Compounding effect of time

A millionaire may not be bothered by the loss of a few thousand dollars. And he who owns a few thousands may not concern himself with the loss of a few cents. 

Likewise, when we have hours at our disposal, we tend to not watch how each minute is spent. When we have minutes with us, we may not respect a few seconds. The value of each second is truly understood when we are unable to breathe, for instance.

We often take a top-down view at time, concerning ourselves with the big numbers and losing focus on the small ones. Like money, time too is benefited by compounding. When you lose minutes, you eventually lose hours, and eventually losing a chunk of your lifetime. But every minute used properly makes your hours productive. 

Respect every second of time, be it yours or that of others. The power of compounding will then make your life worthwhile.

Business Lessons From a Roadside Vendor

A few days back I had been to a famous temple along with my family. The temple is at a distance of around 50 kms, away from the bustling crowded city where I live. Soon as I reached the place, I saw many vendors outside the temple entrance, selling flowers, vermillion, and every thing else needed to pay respects to the temple deity. These vendors, mostly women, kept calling out to us, asking us to purchase items from their roadside shack. But I was aware that these hawkers usually tried to sell their goods at a higher price to unwary outsiders who did not know the exact traditions followed at the temple. So I decided to go inside the temple and find a priest who could give me details of items required to perform the prayers. 

Just as I stood contemplating my move, a man from the nearby shop told me with a smiling face:

“Sir, you can leave your slippers here. It will be safer here than at the temple entrance. I will take care of it.”

I did not respond back and walked on when I heard some of the hawkers tell me:

“What information are you going to get inside the temple? You have to anyway come out and buy the items from us.” 

I did not answer them either.

Once inside the temple, I couldn't find the priest. Instead I saw some devotees who had just finished performing their ‘puja’. I approached one of them for details and he offered me some help. Just then I heard someone else talking to me from behind, giving me additional details about the steps to be followed. I turned back to see the man whom I had met outside; the one who had offered to take care of my slippers.

I asked him, “Did you follow me into the temple to sell your stuff?”

He smiled at me as he answered, “Sir, I knew that you were looking for details regarding the puja and needed help. So I thought I could offer my help to you. I am well aware of the procedure to be followed. I can assist you.”

I could not help but like the persistence of the man. Moreover, I had to buy the needed items for the puja anyway. So I decided to purchase it from him. At least he deserved that much for the effort he took to make a business, compared to the other vendors who never got out of their shops. This guy made an effort to do business with me.

He sold me the stuff I needed and I was sure that he had made a good profit out of it. But he offered to accompany us inside the temple and guide us through the steps to be followed. He spent a good 15-20 minutes with us taking us through the temple.

Once we were confident that we could be on our own from there, he decided to take leave. Just before he left, he handed me a business card and a printed brochure about the temple. He asked me to call him up the next time I visited the place. As I watched him go, I saw the other vendors outside, still trying hard to make a sale, bickering with each other and heckling at each potential customer who chose to ignore them.

Now what business lessons did I learn from this guy?

1. He never antagonised a customer by heckling at them in his desperation to make a sale. Instead he offered a service (to look after our slippers) politely to draw our attention to his shop.
2. While all the other vendors sat in their shops, waiting for the customer to come to them, this guy left his shop to seek out a customer. He definitely deserved my business.
3. He was shamelessly persistent in following up with a customer, even when the customer was non-responsive to his initial approaches. He came up right behind me into the temple to ensure that he got his customer, while making me believe that he could greatly assist me with his service and knowledge.
4. He did not make the sale and just disappear. He stood with us to guide us through the procedures. It was outside of his R&R but he still did it. That's building customer relationship while providing after delivery/sale support.
5. He handed me a business card for a 5x5 shop that didn’t even have a name board! Your business’s brand value is not what you believe it to be, but what you make others perceive it to be.
6. He took my leave stating that he had not yet gone for his lunch break, though it was well past his lunch time, so that he could assist us. Now that’s what making the customer feel important is all about! 

This man did not get an MBA from a top business school. He doesn't wear a suit and a tie either. He just knew the right buttons to push to get a customer to trust him and do business with him. He understood the customer's need and went out of his way to cater to it, while all the others didn't bother to go that extra mile. He did not just make a sale. He tried his best to build a business goodwill that would work long-term. That made all the difference.

There are management and business lessons to be learnt from even the seemingly small things in life. We just have to be observant and humble enough to take note of it.

Ceremonial swords don't get to fight

Battle swords seldom make it to the museums. In fact, most of them never survive the battle. But that is what they are made for.

Ceremonial swords have never seen battle fields. The ones you see in the museums probably were never used in an actual war. 

Battle swords and ceremonial ones are never forged in the same manner. Battle swords are made of tempered steel, heated and beaten multiple times before they are given their strength and sharpness. Only after that are they cooled and engraved before the are ready for battle. 

On the other hand ceremonial swords are not made in a similar manner. 

So if you are repeatedly beaten down in life, and go through hardships, it only means that you are meant for the real purpose of life and not meant for just display-sake. Take it as it comes. It does not matter if nobody knows you exist or existed, as long as you know you are doing just your job and fulfilling your purpose.

Random Streaks XXX

The fact that our eyes are located at the front of our head tells us that we move in the direction we look. So it is up to us to decide if we want to look at the positive or negative aspects of life, because once we do, our life will move in that direction.