The Archer And The Oil Merchant

Once there was a man who was a very good archer. He could shoot one arrow, hit the target, and then with another arrow, split the first arrow. He would go from village to village demonstrating his skills. And everybody would gather and applaud, because they had never seen anything like it.

One day, he came to a little village, shot an arrow from his bow, and everybody applauded, "Bravo, bravo." Then, after everybody had finished applauding, a voice in the back of the crowd called out, "Agh. It's only a matter of practice."

The archer heard that, and it disturbed him, but he continued on. He took another arrow, shot it, split the first arrow, and again everybody yelled, "Bravo, bravo, bravo." And the same voice said, "Agh. It's only a matter of practice."

After his show was over, the archer was upset. Here he was, demonstrating his greatest skill, and this man kept saying, "Only a matter of practice." So he went to the back of the crowd and found the man. He was carrying a bamboo pole, with one pot of oil hanging from the front and another from the back, trying to sell oil.

The master archer said to him, "How dare you say it's only a matter of practice? What do YOU do ? You sell oil. Look at me. People come to see me from far away because my aim is so good."

The man with the oil looked at the archer and said, "Agh, it's only a matter of practice. Now, let me show you."

So the oil merchant pulled out a bottle, put a coin that had a hole in it on top, and poured the oil from his pot through the small hole without spilling a drop. He turned to the archer and said, "Now, it's YOUR turn." And the archer didn't even try. He understood that it is a matter of practice.

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Marketing Mix And Product Mix

In any marketing strategy marketing mix is a very important part. This marketing mix is simply a set of marketing elements introduced to a market within a time frame.

These elements are the product, the price of the product, the promotion of the product, and the distribution of the product.

Thus we have:
1. Product
—Variety
—Quality
—Brand name
—Packaging

2. Price
—Basic price
—Discounts
—Credit terms

3. Promotion
—Advertising
—Personal selling
—Sales promotion
—Publicity

4. Distribution
—Channels
—Sales force
—Coverage
—Transport

You can see right away that the marketing mix has its own place within a marketing strategy. The moment the market (customers, competitors, suppliers, middlemen, cost of operation, etc) is assessed and there emerged a strong desire to establish a presence in the particular market, marketing mix becomes central.

The question of timing is also very crucial to a particular market and therefore should be given its share of value. The element of time is a vital factor in assessing the particular market mix to be offered to a market. Any market situation can change drastically over a short period of time resulting in major price fluctuations. By using the marketing mix as a tactical tool in a marketing plan, it is possible to adapt speedily and profitably to changes in the market.

Thus the development of the marketing mix to meet conditions at a particular point or period in time is essentially a contingency approach to marketing management.

Any discussion about the marketing mix must begin with the product. The range of products offered by an organization is called the product mix. It is important that the range and quality of the product mix is frequently evaluated and amended.

In considering products, it is important to note that people generally want to acquire the benefits of the products, rather than its features.

If we agree that customers are buying the benefits of a product, then equally organizations are selling the benefits of that product. The selling effort is not just confined to the Promotion element in the marketing mix. It begins by being designed into the product itself. So, for example, the very existence of a product range is, in itself, a selling point for a product. The same consideration applies to other aspects of the product, such as quality, brand, packaging and after-sales service, where applicable.

If quality is designed into a product, the benefits can be long product life, absence of faults and subsequent breakdowns, reliability, increase in value and many others.

One important method used to sell benefits is branding. This means applying the organization's signature to its product by the use of special names, sign or symbols.

Packaging is also an important factor in the presentation of a product to the market. Packaging provides protection for the product, reinforces the brand image and the point-of-sale attraction to the buyer.

A product will typically pass through five major stages in its life: Introduction, Growth, Maturity, Saturation, and Decline.

These five stages constitute the product's life-cycle.

If product is the most important single element in the marketing mix, then price is usually next. Price is important because it is the only element of the mix which produces revenue; the others all represent costs.

Every product needs to be promoted, that is to say it needs to be drawn to the attention of the market, and its benefits clearly highlighted.

What remains now is to make the product accessible to the costumer. This calls for distribution. Methods of distribution need to be clearly built so as to maintain a stable supply and demand market force and reliability.

10 Elements of Business Inquiry Letters

Letters making inquiries, giving quotations or orders, should above all things be explicit. The utmost care should be exercised in writing them, as they are the means by which a piece of business is started rightly or wrongly, and any laxity at this stage may well cause a very great deal of trouble and confusion later on. The following are general hints which will apply to all three kinds of letters.

1. Tabulate the list of items. This facilitates handling and checking.

2. Give adequate particulars of quantities, quality, shape, style, size, methods of packing, etc. Where possible, send specifications, quantities, plans, sketches, or samples. Orders should always be independent of one another. Do not say "same as last order"—be specific. If it be necessary to identify an item by reference to goods already supplied, give the date and number of the previous order, and refer to the particular item.

3. In making quotations some firms employ special forms which are numbered for purposes of reference, and a copy kept for the file. These forms are often sent out accompanied by a courteous letter soliciting the order.

4. Besides the exact description of the goods to be supplied or the work to be done, the quotation should show terms of payment and despatch. The total amount to be charged is usually written in words as well as figures if the amount is large.

5. When ordering on a quotation it is usual to give quantities, time limit, and instructions for forwarding, but to refer to the number and date of the quotation for the rest.

6. If orders are made from catalogues, price lists, samples, advertisements, sketches, plans, etc., exact references should be made, as any error would mean returning the goods and reordering.

7. In the case of a first order, state how payment is to be made and give reference as to financial stability.

8. If a remittance accompanies the order, state its form and amount; and then see that it does accompany the order.

9. Give adequate instructions for forwarding, and see that the name and address to which the goods are to be sent are clear and exact.

10. Most firms nowadays give their orders on special forms as in the case of quotations. This is always advisable. If any additional explanations are necessary they can be put in an accompanying letter, but the essential details should go on the order itself.

The receipt of an order should be promptly acknowledged, or an unfavorable impression will be given to the customer. The acknowledgement should courteously thank the correspondent and should give:

1. The number and date of the order.

2. The date by which it is hoped the goods will be forwarded.

3. Any additional necessary information.

The Mirror On The Wall

Once there was a remote little village. The people in this village were very simple. One day, a tourist arrived. The next morning, he took out his mirror and put it up on a wall so he could shave. He cleaned up and shaved, but he forgot to take the mirror off the wall before he traveled on.

An elderly villager with gray hair, bright eyes, and a beautiful shining face saw the mirror on the wall and looked into it. He had never seen a reflection of himself, so when he saw the face in the mirror, he was mesmerized, and he said to himself, "Today, I have seen the face of God." He left---completely happy: "I have seen God."

Then a young girl came along. When she saw herself in the mirror, she was taken aback. "I have seen the most beautiful woman on the face of this earth. When I grow up, this is what I want to look like!"

And then came along a man who had lost his father not too long before. He looked in the mirror and said, "Oh, my God! I have seen my father again."

Now, the three people who had seen themselves in the mirror started to get very upset. The older man wanted the mirror, because this is where he had seen the face of his god. The young girl wanted the mirror, because this is what she wanted to look like. And the third man wanted the mirror, because in it he had seen his father again. They started arguing, and before long, fights were breaking out all over the village. Everybody was unhappy, because whoever went to the room and looked in the mirror on the wall---whatever they saw, they liked, and they all wanted the mirror for themselves.

Finally, a wise man happened to come by. When he saw what was going on in the village, he asked, "Why are you all fighting?"

Different people answered: "I want this thing because this is my god," or "This is who I want to be," or "This is my father," or "This is my this; this is my that."

So he asked for the magical thing to be taken down from the wall and brought to him. He looked at it and said, "Don't you know what this is? This is a mirror."

He called the old man, and he said, "You did not see the face of God. You saw yourself."

He called the young girl, and he said, "You did not see the most beautiful woman. You saw yourself."

He called the third man, and said, "You did not see your father; you saw yourself. You look like your father, and that's why you thought you saw him, but it was you."

One by one, he called everyone and said, "What you see in this mirror, what you like in this mirror, is not the mirror. It's you!"

8 Essential Elements of Team-Building

A team is more than just a group with a common aim. It is a group in which the contributions of individuals are seen as complementary. Collaboration, working together, is the keynote of a team activity. So certain essential elements are needed in a team in order for it to function effectively. These are:

1. Chairman

An individual who can control and coordinate the other team members, who recognises their talents but is not threatened by them, and who is concerned with what is feasible rather than what is exciting or imaginative.

2. Shaper

This is another leader role, but one in which the role-holder acts much more directly to shape the decisions and thinking of the team.

3. Innovator

This type of person provides the creative thinking in a team, even if a concern for good ideas overshadows his ability to be sensitive to other people's needs.

4. Monitor/Evaluator

The strength of this role lies in the holder's ability to analyse issues and suggestions objectively.

5. Company Worker

Whilst the first four roles provide the major inspiration and leadership, this role provides for implementation of ideas by the role-holders' ability to translate general ideas and plans into practice.

6. Team Worker

This role meets the needs of the team for cohesiveness and collaboration, for role-holders tend to be perceptive of people's needs and adept at supporting individuals.

7. Resource Investigator

A person in this role looks for resources and ideas outside the team with the aim of supporting the team's efforts.

8. Completer

This is an individual whose energies are directly primarily to the completion of the task, and who harnesses anxiety and concern towards getting the job done on time and to a high standard.

The Lion Cub

One day, a farmer was walking through the jungle. He came across a poor, helpless little lion cub. So he picked him up and brought him home and fed him. Now, the cub was feeling better, so he put him in the barn with all the sheep. Every day, he would let the sheep out to graze, and the lion cub would come out with them. This kept happening day after day after day---and years passed like this.

One day, a huge lion came out from the forest and roared. All the sheep started running around hiding. And the little lion also started to hide, just like the sheep. The big lion, seeing the little lion, came over to him and asked, "What are you doing?"

And the little lion said, "Aghhh! Please don't eat me!" The big lion said, "Eat you? Don't you know who you are? Why are you acting like a sheep?" "Oh, please don't eat me." The lion said, "You are a lion." The little lion said, "Whatever----just don't eat me!!" So the big lion said, "Come with me." He took the little lion to the pond, and he said, "Look. See who you really are."

The little lion looked at his reflection, and he looked like the big lion. He said, "Really? Is that who I am?" "Yes! That's who you are!!? Can't you see? Now, roar with me because you're not a sheep----you're a lion." The little lion roared, and he thanked the big lion. And the big lion said, "I didn't do anything. I only showed you who you are."