not talking about Man U or Chelsea here, but the Ocean :)
Are you a Red Ocean Strategy or Blue Ocean Strategy?
Basically,
RED OCEAN STRATEGY is a traditional competition-based strategy. You assume that an industry's structural conditions are given and the firms are forced to compete within them. Simpler term, you fight for what is laid out there. Imagine, a table full of chocolates, 20 kids surround the table, at the count of 3, grab as many as you can. The one who grab the most, wins.
To sustain themselves in the marketplace, you focus on building advantages over the competition. usually by assessing what competitiors do and you strive to do it better. You grabbing a bigger share of the market is achieved at another company's loss.
Here, cost and value are seen as trade-offs and a firm chooses a distinctive cost or differentiation position. Because the total profit level of the industry is also determined exogenously by structural factors, firms principally seek to capture and redistribute wealth instead of creating wealth. They focus on dividing up the red ocean, where growth is increasingly limited. (cited from wikipedia.org).
If you are BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY,
on the other hand, is based on the view that market boundaries and industry structure are not given and can be reconstructed by the actions and beliefs of industry players. This is "reconstructionist view”. Assuming that structure and market boundaries exist only in managers’ minds, practitioners who hold this view do not let existing market structures limit their thinking. To them, extra demand is out there, largely untapped. The crux of the problem is how to create it. This, in turn, requires a shift of attention from supply to demand, from a focus on competing to a focus on value innovation—that is, the creation of innovative value to unlock new demand. This is achieved via the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low-cost. As market structure is changed by breaking the value/cost tradeoff, so are the rules of the game. Competition in the old game is therefore rendered irrelevant. By expanding the demand side of the economy new wealth is created. Such a strategy therefore allows firms to largely play a non–zero-sum game, with high payoff possibilities.
lAYMAN TERM, instead of being one of the 10 kids who stood around the table of chocolates, fighting for a share of chocolate, you create a new table of candies, and you own it.
ARE YOU RED OR BLUE?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
robert: why the rich get richer
Robert Kiyosaki: Why the Rich Get Richer
Thinking Big Is The Best Plan
Years ago, when I was just starting my real estate investing career, I came across a property with a for-sale sign on it. I called the broker and asked, "What can you tell me about the property, and how much does it cost?"
The broker politely and patiently said, "It's a commercial building with six tenants. There's a chiropractor, a dentist, a hairstylist, an accountant, and a bail bondsman. The price is two million dollars."
Losing Big
I almost choked. "Two million dollars?! That's way too expensive!"
Thirty years ago, $2 million was a lot of money. And instead of looking at the property, I let the price frighten me off. I never looked at the deal, and just assumed that the seller was crazy, greedy, and out of touch with the market.
Today, there's a luxury hotel on the same site. It's spectacular. I estimate the property to be worth at least $150 million, and maybe more.
Cheap Lessons
Not seeing the potential of that deal taught me many lessons. Here are two important ones:
• Sometimes you learn more by being stupid and making mistakes.
• The person with the better plan wins.
In the above example, my plan was just too small. In fact, the only plan I had at the time was to collect the rent money from the tenants, cover my mortgage and expenses, and put a little in my pocket. And 30 years ago, I knew that the rent from six small tenants couldn't possibly pay for a $2 million property.
I later learned that the property's eventual owner bought it for full price – with terms. He put $50,000 down as an option and asked for 180 days to put the rest of his plan together. During those 180 days, he gathered his investors, a builder, and his tenant, a major hotel chain.
If he hadn't been able to put his plan together, he would've lost his option money. Instead, before the 180 days were up, his investors paid the $2 million in cash, and he spent the next three years getting the project through the city planning commission and finally began construction. He won because he had a better plan.
Mind Expansion
Donald Trump often says to "think big." He definitely does so, but by nature, I don't. My excuse is that I come from a small town in Hawaii. My family wasn't rich, so when it comes to money, I tend to think err on the side of caution. Over time, my thinking has become medium-sized when it comes to spotting opportunities, but I'd still like to think bigger.
One of the reasons I enjoy doing business in New York and having Trump as a partner on different projects is that he makes me do just that – because if you don't think big in New York, you get kicked out. If I thought small, I wouldn't be on television, cutting book deals with major publishers, or talking in front of tens of thousands of people in arenas like Madison Square Garden.
Currently, I'm working on a real estate project to present to Donald. Consequently, I find myself pushing my thinking, expanding my context, and thinking of luxury, not just price. Even if Donald doesn't like the project and we don't partner on it, just preparing to present the project to him has required me to think bigger and come up with a better plan.
A Blast from the Past
About a year ago, someone called to say that there was a spectacular condominium that had just come up for sale. She wanted to know if I was interested in looking at it. Of course I said, "Yes." I wanted to see what her definition of spectacular was, and trust me – it was spectacular. She then said, "And the price is only twenty-eight million dollars. But I believe you can pick it up for twenty-four million. At that price, this condo is a steal."
Once again, I heard myself saying what I said so long ago: "That's too expensive." But, as I said, that lesson from 30 years back proved to be priceless: After hearing the think-small person in me comment on the condo price, I took a deep breath and asked myself, "What's my plan?" Then I asked myself, "What's wrong with my plan?"
I didn't buy the condo, but I did come up with a better plan. Over the next few days, I realized that the reason I couldn't afford the condo was because my business was too small. If I wanted to afford such a luxury residence, I needed to come up with a better plan for my business. Today, I'm working harder than ever to improve it – not because I want the condo, but to be able afford such a condo if I someday decide I want one.
Plan Ahead
In many of my Yahoo! Finance columns, I've written about my concern over the devaluation of the U.S. dollar. As the dollar drops in purchasing power, it often pushes up the prices of real assets – quality real estate and equities. My fear is that many people may not be able to afford tangible assets and become poorer as the dollar declines. This drop in purchasing power also widens the gap between the rich and everyone else.
One method of staying ahead of rising asset prices and the declining dollar is to think bigger and come up with better plans. As important as financial and business planning is a plan for personal development and self-improvement. I'm often asked to invest in people's business plans, and one of the reasons I turn many of them down is because a big plan requires a big person who's spent time on personal development. In a lot of cases, a business plan is far bigger than the person with the plan – that is, the dream is bigger than the dreamer.
Today, I'm glad I missed out on that $2 million property all those years ago. The best lesson I learned from it is that I can have a better life if I have a better plan – and a plan to become better person. So what's your plan?
Thinking Big Is The Best Plan
Years ago, when I was just starting my real estate investing career, I came across a property with a for-sale sign on it. I called the broker and asked, "What can you tell me about the property, and how much does it cost?"
The broker politely and patiently said, "It's a commercial building with six tenants. There's a chiropractor, a dentist, a hairstylist, an accountant, and a bail bondsman. The price is two million dollars."
Losing Big
I almost choked. "Two million dollars?! That's way too expensive!"
Thirty years ago, $2 million was a lot of money. And instead of looking at the property, I let the price frighten me off. I never looked at the deal, and just assumed that the seller was crazy, greedy, and out of touch with the market.
Today, there's a luxury hotel on the same site. It's spectacular. I estimate the property to be worth at least $150 million, and maybe more.
Cheap Lessons
Not seeing the potential of that deal taught me many lessons. Here are two important ones:
• Sometimes you learn more by being stupid and making mistakes.
• The person with the better plan wins.
In the above example, my plan was just too small. In fact, the only plan I had at the time was to collect the rent money from the tenants, cover my mortgage and expenses, and put a little in my pocket. And 30 years ago, I knew that the rent from six small tenants couldn't possibly pay for a $2 million property.
I later learned that the property's eventual owner bought it for full price – with terms. He put $50,000 down as an option and asked for 180 days to put the rest of his plan together. During those 180 days, he gathered his investors, a builder, and his tenant, a major hotel chain.
If he hadn't been able to put his plan together, he would've lost his option money. Instead, before the 180 days were up, his investors paid the $2 million in cash, and he spent the next three years getting the project through the city planning commission and finally began construction. He won because he had a better plan.
Mind Expansion
Donald Trump often says to "think big." He definitely does so, but by nature, I don't. My excuse is that I come from a small town in Hawaii. My family wasn't rich, so when it comes to money, I tend to think err on the side of caution. Over time, my thinking has become medium-sized when it comes to spotting opportunities, but I'd still like to think bigger.
One of the reasons I enjoy doing business in New York and having Trump as a partner on different projects is that he makes me do just that – because if you don't think big in New York, you get kicked out. If I thought small, I wouldn't be on television, cutting book deals with major publishers, or talking in front of tens of thousands of people in arenas like Madison Square Garden.
Currently, I'm working on a real estate project to present to Donald. Consequently, I find myself pushing my thinking, expanding my context, and thinking of luxury, not just price. Even if Donald doesn't like the project and we don't partner on it, just preparing to present the project to him has required me to think bigger and come up with a better plan.
A Blast from the Past
About a year ago, someone called to say that there was a spectacular condominium that had just come up for sale. She wanted to know if I was interested in looking at it. Of course I said, "Yes." I wanted to see what her definition of spectacular was, and trust me – it was spectacular. She then said, "And the price is only twenty-eight million dollars. But I believe you can pick it up for twenty-four million. At that price, this condo is a steal."
Once again, I heard myself saying what I said so long ago: "That's too expensive." But, as I said, that lesson from 30 years back proved to be priceless: After hearing the think-small person in me comment on the condo price, I took a deep breath and asked myself, "What's my plan?" Then I asked myself, "What's wrong with my plan?"
I didn't buy the condo, but I did come up with a better plan. Over the next few days, I realized that the reason I couldn't afford the condo was because my business was too small. If I wanted to afford such a luxury residence, I needed to come up with a better plan for my business. Today, I'm working harder than ever to improve it – not because I want the condo, but to be able afford such a condo if I someday decide I want one.
Plan Ahead
In many of my Yahoo! Finance columns, I've written about my concern over the devaluation of the U.S. dollar. As the dollar drops in purchasing power, it often pushes up the prices of real assets – quality real estate and equities. My fear is that many people may not be able to afford tangible assets and become poorer as the dollar declines. This drop in purchasing power also widens the gap between the rich and everyone else.
One method of staying ahead of rising asset prices and the declining dollar is to think bigger and come up with better plans. As important as financial and business planning is a plan for personal development and self-improvement. I'm often asked to invest in people's business plans, and one of the reasons I turn many of them down is because a big plan requires a big person who's spent time on personal development. In a lot of cases, a business plan is far bigger than the person with the plan – that is, the dream is bigger than the dreamer.
Today, I'm glad I missed out on that $2 million property all those years ago. The best lesson I learned from it is that I can have a better life if I have a better plan – and a plan to become better person. So what's your plan?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
exam results out
Results for my July exam are out. For the past 7 modules for this year, got barely an average of 71.29% only. Dangerously slipping into 2nd upper. need to maintain my first class. exam coming again soon. Nov. But no worries, revision starts now. So i can still go for appointments during exam period. Now i know the danger of falling sick and having exam break. not healthy for production.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
actions and words must coincide
Everyone looks at you, waiting for you to speak, with TOTAL SILENCE from the ground.
How many people get to experience that in a lifetime?
Dozens time for me. YOU?
One thing I learnt since very young, to get that kind of effect, is when you speak, you must be impactful. And people know you mean what you say. And will follow through by actions.
That also means, that you don’t say what you don’t mean. You don’t bullshit. You don’t blow “ta pao”. You don’t push away responsibility and you don’t twist and turn words to suit your way. All these, will work for you once or twice. BUT you are never going to get that kind of respect that you think you want. Reason being, people looks at your actions, to see if it matches your word.
RESPECT IS TO BE EARNED, NOT DEMANDED.
I was quite a trouble-maker for both teachers and students or authority, even as young as Primary 5 or as old as in university. I got my way, through proper means, through back door, through direct collision, through pain, through tears. Eventually, I will get what I want.
Remembered once having lunch with some of our lafamille, we were talking about woman being at disadvantage because in physical strength, women lose out. In loudness of voice, women lose out. Emotionally, when women cry, and men sayang a little, whatever the men say goes. So basically women are weaker. I do agree. Cos it’s true. J
BUT
You heard of “ying xiong nan guo mei ren guang” & “zui du fu ren xin”?
Never play play with women who are vicious. You never know how you die. Some women can cry at the slightest thing, looking so vulnerable, but behind the tears, light bulbs are sprouting. Can you see that green light?
Don’t play with the devil if you don’t know how Hell is like.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
It's already September!!!
Today is our exercise day. Will be going gym with John later. Hmmm effectively, my team only left Uncle Samson, John and me. Against Esther's team and Lauren's team. Well, we shouldn't complain as Lauren's team has the least number of people. We must all jia you! Without realising, it's September already.
In a month's time, I am going to be Mrs Chia. Excited, and stress at the same time. Preparing for wedding is not fun. And the sudden hiccups with my darling also emerging. Both have the pre-wedding jitters. Both setting the Dos and Don'ts. No matter how much we love each other, the thought of being MARRIED to each other is a bit scaryyyyy.
In a month's time, I will not be the west-side people anymore too. Moving.. moving... need to pack soon..
In a month's time, I am going to be Mrs Chia. Excited, and stress at the same time. Preparing for wedding is not fun. And the sudden hiccups with my darling also emerging. Both have the pre-wedding jitters. Both setting the Dos and Don'ts. No matter how much we love each other, the thought of being MARRIED to each other is a bit scaryyyyy.
In a month's time, I will not be the west-side people anymore too. Moving.. moving... need to pack soon..
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
calls
Running for the challenge. Made alot of calls in the morning since i am excused from morning meeting. Got lots of nasty remarks and rejections. In the end, support came from my own immediate family. But i am still short. not enough. contacted friend who is a subcontractor of glass, consider a construction company. talk to him abt getting accident plan for employees. need to discuss with big boss. hope it is successful.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
BULL SHIT
"When the guy is teasing you, he actually likes you. That's how guys do it, you know? Well, boys will always be boys."
That's what we are being told since we are young, and then we are PROGRAMMED to believe that it's ok for guys to be jerks to us, because they like us?
BULLSHIT.
We ladies like to be treated nice. and pampered. and be treated like ladies.
That's what we are being told since we are young, and then we are PROGRAMMED to believe that it's ok for guys to be jerks to us, because they like us?
BULLSHIT.
We ladies like to be treated nice. and pampered. and be treated like ladies.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Run!!!
So many things to do, so little time...
So many challenges to play this month too!! Bernard Ho's challenge, A & H challenge, Esther's challenge... so many!! But i guess once i hit Bernard's challenge, i will hit A & H challenge.... and.... wondergirls, here i come!!!! For Esther's challenge, i am not so sure, cos she is going to hit 30k this month.. i don't know if i can hit 30k or not.. But anyway, jia you Esther! I will jia you with you too!!! :) Will give a good run!!
In PSA2, there is someone so irritating in my group.. arrogant j***. think he is right all the time.. was telling Kristen that i want to shoot him down already.. but me being the "nice" person, i just "slap" him without him knowing he is being "slapped"... wahahahaha...
Day 5 of PSA 2, we will present a case study.. think given so many role-playing with family.. kristen and i are so comfortable to switching into role play already.. we rock!!!
Haha.. today i am being a bit proud.. proud of myself.. hee.. cos today is a happy happy day!! Yeah!!
Jia you, La Famille! Run for your goals! We will ALL be award winners at the end of the year.. I know we can.. I can you can!
So many challenges to play this month too!! Bernard Ho's challenge, A & H challenge, Esther's challenge... so many!! But i guess once i hit Bernard's challenge, i will hit A & H challenge.... and.... wondergirls, here i come!!!! For Esther's challenge, i am not so sure, cos she is going to hit 30k this month.. i don't know if i can hit 30k or not.. But anyway, jia you Esther! I will jia you with you too!!! :) Will give a good run!!
In PSA2, there is someone so irritating in my group.. arrogant j***. think he is right all the time.. was telling Kristen that i want to shoot him down already.. but me being the "nice" person, i just "slap" him without him knowing he is being "slapped"... wahahahaha...
Day 5 of PSA 2, we will present a case study.. think given so many role-playing with family.. kristen and i are so comfortable to switching into role play already.. we rock!!!
Haha.. today i am being a bit proud.. proud of myself.. hee.. cos today is a happy happy day!! Yeah!!
Jia you, La Famille! Run for your goals! We will ALL be award winners at the end of the year.. I know we can.. I can you can!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
love note
Kristy,
You're hot :)
The above is a note i've received from a fellow from PSA2. Haha, but he still didn't dare to approach me and talk to me.. yet.. i guess he will.. but guess not too.. losers won't dare to take risk.
Anyway felt that it's a waste of time doing PSA2 initially, but eventually felt that it is ok.. But after attending PSA2, Kristen and I realised how MARVELLOUS Bernard Ho's training is. Cos whatever we learnt in Nectar and Gurellia Sale are way more efficient than what we are learning in PSA2. Bernard Ho is a great teacher!!
Signing of now.. think i got food poisoning.. stomach doubling up in pain...
You're hot :)
The above is a note i've received from a fellow from PSA2. Haha, but he still didn't dare to approach me and talk to me.. yet.. i guess he will.. but guess not too.. losers won't dare to take risk.
Anyway felt that it's a waste of time doing PSA2 initially, but eventually felt that it is ok.. But after attending PSA2, Kristen and I realised how MARVELLOUS Bernard Ho's training is. Cos whatever we learnt in Nectar and Gurellia Sale are way more efficient than what we are learning in PSA2. Bernard Ho is a great teacher!!
Signing of now.. think i got food poisoning.. stomach doubling up in pain...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Fever
After exam on Tuesday, and feeling a whole damn lot of stress and relief at the same time. Relief that exam over, will definitely pass all, but i wonder if i can get two As and one B.. My guess is ABC, but it's ok since it's over. Next term die die must have 3 As and 1B then. Good thing i checked my module and 3 are "mathematical" modules. :) Yeah! But to hit target in Bernard's NECTAR course, next term needs to get all As. I can do it! Just need to put in extra hard work for non-math module! YEAH!
Tuesday's night didn't get much rest even though exams were over. Preparing for next day's appointment as i was still nervous before appointment. Needed to dig out my acting skills from performance's training in the past and acted and felt in myself that i knew what i was doing (in fact no confident at all when explaining the investment part!!). Hee, but think i pulled it off ok :)
Thursday went canvassing at Raffles Place.. nothing new, did my usual stuffs, but less stunts. Only did one stunt that day..
Haha, that was just for FUN cos it was getting boring..
Ok what i had done was that, from very far away, spotted a young guy (around my age, or slightly older) and kept my eyes locked on him. That day i was wearing a short black dress, high heels (really high, cos my feet cramped during canvassing), hair was down.. Then i sashayed toward him.. (still carrying my survey file) He saw me when i was half-way towards him. When i caught his eyes, i smiled at him, still continue sashaying. :) He looked at me for 5 seconds then blushed. He actually BLUSHED! When i reached him within arm-length, i said "Hi". (of course i say hi la... what else hor? hee hee hee). He looked up and i saw his face was still apple red! "Can i take 1 min of your time and do a short survey with you?" The guy just continued blushing and smiling and kept waving no... Then he looked down and didn't look up anymore... Well, i said "no worries, have a nice day!" and walked away.. Though quite "boi liao", but it perked me up, made me giggle, and was uplifted... and i continued my canvassing with much more energy...
Yup, i know some of you will be concerned about me, to be wary of guys.. especially wary of the horny bus3rds. Don't worry as it was still broad daylight and i was careful.. no numbers given to him.. and i disappeared into the crowds...
anyway was also thinking of getting a pepper spray.. anyone has better idea for "fang lang"?
hee.. thoughts are all over the place now.. and now suddenly remembered the days when i was on stage, performing.. be it dance, or drama dance.. or acting.. i really enjoyed it.. also enjoyed the days when i was with my basketball team in secondary school, fighting to get the girls' team recognised, getting ourselves into the B' division match, find our own coach, and we went through my crazy training without complains.. no complains as we worked towarded the same goals.. my training was crazy, cos i knew that our team was young, all the more we needed to get our foundation strong.. we were all fit and lean.. and muscular too.. haha.. i appreciated my teammates.. my good teammates who so faithfully stood by me, respected me, even though i was harsh, cos the message was clear to ALL people, and we were working towards the SAME GOAL.. When i meant message was clear to ALL people, i meant the WHOLE SCHOOL knew about our goal.. haha so shiok i tell you.. cos i pulled a stunt too (imagine at that age.. pulled a stunt!)
What i did was during a song dedication during valentines' day, i wrote in to say that i had a dedication. So that day, i was called on stage to do my song dedication, which i thanked my teammates for standing by me, despite all the tough training (then i decribed the training abit), thanked the school for giving us an opportunity (actually they haven't approve for us to go competition YET), thanked the teacher-in-charge to volunteer and take time out to be our teacher-in-charge (school's rule that a CCA needs a teacher to be in-charge), and thanked the operation manager who makes us stronger (cos he tried to bring us down by finding fault with my best friend for flirting with guys outside school, and accussed her of indecent behaviour and threatened to suspend her. I stomped into his office -his office just beside principal's office- and defended my friend and brought her out of office. Then i personally explained the situation to the principal too.) Guess what? The following week i received news from principal that our B'division competition had been approved :) Sweet victory for us! Yeah! And as for the operation manager, i made sure he didn't get close to my teammates AT ALL.. and i also talked to some others with position and power to talk to him.. He then didn't dare to disturb us anymore...
Good thing about being a lady.. is that, tears work... but be mindful that use it to your advantage, that help you to reach your goal, reach the team's goal.. use it, wisely.. not to use it to get empathy, not to use it in self-condemnation.. use it, the right way..
Of course when i was sad, i also cried.. crying to me, is to cry the sadness and stress away.. the tireness and stress and unhappiness will go away with the teardrops.. As the teardrops fell to the ground, and disappeared into the mud, so did the tireness/stress/unhappiness.
Hee.. I very lor-so today.. very long entry... cos the talking about basketball, and linking to the STEP-UP entries that you all put up, reminded me of my JC basketball days..
During my year 2, the team was fighting to be the top. Lost to HCJC in year 1, soOooOoo buay shong. Our mental power was very stong, our attitude was right, the whole team was united.. What did we do apart from the already 3days- a- week training with coach, which 2days comprised of stamina/strength training too.. The WHOLE TEAM, mind you, is THE WHOLE TEAM, AGREED to come to school at 5.30am EVERY MORNING (until the start of season), to do shooting. One hour of shooting, half an hour to freshen up before attending classes. In JC, everyone live all over Singapore (not like secondary school where we will chose the school near our homes), and most of us had to get up like 4.30am and shared cab down to school. Reaching school, we climbed over the gate to get in.. haha.. that was FUN! cos our minds were all so focus, tireness were not in our directionary....
Those were the days.. Reminded me how strong a person can be, when the mental is right. I can be who i am. I can be who i want to be. Be focus, be strong. I can.
Tuesday's night didn't get much rest even though exams were over. Preparing for next day's appointment as i was still nervous before appointment. Needed to dig out my acting skills from performance's training in the past and acted and felt in myself that i knew what i was doing (in fact no confident at all when explaining the investment part!!). Hee, but think i pulled it off ok :)
Thursday went canvassing at Raffles Place.. nothing new, did my usual stuffs, but less stunts. Only did one stunt that day..
Haha, that was just for FUN cos it was getting boring..
Ok what i had done was that, from very far away, spotted a young guy (around my age, or slightly older) and kept my eyes locked on him. That day i was wearing a short black dress, high heels (really high, cos my feet cramped during canvassing), hair was down.. Then i sashayed toward him.. (still carrying my survey file) He saw me when i was half-way towards him. When i caught his eyes, i smiled at him, still continue sashaying. :) He looked at me for 5 seconds then blushed. He actually BLUSHED! When i reached him within arm-length, i said "Hi". (of course i say hi la... what else hor? hee hee hee). He looked up and i saw his face was still apple red! "Can i take 1 min of your time and do a short survey with you?" The guy just continued blushing and smiling and kept waving no... Then he looked down and didn't look up anymore... Well, i said "no worries, have a nice day!" and walked away.. Though quite "boi liao", but it perked me up, made me giggle, and was uplifted... and i continued my canvassing with much more energy...
Yup, i know some of you will be concerned about me, to be wary of guys.. especially wary of the horny bus3rds. Don't worry as it was still broad daylight and i was careful.. no numbers given to him.. and i disappeared into the crowds...
anyway was also thinking of getting a pepper spray.. anyone has better idea for "fang lang"?
hee.. thoughts are all over the place now.. and now suddenly remembered the days when i was on stage, performing.. be it dance, or drama dance.. or acting.. i really enjoyed it.. also enjoyed the days when i was with my basketball team in secondary school, fighting to get the girls' team recognised, getting ourselves into the B' division match, find our own coach, and we went through my crazy training without complains.. no complains as we worked towarded the same goals.. my training was crazy, cos i knew that our team was young, all the more we needed to get our foundation strong.. we were all fit and lean.. and muscular too.. haha.. i appreciated my teammates.. my good teammates who so faithfully stood by me, respected me, even though i was harsh, cos the message was clear to ALL people, and we were working towards the SAME GOAL.. When i meant message was clear to ALL people, i meant the WHOLE SCHOOL knew about our goal.. haha so shiok i tell you.. cos i pulled a stunt too (imagine at that age.. pulled a stunt!)
What i did was during a song dedication during valentines' day, i wrote in to say that i had a dedication. So that day, i was called on stage to do my song dedication, which i thanked my teammates for standing by me, despite all the tough training (then i decribed the training abit), thanked the school for giving us an opportunity (actually they haven't approve for us to go competition YET), thanked the teacher-in-charge to volunteer and take time out to be our teacher-in-charge (school's rule that a CCA needs a teacher to be in-charge), and thanked the operation manager who makes us stronger (cos he tried to bring us down by finding fault with my best friend for flirting with guys outside school, and accussed her of indecent behaviour and threatened to suspend her. I stomped into his office -his office just beside principal's office- and defended my friend and brought her out of office. Then i personally explained the situation to the principal too.) Guess what? The following week i received news from principal that our B'division competition had been approved :) Sweet victory for us! Yeah! And as for the operation manager, i made sure he didn't get close to my teammates AT ALL.. and i also talked to some others with position and power to talk to him.. He then didn't dare to disturb us anymore...
Good thing about being a lady.. is that, tears work... but be mindful that use it to your advantage, that help you to reach your goal, reach the team's goal.. use it, wisely.. not to use it to get empathy, not to use it in self-condemnation.. use it, the right way..
Of course when i was sad, i also cried.. crying to me, is to cry the sadness and stress away.. the tireness and stress and unhappiness will go away with the teardrops.. As the teardrops fell to the ground, and disappeared into the mud, so did the tireness/stress/unhappiness.
Hee.. I very lor-so today.. very long entry... cos the talking about basketball, and linking to the STEP-UP entries that you all put up, reminded me of my JC basketball days..
During my year 2, the team was fighting to be the top. Lost to HCJC in year 1, soOooOoo buay shong. Our mental power was very stong, our attitude was right, the whole team was united.. What did we do apart from the already 3days- a- week training with coach, which 2days comprised of stamina/strength training too.. The WHOLE TEAM, mind you, is THE WHOLE TEAM, AGREED to come to school at 5.30am EVERY MORNING (until the start of season), to do shooting. One hour of shooting, half an hour to freshen up before attending classes. In JC, everyone live all over Singapore (not like secondary school where we will chose the school near our homes), and most of us had to get up like 4.30am and shared cab down to school. Reaching school, we climbed over the gate to get in.. haha.. that was FUN! cos our minds were all so focus, tireness were not in our directionary....
Those were the days.. Reminded me how strong a person can be, when the mental is right. I can be who i am. I can be who i want to be. Be focus, be strong. I can.
Monday, July 6, 2009
One month mark
question: When is a good time to buy insurance?
answer: Now.
question: When is a good time to meet funny people in this industry?
answer: Now
The reason why i am posting all the encounters that i have is also that i can remember how i started out in this industry years down the road.
ok, story for today.
Some of you know that there is a Malay prospect that i met during canvassing at Raffles Place. Then the story continues that he told his wife he met me during his yoga presentation, which i didn't. I held my stand that i didn't meet his through yoga presentation and insisted that i met him through doing survey at Raffles place. Cut the story short, he insisted meeting me through yoga presentation. THE wife called me last week. Asked me about how i met her husband and why i want to meet him. I explained the whole situation to her. She accepted my explanation. However the husband called me the next day, scolded me upside down. I cried that night.
Today. Today the husband sms-ed me to meet me. I asked him regarding what. He replied financial planning. I actually didn't want to meet him one. The night i cried, i already let go of this prospect. But i was thinking, running for QC, grab all the chances i got. So, to keep myself safe (cos at the back of my mind, is that he could be angry with me for spoiling his plans of affair and wanted revenge), i asked Alan to come down to appointment with me.
When we met the malay guy, he came down with his wife too. So what the objective of this appointment, the wife said is to clarify things. Well, I am glad that WIFE is here, cos i really didn't want to face the wife's suspicious again. Anyway, had a hard time explaining the situation again. So what i did, is what Bernard taught BE HONEST. I just told her the whole scenario. It's up to her to believe. In the end, she believed me.
After the so-called clarification, we actually proceed with the financial planning. But due to the upsets with the WIFE-HUSBAND-ME complications, i didn't do my best at being a financial consultant. Guess, my mind is affected (EQ goes up, IQ comes down). My presentation is messy. Speak too fast, ideas all mixed up. Too pushy, and ignorant of Alan's kicking under the table. This is the worst presentation throughout this one month + one week.
What came out of this appointment : Needs identified, commitment to take a closer look.
Will call the WIFE in 2 days time, hopefully can get some closing from here..
Ok, why the story?
Cos, on the way home, i reflected upon myself, that since contracted, many many things had happened. Met different sort of people. Those only want to touch me. Those only want me for themselves. Got approached by Pakistanis. Sincere clients who are my advertising helper. Prospects who never turned up. Wife's problem. Obese Client. Old aged client. Mental problem client.
Make appointment for medical check-up for client, bringing client for check up.
Since contracted till now, cried thrice. Thoughts of giving up, many many time.
Guess the earlier i learn how to handle all these kind of different issues, the better i will be.
The tough gets going...
I will be the best.
Oh, and one more thing, I am having exam next week. 3 papers. Target for exams this time round : 2 A, 1 B.
I am going for first class honors. So far for 1.5years, results are ok for first class honors. I am going to maintain it.
Feeling down cos i don't have the luxury of time.
So, i need all the help i can get.
Those who pray, do include me in your prayers.
Jia you me on too, if you see tears in my eyes, tell me i need to be strong.
Thanks everyone, Love everyone!!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Rejecting
This is the first time i am rejecting someone to buy insurance from me.. This is what happened:
After closing case at TTSH, I was at the bus stop waiting for bus. Then a man driving a sport car drove past, stopped and asked if he can ask me for direction. He said that he is from Malaysia and just started working in S'pore for less than a week. He wanted to get to Whampo Market.
I told him that i am not good at direction and i am seriously not sure how to get to Whampo from here. Then i asked him if he has street directory. He had, so i helped him to locate the destination. He offered me a ride to the mrt, so i got into his car. After locating Whampo Market and sending me to MRT, I got off the car. In the car, there is a small exchange of words. Basically, he knew i am financial consultant and asked if he is sufficently insured? After a bit of fact find, i told him he is not (of course not la!). Then i gave him my name card.
So the story continues, he later sms me.
Him: Thanks for helping me.
Me: You are welcomed. If you need financial advice, you can contact me.
Him: I like you. Do you have a bf and do you party?
Me: I have a bf and i do not party.
Him: So can i date you?
Me: I love my bf alot. The only way to see me is if you need any financial advice.
Him: Actually i bought insurance from my ex-gf, also from Prudential.
Me: You are a nice guy, hope you find someone soon.
Him: But i like you. Not all bf are good. If you are sad, sms me.
Him: If you be my gf, i buy 200k from you.
Me: My bf isn't good. He is great.
Him: If he is so good, many people will like him too. If you don't believe, go check his hp. I am sure there are many sms that you don't like.
Me: I love my bf.
Him: What should i do now, forget you?
Me: Yes.
Him: I wish i didn't meet you. Is your bf very rich and very handsome?
I find this so absurb. How can one just like someone in a matter of "driving past". And i was dressed in a spaghetti top and KNEE-length office skirt, not as if i was wearing mini or low cut.. Tsk tsk (shake head).
And to think he tried to get me to be suspicious of my bf. Of course i know my bf is a ladies' man. I wouldn't choose one who is rejected by many, right? I don't need to check his hp to know that he is attractive... Or a ladies' magnet.. I even told him he can have affair lor, with certain conditions... Hahaha...
Being approached by two men in a week. One is early 30s, one is 40. Hmmm, am i attracting the more senior group?
After closing case at TTSH, I was at the bus stop waiting for bus. Then a man driving a sport car drove past, stopped and asked if he can ask me for direction. He said that he is from Malaysia and just started working in S'pore for less than a week. He wanted to get to Whampo Market.
I told him that i am not good at direction and i am seriously not sure how to get to Whampo from here. Then i asked him if he has street directory. He had, so i helped him to locate the destination. He offered me a ride to the mrt, so i got into his car. After locating Whampo Market and sending me to MRT, I got off the car. In the car, there is a small exchange of words. Basically, he knew i am financial consultant and asked if he is sufficently insured? After a bit of fact find, i told him he is not (of course not la!). Then i gave him my name card.
So the story continues, he later sms me.
Him: Thanks for helping me.
Me: You are welcomed. If you need financial advice, you can contact me.
Him: I like you. Do you have a bf and do you party?
Me: I have a bf and i do not party.
Him: So can i date you?
Me: I love my bf alot. The only way to see me is if you need any financial advice.
Him: Actually i bought insurance from my ex-gf, also from Prudential.
Me: You are a nice guy, hope you find someone soon.
Him: But i like you. Not all bf are good. If you are sad, sms me.
Him: If you be my gf, i buy 200k from you.
Me: My bf isn't good. He is great.
Him: If he is so good, many people will like him too. If you don't believe, go check his hp. I am sure there are many sms that you don't like.
Me: I love my bf.
Him: What should i do now, forget you?
Me: Yes.
Him: I wish i didn't meet you. Is your bf very rich and very handsome?
I find this so absurb. How can one just like someone in a matter of "driving past". And i was dressed in a spaghetti top and KNEE-length office skirt, not as if i was wearing mini or low cut.. Tsk tsk (shake head).
And to think he tried to get me to be suspicious of my bf. Of course i know my bf is a ladies' man. I wouldn't choose one who is rejected by many, right? I don't need to check his hp to know that he is attractive... Or a ladies' magnet.. I even told him he can have affair lor, with certain conditions... Hahaha...
Being approached by two men in a week. One is early 30s, one is 40. Hmmm, am i attracting the more senior group?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The POWER of TeamWork
This morning, Wing went to my appointment with me. I super worried that I bwang my appointment, so for this appointment, I asked Wing to accompany me. And he readily agreed. Hee, he really solid lor, helped me explain the difficult terms and also helped me with the paperworks too... Thanks Wing!! And could feel that my client likes him too! And really thankful from the bottom from my heart, was that he helped me get the proposal form for regular premium from Lisa too!! There wasn't even a single form left in the office!
Imagine our appointment was 9.30am. how early did he has to get up to get the proposal form for me? Thanks Wing!
You are the MAN! :)
(On the side note, think i am going to take 5 copies of every proposal forms and put it in my locker, to avoid this kind of things from happening again!!)
You see, THIS IS THE POWER OF TEAM WORK.
No man is an island. There are definately things/stuffs that we don't know (be it old or new agent) and it is always good to have a teammate with you. It's like having 48hours in a day, instead of 24 hours like everyone else.
What i have learnt in 24 hours, and
what he has learnt in 24 hours.We met up and share our knowledge
and experiences.Our knowledge DOUBLE.In a 24hours span, we both gain 48
hours worth of knowledge.
Never understimate the power of TEAM WORK.
I myself have experienced THE POWER OF TEAM WORK TWICE.
Thanks to Kenneth too, for the appointment at TTSH! I learnt that being detailed and yet subtle in promoting your company and yourself is VERY IMPORTANT. Kenneth is a piece of art. It's A experience to watch him. There are tons of things that i have to learn. I guess you guys have to be patient with me, cos i will be bothering you guys alot for these 3 months.
Another impressive thing this week, relating to team work too, is role-playing with John. Attending Mr Bernard's course is no joke, cos it's like being in a gold mine (his office) and all the gold (his knowledge) is out there for you to dig (absorb). So many gold in a day, it's really overwhelming. The best part is when you have teammates (John and Kristen) digging the gold with you, all you see is the gold and not the hard work. Not that you need someone to do/learn things with you, but the gold is being dug faster!!
Faster Faster Faster!!
Role playing with John is great, cos he will pose objections too, while we are trying to keep to the script as close as possible. It is effective this way, cos you learn better.
And the CRAZY thing is, both JOHN and ZINC are not human lor.. THEY ARE SUPERHUMAN, or should i put SUPERHUMEN? Anyway, they really burnt the script and swallow it lor. The way they do the script without looking at the notes is A PERFECT! It's a really looonnnngg script that we are talking about here leh.. They don't appear just learning it at the same time as me lor.. Anyway, i will be as good as them by this weekend too!! I want to be! Cos it is really a very prudent presentation that I can use.
That's a;; for tonight, folks. Have a pleasent dream!
chinese translation of Critical Illness
病危覆盖面名单：
1. 心脏病发作
2. 冲程
3. 冠状动脉手术
4. 主要癌症
5. 肾衰竭
6. 主要头部受伤
7. 主要器官或骨髓移植
8. 多发性硬化症
9. 猛烈的肝炎
10. 主要肺高血压
11. 盲目性(视域损失)
12. Alzheimer的疾病或严厉老年痴呆
13. 手术到主动脉
14. 昏迷
15. 聋(听力损失)
16. 讲话损失
17. 心脏瓣膜手术
18. 主要烧伤
19. apallic综合症状( 为危机放弃 和付款人 安全III)
20. HIV 由于输血和职业性地获取的HIV
21. 运动神经元疾病
22. 帕金森的疾病
23. 末端阶段肝衰竭
24. 末端阶段肺病
25. 再生障碍性贫血
26. 肌肉萎缩症
27. 细菌脑膜炎
28. 良性脑瘤
29. 脑炎
30. 血管成形术和其他蔓延性治疗为冠状动脉 (为危机盖子提供者III，危机盖子额外，危机盖子 并且危机盖子有限的薪水)
或进步硬皮病 (为付款人安全III，危机放弃、危机盖子额外和危机盖提供者III)
1. 心脏病发作
2. 冲程
3. 冠状动脉手术
4. 主要癌症
5. 肾衰竭
6. 主要头部受伤
7. 主要器官或骨髓移植
8. 多发性硬化症
9. 猛烈的肝炎
10. 主要肺高血压
11. 盲目性(视域损失)
12. Alzheimer的疾病或严厉老年痴呆
13. 手术到主动脉
14. 昏迷
15. 聋(听力损失)
16. 讲话损失
17. 心脏瓣膜手术
18. 主要烧伤
19. apallic综合症状( 为危机放弃 和付款人 安全III)
20. HIV 由于输血和职业性地获取的HIV
21. 运动神经元疾病
22. 帕金森的疾病
23. 末端阶段肝衰竭
24. 末端阶段肺病
25. 再生障碍性贫血
26. 肌肉萎缩症
27. 细菌脑膜炎
28. 良性脑瘤
29. 脑炎
30. 血管成形术和其他蔓延性治疗为冠状动脉 (为危机盖子提供者III，危机盖子额外，危机盖子 并且危机盖子有限的薪水)
或进步硬皮病 (为付款人安全III，危机放弃、危机盖子额外和危机盖提供者III)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
You never know!
Hi, good morning everyone! It's early morning! And i have a pleasant surprise this morning :) A client from Dhoby Ghaut Roadshow SMS me at 8 am in the morning to ask me about PCPS, about Malaysian wanting to buy and all and is the $320/month fixed? Thanks to Esther's advice, I called him and asked for more details. And it turned out that he was sharing my presentation with his friends and they thought that this saving plan is interesting! I gave my client the go-ahead to ask his friends to give me a call/set appointment. Hee, who knows the guy that dressed in polo tee and jeans can be an advertisement tool for me? You never know!!
I am glad that during the 3 days of road shows, i approached whoever with a head, 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 mouth, 2 hands and 2 functional legs :)
(not depending on this client of mine to get sale, but if he really does bring in referrals, it's a BLESSING!)
I postponed an appointment yesterday at the last minute and using my half-past six TeoChew set an appointment at Yew Tee :) Thank you Uncle Samson for accompanying me to my appointment yesterday :)
For the investment of $50k, my client (Mum's friend) is not as keen, but she herself asked me about PCPS. Think my Mum spoke to her briefly about it. So, I wiped out my professional looking black file with red folder (Prudential's logo colour), and did my presentation. I wrote real big, cos they forgotten to bring out their lao hua yan jing. :) hee.. In the end, we are meeting on Tuesday at my mum's place for policy review and a summary of the PCPS quotations, and dinner. Thanks Mum for opening up a new case for me!! You never know who's helping you!
Oh, anyway i hope this client will take up PCPS, cos the API is higher :) hee, but i should go with a mindset that ALLOW THE CLIENT TO CHOOSE!
Thursday, butterflying (my word for canvassing, cos i will fly around RP like i own the place and make friend with everyone) around RP from 3pm - Result: Met a serious prospect who wants to take up PCPS for his children.
I saw him around RP a few times and he recognised me too. But didn't approach him cos he is Malay (not that i am discriminating but some malays are really not serious about their lives, of course there are some who are THE MAN of the FAMILY). That day was a quiet evening, but it also means that i just approach more people lor! So, I did the survey with this man and ya, open up a case. :) You never know!!
Cheers, people! Have a great day ahead!!
I am glad that during the 3 days of road shows, i approached whoever with a head, 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 mouth, 2 hands and 2 functional legs :)
(not depending on this client of mine to get sale, but if he really does bring in referrals, it's a BLESSING!)
I postponed an appointment yesterday at the last minute and using my half-past six TeoChew set an appointment at Yew Tee :) Thank you Uncle Samson for accompanying me to my appointment yesterday :)
For the investment of $50k, my client (Mum's friend) is not as keen, but she herself asked me about PCPS. Think my Mum spoke to her briefly about it. So, I wiped out my professional looking black file with red folder (Prudential's logo colour), and did my presentation. I wrote real big, cos they forgotten to bring out their lao hua yan jing. :) hee.. In the end, we are meeting on Tuesday at my mum's place for policy review and a summary of the PCPS quotations, and dinner. Thanks Mum for opening up a new case for me!! You never know who's helping you!
Oh, anyway i hope this client will take up PCPS, cos the API is higher :) hee, but i should go with a mindset that ALLOW THE CLIENT TO CHOOSE!
Thursday, butterflying (my word for canvassing, cos i will fly around RP like i own the place and make friend with everyone) around RP from 3pm - Result: Met a serious prospect who wants to take up PCPS for his children.
I saw him around RP a few times and he recognised me too. But didn't approach him cos he is Malay (not that i am discriminating but some malays are really not serious about their lives, of course there are some who are THE MAN of the FAMILY). That day was a quiet evening, but it also means that i just approach more people lor! So, I did the survey with this man and ya, open up a case. :) You never know!!
Cheers, people! Have a great day ahead!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Our Habits
Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits.Sow a thought, reap an action;Habit is the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire.
Sow an action, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character;
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
- knowledge: the what to do and why
- skill: the how to do
- desire: the want to do
Friday, May 29, 2009
Reptiles: Chameleon
Just ended Bernard Ho's workshop and it is really enjoyable and an eye-opener!! Imagine me eating fire!! Me, the cautious, logic-before-action person, EAT FIRE!!! If i can do that, there shouldn't be anything else that i will be afraid of doing, agree?
A Promise made to myself :
Read a book a month. (novels, comics, magazines not counted)Feel free to come up to me anyday and anytime to ask what have i been reading and what have i learnt so far :)
Friday, May 15, 2009
beauty in the eye of beholder? NOT!
After that i was at Chinatown roadshow. And guess what?!?! I was being approached by people, and got LOTS and LOTS of stares from people (especially men, old men..). The funny thing was that there were 3 guys from Pakistan who wanted to date me out, for lunch (it was 5pm then). They think that i am social escort (call-girl will be too low class for me). Well, should i be flattered? Since that would mean that i look pretty and desirable just by standing there. :) Anyway, of course i rejected them (what were you thinking?? wink). Then the day continued by getting "hello" from uncles and "look-up-look-down" from men. Oh well, they better watch out when i officially carry my agent license. They will pay a price for looking at me. :)
Well, men are visual creatures, and women, social creatures. So, how do you define beauty? Some says that inner beauty is true beauty, but you are not going to win beauty contest just because you have a good heart. The reality is harsh, and i believe in looking good. Not saying that i think i am pretty or what, but i believe in looking presentable and well-groomed. However, i don't look like this all the time. For those who know me when i was playing basketball with them when i was secondary school, i was never like this. I was sometimes tom-boyish, sometimes girlish (depending on my mood). But i was never lady-like.
If looking like this will help me to get approached by people, instead of me approaching them, i will continue to look like this, and look even better :) CHEERS!!
This was how i look end of last year (2008)
I was at Hong Kong alone (2008).
This was me in 2006, at the childcare, with my friend.
This was me in 2005.
Major changes right?!?! :) Grins..
Well, men are visual creatures, and women, social creatures. So, how do you define beauty? Some says that inner beauty is true beauty, but you are not going to win beauty contest just because you have a good heart. The reality is harsh, and i believe in looking good. Not saying that i think i am pretty or what, but i believe in looking presentable and well-groomed. However, i don't look like this all the time. For those who know me when i was playing basketball with them when i was secondary school, i was never like this. I was sometimes tom-boyish, sometimes girlish (depending on my mood). But i was never lady-like.
If looking like this will help me to get approached by people, instead of me approaching them, i will continue to look like this, and look even better :) CHEERS!!
This was how i look end of last year (2008)
I was at Hong Kong alone (2008).
This was me in 2006, at the childcare, with my friend.
This was me in 2005.Major changes right?!?! :) Grins..
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
out of touch
It has been soOOOoooo long since i had a blog.. trying to figure out how it works.. hee :) guess have to hurry my brother to fix my granny lap-top..
Last night, managed to show my brother the flexicash presentation, he says he will think about it. As for PruSheid, i am going to talk to him again.. Next is my sister, then my dad.. :) Yippie!!
Last night, managed to show my brother the flexicash presentation, he says he will think about it. As for PruSheid, i am going to talk to him again.. Next is my sister, then my dad.. :) Yippie!!
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