Often customers buy products on a pre-decided schedule. For example, I had the responsibility for corporate purchasing years ago where an office machine might have a three-year lease. The company holding the lease would typically come in three or four months before the expiration time to renew or sell me a new or upgraded machine, likely at a more expensive price. Other salesmen might also try to interest me in a new machine, but at the wrong time. I turned them away because I wasn’t currently in the market for another copy machine. Not one ever asked me what the renewal date was so they could schedule a call before I signed with somebody else.

I am amazed at how few real estate agents stay in touch with customers and prospects after a sale. The average homeowner moves every 5 to 7 years.  Each instance will require a real estate agent to sell a home and possibly assist with the acquisition of a new place.  Real estate sales are very competitive, and the commissions are rather substantial so investing time to keep in touch with former customers is smart.  By asking how the family is doing, if the family is growing or whether kids are leaving home; the wise agent can be first in line for an additional commission.

Amazon does a good job of sending reminders suggesting buying a product again.  While I tend to find these annoying, I believe they are effective in selling product.

 Sometimes, as business leaders, we don’t like a lot of feedback, especially when it is contrary to our decision. David, the king of Israel, didn’t want to listen to negative feedback from Joab about a census. Here’s how it went.

So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.” But Joab replied to the king, ”May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?” But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel. (2 Samuel 24:2-4, NLT)

Later David regretted his decision. 

There is no shortage of training material, including the material on our Business Proverbs site. The training articles on this site and others are man-written.  King David wrote, “praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” (Psalm 144:1, NIV)

 When I read business books, articles or engage in training; I ask the Lord in advance to show me important takeaways. I want to remember the parts that will advance my business and the parts that will lead to righteous business execution. Often, we think it’s the next training, seminar or book that will move our business forward.  However, David reminds us that it is the Lord who trains our hands and fingers. The Lord is the Good Teacher who will give us the insights we need better than any human can.

Ask the Lord for his guidance and training every day. You will be amazed at the what God and God alone will provide.

A recent study of 2,000 millennials, commissioned by Endoca, showed an interesting list of what caused stress in their lives: 

1. Losing wallet/credit card
2. Arguing with partner
3. Commuting/traffic delays
4. Losing phone
5. Arriving late to work
6. Slow WiFi
7. Phone battery dying
8. Forgetting passwords
9. Credit card fraud
10. Forgetting phone charger
11. Losing/misplacing keys
12. Paying bills
13. Job interviews
14. Phone screen breaking
15. Credit card bills
16. Check engine light coming on
17. School loan payments
18. Job security
19. Choosing what to wear
20. Washing dishes

You have likely seen ads or heard radio commercials urging you to give your car to charity to help an organization and obtain a tax deduction for yourself. Generally, I feel this is not the best exercise of stewardship. The easy part is that you sign a piece of paper and get rid of the car whether it works or not.

Most organizations may not be able to get the best price for donated cars. Also, tax advisors have told me that you have an increased chance of being audited by the friendly IRS when you claim a deduction for a donated car.

The more effective way of moving a used car is to take photographs of the vehicle in the best possible light. Then try to sell it on one of the local auto trader magazines or Craigslist. In most circumstances you can get a better cash settlement than the organization could get. Then, simply write a check for the same amount to the charity of your choice, not just the charity that does a good job of marketing car donations.