The Tentmakers Online Store: April 2015

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Utility - Meeting Your Customer's Needs

Good day people. I'm thinking today of the term "utility". As usual, I have a story to explain my point.

I got a tricycle to get me out of the estate in order to meet up with others. As I boarded the tricycle, I told the driver that I had a time contract with some people at the drop-off point. As we moved on, the driver decided to pick up some other passengers. He waited inordinately for a passenger that eventually did not board the tricycle. Due to the unnecessary delays as a result of the driver's poor decisions, I missed the people I was supposed to meet at the drop-off point. I still paid him the complete fare. Though my preference would have been to meet up with my appointment, missing it is just an annoyance and not hyper-critical.

This incident got me thinking about "utility". Did the driver deserve to be paid the accurate fare? Though he provided the service (got me to the drop-off point), I did not derive utility from the service he provided.

A definition of utility is "the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial". If the customer does not derive utility from your goods/services, you are unlikely to get repeat business in a competitive market. It's great to manufacture 'fantastic' goods or provide 'top-notch' services. If your customer does not derive utility from what you're selling or providing, I assure you that you won't be in business for long.

Another interesting thing is that while I was trying to express my dissatisfaction respectfully (customer feedback), he began to give me 'counsel' on how to meet up with my appointment in future. You may find that hilarious but it's definitely not a smart move in business. Customer feedback is valuable, it gives you insight on your strengths and highlights areas where improvement is needed. Listen objectively to what your customer is saying. For as long as their requests do not negate the core values of your company/business, which hopefully includes ethics, you should explore reasonable cost-effective means to satisfy your customers. I guess you know that they are the primary channels of blessings for your company/business.

Have a blessed and productive day.

Monday, April 20, 2015

DISCERNING WHEN AND WHEN NOT TO PURSUE

I'll like to share a bit today about discerning when to pursue and when to relax. I have 2 stories to share and a scripture to conclude.
Story 1
I paid out of pocket for a course organised by the professional association I belong to and I needed the receipt to claim my money back from my organization. As usual (for me), I realised that I had lost the receipt.
I was going to sit in my corner and mourn my loss but my friend encouraged me to get to the association's office to ask to make a photocopy of their copy of the receipt.
It would require some effort and every lazy bone in me resisted the move, lol.
I finally overcame the inertia and went to the office. The lady I met there claimed that all the booklets had been sent to Abuja. My lazy bones were screaming "I told you so" but I couldn't imagine going back with no receipt.
I rarely beg anyone for favors (one of the issues my friends have with me, lol) but for some reason I refused to leave the office.
I remembered a post I had put up about "Lessons from Nehemiah" so while standing there, I prayed to the God of Heaven to show me what my next step ought to be.
As I stood there, a man came in to tell Madam that he couldn't help her print her son's JAMB (or whatever it's called now) score from their website. I watched them as they fiddled around trying to solve the problem. After a few minutes, I asked if I could try to help. After performing some 'magic', I printed the score for her, lol.
After that, the booklet that had been sent to Abuja mysteriously reappeared in the Lagos office. She even stamped documents that didn't need stamps and began to tell me the story of the boy whose JAMB scores I printed...how she adopted him etc.
Story 2
I applied for registration along with some of my friends. We all submitted our forms on the same day. I think I did the bulk of the work that day sef and even lost some money in the process. Part of the verification process involves checking with my university. One of my friends graduated from the same department as I did (different years).
When the list of successful applicants came out, my name was not there. Of course, my friends had to be sensitive and not be overjoyful (My friends are good people, hehehe).
I got the number of someone in Abuja to understand why my name was not on the list. The man kept telling me to call him back in 30 minutes then won't pick the calls.
After about 3 weeks of doing this dance, he finally told me that my school has not responded to their request. It's surprising that the school responded in my friend's case and not mine...Ironically, I was the one that encouraged my friend to get registered.
I could begin to chase what's causing the delay in my school or I could wait for the 1 month the man asked me to check back. I think it's wiser to wait, right?
When David and his community were attacked and their city burnt down as a result of their minding other people's business instead of theirs (See 1 Samuel 29-30), the first question David asked God was "Shall I pursue?"
I think that's a sensible question for us all to ask when we are faced with challenges. Too many of us are holding on to careers; businesses, relationships etc that we need to either let go or relax about while some other gave in prematurely.
I believe our proper response to challenging situations is to ask GOD what our next steps out to be. The best of men/women is still a human being with limited wisdom.
I pray for the discernment to know when to pursue and when to relax for each of us, in Jesus' Name. Amen
Have a blessed and productive day.

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Saturday, April 18, 2015

DISCERNING WHEN AND WHEN NOT TO PURSUE

I'll like to share a bit today about discerning when to pursue and when to relax. I have 2 stories to share and a scripture to conclude.

Story 1

I paid out of pocket for a course organised by the professional association I belong to and I needed the receipt to claim my money back from my organization. As usual (for me), I realised that I had lost the receipt.

I was going to sit in my corner and mourn my loss but my friend encouraged me to get to the association's office to ask to make a photocopy of their copy of the receipt.

It would require some effort and every lazy bone in me resisted the move, lol.

I finally overcame the inertia and went to the office. The lady I met there claimed that all the booklets had been sent to Abuja. My lazy bones were screaming "I told you so" but I couldn't imagine going back with no receipt.

I rarely beg anyone for favors (one of the issues my friends have with me, lol) but for some reason I refused to leave the office.

I remembered a post I had put up about "Lessons from Nehemiah" so while standing there, I prayed to the God of Heaven to show me what my next step ought to be.

As I stood there, a man came in to tell Madam that he couldn't help her print her son's JAMB (or whatever it's called now) score from their website. I watched them as they fiddled around trying to solve the problem. After a few minutes, I asked if I could try to help. After performing some 'magic', I printed the score for her, lol.

After that, the booklet that had been sent to Abuja mysteriously reappeared in the Lagos office. She even stamped documents that didn't need stamps and began to tell me the story of the boy whose JAMB scores I printed...how she adopted him etc.

Story 2

I applied for registration along with some of my friends. We all submitted our forms on the same day. I think I did the bulk of the work that day sef and even lost some money in the process. Part of the verification process involves checking with my university. One of my friends graduated from the same department as I did (different years).

When the list of successful applicants came out, my name was not there. Of course, my friends had to be sensitive and not be overjoyful (My friends are good people, hehehe).

I got the number of someone in Abuja to understand why my name was not on the list. The man kept telling me to call him back in 30 minutes then won't pick the calls.

After about 3 weeks of doing this dance, he finally told me that my school has not responded to their request. It's surprising that the school responded in my friend's case and not mine...Ironically, I was the one that encouraged my friend to get registered.

I could begin to chase what's causing the delay in my school or I could wait for the 1 month the man asked me to check back. I think it's wiser to wait, right?

When David and his community were attacked and their city burnt down as a result of their minding other people's business instead of theirs (See 1 Samuel 29-30), the first question David asked God was "Shall I pursue?"

I think that's a sensible question for us all to ask when we are faced with challenges. Too many of us are holding on to careers; businesses, relationships etc that we need to either let go or relax about while some other gave in prematurely.

I believe our proper response to challenging situations is to ask GOD what our next steps out to be. The best of men/women is still a human being with limited wisdom.

I pray for the discernment to know when to pursue and when to relax for each of us, in Jesus' Name. Amen

Have a fantastic weekend.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Communications 101 - Keeping Your Audience Engaged

Imagine this: You are required to address a group that includes “Applications-first” and “Principles-first” people. Applications-first reasoning allows conclusions to be reached after reviewing empirical observations whereas principles-first reasoning requires that conclusions or facts be derived from principles and concepts.

Generally the educational background of an individual, which is determined by the kind of curriculum that is in force in one’s country of study, determines which approach such an individual favours. Schools in countries like the U.S., Canada, and the UK usually focus more on how to apply a tool and spend less time explaining principles and concepts (Applications-first). In contrast, schools in countries like Spain, Nigeria, Germany, and in Latin America tend to spend more time teaching general principles and less time on how to apply those principles (Principles-first).

Most often than not, we don’t have the liberty of choosing the preferred approach of our audience. This mix is very likely in the wake of globalization. Our audiences tend to be as diverse as possible. Leaders need to be able to engage their target audience if they hope to get anything moving.

The best approach has been determined to be alternating between principles and examples. Introduce a principle THEN give some practical examples. Then, go on to the next principle and give examples. Many people love stories because they have elements of both in

It is also important to read the mood of your audience so you don’t bore them. You need them awake to remember your key points. If you have the luxury of time, you can allow them ask questions but be careful not to go off-topic. My personal preference is to ask the participants to note down their questions. Periodically, I pause and answer questions. You can also ask them to wait till after the presentation, if it isn’t a long one.

You need to display some emotional intelligence with your audience. Once, I was training some young engineers and I observed that one of them was not smiling at any of my wisecracks. I know I sometimes crack dry jokes but I knew it wasn’t the case in this instance. I had to ask him what the matter was. It turned out that he wasn’t feeling well. I had to ask him to take care of himself and come back the next day. I also spent some time discussing “off-topic” points (which I later related to some points in the presentation) when I observed that my audience were getting tired with engineering details.

The best presentations merge facts with practical examples. Think of any sermon/presentation/articles you ever listened to or read: they have a good mix of both.

So, what are you going to do about your next presentation? Will you pack in so many facts and leave out the fun part? Will you keep the fun and leave your audience with no principles to take away? Or will you find the right balance between facts and fun?

Please feel free to share your views and comments. Have a blessed and productive day.