Even when the prices may be the same, people will naturally patronise the shop that takes good care of its customers and is thoughtful and conscientious about its services or merchandise, says Konosuke Matsushita in ‘The Path’ by (www.tatamcgrawhill.com).
Respect the customer
Few customers will return to an establishment where they get little attention and where common courtesy and respect are not observed, the author cautions. “The shopkeeper who sees customers to the door with an almost-reverent feeling of appreciation and gratitude runs a shop that is successful. If the customer is sufficiently respected, the quality of the goods and the level of the service will naturally rise.”
In the author’s view, the successful shop does not keep customers waiting. He notes that, no matter how good the product and courteous the service, in our time-is-money era, there is a limit to people’s patience. “The shopkeeper who is sufficiently attentive will be aware of a customer’s desire for speed and always ready to respond to it.”
Fans are a blessing
A section titled ‘Having fans’ begins by stating that fans are a blessing. “In sumo, for example, fans choose the wrestler they like. When he wins, they celebrate with delight; when he loses, they mourn and commiserate,” writes Matsushita. Adding that there is nothing to be won or gained by being a fan, he observes that fans champion a competitor they favour in some way, and they cheer him on for those qualities.
The author points out that fans are important not only for competitors in sports but also for people in performing arts. “Celebrities work hard day and night to further enhance their performances, the better to respond to the expectations of their fans. By encouraging improvement among athletes and performing artists, fans thus play a role in the development of the sport or the art in question.”
Of value is his insight that not only celebrities but individuals, shops, companies – all have their own followers and admirers. Calling, therefore, for a fresh thinking about fans, Matsushita insists that we ought to be thankful for their presence and treasure them, working harder to improve those parts of ourselves that we know appeal to those who support us. “That is the key to the prosperity of each individual, shop, or company.”
Each day is a new day
An apt thought for the New Year is discussed in a section titled, ‘Each day is a new day.’ When the New Year comes, we feel the sense of a fresh start, an embarking on a new endeavour, the turning over of a new leaf, describes Matsushita. Fresh starts, new ventures are what we celebrate, not only at New Year’s but at any time, he reasons.
“The year starts with New Year’s Day, and each day begins when we awake. The dawn of the New Year seems in some way special, even though it is actually the same as any other day,” the author instructs. He suggests that, if we could wake up with that sense of starting fresh every morning, then every day would be a kind of New Year. And that greeting every day as a new start can help us think of it as fresh and special, a day to be celebrated.
Yesterday is yesterday, today is today, and so there is no need to let the woes of yesterday weigh down our step today, advises the founder of Panasonic, in his own simple style. Let bygones be bygones, and look well to every new day and the new turn of fortune that it brings, he counsels. “It is too much to dwell on the burdens of yesterday; better to meet each morning anew, each as a fresh departure.”
Be alive with imagination and creativity
Assures Matsushita, every new day greeted as a fresh start will be a good day. “It is bright and invigorating for those who have a mind that is open, a heart that is humble, and a spirit alive with imagination and creativity.”
Elsewhere in the book the author admonishes those who refuse to get out of the rut. If you try to do something exactly the same way every time, you will make no progress, no matter how many times you do it, he chides.
Obediently following precedent has its merits, but it is also important to break with precedent and find a new and better way of approaching a task, cheers Matsushita. “If you try a new method, it often opens up a completely new path. Rather than fearing failure, we should fear a life where there is no innovation at all.”
Ideal meditative read.
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