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Article Check - Become Friends and then Do Business
That headline deserves an explanation, or else you'll think I've taken leave of my senses...or least that I am an off-the-wall contrarian.Okay, in a perfect world gossipers wouldn't exist, but we all know the world has its imperfections a plenty. Gossip and gossipers are here to stay. Deal with it.A survey by a research firm known as ISR showed that 63% of U. S. employees get all or most of their information about their companies from "water-cooler talk".The fact is that every place of employment functions with two channels of communications. One is the official channel. The second is known by various names: gossip, rumors and grapevine.The official channel is where your employer's version of the goals and procedures of the organization, the rules of the road, if you will, are laid out. The gossip mill is where you hear what your peers think of these plans, along with their assessment of them and those who sent them forth. The rumor mill provides more, ranging from malicious and personal attacks, to harmless chatter about who is flirting with whom,
Through all the shopping and late evening dinners at McDonald’s, we talked of our families, our countries, our religions, our travels, and our interests. In the process, we started developing friendships that continue to this day.
Another benefit of the shopping sprees was that they had no time to meet with my competitor. They were very gracious about this and they did take all his sales literature. They also took mine on the last day of class. They apologized to me for not having time for meaningful business discussions during the week, but quickly added, “Mr. Harry (my president) and you must come to Amman in a few weeks so that we could conduct business.”
<Deming advocates the use of statistics to control quality by measuring waste and defects in manufacturing. The maintenance of formal procedures is a prerequisite to certification under various quality codes. It goes further than Taylor because computing power simplifies the gathering and processing of data to measure performance against pre-determined standards and against a worker’s peers. As systems become quicker, cleverer and cheaper the use of computing for this area of control must increase Drucker also suggests that it is only Taylorism that has consistently raised the real level of manual workers’ wages. Superior service requires all employees to be mindful of customer needs, to bring them to the attention of management and be encouraged to suggest improvements.This alters the premise that managers “think” and workers “do”. The creation of learning organizations recognizes this and Argyris cites a number of examples where bad practices were allowed to perpetuate because old barriers were difficult to break down. Peters and Waterman urge organizations to become
Most large industries and professions have a technical society which provides research, education, the exchange of ideas, and events to bring its members together periodically for various activities. The technical society for the baking industry is the American Institute of Baking, with headquarters in Manhattan, Kansas.
One course taught by AIB is “Baking for Non-Bakers.” It is a one-week course that is both informative and fun. They teach the theory of baking in the morning and set you loose in the afternoon in the kitchen to bake.
I was fortunate that one of these classes was scheduled to start shortly after I reported for duty at AMF. Thus, I found myself in Manhattan, Kansas for the second week of my new job.
The baking industry is world-wide and my class of thirty reflected that. Participants included people from Brazil, Mexico, Egypt and Jordan. I quickly learned that the Jordanians were on a mission that included more than learning how to bake bread.
For various reasons, King Hussein had decided to build a large government bakery to supply bread for the entire kingdom. The two Jordanians were from the Ministry of Supply and were attending the course to learn more about baking, but also to meet a representative from the baking equipment side of the business to assist in making the King’s vision become a reality. They were there to meet one of my new competitors! The staff at AIB was quick to introduce me as another person from the equipment side of the industry and another person with whom they might want to talk.
At lunch I called the president of my company to see if we wanted to do business in Jordan. I might just as well have asked if dogs have tails, because the answer was a resounding yes.
Remember that this was my second week with my new company. I had little knowledge of the equipment we offered and no knowledge of why our equipment would have a competitive advantage over that of the other supplier talking to them. I asked the president to “overnight” all the sales brochures and literature that would be of interest to the Jordanians and that would help me become more knowledgeable as well.
As soon as the phone call ended, I started to develop a plan to win this potential business. The first task was to stall any discussions of our equipment until I got my hands on the literature I had requested and had a chance to digest it. I learned that this was the first visit to America for the Jordanians. I decided that the best stalling tactic would be to invite the visitors to do a little sightseeing and to offer them an opportunity to do some shopping for souvenirs. I quickly made arrangements to pick up a rental car and headed to the kitchen to see if I could bake a loaf of bread.
During the first break, I asked my new acquaintances if they would like to do some sightseeing and perhaps visit some stores after class. Their eyes literally lit up as they told me that they had discussed their desires to do some shopping but weren’t sure how to get around in this new environment. They were quick to add, “Mr. Brian, that is so kind of you. We would very much like to visit a ‘Wal-Market’.” I made a mental note that if we had to drive sixty miles to Kansas City before we found a Wal-Mart, we would do exactly that. As luck would have it, Manhattan had a Wal-Mart about two miles from our motel. The only problem was that it closed at 9pm each night.
I never imagined what I had volunteered for. We shopped and shopped and shopped. We shopped Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, we skipped baking and searched for a company that could package all their new-found treasures and could arrange to ship them to Jordan. It hadn’t occurred to me that, as representatives of the Minister of Supply, they were actually buying a number of items with the objective of later evaluating them for potential import.
Through all the shopping and late evening dinners at McDonald’s, we talked of our families, our countries, our religions, our travels, and our interests. In the process, we started developing friendships that continue to this day.
Another benefit of the shopping sprees was that they had no time to meet with my competitor. They were very gracious about this and they did take all his sales literature. They also took mine on the last day of class. They apologized to me for not having time for meaningful business discussions during the week, but quickly added, “Mr. Harry (my president) and you must come to Amman in a few weeks so that we could conduct business.”
It was C.D. Jackson, Publisher of Life Magazine who once said “Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.” The sad truth is that most people plan trips and vacations better than they plan their business ventures. It seldom occurs to them that a business plan can help—tremendously. Consider the different audiences who may read your business plan as your great idea takes off. Bankers are primarily concerned about having their loans repaid. While they will say that they are interested in a company’s long-term prospects because they want to establish long-term relationships, bankers want to be assured of a company’s ability to keep up a loan repayment schedule. Margins on business loans are so low that banks can’t afford to have too many go sour. Therefore, the emphasis should be on cash flow—past, present, and future. Investors are most interested in factors that can help predict growth, because growth is essential for them to get an attractive return on their investment. These factors include the market’s likely future, the management team’s experience, evidence of
The baking industry is world-wide and my class of thirty reflected that. Participants included people from Brazil, Mexico, Egypt and Jordan. I quickly learned that the Jordanians were on a mission that included more than learning how to bake bread.
For various reasons, King Hussein had decided to build a large government bakery to supply bread for the entire kingdom. The two Jordanians were from the Ministry of Supply and were attending the course to learn more about baking, but also to meet a representative from the baking equipment side of the business to assist in making the King’s vision become a reality. They were there to meet one of my new competitors! The staff at AIB was quick to introduce me as another person from the equipment side of the industry and another person with whom they might want to talk.
At lunch I called the president of my company to see if we wanted to do business in Jordan. I might just as well have asked if dogs have tails, because the answer was a resounding yes.
Remember that this was my second week with my new company. I had little knowledge of the equipment we offered and no knowledge of why our equipment would have a competitive advantage over that of the other supplier talking to them. I asked the president to “overnight” all the sales brochures and literature that would be of interest to the Jordanians and that would help me become more knowledgeable as well.
As soon as the phone call ended, I started to develop a plan to win this potential business. The first task was to stall any discussions of our equipment until I got my hands on the literature I had requested and had a chance to digest it. I learned that this was the first visit to America for the Jordanians. I decided that the best stalling tactic would be to invite the visitors to do a little sightseeing and to offer them an opportunity to do some shopping for souvenirs. I quickly made arrangements to pick up a rental car and headed to the kitchen to see if I could bake a loaf of bread.
During the first break, I asked my new acquaintances if they would like to do some sightseeing and perhaps visit some stores after class. Their eyes literally lit up as they told me that they had discussed their desires to do some shopping but weren’t sure how to get around in this new environment. They were quick to add, “Mr. Brian, that is so kind of you. We would very much like to visit a ‘Wal-Market’.” I made a mental note that if we had to drive sixty miles to Kansas City before we found a Wal-Mart, we would do exactly that. As luck would have it, Manhattan had a Wal-Mart about two miles from our motel. The only problem was that it closed at 9pm each night.
I never imagined what I had volunteered for. We shopped and shopped and shopped. We shopped Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, we skipped baking and searched for a company that could package all their new-found treasures and could arrange to ship them to Jordan. It hadn’t occurred to me that, as representatives of the Minister of Supply, they were actually buying a number of items with the objective of later evaluating them for potential import.
Through all the shopping and late evening dinners at McDonald’s, we talked of our families, our countries, our religions, our travels, and our interests. In the process, we started developing friendships that continue to this day.
Another benefit of the shopping sprees was that they had no time to meet with my competitor. They were very gracious about this and they did take all his sales literature. They also took mine on the last day of class. They apologized to me for not having time for meaningful business discussions during the week, but quickly added, “Mr. Harry (my president) and you must come to Amman in a few weeks so that we could conduct business.”
<A business opportunity is a transaction that may involve the sale or lease of services and goods resulting to profitability. There are several business opportunities available for each individual or company.For a company, a business opportunity is a chance to increase earnings by widening areas of production and services. For example, if a company would like to put up another branch in a certain location, the company would look for possible locations that would be conducive to the business. If it were a fast food chain, the company would likely assess the accessibility of the location to major establishments like malls, offices or schools and the demography in that area. If all these factors coincide with what the company is looking for, then it becomes a business opportunity — a means of earning more money — for the company.A business opportunity for an individual is similar to a company’s opportunity, though it is usually on a smaller scale. For example, a person who can bake cakes or cookies can turn this skill into a business opportunity — selling the goods
Remember that this was my second week with my new company. I had little knowledge of the equipment we offered and no knowledge of why our equipment would have a competitive advantage over that of the other supplier talking to them. I asked the president to “overnight” all the sales brochures and literature that would be of interest to the Jordanians and that would help me become more knowledgeable as well.
As soon as the phone call ended, I started to develop a plan to win this potential business. The first task was to stall any discussions of our equipment until I got my hands on the literature I had requested and had a chance to digest it. I learned that this was the first visit to America for the Jordanians. I decided that the best stalling tactic would be to invite the visitors to do a little sightseeing and to offer them an opportunity to do some shopping for souvenirs. I quickly made arrangements to pick up a rental car and headed to the kitchen to see if I could bake a loaf of bread.
During the first break, I asked my new acquaintances if they would like to do some sightseeing and perhaps visit some stores after class. Their eyes literally lit up as they told me that they had discussed their desires to do some shopping but weren’t sure how to get around in this new environment. They were quick to add, “Mr. Brian, that is so kind of you. We would very much like to visit a ‘Wal-Market’.” I made a mental note that if we had to drive sixty miles to Kansas City before we found a Wal-Mart, we would do exactly that. As luck would have it, Manhattan had a Wal-Mart about two miles from our motel. The only problem was that it closed at 9pm each night.
I never imagined what I had volunteered for. We shopped and shopped and shopped. We shopped Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, we skipped baking and searched for a company that could package all their new-found treasures and could arrange to ship them to Jordan. It hadn’t occurred to me that, as representatives of the Minister of Supply, they were actually buying a number of items with the objective of later evaluating them for potential import.
Through all the shopping and late evening dinners at McDonald’s, we talked of our families, our countries, our religions, our travels, and our interests. In the process, we started developing friendships that continue to this day.
Another benefit of the shopping sprees was that they had no time to meet with my competitor. They were very gracious about this and they did take all his sales literature. They also took mine on the last day of class. They apologized to me for not having time for meaningful business discussions during the week, but quickly added, “Mr. Harry (my president) and you must come to Amman in a few weeks so that we could conduct business.”
<Everybody loves the extras. Getting what you pay for is one thing, but when you get those extra items, is when you feel like you're getting more for your money. In the world of medical billing, this is no different. Unfortunately, most software systems don't give you those extras at no cost. Still, there nice to have when you want to do a little bit more than just bill for services rendered. So what are some of the more common extras that come with DME software?One of the common items that come extra with DME software is what is called barcoding. Barcoding has actually been going on for quite some time in the retail world. Just go to the local supermarket and you'll find those Universal Product Codes, called UPC codes, all over the place. As a matter of fact, most supermarkets now have automated checkouts using these UPC codes. How UPC codes work is beyond the scope of this article, but briefly, what the manufacturer of the item does is place a special code on each package that needs a special reader to read the price associated with it. This price is then st
During the first break, I asked my new acquaintances if they would like to do some sightseeing and perhaps visit some stores after class. Their eyes literally lit up as they told me that they had discussed their desires to do some shopping but weren’t sure how to get around in this new environment. They were quick to add, “Mr. Brian, that is so kind of you. We would very much like to visit a ‘Wal-Market’.” I made a mental note that if we had to drive sixty miles to Kansas City before we found a Wal-Mart, we would do exactly that. As luck would have it, Manhattan had a Wal-Mart about two miles from our motel. The only problem was that it closed at 9pm each night.
I never imagined what I had volunteered for. We shopped and shopped and shopped. We shopped Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, we skipped baking and searched for a company that could package all their new-found treasures and could arrange to ship them to Jordan. It hadn’t occurred to me that, as representatives of the Minister of Supply, they were actually buying a number of items with the objective of later evaluating them for potential import.
Through all the shopping and late evening dinners at McDonald’s, we talked of our families, our countries, our religions, our travels, and our interests. In the process, we started developing friendships that continue to this day.
Another benefit of the shopping sprees was that they had no time to meet with my competitor. They were very gracious about this and they did take all his sales literature. They also took mine on the last day of class. They apologized to me for not having time for meaningful business discussions during the week, but quickly added, “Mr. Harry (my president) and you must come to Amman in a few weeks so that we could conduct business.”
<A career as a paralegal is an excellent choice. Young people graduating from high school and college should consider becoming a paralegal, legal assistant or legal secretary. There are many reasons to explore legal careers.Some people use their office staff positions as springboards to become attorneys. They can work during the day and take classes in the evening. While they are working in their springboard positions, they learn on-the-job. They might admit this arrangement, though tough at times, gives them an advantage in law school courses.A paralegal career certainly does not have to be a springboard to be successful and fulfilling. Legal assistants can enjoy their careers in the long-term. These are solid careers with as much learning and opportunity for advancement as the candidates opt to create for themselves. Some people enjoy their careers in a particular area of law so much they stick with it, be it the very same position or the same type of position. Others take the opportunity to work in different areas. Either way, these careers are fille
Through all the shopping and late evening dinners at McDonald’s, we talked of our families, our countries, our religions, our travels, and our interests. In the process, we started developing friendships that continue to this day.
Another benefit of the shopping sprees was that they had no time to meet with my competitor. They were very gracious about this and they did take all his sales literature. They also took mine on the last day of class. They apologized to me for not having time for meaningful business discussions during the week, but quickly added, “Mr. Harry (my president) and you must come to Amman in a few weeks so that we could conduct business.”
My fifth week with AMF was spent in Amman, Jordan. The experience was extraordinary and I could not do justice to Jordan in a few paragraphs. To tell of the sights I saw, the history I learned, and the gracious people I met would require another book. Suffice to say it was a wonderful experience that still provides memories to cherish. If it were possible, I would return to Jordan in a minute.
By the way, we did spend a little time on business during the week. Four months after our visit, we signed a sweat deal to equip a large, national bakery for the kingdom of Jordan. I am certain our competitor was treated with respect by my friends. I am equally certain, he never got out of the batter’s box, much less to first base on the Jordanian bakery venture.
The lesson here is obvious, whenever possible, become friends first and then do business.
This advice may not be new to some people. Long before I attended the class in Manhattan, I was aware that in certain cultures, becoming friends prior to discussing business was a desirable path to take. Yet, in spite of that knowledge, my strategy didn’t include anything like developing friendships.
My strategy was to “stall” until I had the knowledge to discuss business in a meaningful way. Even though we all know a number of things that will make our missions easier, we often forget to utilize some of those things. We all need to do better jobs of taking the time to bring all of our knowledge to each venture we pursue.
In utilizing the friendship advice, keep in mind that friendships do not happen instantaneously, but take time. At a minimum, try to take a few steps to start developing a friendship before rushing into business discussions.
Whenever I meet someone for the first time in his office, I quickly scan the room for “signs of interest.” They can include diplomas, paintings, posters, books, pictures, small models, or anything else that doesn’t pertain to the business. I will utilize one of these to start a conversation. I will very sincerely inquire about something I spot in the first few seconds.
“I see you went to Notre Dame. What did you major in?”
”I see you have an autographed baseball. Do you enjoy baseball?”
“I see you have a skiing poster. Do you ski?”
“That is a great family portrait. Three kids must keep you and your wife busy all of the time.”
The beauty of these questions is that they open the door for your host to talk about his school days, his hobbies and avocations, or his family. You can bet that all are subjects that he loves to talk about and will not mind spending the first few minutes of the meeting to discuss them with you.
You are breaking the ice with your new acquaintance. You are potentially starting a relationship that could develop into a long friendship. Finally, you are enhancing the odds of a favorable outcome at the end of the meeting.
This technique is also an excellent way to start a job interview you are conducting. Something on the resume will lead to an ice-breaking question with which to start the interview. The goal in this case is not to start a friendship. It’s to put the person at ease and encourage him to speak more openly with you.
* * * *
Again, make friends and then do business. Friendship is all about getting to know someone, allowing them to know you, and truly enjoying being with one and other. You will want to do things for friends and they will want to do things for you. You may never benefit by getting their business, but you will be rewarded by the benefits of friendship and that will be worth your efforts.
From the book “IT AIN’T OKAY TO FAIL”
By Brian Strachan
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