ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - April 1, 2005

It has been a busy week ... and it is not over yet.

I am now in Chicago, having flown in on the red-eye from Las Vegas this morning. The next three days will be wall-to-wall immersion in marketing ideas, then back to Seattle overnight before heading off to Anchorage to speak at a distributor food show on Monday and Tuesday.

After that I don't have to leave town again ... until Friday!

Don't be afraid to shake things up. The status quo can be deadly. At the least, it is deadly boring.

BIG CHANGES COMING
Where do I begin? There have been lots of changes in the past several months. It probably started when I turned 60 a few months ago. Reaching that age really got me looking at how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. While I love to travel, I did not want to be jumping on and off airplanes with the same degree of regularity that I have been lately. For a couple of years, I have been looking at how I could set my business up to maintain my lifestyle (read that as "income") without the need to spend so much time on the road. As Internet access has become more universal, that process has become much easier.

Then three other factors came into play. First, the real estate market in Gig Harbor went crazy. The value of the home we built less than five years ago has increased nearly 60%, creating an unexpected bit of equity.

The second pivotal event is really more of an enduring situation that is becoming harder to endure. Without getting off on a political rant, the current fiscal policies in this country have led to the devaluation of the dollar against virtually every other world currency, but particularly the euro. What we could buy in 2000 for 85 cents now costs close to $1.40, meaning that our buying power against the euro has decreased 60% in the past four and a half years!

Since the current administration shows no signs of bringing the deficit under control, I fear the situation will only get worse, perhaps even to the point of the dollar becoming a third-world currency. This has created more pressure to take action while we can still buy something with our dollars.

The key to the puzzle turned out to be my colleagues Marv Hunt and Cindy Casady, both respected operators and industry authorities in their own rights. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the three of us have been discussing how we could work together ... and the answer we arrived at surprised even us!

The bottom line is that Marv and Cindy are going to be taking over a large portion of the daily activities of The Restaurant Doctor in the United States. The idea is that they can help re-position Restaurant Doctor from being my alter-ego into an international umbrella marketing brand of no-nonsense management resources that really work.

As many of you know, Margene and I have really fallen in love with central Italy. In fact, we have been planning a three-week trip back there in May.

We have kicked around the idea of buying a house (dare I say "villa"?) and settling into the Italian lifestyle but we never took it past the "wouldn't it be nice" stage. However, when we go to Italy this time, it will not be just to hold our corporate meeting ... but to find some real estate. The plan is to sell the house in Gig Harbor, move to Umbria and live the life of the ex-patriate ... with Internet access!

Just because I will be relocating does not mean that I am retiring. I will still be providing regular material to my subscribers and will make several trips back to the US each year for speaking appearances. However, I have learned that the next step is always obvious ... and this appears to be the obvious next step.

We still have no firm timetable for the move. We first need to locate property over there, sell the house here and figure out what to take and what to leave. There is the ongoing question of the health of Margene's dad and I am sure dozens of little hurdles that we have not even considered yet ... but the plan is at least in motion.

In the months ahead, I will fill you in more about how this will all come about ... and no matter where on the planet I may be, the EHC will still arrive to provide your weekly thrashing.

Perhaps I am jumping the gun a bit to lay all this on you today when the details are still so sketchy, but it seemed like the most appropriate time to do it.

Ciao for now!

THE APRIL SURVEY
It's a new month ... and a new survey question. One of the major concerns that surfaced in the January survey was staff training, so this month we explore that area in more detail.

Please take a few minutes to fill us in on the current state of your training and how you expect it to evolve in the next year.

Add your thoughts to the April survey

THE SUPER SUMMIT IS FILLING UP NICELY
There is no obligation to find out more about what we have in mind in New Orleans

If you are at all curious about what makes this year's Super Summit totally different from anything we have ever done ... the best way to get a sense of what we have in mind is to follow the link below and read the information letter on the program. If that intrigues you, complete the online application.

Once we have your application, Robert Kausen will set up a 30-45 minute telephone interview where you can get all your questions answered. If it looks like the Summit is a good fit, we will invite you to register. After that, it is all up to you.

Why do we go to this time and trouble?
We appreciate that qualifying for this program is an involved process ... but you will come to appreciate that what we are bringing to you in Super Summit 2005 is entirely different than any training you have ever been part of.

After we talk, you should have a sense that we have something very special available for those who are ready to hear it. We will not accept anyone for the program unless we believe that they are one of those people ... which is why we are being so careful about who we invite.

From my own experience, I can promise that if you are fortunate enough to join us in New Orleans, your life -- both professionally and personally -- can, in fact, become effortless. The only question is whether you have the courage to let your life be that easy.

This is the last program of this sort that we have planned. Don't miss it. Submit your application today.

Click here to get the whole story on the Super Summit.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?

I learned that a 50% off agreement we have with a business across the street is being abused. I also learned that we need to tighten up our employee meal policy and post a list of neighbors that can receive a discount. -- Kyle Agha, Cobalt, Winston Salem, NC

A Note from the Doc: Over time, you may come to understand that my perpetual question is really a lot deeper than it may sound. You may come to understand that improving your listening skills may be the most valuable management talent you can develop.

... and you may not. It all depends on how serious you are about finding out what you and your company are really capable of becoming.

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question. Just click on the link below for a short coaching session on listening and a chance to contribute your answer for the common good.

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

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