Monday, March 29, 2010

Bite your tongue Wayne - today's saga

I will just refund your money... I am not going to argue...

After nearly 15 hours of frustration over 3 days, trying to reinstall my ACT Database [version 10] after a hard drive crash, that is the response I got from the "leading ACT consulting company in Australia." I can't complain to his boss because he is the owner!

Obviously the story has a little more to it...

I paid for an upgrade to a web based version, on the advice of this same expert:

"Hi Wayne The $10 plan is minimum 3 users per month and is certainly an option for you. " [paid him $207 instantly] "

To prepare the data for the transfer to the web based system, he wanted to access my database by remote but the ACT Software install had corrupted my .net program... [you know that program that makes the other one work..] and that wouldn't work after another 2 hours of frustration.

No problem, I burnt the data to a CD and Express Posted it to Sydney on Friday... and contacted him VERY early this morning to get everything going...

Just an aside in case you think there was a lack of knowledge here: Now this is someone who knows what we use ACT for, having helped in the past with an upgrade from ACT6 to ACT10. This is someone who I have sent a recommendation to my 20,000 strong client base.

I asked him, whilst we are waiting for his people to fix the database for transfer to the web based one...

" If we can't get the database converted to the web [hope we can] then we should have the old data somewhere when you converted it before...

But I have lots of material I want to add to the database... exported from our sales system... and from rating sheets etc.

So, I was hoping that we could have the system working on the net and start that process ASAP"

to which I received this answer:

"
The ACT! SaaS Lite model does not give you import capabilities, that is the Pro Model $45 (per user per month)"

mmm simple enough words but that takes the price from $360 to $1,620...

at which time he says... "
I will just refund your money... I am not going to argue..."

Ah well, I promised myself that from today to take responsibility for my own way in the world... and obviously it is my fault I couldn't read the spec sheets they sent me, that I relied on the advice given -
The $10 plan is minimum 3 users per month and is certainly an option for you - and the time invested to fix such an easy thing... it must be my fault.

So, in the new spirit of you get what you deserve... "Wayne, bite your tongue...""

Request: If you know of a good Aussie CRM / database that someone like me might use, that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, please let me know.

[I am off ACT and "Australia's leading support partner" though.]




Sunday, March 28, 2010

7 Mind Tricks to Handle Setbacks

I just finished reading todays issue of Michael Masterson's Journal and came across this advice:

There are 7 things that you can do to change the way your mind and body react to setbacks.

1. Understand which obstacles are truly inevitable or insurmountable. Keep in mind that few are. Blindness is one. The death of a partner or loved one is another. The weather is a third. Know the difference between unexpected changes that you absolutely can't control and those things you can overcome.

2. Don't be emotionally defeated by inevitable change. Reframe the experience. Ask yourself, "Where is the silver lining?" Don't stop asking until you find one. There is always a silver lining. There are usually dozens of them.

3. Consult with other people who have experienced the same problem. Don't complain. Don't seek comfort. Seek practical knowledge. Ask their advice.


5. Recognize that the biggest threat to you is not the problem itself but how you react to it.

6. Understand that if you give in to the problem, your body will begin to shut down. It will deny you the energy you need to move on and succeed. Energy is the key. Do everything you can to energize yourself. Rest, but not too long. Meditate, but only to feel better. Walk or run or exercise, but again only hard enough to stimulate energy.

7. Figure out how to have fun.

Bite your tongue Wayne

Breakfast on Sunday is a ritual... we have had various favourite places over the years, and always the service goes "off", the ownership changes, or the menu goes "modern". And the search for a new favourite starts all over again.

Today we visited our current favourite Bellisa in Walter Road Morley as we have been doing for for 15 months and as it has become busier, they have started this insidious practice of letting people "reserve" tables for 9.30am and then placing the reserve sign on the table at 8am...

This morning, arriving just after 8am, our favourite table has a reserve sign on it... we are forced to take a table in a cramped corner and really not enjoy our breakfast as much as normal... and as I paid the bill at 9.15 I noticed that the people who had reserved the table hadn't yet arrived.

What to do?? should I say to them "Hey guys, I have been spending $50 a Sunday on breakfast for 15 months... how come you don't want my business any more??" or should I bite tongue

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Travel? Need Chiro Try Hassel Family Chiropractic Des Moines, Iowa

When travelling it is important that you can access a good Chiropractor...

As you know a Chiropractic offers natural relief of chronic pain, headaches, disc disorders and personal injury cases. And you also know that the most likely time for this to happen is when you aren't home... in fact in a far a way place.

If you are travelling in the Des Moine area go where Clive and West Des Moines families go: Hassel Hassel Family Chiropractic.

So make a note on your Blackberry or iPhone for that trip to the Iowa State fair....

Centrally located in the western suburbs of Des Moines, Hassel Family Chiropractic is easily accessible from Clive, West Des Moines, Waukee, Urbandale, Johnston, Des Moines, and much of Central Iowa.



LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis.

Friday, March 26, 2010

The Lamington

The mighty lamington, a sponge cake coated in chocolate icing and rolled in coconut, was said to have been invented as a way of using stale cake. One story has it that the lamington was named after the wife of Lord Lamington, governor of Queensland in the late 1800's. Apparently Lady Lamington disliked throwing out her stale cakes, and thought up an innovative way to reuse them...

Any one for a "Lamington Drive...

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Get a life mate.... you need 1

To all those people who are so screwed up that they need to leave anonymous comments on my or other peoples blogs and facebook accounts... I say, do something about your self esteem..

Having low self-esteem has a negative
effect on your quality of life at home and
your effectiveness in business.

I bet you can see yourself here.. what do you reckon Adam??

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Stay in the desert

By Paulo Coelho

‘Why do you live in the desert?’ asked the gentleman.

‘Because I cannot be what I want to be.’

‘No one can, but we all have to try,’ said the gentleman.

‘It’s impossible. When I start to be myself, people treat me with false reverence. When I am true to my faith, they begin to doubt me. They all believe that they are more saintly than I am, but they pretend to be sinners for fear of mocking my solitude. They are constantly trying to show me that they consider me a saint, and thus they become transformed into emissaries of the Devil, tempting me with pride.’

‘Your problem lies not in trying to be who you are, but in not accepting how other people are. And if you carry on like that, you had best stay in the desert,’ said the gentleman, and with that he left.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Do I Have Treat For You Today

This is one of the best presentations of the sixties that I have ever seen online. It is very well done.

Just click on the link and sit back
and enjoy the memories. Great photos and facts.

If you're not quite old enough to have been there, feel free to pass it on to someone who is.

CLICK ON HERE

Friday, March 12, 2010

I asked for strength...




Australia has officially taken position as the fattest western nation

62% of Australians are overweight yet almost every one of them will regain ALL the lost weight and more within 3 years…

So why do so many people think that diets work? It seems that everyone is simply out for a “quick fix” in the hope that it will work. And they spend $1 million per day on fad diets trying to achieve it!

The proof couldn’t be more in the pudding - diets never work in the long run.

In a bid to offer an effective ‘fix’, Mornington Peninsula Nutritionist Julie Regan has created “Food Fix”, a pro-food fat loss program founded on one fundamental mantra:

Eat Normally and You Will Lose the Weight

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

What's going on?? GREAT service from Ibis Airport Hotel Sydney

I have been travelling for the last few days and something strange has been happening... even though most people think I just like to complain, I have had an amazing run of GREAT to EXCEPTIONAL service this week.

My trustee wotif.com couldn't find me a hotel room in the Sydney CBD under $450 a night for last Saturday - usually an easy ask for wotif.com - because a couple of big cruise liners were in and all the CBD hotels were full.

So, I settled on the Ibis Hotel Sydney Airport to stay. I booked a room for $209 from their website and they DIDN'T require my credit card AMAZING and when I arrived I was great by an exceptionally helpful Reception Clerk who booked me quickly, took an IMPRINT of my credit card, and had the formalities over in less than 5 minutes.

The room was great, and he helpfully booked me in for another night on Monday after my visit to Brisbane.

Saturday Evening Meal: I arrived back at the hotel about 9.30 and the restaurant was still open and BUZZING. Apparently with the "FULL HOUSE" sign in the CBD the Ibis was full too. The restaurant was full but my request for a table and a full meal was graciously and happily attended to by 2 young ladies who were obviously working much harder than their normal Saturday night gig.

The service GREAT again, and the food wasn't just good it was EXCELLENT and reasonably priced.

If I were a Food Critic [official I mean] I would have given them a 9/10 for exceptional effort under trying circumstances.

[I wonder... was I dreaming this...]

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Positive quotes to fire up your day

"You see things and say 'Why?' but I dream things and say 'Why not?'"

- George Bernard Shaw

"The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

- Mark Twain

"That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well."

- Abraham Lincoln

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

- Winston Churchill

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

- Thomas Edison

Just another day... another threat??

My inbox this morning contained a very angry email from Daniel Mangion of Blue Frontier who is harbouring a grudge from a failed Seminar in 2007 - Blast into 2007 - which he paid to go to and he was one of many people who didn't receive refunds as the company behind the event ultimately failed.

Obviously he didn't want an alternative recourse such as credits to other seminars, workshops or product, as many dozens of other friends had taken, he has just let the matter fester until today he wrote to me. Here is what he wrote:

Hi Wayne

Here’s what I tell everyone, Wayne Mansfield is a thief, you stole from me when you failed to refund my money when you cancelled a seminar, when I called you, you challenged me to get the money from you. Now I make sure I tell everyone about you and warn them. I notice you run social media workshops, well let’s see how effective I can be in making sure everyone knows about The Maverick Thief.

I noticed you are starting to work with the Choice Hotel Group. I consult for them and I will gather the people you ripped off to warn them not to touch you as well.

I wonder if your publisher and all the people who have given you testimonials, knows what a thief you are. If they don’t they soon will. Laugh in my face now you filthy thieving lying bastard!
Dan Mangion

My reply to Daniel was:

Thanks for the note Dan...

I am disappointed that you are so upset at what transpired some years ago - if you want to send me the details of what seminar this involved, I will look into it.

Life has its challenges and I have had a few... that is the purpose of taking risks... if it were easy making a difference, everyone would do it.

Add to the mix an "all encompassing battle" with the Government and you get a number of situations that, if I had my time again, would have been handled differently. But, last time I checked, you can't wind the clock back.

I am going to send you letter [email] in full to my Maverick Spirit list and show them that "getting even" is a soul destroying exercise.

All the best to you... hopefully you will get over this at some point.

Wayne

and his reply... [this could go on forever but it helps me to bare my soul as I face the challenges of living life to the full in 2010 and beyond... ]

Hi Wayne

It’s not a matter of getting even, it’s a matter of letting people know the type of person you really are. You created this situation , now I am going to show you that when you steal from someone it has consequences.

You are simply justifying your theft. Which makes you look even worse.

It is not soul destroying for me, I am simply proving you are nothing but a massive hypocrite.

If I had my time again, I would never have invested in your lies.

Thank you for this email, this will endeavour to show people the kind of scum and patronising jerk you really are.

You have only enraged me more and this will be a great exercise for me to show the people I present to, how social media and the internet can really hurt your reputation if you do the wrong thing as you have done.

The Kickstart 2007 where Dale Beaumont was to be one of the presenters, you really destroyed your reputation on that one.

I have no tolerance for liars and thieves, especially people like you who blatantly steal as you did. You can’t hide behind excuses on that one.

Dan Mangion

I am sure you are bored with this now... so I will go and slay another dragon!!