Alan Fox

A number of years ago, I enjoyed my last trip to Venice. And I do mean my last.  Too many of their “merchants” turned out to be thieves.

Venice is noted for its beautiful art glass sculptures.  I purchased several for about $8,000, and delivery by air express was promised. But a month later, I still hadn’t received anything.

I telephoned the merchant, who suddenly had trouble understanding English (even though he understood me perfectly when I made the purchase). I conferenced in an Italian-speaking representative from American Express.

What an instant transformation.  After offering several lame excuses, the merchant promised immediate delivery.  Clearly, he did not want to displease American Express, a powerful corporation, even though he hadn’t cared a bit about pleasing me, his customer.

While I still enjoy the sculptures, I obviously harbor negative feelings about the experience.

That same merchant had directed us to a restaurant owned by a friend of his.

“Just let him take care of you. Don’t bother with the menu,” he said.

Feeling special, I took his advice. Dish after dish was served to our party of eight. Prices at that time should have warranted a total tab of no more than $50, to which I had planned to add a generous tip. But the check, when it arrived, was for $300. I was appalled.  I left no tip.

That evening we stood in line for three full hours, waiting for a water taxi to return us to our cruise ship. We finally called my nephew, who was already back onboard. He woke up the concierge, and thirty minutes later a water taxi appeared. While our party was accommodated on that taxi – the operator left many other cruise passengers stranded (even though it was only half full).  Apparently, the trade unions run the water taxis – for their own benefit, not for us “tourists” even though tourism is at the heart of their economy. This attitude certainly doesn’t bode well for a city dependent on tourism.

I’ve read that Venice is gradually sinking into the sea, and that its lowest point, St. Mark’s Square, is flooded about 100 days a year.

I’m never going back, and I wish the merchants of Venice a hearty “bon voyage” as their fiefdom slowly sinks into the Adriatic.

I look forward to every one of those pirates going down with their ship of prey.

Aside from that, happy new year.

Alan

My Uncle Morris, after a career selling life insurance, decided to change his professional focus and began selling residential real estate.

He joined a small agency. Then, he visited every one of the 120 homes they had listed so he could become familiar with their features.

When he met with potential clients, Morris interviewed them in depth to find out the exact characteristics of what they were looking for in a home. Based upon the listings and their preferences, he would take them to see three or four houses that best fit their needs.

By contrast, most real estate agents at the time spent a full day, or more, visiting dozens of houses with their buyers hoping that one would suit them. Morris believed that his approach saved time for both him and his customers and that it was ultimately more efficient for everyone.

He once told me a story about a couple who loved a one story house he had showed them. After touring the home, they asked to see the attic.

“The attic is at the bottom of these stairs,” he said.

“That’s not an attic,” they said. “That’s a basement, We want a home that has an attic.”

“I understand,” he said. “But what you really need is a large room for storage and perhaps a playroom for your children that isn’t located on the main floor.”

“Exactly.”

“Does it make any difference if that large room is upstairs or downstairs?  Why don’t we just take a look.”  Morris then led them downstairs to the basement.

The young couple bought the house.

I’ve always found this story instructive on two levels.

First, on salesmanship: what a great salesperson strives to do is is satisfy the customer’s underlying needs and desires. For example, if someone is looking for a great cruise, does it really matter if the ship leaves from Orlando rather than Miami?

Secondly, on meeting your own needs we should always consider what really serves us. When I’m on vacation, what I want most is to enjoy myself. I can be flexible about whether I’m vacationing on land or on a cruise ship or at a ski resort. What’s important is knowing what ultimately suits me best. This is especially relevant at the moment, since I’m writing this blog while on the Disney Wish, the newest of the Disney cruise ships. As compared with a hotel, the ship has better food, more amenities, and the service is outstanding. It certainly meets all of my vacation needs.

Just like with real estate – what really matters is who we are on the inside. Our clothing is, well, just window dressing and can be changed as easily as the curtains in a new house.

I hope that in the new year we will each resolve to honor the heart of what’s most important to us in our lives and disregard that which is just superficial. Does it really matter if the attic is in the basement so long as it suits your needs?

Happy holidays to all.

Alan

When I was in law school, a fellow student shared with me that when he was eighteen, he thought his dad didn’t know anything.  “But in the past six years, I’m surprised at how much he’s learned,” he said.

I could apply that observation to my own life.  During the past 82 years I’m surprised at how much I’ve learned. Some lessons I’ve had to learn more than once.  Life is a diligent teacher.

In no particular order – here are some of the positive surprise lessons that I’ve learned from various events and milestones in my life:

1. Six children.  What happened here?  I grew up with one younger brother, and that was plenty.  At my fiftieth high school reunion I won a door prize for having the most children. What have I learned? My children are my proudest accomplishment.
2. Owning my own business for 54 years.  When I founded ACF on March 1, 1968, I applied for several corporate names.  A man called from Sacramento to tell me that none of those was available.  Since the state had paid for the phone call, I asked about the name ACF Property Management, Inc.  That name was available, and here we are, still thriving. I’ve learned throughout all of the ups and the downs that optimism works.
3. Getting back together with Daveen.  This was an especially large shock to my family-law attorney, but a stroke of good luck for me. What did I learn? To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, sometimes “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
4. My paternal grandfather lived to be 94, my father to 104.  Does that mean I get another 32 years? If hope so, and in the meantime, I’ve learned to make the most of every moment.
5. Publishing three People Tools books and two children’s books in my seventies. I’ve learned it is never too late to achieve your goals and accomplish what you want to do most in life.

Have there also been some negative surprises?  Of course, but even those have taught me something. Almost 4 years ago I needed to have surgery on my cervical spine. While we all might expect something like that to happen to us eventually, I couldn’t help thinking why me? But since then, I’ve begun to walk regularly, and I now appreciate how important it is to take care of my body.

I always fall asleep wondering what will happen tomorrow.  That should keep me going for another decade or two.

Today the Livermore lab in the San Francisco Bay area announced a major breakthrough in fusion energy.  That’s the same energy source that powers the sun.  I’m not a scientist, but in twenty years this source of abundant energy could change the world.

See you then!

Meanwhile, best wishes for a happy holiday.

Alan