eat fatty foods, but a growing number of Americans are looking for healthier choices. Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors Brewing (maker of the Milwaukee line) are feeling the impact of this health-conscious wave.

When you fail to adapt, competition will force you out of the market. This is the survival of the fittest way of thinking. In a free market society, the weak companies are driven out of the market by those organizations providing superior products and services to the customer. It’s only a matter of time before the ceiling falls through. It’s the reality of the situation.

The Market is Talking to You

The market is talking, and many are failing to listen; the problems facing beer producers provides a clear example. In other words, businesses are marching forward and failing to pay attention to the warning cues. Many organizations are facing similar situations, which means it’s time to act is now, and not when they are forced to do it.

Use reverse engineering. Stop thinking you understand what the customer wants. Ask the customer, and use that feedback to make adjustments. With the beer companies, this might suggest promoting one beer over another. If necessary, they can pursue a more aggressive merger and acquisition strategy.

The Cold, Hard Facts!

Nobody is invincible. A big market share can disappear faster than you might think. Even when the customer has limited choices, they can elect not to buy from you. In fact, the customer can develop such a sour taste that they convince others to stop using your product or service.

A cold beer is appreciated by many, but not just any beer. Most customers today are interested in beverages that don’t add too many pounds. The customer speaks through actions, which means they will either buy or not buy. If you have your ear to the ground, you can detect that feedback and make quick changes.

When you fail to listen to the customer, there is one undeniable reality: Extinction.

When I attended an online social media class taught by two women (Laura and Danielle), I was impressed with the information shared during the session, and decided to write the following email to the instructors:

Ladies –

I wanted to personally thank you for the excellent social media class. I was impressed with both the content and delivery. In fact, I’m already using some of what I learned!

Keep up the excellent work!

J. Flores

Within a few hours, Laura provided the following response to my email:

Jimmie, 

I’m glad you enjoyed the class. We keep making updates as new tools become available in the market.

By the way, please be careful who you call “ladies.”

Laura

Here is my response to Laura:

Hi, Laura –

I apologize if I offended you or Danielle.

The reason for my email was to thank you for the good work, and I look forward to taking another course in the near future.

Have a great day!

J. Flores

What Happened?

From my understanding, “Laura” and “Danielle” are names associated with women. Because this was an online class, and the instructors did not provide pictures, I never physically met the presenters.

I was surprised to receive the email from Laura. Why would she be offended when I referred to her as a “lady”? I went back and reviewed all correspondence from her to see if I overlooked a nickname. Her email signature clearly stated “Laura.” I was confused.

Even though I was super-busy that day, I decided to conduct an online search for Laura and Danielle. I found both of them on LinkedIn, and they looked like women to me. Why would Laura warn me about calling them “ladies”? This did not make much sense to me.

Takeaway

I can only speculate why “ladies” was inappropriate. I thought about locating Laura’s phone number, and discussing the issue on the phone … and the call might go something like this:

ME: I wanted to call you and apologize over the phone for calling you a “lady.” Aren’t you a woman?

LAURA: That’s none of your business!

After thinking of the possible scenarios, I decided against the phone call. There was little to gain, and I might make the situation even worse. The fact is that they did not want to be called “ladies,” and that’s the bottom line.

Is it, though?

Were they men pretending to be women? Wait a second! I’m thinking too much about this situation. Perhaps they are women who think that “lady” is just not the right term to describe them.

I suppose it really doesn’t matter what I call them. They did an excellent job with the online class, which means they met the expectations. I paid $250 for the class, and it was knowledge that I can apply in my social media marketing campaign. Why should I worry how they wish to be addressed, right?

It’s funny, though, I walked into a meeting recently in which three women were seated, and I said, “Good morning, Ladies!” They all smiled, and we had a great discussion. They were not offended.

Go figure!

It was 8:15 a.m., and I decided to stop at Target to purchase a few items. I learned that going to Target is much better on a Monday morning, and not on a Saturday afternoon. When I walked into the retail giant, there were more workers than customers. I was asked several times: “Sir, can I help you find anything?” Nice!

Starbucks in Target

While in Target, I noticed a Starbucks shop near the exit. I remembered that I had earned a free coffee because of my loyalty to the Seattle-based company, so this was a good time to take advantage of the reward. Interestingly, there were more people in the Starbucks line that those shopping at Target.

A 30-something attractive blond woman was in front of me in the Starbucks line, and it was finally her turn to order.

BARISTA: May I take your order, Miss?

BLOND: Yes. Let me think … I would like a decaf tall caramel Frappuccino light.

BARISTA: Great! We can get that started for you right away.

BLOND: Ok. I guess I need to pay for it. Let me see if I can get the app to work on my iPhone. I’m still getting used to it.

BARISTA: You just have to put it near the reader, and it takes care of itself. It’s almost dummy proof.

BLOND: Yeah … well … I just realized that my battery ran out on the phone. I guess a credit card will work.

BARISTA: We take those, too.

BLOND: Oh … let me use debit. I have that card right here.

BARISTA: I like the way you smell. What are you wearing? Is it Shalimar?

BLOND: This is Chanel No. 5.  I haven’t used Shalimar.

BARISTA: I’m usually very good at knowing a fragrance. I think they’re close, but not sure.

BLOND: I guess so. Where do I wait for my drink?

I guess the barista was looking to make small talk with the pretty blonde woman. However, perhaps this was a standard pick-up line. If it were, he was pretty good at it, and he was bold. He asked the woman within ear distance of several customers and other employees.

When it was my turn to order, he didn’t ask anything about the cologne I was wearing. I guess that’s a good thing because I have no idea what I would respond. I guess guys normally do not ask other guys the brand of fragrance they’re wearing, especially not in a public setting.

The takeaway for me was the bold question asked by the barista. He had the guts to ask a pretty girl to disclose the fragrance she had on that day. She seemed a bit surprised with the question, but the answer followed quickly.

In business, many people are sometimes afraid to raise an issue or to ask the tough questions,feeling that their questions might be stupid and will lead to an embarrassing situation. The next time you are on the fence about a question, consider the bold approach used by the barista, and how he put himself on the line to get the information he wanted.

I attended a marketing seminar recently, and I overheard the following conversation between a woman in her late 20s (Marcia) and a business colleague:

MARCIA: These binders have a ton of stuff for us to learn. We need to do more social media in my company. I don’t think my boss even has a Twitter account, and he is a twit!

FRIEND: I guess that’s why they sent you here, so that you could figure it out. What do you think?

MARCIA: I’m not sure! I came here because it’s one less day I have to be in the office. The best part is that today is Friday, which means that my weekend has started early.

FRIEND: That’s cool! I’m not sure what I will do this weekend. I have a few friends who want me hang out with them tonight, but these guys can stay out all night! I mean … all night! A couple weeks ago, we even did the Denny’s breakfast thing at 5 a.m. I slept the entire day after that.

MARCIA: I know that my friend Danny wants to come over tonight and have a few drinks. He is a good friend! I mean … we are just friends.

FRIEND: What do you mean that you are just friends? If he is coming over for drinks, I’m sure you’re more than just hang out-kinda friends, right?

MARCIA: I know you won’t believe it, but we are just friends! I mean … Danny has even slept in my bed, and we didn’t do anything at all. He stayed on his side, and I stayed on my side. True … we both passed out after partying so long, but you know what I mean.

FRIEND: Not really … what do you mean?

MARCIA: We just like each other as friends. I have known him for … like … 13 years. He and I will never cross that line.

FRIEND: He must be ugly! That’s way too weird for me.

MARCIA: You can think what you want, but that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Come to think of it … it’s even hard for me to believe it. Anyway … how much longer is this break? I need to make a couple of calls.

While they were having this conversation, I was doing my best to focus on checking my emails. As you can tell, though, it was a lively chat, and it did captivate my interest for the few minutes that it lasted. I guess it’s not a conversation that most people have in a public setting, but it didn’t seem to matter to them. I noticed that Marcia spoke at a level at which she wanted others to hear what she was saying. She was used to being the center of attention.

I really don’t know if Danny was just a friend or something more, and I really don’t care. I do know, however, that this type of conversation is a bit over-the-top, and probably not for public consumption at a marketing seminar.

With that said, it did give me something interesting to write about this week.

A friend (Brian) and I were having a cocktail a few months ago, and he informed me that his ex-wife asked him to pay for half of a $3,000 birthday party for their 6-year-old daughter. This was an outrageous amount to me, so I decided to learn more about the event.

ME: Wow! I think $3,000 is a ton of money. I don’t think Cassandra is going to remember that day. She’s way too young!

BRIAN: I guess you’re probably right, but my ex is already coordinating the event. She is adamant that this birthday party for Cassandra must be a good one.

ME: What do you mean “good one”? I understand she is a medical doctor, but spending $3,000 on a birthday party sends the wrong message.

BRIAN: You’re telling me! She is asking that I pay for half of it! If I do the math right, I’m going to be out $1,500, and she wants the check this week. I can give her the check, but I probably don’t have the money in the bank. You know that I install security systems for a living, and business is slow right now.

ME: I understand. Did you tell her that you are unable to pay for half of this royal birthday party?

BRIAN: Well, remember she left me because I don’t make much money. If I tell her that I can’t pay the $1,500, she will think I’m a lifelong loser.

ME: Remember that she’s your ex-wife. In most cases, ex-anythings don’t think highly of their previous partners. I think you should hold your ground, and tell her that you can pay for a smaller party, something like $250 or so. Don’t they have a Chuck E. Cheese’s in Los Angeles?

BRIAN: You know she’s not into the normal stuff. Ever since she started making the big money, she runs in different circles.

ME: I think you’re setting a bad precedence by paying the $1,500, or the $3,000 for that matter. How often will you have these parties?

BRIAN: I think this is the way it’s going to be from now on. Her friends are doing similar stuff, and she doesn’t want to be left behind.

ME: I feel for you on this one, man. I know you want to be there for Cassandra, but these kinds of exorbitant parties are off the chart. We need to teach our children the value of money. When I was growing up, we had the family come over and we played in the backyard. That’s it!

BRIAN: Same here. We didn’t need to spend a lot of money in the old days. I guess it depends on the situation.

ME: Right! I still think that you need to hold your ground. How about spending $500 on the party, and putting the $2,500 in a college fund. That’s smarter!

BRIAN: Right on, man! Let me see what happens!

Brian was caught in a difficult situation. He wanted to show his ex-wife that he was back on his feet financially by agreeing to pay the $1,500 for his half, but he didn’t have the money.

As it turns out, he tapped into a retirement program and found the $1,500, and the birthday party was held. Brian told me that the entire event took about 4 hours. There were a ton of games, several clowns, and food representing a few continents. Unfortunately for Brian, he only knew a handful of the invited guests. Bummer!

Not all that long ago, I was in the executive lounge of a hotel in Davao, Philippines. As I enjoyed the downtime around 7:30 p.m., having a glass of Pinot Grigio, I noticed a lively discussion a few tables over. However, I also had my MacBook Pro with me, and since I was alone, focused on reviewing the many emails that had accumulated in my Inbox.

The Situation

From what I can gather, there was an Australian man, probably in his late 50s, and a Filipino woman (in her 40s) with a young child having a conversation. A first glance, it appeared the couple was married. Another gentleman was present, and he appeared to be a lawyer of sort.

Everyone at the table was drinking an alcoholic drink of their choice. A short time later, a 20-something-year-old Filipino woman approached the table. She was dressed more as if she were going to a nightclub, and this led to a few heads turning. She made her way to the seasoned Australian man and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Chaos!

After the young woman sat down at the table and ordered her cocktail, all hell broke loose:

Older Woman: You stupid bi*#h! You stole my husband!

Young Woman: He didn’t want to be with you anymore!

Older Woman: We hired you to clean the house and take care of our child, not to sleep with my husband!

The older woman slapped the younger lady, and the sound reverberated in the lounge. There were two businessmen sitting nearby, and they made a beeline for the exit.

The argument gained momentum, and the women stood up and starting pulling each other’s hair. The Australian man and attorney-looking-guy sat comfortably in their chairs, as if they were placing a bet on the fight.

Interestingly, the hotel staff members in the lounge were shocked, and most of them were motionless. I think one of them decided to call the front desk to ask for assistance. You would think that hotel security or law enforcement might be the first call.

I Jumped In

I’m not sure what prompted me to jump in and try to break-up the “pulling hair” fight. Thinking back, it was probably a bad idea. There are far too many things that could go wrong. For example, a broken wine glass can cause damage in several ways. The Australian guy, who was about 100-pounds overweight, might pounce on me. There is no doubt that the risks outweighed the benefits. I should have followed the lead from the businessmen, and headed out the door.

I think that my college referee instincts kicked-in. It’s a natural reaction for me to try and break up a situation before it escalates. With officiating, however, I have more control, and security personnel are just a few feet away. Not here!

It took hotel security about 10 minutes to make their way to the lounge. When they arrived, I was in the middle of the two ladies, trying to separate them. I still remember trying to break the grip that the older woman had on the young lady’s hair. I couldn’t get my fingers in-between.

Once the situation was diffused, I was surprised to hear that the hotel staff offered the culprits an alcoholic drink.

This was a good sign that I needed to get back to my room.

During the lunch hour, I decided to grab a ready-made salad from H-E-B, the main supermarket here in San Antonio. While the parking lot was full of cars, I was able to get around the store quickly. I found the prepared chef salad near the Deli section, and soon was making my way to the express checkout lane.

The Checkout

There was only one person in front of me, which meant my wait would be minimal. The customer was an elderly lady, and she was pushing the fast lane limit. I calculated about 9 products in her small cart.

When she was done emptying the cart, I noticed that the Seasoned Jalapeno Dip was still in the small basket near the handle. The rest of the items were removed from the cart and promptly scanned by the talkative cashier.

I thought about mentioning to the lady that one item remained in the cart, but quickly changed my mind. Was it really my business if she forgot to pay for it, or if she was planning to pull a fast one on the cashier?

Here is what I thought about saying?

• “Ma’am. I think you forgot one item in the cart.”
• “Were you planning to buy the Seasoned Jalapeno Dip”?
• “Is that your dip, ma’am”?

As you can tell, any question I asked was going to sound silly. The other point is that I arrived to the queue after she had unloaded some of her groceries from the cart. The dip might have been scanned before I got there. There were too many possibilities for me to be nosey and wrong.

She’s Done!

The cashier and lady carried a short conversation about the changing weather, which made my wait a bit longer. I didn’t like it, but my mind was still racing about what to do regarding the Seasoned Jalapeno Dip.

She thanked the young man and prepared to make her away out of the grocery store. Before rolling her cart even a foot, she noticed that dip was still in the basket, and said: “Oh, my! I forgot to pay for this item! So sorry!” The cashier quickly scanned the item, and she paid $1.94 in cash. With all the items paid, she quickly departed the supermarket.

The Lesson

I learned an important lesson by observing this situation. First, it was not my business if the lady forgot to pay for the product. I was not hired by H-E-B to monitor whether customers walk out without paying. In this case, there were too many unknowns, meaning that I lacked enough information to make an accurate judgment.

The most important lesson, though, is noticing first-hand that the lady was ethical. Upon realizing that she failed to pay for the product, she brought it to the attention of the cashier. It would have been super-easy for her to keep rolling the cart out of the store.

I’m glad that I kept quiet and kept to my business. By doing so, this lady taught me a small lessonwith big implications.

I was recently on a five-hour flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles. As it turns out, this United Airlines flight was nearly filled to capacity. A pre-boarding announcement was made for passengers to consider checking in their carry-on luggage. I needed my bags because I was hoping to shower at the United Club at LAX given that this was a red-eye flight.

The Boarding Process

Once the announcement was made to board the aircraft, I was fortunate to be in Group 1, which meant that I was going to be one of the first to board. A month or so before the flight, I visited the United website and selected the most ideal seat. For me, this means either bulkhead or emergency row aisle. Because bulkhead is closer to the front of the aircraft, I picked 7C. The only downside to this location is that I was near the lavatories. However, this was an overnight flight, so I anticipated light bathroom traffic.

The boarding process moved relatively quickly because many passengers heeded the advice of checking in carry-on bags. Interestingly, seats 7A and 7B were unoccupied. I thought perhaps the folks who were scheduled to sit here were awarded First Class upgrades, which left the seats open. However, these are prime seats on a long journey, and I was sure someone would jump in them soon.

The Eater … and Talker!

Sure enough … a few minutes before the flight attendants made the final preparations for the flight, a lady jumped in seat 7B, which was right next to me. Her hands were full, and she was using her right shoulder to hold the mobile phone to her ear. It’s remarkable how she was able to contort herself in that way.

The doors were closed, and the flight to LAX was cleared. As we began the push-back from the terminal, I noticed an interesting smell, one that comes from Chinese restaurants. Sure enough! The talking lady purchased a to-go Chinese meal, and she was about to eat it on the aircraft, while seated right next to me.

No Way!

I think there should be a rule regarding what you can eat on the airplane, and what is not allowed. Sandwiches from Subway are permitted. Well, perhaps the meatball type should not be allowed. The point here is that Chinese food is definitely a banned item.

The woman disobeyed the flight attendant’s instructions to turn off her phone, and continued to talk for several minutes after the directive. She was giving a friend dating advice. “It’s better to play hard to get,” she exclaimed!

The Flight

She ate about half the food, closed the tray, and placed it in the plastic bag. Despite these efforts to conceal the food, I could still smell the Mongolian Beef. Luckily, seat 7A was open, and she moved to it. However, since 7B was now open, she put the food in that seat. When she fell asleep a few minutes into the flight, I found a couple of blankets and covered the food. Surprisingly, it controlled the smell!

I’m sure many of you have similar stories to share, such as the guy who had too much to drink on a flight, or the person who laughed way too loud while watching an in-flight movie. For me, the lady eating the Chinese food takes the cake. How annoying!

I have yet another steam room story. It seems like this is where I hear some interesting stuff. The fitness facility that I frequent has separate steam rooms for men and women. When men are shooting the bull, they tend to open up a bit about what is going on in their lives.

On this particular day, I was the only person in the steam room. It was nice and quiet … but this tranquility did not last. Within a few minutes, a couple men arrived and settled in for a relaxing time.

Here comes the talker! Jack, a 60-something guy loves to talk loud, and laugh even louder. He is the Ed McMahon in the room. You can expect him to laugh even when you’re stuff is not funny.

The issue here is that the steam and sauna rooms are meant for relaxation. When Jack arrives, it is far too noisy for anyone to be tranquil. He carries a conversation with anyone who is willing to share a thought.

Here’s the latest story I heard between Jack and another gym-goer who he recently befriended:

Jack: Hello, Don!

Don: Hi, Jack! Good to see you.

Jack: How many more houses have you bought recently?

Don: Well, I haven’t bought any in the last few weeks. I’m actually trying to unload one of them.

Jack: Do you mean the one on the north side of town?

Don: Nope! It’s the one near downtown. I spent so much time renovating it, and now it’s so customized. I will need a very specific buyer for it.

Jack: I’m sure that you will find one soon.

Don: I did sell my house in Venice, though.

Jack: I didn’t know you had a house in Italy.

Don: Not Venice, Italy. I mean Venice, California. I inherited the house from my grandma, who recently passed away. I put it on the market for $899,000. The bidding was intense, and it finally sold for $1.2M. I guess being right near the beach made a difference. The buyers don’t really want the old house. They are more interested in the land.

Jack: Good for you!

Don: Thanks, Jack!

I wonder if this is the right discussion for two people to have in a steam room where we are all basically strangers. I suppose Don was happy about the sale, and he wanted to share the story with people he doesn’t know. I wonder if the story is even true. Would Don still share this story if he has lost money on the sale? I’m not sure, and I don’t think it even matters.

I usually go to the fitness club in the mid-afternoon. This is a time when retirees like Jack frequent the gym. While Don is not retired, he usually comes during this time as well. Therefore, I can deduce from this small sample size that both retirees and people who sell million dollar homes use the steam room between 1 and 4 p.m.

This begs the question: What am I doing at the gym during this time when I am neither a retiree nor a person who sold an inherited home for $1.2M?

Perhaps I need to change my workout schedule. The problem is me! Yikes!

By reading this book, you notice that a lot of interesting stuff happens to me. I suppose these kinds of things are just part of life, but I’m surprised when others make it a top priority to intervene in the lives of others.

Dry Cleaning

At least once per week, I take my clothes to the dry cleaners. Is that too often? One might argue that I need to buy more clothes, and perhaps they are right.

The $2.25 per item dry cleaners that I use is just a few miles from my home. The ideal situation is for me to take the clothes on Saturday morning because traffic is light, and the store is not too busy. However, I’m not a very good planner, which means that I show up at the dry cleaners when the need arises. For example, a day or two before a business trip, I drop off the clothes needed while I’m traveling.

The Story

On this particular Thursday, I arrived at the dry cleaners at 7:15 a.m., a quarter hour after they opened for business. Not too surprisingly, there were a few people in front of me. Most people take advantage of the same day service by dropping off their clothes before 9 a.m. Of course, this only applies to dry cleaning, and not laundry.

I was lucky that I found a parking spot directly in front of the store. I decided to leave my car on while I went to drop off the clothes. I could see my car, and felt comfortable that all was okay.

As I waited my turn, and older, and perhaps retired, lady walked in and initiated this conversation:

Lady: Who left their car on outside?

[It took a few seconds to register. I could see the car, and didn’t think that I caused anyone any trouble. This is my car. Don’t have I have the right to leave it on? I was the one taking the chance that someone could possibly run off with it, right?]

Me: Ma’am, are you talking about that SUV [pointing to my car]?

Lady: Yes! That’s the one. You know that you shouldn’t leave it on. It’s easy for someone to steal it.

[The rest of the customers were hoping this would be a short conversation, but it continued.]

Me: Ma’am, I guess you’re right. I was in a hurry, and failed to turn the car off. It’s not the brightest thing I’ve done.

Lady: If that car is stolen, you can be cited for contributory negligence. I read about that in the San Antonio Express News.

[Who cares what you read in the San Antonio Express News! That’s what I wanted to say, but I controlled myself.]

Me: I certainly don’t want to go to jail or even pay a fine for this mess-up. I’ll make sure to heed your advice.

Lady: I hope you do. I’m sure you don’t want to get in trouble with the law.

Me: You’re right. I’m sure that going to jail is low on my priority list. Have a good day.

The conversation wasn’t too bad because I didn’t take it seriously. I suppose this older woman felt important by making a big deal of the situation. She did have a point, but most people prefer not to learn the lesson in a public setting.

From time time-to-time I do leave my car on when going to the cleaners. I’m actually more concerned about the old lady catching me violating an obscure law than having the car stolen.