Learning business on the Streets of India
If you’re an Indian at heart or have just bought a ticket to tour the country, you’re aware of the number of businesses at every nook and corner of the streets of India. Every person that you meet on the busy streets of any city within the country would either be a great salesman, smart marketer or a champion entrepreneur. You may find some people that are a delightful combination of all of the above.
“The first step towards change is awareness.” — Nathaniel Branden
Most of us have a vision in life to change the world for the better. Similar to the quote, I took the first step and started noticing a few things about these people.
Here are a few things that I’ve learned on the streets of my motherland -
A Happy you is the key to a Successful you:
When you meet or pass by a paanwala (beetle keeper) with its business situated under a tree, there’s one thing that’s attractive yet common in all of them — they have a smile on their face, every time.
Opposites attract does not work when you want to run a successful business; you need to look happy to attract customers. A warm smile is rather welcoming and indicates good service to everyone that enters there. People will come to you when they see that someone is radiating positive vibes and is ready to welcome them.
Remember your folks:
The most simple yet effective way to grow your business is to bond with your customers on a social level. Everyone is always busy with something or other. To make them feel important, connect with them. An essential feature to make that touch is to remember your customer’s habits and also the tiny details they may have shared with you.
The most common example can be after you’re done with a tiring day at work, and you feel like having a sandwich. You go to your everyday sandwich vendor because he knows your choice of order before you get there — a vegetable grill with no tomatoes, extra cheese. Now, that’s some customer service.
Trusting is an art; not everyone can do it:
It does not matter how much you hate people or how you cannot trust the person next to you; trust the people around you, at least within a 10-meter radius. Business is a team effort, you need to work with and for your partners, workers, customers, debtors, creditors; even your neighbor.
Nothing is permanent; things change:
Your biology may not include you being philosophical, but it’s important to understand, NOTHING IS PERMANENT. Period. If it’s not today, it may be tomorrow, or maybe a month from now, but things will change for you. Things could change for the better or quite the opposite. Nevertheless, you must be prepared and when life throws those lemons at you, make lemonade or season your fried chicken. It’s essential to go with the flow, or you may lose out on the good stuff.
There is a lot to learn if you are on the crusade of starting something on your own, and busy streets around you can be a great start to learn your valuable lessons in life.
Photos: Divyank Jain
