Winning Customers for Your Business

C

ustomers value the way they feel about the people that serve or sell to them. Just take a second and think about it; don’t you judge a restaurant by the waiter or waitress who takes your order or even so prefer a supermarket to another by the cashiers and shelf attendants who help you carry on your shopping? It is a fact therefore that in any business, people who deal directly with the customers can make or break the business. As a matter of opinion, any business, institution or organization should have considerations set aside for their customers. 

I

mpression is one of the most important factors to reckon with. Just make a very good impression in terms of dressing, speech i.e. (greeting, introductions, and adequate business/company knowledge) and the customer buys, multiplies and comes back. Make a poor impression and you will run him/her off.  

 Impression however comes with an underlying strategy that must be customized to your own personality.

As person committed to your customers, endeavor to help them to like themselves and they will love you. A friend of mine was asked why he preferred one of the Doctors’ in one of Kampala’s hospitals to the other to the other and he vividly said that during his treatment visits, to the first doctor he feels he is with the best doctor in Kampala, but to the second, he feels he is being healed even before medication. This brings us to the fact of boosting the customers’ self image when they come for our services. Customers will feel humiliated when we threaten their self image. 

As service providers we should focus on building the customers self image and we will be on our way to selling our selves. Unfortunately, most people get so enclosed in trying to impress the customer with our products and services or ourselves that we forget about their needs.

O

pening emotional bank accounts with each of our customers is one of the strategies suggested by management consultant Steven Covey. According to Covey, when we help other to get what they want and feel better about themselves, we are making a deposit that will likely pay big dividends in the future.

Emotional bank accounts can be developed through developing a genuine interest in and admiration for your customers. Have time to talk to them and listen attentively. Ensure to recognize and praise people for what they want to be praised for. 

However, your comments must be sincere and must be specific. For example, don’t tell Mr. Allan that you like his new suit but also tell him that it intensely brings out the Managerial post he holds. Whenever possible always find a way to compliment a customer for a something that results from using your products or services.

P

ut your customers at an ease and create good relationship with them. Smile sincerely, keep relaxed, maintain eye contact and please know the customer’s name and use when speaking to him or her.

Ultimately, keep in contact with them by letting them know you are thinking about them. Send the seasons’ greeting cards, graduation and birthday cards. Please don’t wait to communicate to your customers only when you are making a sale to them.   Always remember, a customer will consume your products at all times depending on how best the people that serve them conduct themselves.

NDYAGUMA BRIAN

0782 065 238 / 0782 065 238

Financial Stress - How It Affects Your Health

Did you know that money is one of the leading causative factors of stress in Uganda today? Yes, opinion polls show that roughly 7 in every 10 Ugandans are “very stressed” about their finances and unfortunately enough, the proportion of people stressed about money is going up by the day. Money concerns can present several challenges to our health like depression (a medical condition where a person feels very sad and anxious) and sleep problems. It is rather absurd that with the rising costs of necessities like sugar, housing costs/rent, fuel, transport, medical charges, and others that we are aware of, many Ugandans are seriously feeling the biting teeth of financial stress. Have you ever met some speaking to him or herself on their way home? That is what I mean by stress. Briefly, anxiety over money can negatively affect health in the following ways:

• Unhealthy Coping Behaviors: People experiencing financial stress can be more likely to numb their anxiety by drinking, smoking, overeating and practicing other unhealthy coping behaviors. This in turn leads to more stress.
• Less Money For Self-Care: With less money in the budget, people who are already under financial stress tend to cut corners in areas like health care to pay for basic necessities like food. Small problems can go unchecked and turn into larger problems. This also leads to more stress.
• Lost Sleep: When under financial stress, people often experience trouble sleeping, which can add up to a sleep deficit, impairing immune functioning and cognitive abilities, causing additional moodiness, and more.
• Unhealthy Emotions: Credit card debt can cause unhealthy emotions that can take a toll on health. People can experience anxiety, frustration and a sense of hopelessness as the debt piles up and increasing amounts of money are needed just to pay the interest. This causes additional stress, which compounds with the stress from poor coping and self-neglect to become an alarming amount of stress.

It’s no wonder financial stress is one of the leading causes of unhealthy families, and poor or envious relationships in our societies. All this has culminated into suicides, murders and low self esteem. On a positive note however, I recommend that if you are experiencing any of the above, visit a counselor for assistance before situations get out of hand.

NDYAGUMA BRIAN

BACHELOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PROJECT PLANNING 3

0782 065 238/0702 065 238

Love and Life

          THE ENTREPRENEURS’ SERIES

Don’t make Your Love life Suck

“She last hugged me two weeks ago”, can you believe that, “I miss her so much but she keeps telling me she is busy”…”Yes I know she is and it keeps my hopes in high gear each day  that she will spare me at least 15 minutes but all in vain.’’  My friend sadly lamented.

E

very one of us at some point in our lives would like to have a charming, romantic love life. In that case, we ought to be more caring, tender and passionate to that person who has a very special place in your heart. Every human being is endowed with a variety of abilities to please our hearts and most certainly those of our loved ones. 

However, with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we even forget to say or text the most simple words or phrases like…”Good morning Sweetie…I wish you a lovely day! or…Hi Honey!…enjoy your lunch!” and so forth. As people who have to work harder each day to make our present and future lives more fruitful and comfortable, we should endeavor to spare more time at least 30minutes each day for those that hold queen seats in our hearts.

In an informants’ point of view, creativity in our love lives needs not to be complicated like the days of chemistry and physics rather it can be as crazy as switching off the main power switch of your house with a romantic intention of creating a dark environment enough for you to successfully make a candle dinner. Yes…that crazy! Just like phones with the most and interesting accessories have the most people buying them, so is love with a variety of creative ideas, it will not only always stand the test of time but also give pleasure to the two lover birds. 

A

s friend, I urge you not to visit the internet for creative love notes or make an appointment with a ‘Ssenga’ or even dial your pastor because creativity is often interpreted differently and different results are showcased by different people. So be mindful of whoever it is you are going to consult because the creativity ideas should contain and display your character, personality and the way that you normally care and express your feelings of affection to your loved one. It should also be taken in consideration that understanding your partner is very pertinent to making the relationship more passionate and powerful. 

Additionally, you ought to ensure that the ‘attack mode’ ideas you have prepared exceed the expectations of your ‘baby’ lest they are nullified by her zealous prospects.

“Lisa was so impressed with the surprise dinner I made at her place two weeks ago…but from the outlook of events, she will soon expect more of such surprises of which time may not favor me.”  Confused Robert said.

O

nce you have decided to step up your love life you need to be ready to stretch your boundaries from the usual chocolate and flower deliveries at your ‘baby’s’ workplace or apartment to personal romantic ideas. It is prudent to think more differently about your gestures because there are no dos and don’ts in romance thus there are no wrong things and right things to do as regards excelling in the course of love. 

Remember that you don’t have spend a lot of money trying to put your ideas in reality because experience has shown some of the cheapest items offered as gifts have provoked the biggest smiles and bright days for some couples.  Take an example of serving her favorite breakfast in bed or doing her part of the housework on the time table or think of writing her a poem or a short story about her love for you and as many and simple ideas as you can think of.

I

n my last remarks as a friend to you, always remember that being in love is the most beautiful state of mind ever and the three legendary words, “I love you” are the cheapest and most nutritious apples you’ll ever get to have a healthier love life. Enhance them with direct eye gazes during a conversation, undivided attention to your ‘chick or dude’ when it he/she visits, simple hugs or pecks, or a cup of coffee will do wonders. And for those going through stormy times in their relationships, this is the best time to act out your scene of the movie better than Vin Diesel or Angelina Jolie.

From your favorite writer and series, I wish you all the best and hope to hear that you were re-elected back to your ‘love parliamentary seat’ by your ‘chick or dude’.

Ndyaguma Brian

Inspirational Qoutes

THE ENTREPRENEURS’ SERIES

INSPIRATIONAL QOUTES

In this article, I present to you the great words that were said by those men and women that have hitherto become legends because of their unending hope and wisdom. These men and women had more optimism than fear that their life’s challenges could unveil. I urge you to relax your minds and think through the lines of these great messages.

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel

realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will

tend...when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but

are grateful for the abundance that's present--love, health, family,

friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us

pleasure--the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven

on earth."

Sarah Ban Breathnach

 “I know that greatness begins in the minds of the great. I know that what I believe for myself and about myself is what I become, so I believe in the best for myself.”

                “We all die; the goal is not to live forever, The goal is to create something that will.”            

 B. A. N. K

“Whenever you get the chance to love someone, do it with all your guts because it is the essence to all happiness in life.”  

 Ndyaguma Brian

“Minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open"

James Dewar

"A man who does simply what is required of him will never know peace;

for that, he must do all that he can."

                                                                      ---------

"In the midst of great joy, do not promise anyone anything. In the midst

of great anger, do not answer anyone's letter."

Chinese proverb

“Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or

last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."

Betty Smith

            “Put your future in good hands…your own.”                                                                                         

 Kazibwe Robert

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can

start from now and make a brand new ending."

Carl Bard

“It is not the strongest of the species who survive, not the most

intelligent, but those who are the most adaptive to change."

Charles Darwin

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life

actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into

your life."

Northrup Christiane

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long

and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones

which open for us."

Alexander Graham Bell

“Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created

them."

Albert Einstein

“Mediocrity accepts the norm, pleases the crowd and does what it can to get with. Maximum living however  pushes the norm, pleases God and sets the standard of excellence.”                                               

 Dr. Myles Munroe

“Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer injury

to our self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of

their self-importance, learn so easily; and why older people, especially if

vain or arrogant, cannot learn at all."

Thomas Szasz

"Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like

expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian."

Shari R. Barr

"View life as a series of movie frames, the ending and meaning may not

be apparent until the very end of the movie, and yet, each of the

hundreds of individual frames has meaning within the context of the

whole movie.

”View your life from your funeral, looking back at your life experiences,

what have you accomplished? What would you have wanted to

accomplish but didn't? What were the happy moments? What were the

sad? What would you do again, and what you wouldn't?"

Victor Frankl

Compiled by Ndyaguma Brian 0782 065 238/ 0702 065 238 ndyags2006@yahoo.co.uk



THE ENTREPRENEURS’ SERIES

HUMAN EMOTIONS AND MONEY

I

t is so interesting how getting successful in matters to do with money has got almost everything to do with the individual’s emotions towards money. It is not all about hard work and good academic grades, all that isn’t necessary rather it’s about who you are in the mind and your emotions towards money. Money is an emotional subject.

As individuals, we are all subject to being human and being human requires us to embrace our emotions. These emotions include love, joy, happiness, hate, anger, fear and other few. However what makes each individual unique is how he or she manages their emotions. Similarly, individuals need to have an optimistic mindset before they can venture out to complete their obligations that earn them money. It is a fact that an optimistic mindset will set a clear platform for positive emotions like desire and a pessimistic mindset will breed emotions like doubt and fear.

Let’s take an example, two students are preparing for an exam and both are not all that knowledgeable as far as the overall class ratings. That state usually breeds in emotions of fear and low self esteem. However Student A overcomes his fears and decides to consult a friend and the lecturer and eventually, he passes the test. Student B, out of his fear, he even fails to consult a friend not because he doesn’t have one but because his fear has matured to the extent that he considers himself a failure before he can sit the exam.

In the same vein, when it comes to money, we have the Student A’s and B’s. Money raises different emotions within us including desire and fear. According to Napoleon Hill, it is the fear of poverty. For the Student A’s, they desire excellence as they earn their money, so they calculate their risks, make the necessary consultations and forecasts about their businesses and the money they are investing. They do not ignore the fear of losing money, rather they dwell so much on their positive mindset to play it smart and attain financial freedom. Unfortunately Student B will be overwhelmed by the panic of taking risk by investing his money and he makes a loss, so he plays it safe and keeps the money in the bank.

F

ear is nothing more than a state of mind. This fear paralyzes the faculty of reason, destroys the faculty of imagination, kills off self-reliance, undermines enthusiasm, discourages initiative, leads to uncertainty of purpose, encourages procrastination, wipes out enthusiasm and makes self-control an impossibility.

Nonetheless I recommend that for us to overcome our emotional fears of money, first we embrace the fact that we are human and susceptible to failure. We are not perfect but we can focus on taking precautionary measures to manage our failures. Among these measures includes putting our mindset on a positive track of success. The mind is the author of success or failure. Buddha once said that “All that we are is a result of what we have thought”. Secondly, we set our goals right and by this I mean we right them down clearly, specify the time period in which we want to achieve these goals and all the necessary resources we need to offset these goals successfully putting in mind all the possibilities that could go wrong and how to either mitigate or avoid them. Thirdly, we develop a desire for our goals; a desire that is not only a hope, a wish but a keen, pulsating DEFINTE desire that transcends everything else. Let’s create a definite plan for carrying out our desire, and begin at once to put this plan into action. More so let’s endeavor to place all our energy, all our will power, all our effort and our faith in the means we are going to use to attain the goal. Lastly, pray for the Lords guidance and wisdom.

I wish you luck and hope you now understand the effect of our emotions in as far as money is concerned.

The writer is an entrepreneur and a business practitioner

NDYAGUMA BRIAN

BACHELOR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PROJECT PLANNING YR 3

UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY – MUKONO - UGANDA

0782 065 238/ 0702 065 238

ndyags2006@yahoo.co.uk