Business Success

Hi Guys, this is Lori Alexia. Don't think I'm silly and political and all. I just thought I should be eclectic. If I talk about a variety of things instead of just one subject all the time then you will enjoy me more. I promised that I would give you guys the very best of me. Besides, you can always skip to the topics you like best!





The Teddy Bear (A Holiday Drama In One Act)

The place: a holiday flea market in a church basement in Yonkers, N.Y.

The characters: a woman in her late 70s selling used household goods at one of the tables; her son, a heavyset man in his early 50s, who has taken the day off from work (and forgotten to shave) to help his mom with the flea market; a little girl of about 7, from a poor immigrant family, whose mother -- a parishioner of the church -- is running the food concession at the flea market.

The little girl, bored out of her skull with boiling water for hot dogs and making sandwiches, approaches the table. The woman eyes her carefully, making sure that the girl's sticky fingers don't touch too many of her precious tchotchkes. The girl's eyes light up when she sees a teddy bear -- used, but still lovable -- on the table. She gently removes the bear and cuddles it, letting the world know there is simply nothing on this earth she wants more than that teddy bear.

Little girl: How much is this bear, please?

Woman: That's $10, honey. He's a very valuable bear.

The little girl, crestfallen, puts the bear back on the table, says "thank you," and walks away.

Son: That poor kid -- she really wants the bear. Couldn't you have come down a bit?

Woman: That's a good bear, and you know it. I paid at least $20 for it, and that was a long time ago. I'm not giving it away.

As morning turns into afternoon, the little girl reappears from time to time, walking from table to table and looking at things. But her eyes keep returning to the teddy bear.

Late in the day, the woman leaves her table to go to the ladies' room. No sooner has she disappeared from sight than the little girl, waiting for this moment, runs up to the table and cuddles the teddy bear.

Son: You really like that bear, don't you, sweetheart?

Little girl: (nods her head)

Son: Would you like to buy him?

Little girl: Yes, but he's too much money.

Son: Do you have a penny?

Little girl (surprised): Y -- y -- yes.

Son: Well, if you really like the bear, I could sell him to you for a penny.

Little girl: But the lady said $10!

Son: I know, but we're having a special end-of-the-day sale right now. If you have a penny, the bear's yours.

Still a little suspicious, the little girl fishes through her pockets, and hands the son a penny. The son smiles, puts the bear in a plastic grocery bag, and hands it to the little girl. The little girl lights up brighter than the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and runs shrieking from the room with the teddy bear clutched in her arms, the happiest child on planet Earth.

The son puts the penny in his pocket, and fishes a $10 bill out of his wallet. No sooner has he done this than his mother returns from the ladies' room.

Son: Good news, Ma. We sold the teddy bear (hands over the $10 bill).

Woman: Oh, good. Who bought it?

Son: That little girl who had her eye on it all day. Her mom must have given her the money (shrugs).

Woman (eyeing her son suspiciously): You didn't give her that bear, did you?

Son (looking offended and hurt): Mom, are you calling me a liar? I'm a lawyer! I don't give things away for nothing! I assure you, as God is my witness, the little girl paid for that bear!

We are all in business to make a profit, but sometimes there are more important things in life -- like remembering what Christmas and Hanukkah are all about, and teaching a kid a lesson about business she'll never forget as long as she lives, even if you take a $9.99 hit. The payback -- as the credit card ads say -- is priceless.

One more thing: If any of you ever meet my mom and tell her I sold that teddy bear for a penny, I will sue you for everything you're worth, put you and your entire family on welfare, and make you regret the day you were ever born.

Happy holidays to all, and to all a good night.





Chris Lytle's Sales Tip -- Selling Better While Having Fun

Chris Lytle's Sales Tip: "When I'm selling at my best, I'm more playful," said a seminar participant recently. "Work is more fun than fun," suggests Noel Coward. Selling at your best is fun. You smile more. You are more at ease with your customers and they react accordingly. Customers sit through plenty of boring meetings. What can you do to add a measure of "playfulness" to your next customer encounter? Click here to visit Lytle's site






Quote of the Day
J. C. Watts, former US Congressman

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught."






Chris Lytle Tip -- Impressions

Chris Lytle Sales Tip: If you've ever made less than a positive first impression on a customer, remember this advice from a very wise person: "No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."





VOCABULARY

Today's Word "metier"

metier \met-YAY; MET-yay\ (noun) - 1 : An occupation; a profession. 2 : An area in which one excels; an occupation for which one is especially well suited.

"No matter a person's metier, Ty seemed to want to push everyone into doing sales, feeling that greater profits were certain to follow."




Insurance report says '06 quiet year

NEW YORK (UPI) -- After years of record losses, insurers say they apparently got off lightly on natural and manmade catastrophes in 2006, a report says.

Economic losses worldwide hit around the $40 billion mark and cost property insurers $15 billion for the year, Swiss Re said in a preliminary report.

An estimated 30,000 people died in earthquakes, cold spells, windstorms and at sea.

Among the last 20 years, 2006 has produced the third-lowest insured losses, after 1997 and 1988, the Insurance Journal said. One major reason was the quiet hurricane season in the United States and surrounding countries.

Up to now, there were only three loss events in the billion-dollar range have made themselves felt: two tornados in the United States and a typhoon in Japan, the report said.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International








U.S. stocks go lower in light trading

NEW YORK (UPI) -- U.S. stocks were lower in light trading Thursday as investors turned their attention to the holiday break.

The Dow Jones industrials dropped 46.79 points, or 0.38 percent, at 12,417.08 in early afternoon trading.

Nasdaq was down 11.34, or 0.47 percent, at 2,416.27 and the Standard & Poor 500 was off 5.28, or 0.37 percent, at 1,418.25.

Crude oil prices fell $1.09 to $62.63 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange a day after rising to a three-month high

Bonds were flat. The 10-year Treasury rose 1/32 to yield 4.59 percent. The dollar was little changed. The euro traded at $1.3177, compared with $1.3173 late Wednesday, while the dollar was at 118.27 yen from 118.37.

Overseas, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 closed up 0.22 percent at 17,067.83 and London's FTSE 100 lost 0.1 percent at 6,191.40.

In economic news, the U.S. Commerce Department said the U.S. gross domestic product grew at a 2 percent annualized pace in the third quarter, down from an estimate of 2.2 percent growth. The housing slump took a greater toll than expected.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International