Sorry folks, it's just business...

There is no necessity to whine and cry over spill overs. Heck, there is not even a trace of spilled milk. Nothing doing. This is all pure business. Money talks. Money buy power, influence, security and comfort.

Business is the occupation, work, or trade in which a person is engaged. As businessmen, you have to protect your merchandise. As simple as that. How to do that? Easy, very easy. First find ways to get the merchandise, by hook or by crook. It will be easy if you have a good start, say 50 years in the business. Remember when the traders came to Melaka shores to do barter trade? Something like that apply here. Offer the feel good factor to the purchasers. Malaysian purchasers are pure suckers and they will gobble up everything if the salesmen are good. 50 odd years ago, this is peanuts. First offer them the goodies like freedom, the rights to move, the rights to vote, the rights to live in harmony and whatever rights that comes across the minds. Then scare them off with other potential traders and paint the other traders as blood suckers, womanisers, no brainers, cheap products, unquality and untested products and what nots.

Once you have the purchasers eating from your palm, then grease the landlords, give them some free samples of the merchandise. Free dining and food perhaps plus free flow of merchandise and most important offer profit sharing. Once they are hooked on the offer, things will get easier from now on. Remember that the best way to win a man's confidence is through his stomach (and sometimes those below his stomach)!

For the landlord downliners, give them some incentives. Now, that done set up your own security. And since the close rapport with the landlord, park the security expenses under the landlord's account. By now, the landlord has been so much blinded by the merchandise, he won't care what happen to others and if the landlord is unlucky, the businessman can run off with his daughter. Plant the feeling that the landlord and you are one. No less, no more...After security, what next? Aha, must also take care of those licensing the merchandise. If not, they may come up with regulation to ban the merchandise. God forbids....

Now that all angles are covered, you can start collecting your dues. Raise the price, replace your merchandise with virtual promises. This is IT, remember. It can be done with advertisements, trailers and what nots. You own, no..not own but monopolise the market.

Once in a while, some new kid in town may take a chunk of your customers with better products but you can always use your security to twist their arms, get those in charge of licensing to withdraw their licenses away and if that fail, cosy up with the landlord and bad mouth about the competitor. For sure the competitor will fade away with means disposable to you, your security firm, the friendly licensing board and the landlord. What can go wrong?

Your product may be 50 years odd and never been updated. Who cares! The customers are licking from your palm, they can go on licking for another 50 years for all you care. This is business...pure and simple. The customers may opt for different product but since you have the lead and the security, the licensors and the landlords at your disposal, there's nothing your competitor can do. A suggestion, perhaps. He can fly kite...afterall, as titled this is just pure business and the returns are damn lucrative.

By the way, this has no connection whatsoever with the dead or the living, past or present. This is how I will approach the market today if I have the product. If and only if...should I go into al fresco business??

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...