We should learn from stories

I am particularly fond of stories as they convey a deeper meaning with a message to your audience . The story I am about to tell is about a man who had to move to an apartment in the city. Circumstances did not allow taking his dog with him. He offered the dog to a farmer who turned him down. The man related the experience to a friend who was a salesman who went to see the farmer. He told the farmer that he often drove by the farm and and was so impressed by the appearance that he wanted to meet the owner. The farmer offered to show him around and pointer with pride to his building. The friend asked the farmer whether he had problems with rats. The farmer said yes. When the friend saw the heard of cattle he asked the farmer whether he had problems getting them into barn at night. The friend also asked him about robbers. He finally sold him the dog. I hope you did learn something!

Learning from a book

I remember reading a book titled “Sun Tzu- strategies for selling” by Gerald and Steven . Few things which I learned/observed from this book are as under:-

a. That selling is a trade for the ignorant and a science for the professional. Professional skills are honed through study and practice. People who think that their skills are naturally born will not focus on self improvement and their personal growth will be stalled.
b. Instead of saying “How much do you want to pay?” it’s better to say “How much are you thinking of investing?”
c. Learn from experience of others as well as from your own.
d. Strategy is an idea seeking its means of execution. Tactics are the means of execution used to carry out ideas.
e. To subdue an enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.
f. The best policy is to attack the strategy of your enemy next best is to disrupt his alliances through diplomatic means next best is to attack the enemy in the field and the worst is to attack walled cities.
g. Ask such questions if you have lost a sale “Just for my information would you mind telling me what I/we did wrong?”
h. One should use normal force to engage and the extraordinary to win.

Stimulate your brain

Very few people these days read poems but the reason behind this is that most of us have got so entangled in his/her work that we don’t have time for these things. Only yesterday when I was searching through some notes that I came across a poem by Mr. H W Longfellow, I had long forgotten. I touched my heart and I am sure it will touch yours. Here it reads:-

“I shot an arrow into the air
It fell to earth, I knew not where,
For so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight
I breathed a song into the air
It fell to earth, I knew not where
For who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of song
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke
And the song, from beginning to end
I found in the heart of a friend”

I often feel that we should more often read poems as they tend to stimulate a different part of our brain which remains rusted due to no stimulus.

Now Everyone can acquire knowledge

Internet is a great medium to acquire knowledge but you should know where to go. You can go to MIT open courseware and see for yourself what is taught at MIT(http://ocw.mit.edu), Also Edcorner at standford(http://ecorner.stanford.edu) is one of best resource for entrepreneurs. Project Gutenberg(http://www.gutenberg.org) is one such resource where you can download free e-books for free. Such a vast sorehouse of knowledge and so less time to learn!

Who says its impossible!

Only few days back I was reading a newspaper a unique story about a Japanese car maker. There was a time when the car maker had only made poor quality cars which were withdrawn from the US markets. It was way back in the year 1947 and the company was Toyota. Toyota in fact started as a manufacturer of textile machinery and moved to car production in the year 1947. But see how things have changed now. Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus has become a renowned and sought after car in its category. See nothing is impossible!

A Rickshawala knows more about our roads!

The other day I was in Chandigarh waiting for the bus when a rickshaw puller came and asked if I would be interested. The next minute I was roaming the city roads with him. He was an interesting person and engaging too. While passing by a road he told me pointing out that the streetlights I see were recently put. When i asked him why, he explained that it is because of an accident !He further said that whenever an accident happens, and somebody dies only then, the authorities take action. He told me that he is a native of UP and is pulling rickshaw for last 20 years in Chandigarh and there are many persons like him in the city. He has seen many such examples where the authorities have taken action only when someone had died or some fatal accident happens. He told me that if this had not been the case many lifes would have been saved.

I wonder why government never takes inputs from people who travel daily by city roads, specially these rickshaw pullers. They possibly are the people who know the condition of roads - which street light is not working and needs repair etc.

Things are changing!

I recently got a chance to attend FRO2009, India’s biggest multicity franchise and retail show at Nehru center, worli Mumbai. It was really a great experience to see so many new startups along with the established brands promoting their businesses and urging the young and enterprising to join them. There were many companies operating in education sector which looked very promising. I could also see big names like reliance venturing into this sector. This sector looks very promising especially at this time of economic slowdown when students/professionals are looking to upgrade their skills/knowledge. This is one of the sector which is recession proof. Also there were companies like BBX of Australian origin which is world’s largest trade exchange and has an interesting business model. Many eminent speakers also attended this show and gave talks on topics like how to start a franchisee etc. I feel that budding entrepreneurs and persons interested in starting their own businesses in future should make it a habit attend such seminars as he/she comes to know how other people are doing business, what is their revenue model?, what are their return on investments? Etc. Who knows what may click!

Recession Proof your hotel business

I was traveling from Mumbai to Delhi few weeks back when I met a businessman who was running a three star hotel. Out of curiosity I asked him how his business was doing these days and he told that though other hotels in most Indian cities are affected by this financial slowdown but his business is doing very good. He said that his hotel is in the holy city of Shirdi and in times like these most people come for the darshan of Shi Sai baba. He was even thinking of even expanding his hotel business when others are conservative in their approach! Would you have you have thought on these lines?

Meaning of life

You treasure some books throughout your life as they give you varied flavors as you read them for a second time or more. “Mans search for meaning” by Mr. Victor Frankl is one such book which offers you a much deeper advice every time you read it. The author tells us how he along with few others survived in Nazi concentration camps. He says that the people who survived in those camps still had something significant to do in their future and they believed in it also. He believes that people who can envision their future and can discover the meaning of their life will be future heroes and will survive the test. He gives it a scientific name called logotherapy. In these times when people are loosing jobs, coming under tremendous pressure and taking their life’s perhaps should take a cue from his life. Rather than belittling ourselves we should analyze ourselves and search for new meaning in his/her life. This is the time when you can think of pursuing your hobbies or can think of implementing a crazy idea! Who knows what might click!

When Going gets tough

I am writing this post because i feel that in everyone's life there comes a time when he/she feels that all the odds are against him. This is the time when your patience and your ability to fight back is tested. We should probably take cue from the life of those who have prooved themselves in such situations and should not stop. Following are few examples:-

1. The legendry " Beatles" who were turned down by many recording companies before Capitol took them as their clients. Their music has touched many.

2. "Albert Einstein" did not speak until he was four yeards old, and did not read until he was seven. His teacher described him as mentally slow but he still changed our perception of the universe.

3. " Abraham Lincoln" lost nine public elections, declared bankruptcy twice, weathered a nervous breakdown and the death of a fiance before he was elected for presidency.

4. Thomas Elva Edison tried a thousand difference materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none of them worked our his assistant complained, "All your work is in vain. we have learned nothing" To this Edison replied confidently, " Oh we have come a long way and we have learnt a lot. We now know that there are a thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb"

5. Walt disney was fired by a newspaper editor for his lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.

6. Colonel Sanders proposal to franchise his gradma's recipe was rejected several times before it lead to the creation of Kentucky Fried Chicken popularly known as KFC.

Well if these people can do wonders and can achieve what they wanted to achieve why cannot we?