If God wills.....

Nobody can refute the statement that things can happen in this world only if God wills.

Your selling an air-conditioner or for that matter any product can happen only if He wills. But our sincere effort should always be put.

A customer wanted some products and he contacted the company. They referred the customer to me. I telephoned them (a store) and offered them a price - lesser than a dealer price. He said he would come back.

After sometime my friend spoke to him and the customer bargained for the price. Eager to do "some" sale my friend lowered the price further and the customer said "God willing" he would send the money and  transport
to collect the items.

Little while later my office contacted them and asked them the billing address so that they could type the bill and go home. Customer said he would "God willing" get back in five minutes.

A minute later he (the very same customer) rings us up (not knowing that it is the very same company where he has just finalized his deal) and asks, "What would be the best price for...."

God willing he might get a better price or God willing he might come back to us. Maybe God has willed that we should not sell the product at a thinner than wafer margin!!

Offer credit - but selectively.

Offer credit - but selectively:
======================

No business can thrive without offering some credit. Selling air-conditioners is no exception.

But it must be done with lot of care and due diligence.

A company in Alwarpet approached me recently and I gave my quote.
The customer wanted a week's credit which I refused.

The next day there was a phone call from Singapore ( I knew it was a call from another country from the number displayed on my mobile). The manager of the company spoke to me politely and requested that time
be given so that he could bring the cheque along with him.

I asked him to confirm by mail and also send his company's web-site URL before I could agree.

He did so and I found the company to be a leading company based in Singapore and distributing among other items coil winding machines and so on.

I agreed, supplied the air-conditioner and got the payment on dot.

If your hands and dress are dirty - you are a serviceman!

When cleaning, repairing, servicing the air-conditioners your hands and dress will get dirty!

That is the path you have chosen. In the process of cleaning and servicing your hands and dress will get dirty - that is part of the game.

My friend is a multi-millionaire and he did business in U.S.A. for over two decades. 73 years of age, even today, in Chennai he keeps his first business - an air-conditioning service shop, still running. As soon as he enters his shop he would get into the repair section and do something or the other. That is the love of work.

His brother describes him best: "He will run and make you (others, his workers) to run."

In facebook you would have read about the Japanese consultant who came to Taj group of hotels. People at the hotel wondered what new concept he would teach. He went around the hotel and saw in the pantry many dirty plates. He immediately started cleaning them. Come on - let us clean was his mantra. To serve guests with clean plates it is not necessary to have huge stock of plates - rather, you should clean them then and there to reduce the cycle time.

Another observation doing the rounds is about Infosys founder cleaning his own restroom and car....

A young mechanic wanted a job and said that he had worked for a month in a leading Air-conditioning company. I asked him, "why only one month?".

He replied: I am asked to clean filters and air-conditioners. I want to do all kinds of repair work.....

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Clean the filter as nobody in this world can do a better job than you and then see your growth!!

Have a nice week ahead!

Thanks to on-line businesses (COD) !!

Thanks to on-line businesses (COD)!!
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Yesterday (Saturday) a customer rang up and discussed his purchase
of a 1.5 ton air-conditioner.

He told me that he didn't want to damage the wall and whether we could take the pipes through drilling hole in the wooden frame of window. I said that that is not possible.

After a lot of discussion he said, " You send the machine and your person with swiping machine or collect the cheque".

During the discussions, I could guess the customer as a fastidious person.
Also, I was not sure whether his cheque would get through.

I told him that he could transfer the money on-line. He then again asked: Don't you have payment options in your place? What are the offers and so on.

After a while he said that he has transferred a test check for Re.1/-
and that after confirmation he would transfer the balance. After an hour he asked whether our account had been credited.

After nearly a day and innumerable checks, the Re.1/- has still not reached me.....  Hope it will happen soon.

On-line business with huge turnover and Angels giving them millions can blindly give COD for goods ranging from Rs.200 onwards. People like us cannot afford that you see!

Order booked - supply refused.

A few days back a customer rang me up and said that his boss
had decided which model of 1.5 ton split air-conditioner they wanted
and also that they should source it only from a nearby authorised
SSD.

I gave them a good price and after sometime the customer agreed
but just asked me to send a technician to see the site and decide
how the unit is to be fixed.

My engineer went there and saw that the area was large - 370 sq.ft.
with a wooden partition having a full length opening of about 9" at the
top.  They wanted the indoor to be fixed mid-way so that both areas
will get cooled.

Customer was advised that 1.5 ton would not be sufficient and they
could either go in for two units or one 2 ton unit after widening the 9" gap.

I sent them a mail explaining this and also phoned them about it.

"O.K. Sir, but we can only buy what our management says" was the reply.

I told them politely that we cannot supply one unit of 1.5 ton air-conditioner.

Many a slip between the cup and the lip.

The Tamil equivalent for the above is: Kaikku ettinathu vaikku ettavillai.
(What reached the hand did not reach the mouth).

It was the famous cricketer Krish Srikkanth who once said something better than this. Vaikku ettinathu vaiththukku ettavillai. (What reached the mouth did not reach the stomach.)

Two days back I was in similar predicament.

About a month back a customer about 60 kms from my showroom rang me up and wanted a freezer. Also he felt that if he took it from me the transportation would be high and wanted me to suggest a nearby place.

I told him that I would help him out. With some difficulty I located a dealer located just less than 10 kms from his place and asked him to supply.
(After supplying the person did not have the courtesy to thank me for
giving him some business! Such are the days !!)

Two days back the very same customer rang me up and said this time he wanted a freezer about 3 kms from my residence. I told him I have the product in stock and I would supply him the same.

He was happy. He said he was going to a particular place to buy some
equipments and he would contact me in the afternoon.

Then and there I knew that I had lost the business. Because the place where he went to buy the equipments - they also sold freezers.

The customer did not call me again. A business gained by goodwill and lost by present day business dynamics.

Payment collection - Tatasky way !!!

Whatever business you are in payment collection is an important
aspect. All outstanding payments have to be collected in time.

Recently I switched over from cable connection to DTH.from Tatasky.

They send payment reminder by SMS, follow it up with e-mail. Then
they send messages through TV. To top it all up they phone customers
and follow up for payment.

My monthly payment due is on 29th and today is 24th. I am prompt in
making payment. And of course these guys have the unique way of
disconnecting your connection !!

One guy telephoned me today and said your payment is due on 29th and when are you going to pay? I said today is 24th and you have reminded me so many times in so many ways, don't you worry, I will make the payment. Fine, nothing wrong so far.

Again after two hours another guy phones me and says payment? I asked him: Are you mad? Now when I walk on the road are you guys going to come from three different directions and ask me for the payment? One guy just a little while ago phoned me, so don't remind me again!!

With great difficulty I restrained myself giving a bit of my mind.