2- My daughter, Aayra and I went to see Ra.One. What a mistake that was! We saw the promos, got excited and yes we were there for it the first weekend it released. Now, most kids might have actually liked the flick, though my five year old is a little adult. She was restless through it and didn’t understand the humour (the attempted one anyways). She expected something else from the promos. She didn’t get it. Two weeks later we watched the Don promo on the Tele and she promptly says, “Never a movie which has this guy. He lies.” LESSON - You make or lose customers for life. Yes mistakes can happen. Though in 2012 and beyond, real quality will trump packaging. The More Important Lesson: Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Word broken = Liar = OVER.
3- Air Travel! There isn’t a worst service in the world... End December and I was flying all over the place, winding up work and getting home. The problem Air Travel. Wouldn’t you think that at a time when so many people are traveling, the airlines will put out their best foot forward and establish themselves in the fliers mind. Well they don’t think that way. They establish them in the mind - that from the airlines, don’t expect a WOW in 2012. THINK: Service Trumps Price and Leads to Loyalty. No One Is Loyal TO A Low Price.....
4- Last year was probably a little tougher for you than expected. Business was generally low (lower) and negativity in the market was high (higher). Generally in these times, people tend to find reasons and cling on. For eg I heard things like, “Industry is slowing down. Just wait.”, “Maruti strike! is expanding to losses in other sectors.”, “The job market is dried up. I ‘ll just wait it out.” , “No point starting anything new now.” ...... In short everyone is ok to wait. Life Doesn’t Wait. Every moment spent in waiting is a moment wasted. I don’t know about you but heres a tip - I have always found it easier to get business when the market is down. Its amazing how everyone just switches off (the competition) and leaves everything for the one who is out there..... MOVE.
5- 2012 will surely be better than 2011. 100%. So there will be more opportunities. Who will these opportunities go to. BIG ANSWER - to the one with a plan. Not to the one who is waiting. How do you know that you are playing the waiting game - here are the symptoms - TV time, FB time, Email Time, Staring at Comp time, Weight Gain, Picking up small fights, Gossip, etc etc etc.... The answer: FOCUS. Limit your TV to nothingness . And invest time in Thinking. Make a plan. Its a great opportunity. Everyone else is plain waiting. Capitalize. Its a moment to act.
6- Blackberry is on the decline. Just like Nokia was once. Yes one is not predicting its demise yet. But yeah there is a lesson here. Failure to progress fast enough or the competition making faster changes is shifting landscapes in the mobile phone market almost at a daily level. What can you do? Interestingly no other industry is recognizing the opportunity that the basically the customer wants something new and different and cool and will give it a shot.... Whats new can you or your business can do? The market is open!!!! Run with imagination, don’t just run.
7- When will the inspiration strike? Elections are round the corner and the industry too is waiting. Hoping. Hoping that Congress does well and pushes reforms (that the Singh in the Dr. wakes up!!).... Waiting for reforms, for FDI, for something. some positive news to strike them... Waiting for inspiration. The truth is India is full of opportunity with or without reforms. The truth is that people wait because they don’t know what to do. They want a quick, safe, easy, known way so lets wait. Lesson - The one who will grow, grow to inspire and become inspiration will be the one who does the exact opposite. You be the opposite. When people wait and you run, then you Lead. Be the leader. Simply run.
8- Q: Whats in store for you this year? A: The answer is not what your horoscope said on 1st January. The answer is in what you are thinking and how you are acting. If your time is spent in front of a TV or fooling around rather than a book or meeting people who can make a difference, then the horoscope can be written with ease. Doesn’t take a genius. It would take a fool to get it wrong. And then there will be an economy, a boss, a situation, a guide, a something to blame. And there will be an announcement, an inspiration, a decision, a policy, a government to wait for. NOW - recognize the cyclical trap and STOP being the helpless victim.
I think you can! You know you can!
So go and make the year count...
yours,
Chetan
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