One book I highly treasure in my collection is the graphic novel 天妖記 (Tian Yao Ji/ "Devil Prophecy") by Hong Kong artist 李志達 (Li Chi Tak, https://www.lichitak.com/bio). First published in 1996, its messages are still very much relevant today, about class struggle, about what we are born to do vs what we choose to do.
"Make a deposit of RM500 today, and we will reserve a unit for you for 1 week. If you change your mind later, we will fully refund your deposit."
When you pay that deposit, psychologically you have started the buying process, and you will have an urge to see it through. The deposit creates a commitment mentality. The "fully refundable" part makes the offer very inviting.
What to do with this information:
When you are a buyer, recognise these tricks and don't let them affect you making the right decision. Don't hate marketers. It is their job to help sellers connect to their target audience. As a buyer it is your responsibility to understand the product and whether it fits you.
When you are a seller, this is a trick you can use. No matter how well you market, you must still have a good product if you want to stay in business. Do right by your customers.
Even if you are a "friendly" type boss, do you ask your staff about their family? Their hopes and dreams? Their childhood traumas? Their opinions on sensitive topics like politics, sex and religion? Do you draw a line where work is work and people don't cross into personal topics? Does your line differ depending on who you are talking to?
Can team-building be done online? Does it even work?
Now that I have done it together with Captain Fuaad, for a huge group of 109 participants, I know it is not only possible, it can be amazingly fun!
#1 - Developing all materials in Chinese. E.g. how do you say "stakeholder" in Chinese? Google Translate is not always your best friend.
#2 - Not to let slip the Malaysian "la"
The difference between a good business and a great one?
Answer: After sales service.
After you make the sale, if you no longer happily service your customers because you can't profit from them anymore, you may lose these customers forever. It shows you only care about your profit, and not about helping others solve their problems. Your customers will lose trust in you and will not introduce their friends to you.
Do great after sales service. Your happy customers are your best sales team.
If you want performance from your team, learn to let go.
Letting go is hard to do because we often want things to be done in a very specific way. "Our way". We can't help looking over the shoulders of our teams to make sure they are getting it "right". Sometimes we assign the most crucial bit to ourselves to make sure no one else screws it up. We delegate the less important tasks to our team. If we keep doing this, our teams will never learn, feel empowered or feel trusted. Sometimes just... let it go. Trust your team.
This and other tips in my book Every Employee an Entrepreneur:
Lack of exposure outside of the family business. Some 2nd generation business owners started their career in the family business right af...
