A manager's rantings.....
I was reading the sales report this morning. Well, what can I said ? Sales for the past few months has been slowly on the rise. And on the positive side, we are also beginning to build up a pipe line of prospects for the next 12 months. A good sign and an imminent economic recovery in Malaysia ? I do hope so. Feel good factors are here now, General Elections coming soon ?
In the past, we did lost some good customers due to sabotage by some ex-employee who bad mouthed the company. We also lose some customers because we refused to deal with purchasers who insist on our company making commission payments as inducements to secure orders. I am indeed surprised to see some of these old customers began to place new orders. It goes to show that, as long as we manage the company ethically to focus on quality of products & services, and to keep the cost down, we will eventually establish win-win situations to secure more sales.
Not out of arrangance but principles, I had also previously terminated doubtful contracts and business entity. I had been accused of inflexibility and "pong gan chee tau hei" or literally translated as "having disliking for money". Honestly, don't get me wrong, I love money. But I also believe in making money on ethical basis. I am not in the business of judging customer organizations and their personnel, how they want to conduct their business, it is their rights. Therefore, it is also my rights not to deal business with people whose values are incompatible to mine. I may not be as religious as a lot of people out there, but I just find it morally inappropriate to secure purchase orders by giving "bribes" to customer's purchasers.
I was also previously accused of stinginess for not spending money to entertain customers. Again, I have no problem spending money to entertain customer by having working lunch or dinner. But I find it inappropriate and a waste of resources to take customers out to pubs and places of liquors after office hours. I am not against drinkings, but in the first place, why waste times after office hours getting drunk ? Why not allow yourself and your customers to spend more quality times at home with family members ? Secondly, if I have to spend money on liquors to entertain customers, I might as well use the money as discounts on customers' billings to keep the customers' costs down.
Looking at the current sales trend of gaining back old and new customers, I guess I had been proven right in my decision to be selective on choosing which customers we want to do business with. We may lost some initial sales orders, but when the "unethical" personnel left the customers' organization, we always end up having more purchase orders from the customers.
Of course, I maybe wrong in my approach. Right or wrong, everybody has his own way of running the business. Honestly, I had overstayed my welcome in the industry, 虎死留骨, 人死留名and I would like to bow out from the industry in a clean sheet and honourably. I owed my loyalty to the shareholders, as long as I have management control over the company, any body who want to conduct dubious, corrupt, or unethical business practices, please read my lips, Over My Dead Body or Please Take Your Business Elsewhere !!!!
Today has been a good day for me...... I do hope tomorrow will be even better ! I am going off now to have a "drinks" !
In the past, we did lost some good customers due to sabotage by some ex-employee who bad mouthed the company. We also lose some customers because we refused to deal with purchasers who insist on our company making commission payments as inducements to secure orders. I am indeed surprised to see some of these old customers began to place new orders. It goes to show that, as long as we manage the company ethically to focus on quality of products & services, and to keep the cost down, we will eventually establish win-win situations to secure more sales.
Not out of arrangance but principles, I had also previously terminated doubtful contracts and business entity. I had been accused of inflexibility and "pong gan chee tau hei" or literally translated as "having disliking for money". Honestly, don't get me wrong, I love money. But I also believe in making money on ethical basis. I am not in the business of judging customer organizations and their personnel, how they want to conduct their business, it is their rights. Therefore, it is also my rights not to deal business with people whose values are incompatible to mine. I may not be as religious as a lot of people out there, but I just find it morally inappropriate to secure purchase orders by giving "bribes" to customer's purchasers.
I was also previously accused of stinginess for not spending money to entertain customers. Again, I have no problem spending money to entertain customer by having working lunch or dinner. But I find it inappropriate and a waste of resources to take customers out to pubs and places of liquors after office hours. I am not against drinkings, but in the first place, why waste times after office hours getting drunk ? Why not allow yourself and your customers to spend more quality times at home with family members ? Secondly, if I have to spend money on liquors to entertain customers, I might as well use the money as discounts on customers' billings to keep the customers' costs down.
Looking at the current sales trend of gaining back old and new customers, I guess I had been proven right in my decision to be selective on choosing which customers we want to do business with. We may lost some initial sales orders, but when the "unethical" personnel left the customers' organization, we always end up having more purchase orders from the customers.
Of course, I maybe wrong in my approach. Right or wrong, everybody has his own way of running the business. Honestly, I had overstayed my welcome in the industry, 虎死留骨, 人死留名and I would like to bow out from the industry in a clean sheet and honourably. I owed my loyalty to the shareholders, as long as I have management control over the company, any body who want to conduct dubious, corrupt, or unethical business practices, please read my lips, Over My Dead Body or Please Take Your Business Elsewhere !!!!
Today has been a good day for me...... I do hope tomorrow will be even better ! I am going off now to have a "drinks" !
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