Advice from Sales Experts

I think the principle is universal and not only applicable in the field of marketing and sales.

F ollow
O ne
C ourse
U ntil
S uccessful

P ersonal
R esponsibility
I n
D aily
E ffort

R esult
P urpose
M ass action

Simple yet empowering words. Notice the initial alphabet of each word? They form the words FOLLOW, PRIDE and RPM respectively. Though RPM sounds lame to me :P (coz it sounds like the Malaysian government-controlled TV station RTM!)

Becoming an Entrepreneur

Becoming an entrepreneur requires lots of daring qualities. Among them are intelligence; being a risk-taker: a thirst for knowledge; a spirit for innovating; an ability to juggle; and many other variables.

However, if you have the above energy and survival instincts, you’re likely cut out to win in the business game. If you don’t, you need not sign up for entrepreneurship. That’s because these are characteristics you can’t even learn in the best of business schools. Really, you’re either born with the DNA for becoming an entrepreneur or you’re not.

If you’re still up for the task – unafraid and want to know more – you’re definitely on the road to success. To make your journey rewarding and realize a sense of accomplishment, here are a few of the essentials you’ll need to bring a good supply of for the trip.

• Becoming an entrepreneur requires applying your skills and time against only that for which you’re passionate. Oprah Winfrey and other successful entrepreneurs all say this is the secret to success: Do what you love. This means, identify the one niche, field or hobby with the power to disrupt your comfy love life; grab it with both hands and make it come alive! Doing only what you’re passionate about creates the natural determination that’s crucial to make your business a success.
• Becoming an entrepreneur requires knowledge. Don’t jump head first into something you have little knowledge about. Before you start your business, research all there is to know about your niche, the customers’ needs, and the competition. This will help you stay ahead of the market, operate profitably, and make a name of yourself – all of which help your business grow faster.
• Becoming an entrepreneur requires creating a business plan. Research shows that half of all businesses fail because not enough initial planning was done. Before initiating your venture, spend quality time planning what you’ll be selling; what’s involved in producing top quality; how you’ll attract sufficient clientele; and who you’ll need to hire to help get it all done. Spend time planning the financing, inventory, production and marketing of your goods or services to avoid an unnecessary set back that may prove too discouraging.
• Becoming an entrepreneur requires getting to know your customers. One advantage that a new business owner has over large corporations is that they can provide the personal attention that customers prefer. Over 80 percent of all business should come from repeat customers, so it’s important to establish an ongoing relationship or contact with past customers, while working to attract new customers.
• Becoming an entrepreneur requires building a first-class team. More hands halve the work, so it’s important to have a team that’s just as dedicated to the overall success of your venture as you are. Be ever mindful that time is money, and your time is too valuable to be bogged down handling menial tasks. Get good help so your business can soar. The majority of your time should be spent on marketing and business development.
• Becoming an entrepreneur requires staying organized. Organization is a key component in any business, with a goal of creating efficiencies that boost effectiveness. Develop systems and routines that’ll help you and your team stay on track daily, weekly, monthly, and beyond. Strive to create a consistent system in every function area of your business. For example, use the same, reliable suppliers; hold team meetings the same day and time each week; and ensure the work flow follows one, smart production process. Finding a steady rhythm for your business makes 90% of the work become second-nature.

(link: http://www.inspireroad.com/becoming-an-entrepreneur)

A role model for Malaysian Judiciary- Lord Bingham of Cornhill

Recently I came across a judgment from Lord Bingham of Cornhill, and felt curious about His Lordship's background. Hence the finding as below:


Lord Bingham of Cornhill
There was never any real contest for the No 1 slot. Tom Bingham, 74, is regarded as the pre-eminent lawyer of his generation with a brilliant, incisive mind. On top of that, he has held the three posts of Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice and now senior law lord (retiring this year) each with consummate skill. Not for nothing was he made a Knight of the Garter in 2005 — the first judge to be granted the honour. As senior law lord, his influence is far-reaching, both in rulings and over decisions such as who will be his successor — Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers. Key judgments over which he presided include the ruling in the Belmarsh case: the law lords held that it was unlawful, and a breach of human rights, to detain foreign terrorist suspects without charge; another was the ruling that evidence against terror suspects obtained by torture was inadmissible. He went to Sedbergh School and Balliol College, Oxford, reading modern history (an unsuccessful bid in 2003 to be Chancellor at Oxford is his only known setback); then entered the Bar, joining the commercial set Fountain Court Chambers. He was a QC by 1972, appointed a High Court judge in 1980 and promoted to the Court of Appeal in 1986. In 1992 he became Master of the Rolls. His appointment (the choice of Lord Mackay of Clashfern) to be Lord Chief Justice in 1996 was unexpected and caused a stir because of his lack of criminal background but his abilities quickly won over any critics. He became senior law lord in 2000. He favoured incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law (the Human Rights Act 1998) and also divorcing the judicial branch of the House of Lords from Parliament, to create a separate supreme court — he admits to being “very sorry” that he will not be there to take the law lords into that court in the autumn of 2009.
(quoted from UK TimesOnline)


My opinion
Why I label His Lordship as a role model for Malaysian Judiciary? The answer is simply obvious by looking at his instrumental role in separating the Judiciary from the House of Lords (one of the twin pillars of Parliament of England, another House is the House of Commons), which had been a centuries-old constitutional tradition. In short, the bizarre label of 'Judicial Committee of House of Lords' was gone officially in July 2009, and the new Supreme Court totally separated from the House of Lords is born. Any figure in the forefront of supporting Separation of Powers is highly commendable. Status quo of law can never be a road block to a real jurist or judge to realize his aspirations of Rule of Law. Is there any such comparable figure in Malaysia after the then Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram left the highest court of the land? It remains to be seen. As an earnest law student, I will observe the trend of the judicial attitude with an open heart, as I still believe that constitutional democracy and rule of law are still alive in the heart of most Malaysians. Judges' wisdom is needed more than ever in Malaysian history, because politically speaking, a counter-balancing two-party system is gradually moulding up a new climate in terms of political democracy. What we are still lacking of is probably a full bench of independent judicial great minds who are wise in both legal knowledge and world view, yet not insensitive to local issues. Regrettably, one of the great minds has retired. My Lordships in the Judiciary, buck up! Prove to us that Malaysia is really Boleh, please!

A bubble that we really can't foresee

Budget deficit is what most countries face currently, which range from the superior US to our homeland Malaysia. It is one of the factors that triggers the bankruptcy crisis at the doorstep of Greece as well. One point to add on, China is the largest creditor to US, while US remains as the superior power which fall may break the healthy life cycle of the global economy. For more than 10 years, China has been able to maintain its high growth rate quite consistently, and its reserve fund is one of the largest in the world which may be the last straw that it needs to rely on when its economy is at the brink of busting off.

What would happen when Chinese falls, and US can't sell its debt to it anymore? Looking at the current overheating Chinese economy and the extravaganza World Expo at Shang Hai, is there any potent risk that gonna trigger the next imbalance of the global economy? Can a country without democracy be able to sustain its growth?No matter how benevolent or wise the leadership is, a big crook on the top would be capable of screwing up the country, and perhaps the world order. When the unpredictable crisis happens, what is going to happen to Malaysia? Can the so-called New Economy Model contain the future risks of a more far-reaching global economic crisis?

As a tiny country of which survival can't rely solely on domestic consumption, who can we depend on?

But one thing can be quite sure. Prepare a back-up fund for ourselves, because our country may not have time to take care of us the commoners on the street, when the critical time comes. That's how the capitalist system works: save the capitalists, then the world can be secure. But secure for who? For corrupted politicians and capitalists?

I'm not an economist, so I may not be able to re-engineer the status quo. But I remain skeptical of whether economists are willing or able to do so too, because that's where they can earn from- analysis of the CURRENT economy. LOL