I'VE BEEN TARGETED!

AAHHHH! This is what I found when I walked into our conference room at Wolff the other day!

Click on picture to enlarge.

I guess I'm in trouble. :)

NEW TRI-FOLDS

Our new Tri-Fold Beauty and Grooming Shears Brochures just came in today and they look great! Here are a couple of pictures:



When folded, they measure 5 1/2" X 5 1/2" so they're small and easy for your customers to keep in a draw at their station or bench. They're also visually appealing, so they'll stand out to your customers too!

We'll be sending a sampling of these out to our sharpeners in the next couple of weeks along with a new Wolff Prints Newsletter. If you'd like to get one in hand before then, just give us a call and we'll mail you one out right away.

HEY! IT'S LARRY!

That's what I heard yesterday as I sat at my desk working on On The Edge and a new Wolff Prints. Larry Brooks paid Wolff an unexpected visit while on his way to Florida for the Training Class he's doing at Daytona Beach on the 31st of May and 1st of June.



For those of you that may not know Larry, he is the owner of Sharp Edges and the inventor of the Hamaguri Sharpening System. He's also invented a number of other sharpening accessories and machines including this small portable Knife Sharpener you see him showing David Wolff below.


Larry is a great guy and a terrific trainer. He does a training road trip like this once or twice a year on his motorcycle. If you're interested in trying to catch Larry while he's out and about, Daytona is only his first stop. He also has classes scheduled in Richmond, VA June 7th and 8th and Lancing, MI June 16th and 17th. If you'd like to find out more about these classes or products Larry sells, like the Knife Sharpener above, give Linda a call at Sharp Edges. The number is 217-422-0911.

It was great seeing you Larry! Safe travel!

WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT GAS?

That's a question I'm hearing a lot lately. Unfortunately I don't have any really good answers. So I'd like to ask this question of you, what are you doing to deal with the gas situation right now? Drop me an e-mail at Jim@wolffind.com with your answer.

Are you just lumping it waiting for prices to go back down, or are you shrinking your route? Have you found a way to get more gas mileage out of your vehicle, or are you charging a gas surcharge?

Let me know what you're doing to help easy the pain at the pump and I'll share some of the ideas in a future post.

READ TO REMEMBER AND APPLY

Those of you that know me well know that I love to read. I try to read at least one book per month and more if I can find the time. That's why I appreciate the post I'm going to send you today. It's a post about how to read a book, but don't let the subject scare you away, it's excellent.

It is a sad thing for me to note that only a very small percentage of people own a library card and few ever pick up a book after they finish school. Books are a gift and should be uses to better ourselves. Having trouble running you business? There are books that can help. Having trouble selling? There's books about that too. Need to learn how to speak to a group? Again, there are many books on the subject.

While reading alone won't help you much in life, reading to learn new principals or techniques will (if you apply them) and that brings us back to this post. Michael Gowin shares the techniques he uses not just to read, but to read to understand, remember and apply. To see what he has to say, click here. Once you've read this post, start applying it's principals when you read a book you think will help you improve your life or business.

TESTING LEFT- HANDED SHEARS

I may have mentioned this before, if I have, please forgive me; but I recently had a run of true left-hand shears come in that were sharpened improperly and that got me thinking about testing them.

Whether you're testing a fabric shear or a beauty shear, if it's a true lefty, you should test it with your left hand. This is because of the blade orientation. If you try to test a lefty with your right hand, you are actually separating the blades as you squeeze the shear closed. You can recognize a true left by looking over the top of a shear. If the finger blade is on the left-hand side of the pivot, it's a true left. If it's on the right, it's a right handed shear. Don't go by the handle! There are many right-handed shears with left-handed handles on the market!

Many people don't believe me when I tell them this, but it's true. In fact, if a left-handed person has always cut with right-handed shears and switches to a true left, they often can't cut with it. This is because they've gotten used to pulling with their thumb when they cut, but that's another story.

Image: Wolff Website

BRANDING

Check out my other blog, Interaction Sells, for a great exercise in branding.

Image: wiredandhired.com

SHOW REMINDERS

This is just a quick reminder about the two Wolff/ Huff Shows this year. I'm pretty sure these will be the only two in 2008. Here are the dates and locations:

The Kansas City Show

The Wolff/ Huff Show will be held at the Marriott Airport Hotel in Kansas City, MO on June 27th through the 29th.

Speakers will be Bob and Bobby Huffman and Jim O'Donnell.

The price to attend is just $89.00 which includes all seminars. The price for a room at the Marriott is just $74.00 per night and you can call 816-464-2200 to book your room. Just tell them you are with the Wolff/ Huff Show.


The Anaheim Show

The West Coast Wolff/ Huff Show will be held at the Holiday Inn Resort Hotel in Anaheim, CA on October 17th through the 19th.

The price to attend is just $89.00 which includes all seminars. The price for a room at the Holiday Inn is just $89.00 per night and you can call 714-748-7777 to book your room. Just tell them you are with the Wolff/ Huff Show.

Seating is limited to 50 at both shows to keep the seminars more personal. Call 800-888-3832 to reserve your seat or if you have any questions.

If you'd like to see a basic schedule for both shows, click here. June is just around the corner! So for those of you that have signed up for the Kansas City Show, I'm looking forward to seeing you.

I CAN'T

I hear it a lot...

I can't sell shears, I'm not a salesman.
I can't break into a new territory, someone else has it all sewn up.
I can't repair clippers, I don't know anything about them.
I can't make money in this business, their isn't enough work out there.
I can't go mobile, gas costs too much...

Then I see a guy like this...



Seems to me that some people don't know the meaning of the word can't. Think of him the next time you think you can't do something.

SLOW DOWN AND/OR RECESSION?

Jeff Cornwall, ever worried about the possibility of a greater economic down turn, gave good advice in his Blog today. Whether you agree that the recession is going to get worse before it gets better, Jeff's advice stands. Take a look. If things go further into the tank and you do what he suggests, you'll be better off. If things start to improve, you'll be sitting pretty. Either way, you win! Here's what Jeff had to say:

I remain somewhat concerned about the current slow down and/or recession. I remain very concerned about inflation. If you are an entrepreneurs, it is time to prepare for the worst. Here is a summary of a talk I gave to a group of printing company owners yesterday.

To get prepared for any economic downturn, it is best to think in terms of getting your financial statements in order.

First let's look at...

To read the rest, click here.

Image: howstuffworks.com/recession

HAVE YOU GOT GAS?

Okay! Maybe that title was a little off color, but it caught your eye. With gas becoming such a concern for mobile sharpeners, I wanted to point you toward a website that can help you find the cheapest prices in your area.

Click here to go to GasBuddy. Once there, click on your state or province and enter your zip code. The site will search all the stations in your area and let you know which station is selling gas at the least expensive price.

The search automatically defaults to regular unleaded, but you can choose any of the grades of gasoline you use or diesel by clicking on the appropriate tabs about the gas pricing. To find a station, click on the map button next to the station you want to find.

Image: bdehler2004

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Theodore Roosevelt seems like a strange title for a sharpening blog, but after reading an excellent post on The Art of Manliness, I decided Teddy Roosevelt had a lot he could teach us. Brett McKay, The publisher of The Art of Manliness, used President Roosevelt as an example of how to be a better man, but the post translates into how to be a better businessman (or woman) as well. So with that said, take a moment to read about our 26th President, and see how his life is a life worth emulating.

Lessons in Manliness: Theodore Roosevelt and the Spanish-American War

Theodore Roosevelt, who arguably accomplished more than any other American man, called his experience in the Spanish-American War, “the great day of my life.” It was during his charge up Kettle Hill that Theodore Roosevelt’s leadership and confidence finally crystallized. He passed the test and emerged as a leader capable of ascending to the presidency. His actions during the war impart crucial lessons on manly leadership:

1. Walk the Walk. Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly child who grew up reading of ancient battles and warriors and longing to be one. He built up his body and as he got older started writing his own books about military feats. Yet he still longed to see action firsthand, and when the opportunity finally arrived, he wasted no time in seizing it. As soon as the Spanish-American War broke out, Teddy pestered the Secretary of the Navy for a commission in the army. He then sold his cattle ranch and some of his possessions, and took out life insurance in preparation of receiving it. He was fully prepared to put his money where his mouth (and pen) was.

2. Know your limitations. Teddy was never short on confidence, but he didn’t let cocksureness slip into arrogance. When Roosevelt got his wish for an army commission and was offered command of the First United States Volunteer Calvary as Colonel, he turned it down citing. . . Click here to read the rest of the post. Be sure you look around Art of Manliness! It's one of my favorite blogs!

ONE WEEK SALE ON 200 SERIES SHEARS!!

Starting Monday, May 5^th, all 200 Series Wolff® Economy Beauty Shears will be on sale for 20% off the wholesale price through Friday, May 9^th. This sale is for one week only and will be a great opportunity for you to get these shears out to your customers at a great price! We feel that having our most popular shears in this series in multiple lengths will make them easier to sell. This is your chance to see if we’re right! Give Wolff a ring at 800-888-3832 next week or click here to order online (online orders will be adjusted for the discount here at Wolff). Take advantage of these savings!

TRI-FOLD FOR 200 SERIES BEAUTY SHEARS

Here are two pictures (front and back) of the new Tri-Fold Flier we've put together for the 200 Series Beauty Shears and the the Practice Shears.



The colors get lost in translation when I import the picture into Blogger. I'm not sure why this happens, but I'll e-mail them to see if I can find out. If you'd like, I'd be happy to e-mail you a PDF of the Tri-Fold. The colors should come through fine that way. If you'd like me to do this, just drop me an e-mail at Jim@wolffind.com. To enlarge these pictures just click on them.

Anyway, when folded this piece of literature will be about 5 1/2" X 5 1/2", so it will be compact and easy for your customers to keep in their station draw along with your card. A Grooming Shears version is hot on this ones heels.

Our designer is preflighting the Tri-Fold as I write this post to get it ready to go to the printer. I'll let you know when they come in.

PS - It was nice to have some time away, but it's good to be back in the saddle. I'll be playing catch up for the next few business days, so if I haven't responded to e-mails or calls from some of you I'll be rectifying that shortly.