Everything is fair in Love, War and Business

An experience of Smart Marketing

This was indeed smart and intelligent! Of one Sundays, we planned out shopping with my newly-aligned family to the Commercial Street, Bangalore. With an all-day extensive strolling and here-and-there shopping, we decided to finish off our day for the last glancing shot at the 'Soch'- lovely sari collections.

My sister-in-law (I think I can address her so now) did materialize this final reckoning leisure glance with a, shades of black and red contemporary motif sari- quite a glamorous one, i admired its work the most!

We five, then decided to head home with packets and covers in our hands-those adjusting its ways out from the swampy Sunday street towards the rickshaws lined along.

This is where it actually begins, we pulled in for two ricks-we being five. I heard my folks get into some negotiations and overheard the drivers convincing them too. This was what the deal was- they wanted us to drive into some newly opened traditional ladies' wear store ("Roopam Silks International"..ah got it from the cash memo, ) with no rentals charged for the ride...very strange, unlike typical usual street-experiences. Folks agreed...the only point of compromise for us, was to give away that extra time out, instead of getting home on time to complete our 'ants-out' like day....an amazing marketing tool indeed- the rickshaws! Interesting!!

It isn't anything new in having advertising flexs stuck behind the ricks or they handing over promotional pamphlets. But this was definitely new. Well mazed, straight to the store-floor directly from the elevator- well crafted indeed! I wish i'd been good with graphic illustrations. I would have drawn out the entire episode.

This store was cramped in some by-lane corner building (if i recollected it right, some M.Y.J Tower) on the first floor of a residential-like building- away from the main road and not anyway close to the shopping lanes of one of the city's busiest places. Queerly located- but this store-strategist (quite a genius) had pinched the right skins with the right hook.So the drivers apparently got fuel filled worth Rs.100 at the end of the day depending on the number of customers registered (technically convinced) on a book that was kept in the parking lot.

Their marketing team did definitely get the sales direction straight but looked skeptic of any definite returns.This may sound unbelievable to all- but i noticed each family (present then) buying atleast one item from the store -of more than Soch's rates. We too had no intentions of buying, well atleast I didn't. But my sister-in-law landed buying one more sari again. The salesman called it an original elephant silk piece (???). I am aware of the Banarasi, Patola, Bandhani, Maheswari, Pochampally, ah yes- of Mysore silk as well, what's this elephant silk? Ummm i've heard of butter silk! Now does this mean that elephants in Indian are getting cloned as silk worms? Do they have similar worm-like fibres in their bodies too? Or maybe something just discovered? And, the sari in no way had any elephant prints or anything alike resembling on it! Can anyone?? Ok maybe too much of creative thinking asides their amazing strategic ones. Well, elephant silk is not the catch here. But must say, the sales personnel were voluntarily proactive in convincing the customers- right hook yet again!

At the end of the day- the rick drivers were happy (they atleast sounded so when they dropped us home!), the island-Store hit the sale meter high despite their ferry scale lacking, BUT customers were the ones who got into this indulgent purchases. Well, if you ask ME...i was the happiest for sure, for we technically did not pay for the ride....FIRST EVER FREE RICK-RIDE ON AN INDIAN STREET (to be more precise from Infantry Road to Koramangala 6th Block, simply wow'o'licous!).

Guess everything is fair in Love,War and, Business.

Modernistic world after all...we know what matters the most!

I shall now anxiously venture and spot for more such 'unsealed' customer indulgences...Hope to be amazed and get to revalue market and business like this often and more...

Pelmo's Hierarchy Of Needs for Existence (PHONE): For Us and Around

Well, the PHONE is modeled with an inspiration from the unceasing Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs of the mid 1950s. This is however the Needs' Model of my way, our days-current times. It is entirely an individualist interpretation, so may not be considered too good to theorize. You may wish to consider it as an evolution of the 'third kind'.

The theoretical explanation could be a result of an obsessive emotional expression or an idealist imagination of perfect human existence.

I call it the PHONE, which also has a tangible connotation in the modern day work, play and management. This will be explained in detail once we have a progressive understanding to my notion of theory building.

My theory of Needs has a pyramidical representation like great Maslow's and I too begin with a bottom-up approach. I first have the 'default needs' which we can also consider filling with wide variants of our living structures-accommodating the proportional space of the many tangible figures. The following attributes, both tangible and non-tangible are considered the 'default needs' for one's existence:

1. Default Needs: Air, water, food, shelter,family, friends, sex, physical comfort, mobile phones indeed!

After having attained all the 'default needs' we strive for a little higher band of attributional needs and I call that the 'Satisfying Needs'. This includes:

2. Satisfying Needs: Material stability, Relationship matureness, Knowledge practicality, Societal acceptance, Family coherence

I believe all the conjunct words for the above needs'-band are self-explanatory and may resonant on today's modern lifestyle. However, in case for any clarification, readers can mark a comment. Moving higher up for meaningful attainment of life and breathing, I consider band of 'Corrective Needs' to be the values and attributes that help our mind and soul converge for better living and a world of peace and harmony. Having acquired the 'default needs' and the 'satisfying' ones, we tend to explore our outer selves, neighbors and the world . The spaces outside homes, communities, associations, clubs and meets.This I call the willingess to complete one's cycle of existence, foster meaning and respect to life- barring all religious beliefs and traditional practices.Therefore, this band of needs include the following:

3. Corrective Needs: Cross tolerance, Constructive criticism, Proactive dwelling,Virtues, Emotions, Principles,Values

The 'corrective needs' may require just a slender description in case we misinterpret...for we have the world with us now. Having mentioned that 'default and satisfying needs' are more to do about oneself, individual desires and peace of mind, while 'corrective needs' and other to follow include the world and other along. This is the phase where we try to re-evaluate, re-calculate and re-define our positions and life meanings.This requires abundant tolerance and space for listening.We need to merge ourselves with the outer world-workplace, neighbors, culture, creativity, government and politics. We bare the hearts for resistance, wrong influence and continuous self improvement. With this follows to give constructive feedback and not just criticism and gossips.

This becomes more evident in the complex multi-lateral societies when life races for ultimatums all the time. One can succumb and sustain only with the willingness to be proactive to change, to change for better. And, this can be achieved only with a willful heart of right virtues, emotions, principles and values.

Having attained the values and attributes of the 'corrective needs' we move upward for 'coping needs'. We require those hearts and minds that can accept and tolerate change and wellbeing. Hence, coping band of needs include:

4. Coping needs: Acceptance, Respect, Understanding, Realization and Rationalization

The adjunct words however does not imply to any irrational understanding.So now the question arises as to how does one differentiate between a rational and an irrational decision? For we have considered the world of tolerance and value construction. Here, we need to judge the situation and not the decision maker. We need to evaluate the context and place of occurrence and not the individual. This will avoid the world from being 'pre and post' judgmental and evade unnecessary heroism.

By now, we almost have it all, we now seek for spiritual oneness with the world and the God. We have passed the phase of struggle, chaos, noise and worries, we've got our partial-peace of minds now. We got those hearts to look out for those blissful souls. This includes:

5. Spiritual Needs: Dedication, Solidarity, Philanthropy, Belief, Trust and Faith

In attaining most of the cognizable and tangible needs in life, we look for spiritual and philanthropic growth of oneself and of the world in entirety. And this can be achieved only if one is happy and satisfied with oneself....I say this because I've met scores of people who are not happy with themselves so can't see the world be happy either. This disgruntlement is the food for unhealthy growth of fruit and the fields.So all needs to be happy first to make the world happier. And all these efforts begin from the womb and the home. We can thus, point out the importance of value living, education and best practices- all that begins from one's home.

We now move to the highest band of needs which Maslow calls Self-actualization. For PHONE, self-actualization gets encrypted way ahead when we endeavor for mutual virtue and tolerance (Corrective needs). Correcting and coping modern discruptions and open discomforts, one can attain complete satisfaction with all the material and spiritual gains when one starts to experiment. Experiencing happens only when we have all the five crude bands of need in hand. This happens when we know what we are and what we want. PHONE however explains a very young span of life where self actualization needs to be attained in one's rather very tender age. Modern lives got no time for deliberating, we explore, we experience. A full fledge experimenting begins only once one knows what gives them real happiness and genuine pleasure.

6. Experiential Needs: Volunteering, Cross-membership, Participation and Contribution

However, the 'experiential needs' are endeavored by a very handful individuals who have been successful and content with their lives and the world. And we all know that it is 'not-so-easy' is to be successful very quickly these days. So this band of needs include quite a wide stretch of success stories and achievement histories. The experiential needs, nevertheless demands only honest hearts with meaningful lives to be involved in voluteering and contributional experiencing than anyone without self actualization and self exploration. 'Who haven't thy explored, cannot explore thee...'

The PHONE explains the modern fast-paced hierarchy of needs to which cross-industrial management units of both public and private entities from anywhere, could refer for new policy making. I know how secondary researching works! This is an honest contribution to reconstruct the 'old school buildings'....perhaps very soon!