Creating “Wow” Selling Strategies through Sun Tzu’s The Art of War

Creating “Wow” Selling Strategies through Sun Tzu’s The Art of War

The English term that focuses on war is something of a mistranslation. The accurate translation is strategy. This strategy focuses on the strategy “winning without conflict” by espousing unique position in the competitive environment to discover opportunities while turning your opponents’ apparent strengths against them.

Now, businesspeople refer to The Art of War as the guidance for better decision and strategic marketing tools. The principle solidifies vague idea of a strategy into a clear, well-defined set of principle. By understand the principle of Sun Tzu, you will be intrigued by the lessons that emerge when the strategy applied to make sales.

According to Sun Tzu, think competitively is a better strategy rather than having a solid sales process. One of the success key: you present decision-makers with the best possible alternatives for investing their money. As a successful sales manager, you must think strategically in various prospective such as consumer behavior, strategic marketing, product life cycles and others. Hence, you will be able to foreseen and monitor the sales progress effectively.
Sun Tzu stated, the element to success is selecting the right battleground. In marketing, it is interpreted as sales adaptation where we have to highlight on right issues in the buying process. As a superstar salesperson, you can start by understanding your customers need rather than keep on pushing your products. If you focus on the product itself, you would end up like prescribing medicine to a patient without asking what their problems are.

The third principle of Sun Zhu is innovation and differentiation. In Sun Tzu’s terms, you must always adapt to the changes that take place on the field of battle. Innovation and differentiation are the better strategy to sustain and grow in the dynamic marketplace. Digitalization from revolutionary technology, globalization, deregulation from reshaping the economy, privatization creates the needs of innovation.

Based on Sun Tzu school of thought, you cannot success through your own action alone. Sun Tzu emphasizes that opportunity is always abundant; since every problem creates opportunity, we must identify and act fast. Strategic thinking on gaps derives from risk and crisis leads to opportunity is the major key of success. I had experience to conduct consultancy for an educational institution. I identified the opportunity to focus on training and program in the area of nutrition and food technology during the food poisoning crisis in China. This strategy enables the organisation win through customization.

The last principle of Sun Tzu focuses on knowledge and information of a person. According to Sun Tzu, victory goes to the person who is the most knowledgeable. Besides, he added, there is no substitute for knowledge. Hence, understanding and capturing all information about the products and your competitors.

The universal utility of Sun Tzu’s principles means that you can apply it in all scenarios. When exploring Sun Tzu The Art of War, you will develop more insight into Sun Tzu’s methods and apply to your own situation.

Aloe Vera: A Microscopic Review

Aloe Vera: A Microscopic Review
By Dr Leow Chee Seng
Senior Consultant of Yale Consultancy Sdn Bhd
Fellow of British Institute of Homeopathy
Homeopathy Consultant

The short thorny green plants attracted my attention! This is my first experience to visit an
Aloe Vera field which was located at Johor Bahru. Sincerely appreciate my brother Kar
Leong for exposing me to a wonderful experience in the field. This experience inspires me to
further research on the little plants: Aloe Vera.

Most botanists agree, and historical evidence suggests, that the Aloe Vera plant originated in
the warm, dry climates of Africa. The very first record of the Aloe Vera plant in history was
written by Dioscorides, a famous Greek physician from the first century AD. He wrote that
Aloe Vera had the power of “inducing sleep and of thickening the body…it helps loosen the
belly and cleanses the stomach when drunk with warm milk or cold water.” By the 2nd
century AD, Aloe Vera had become indispensible to Roman physicians - the most notable of
which was Galen, the personal physician of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Galen
was said to have drawn his knowledge from the writings of Aristotle and Hippocrates, who
had gotten their knowledge of Aloe Vera from the Indian and Egyptian “medical writers”. in
the East, Chinese physicians were already writing about how Aloe Vera helped treat sinusitis,
skin disorders, and internal problems such as convulsions in children and worm fever.
The aloe vera plants is characterized by long, hard, sword-shaped, fleshy, green leaves, with
sharp point and an array of barbed spikes on each leaf edge. Each plant can have between
twenty and thirty leaves and these leaves grow a rosette pattern straight out the ground. When
the plant blooms, its bright flowers appear on a central leafless stem high above the gelbearing.
In fact, the fresh leaf gel and latex are used for many purposes. Aloe latex is the
sticky residue left over after the liquid from cut aloe leaves has evaporated.
According to Ms Jessie Ng, of director of the aloe vera field, “Aloe vera is a veritable
treasure chest of nutritional ingredients.” I read a review by Smith and Stenhaus (1851), aloin
or anthraquinone glycosides was the principle ingredient responsible for aloe’s laxative
effects, an ever increasing number of biologically active compounds have been identified. To
date, research has proved aloe vera contain a unique spectrum of micronutrients and the
natural chemical constituents of aloe vera can be catagorised in the following main area:
• Amino acids
• Anthraquinones
• Enzymes
• Lignin
• Mono and polysaccharides
• Salicylic acdis
• Saponins
• Sterols
• Vitamins

Modern research has proven aloe vera to be beneficial for many conditions. It has been used
effectively for treatment radiation burns, skin disorders, wounds, sunburn and dermatitis.
Besides, clinical trial has proven aloe vera also help with inflammation and ulcers. Test tube
studies suggested polysaccharides, such as acemannon, help promote skin healing by anti
inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immune-stimulating actions. Aloe’s effects on the skin may
also be enhanced by its high concentration of amino acids, as well as vitamin E, vitamin C,
zinc and essential fatty acids.

Modern research found that, when applied externally, aloe vera can help to speed healing and
restore skin tissue. It also aids in healing when used externally in cases of wounds, frostbite
and burns. The healing of burns may be due to the moisturizing effect of aloe. It is easily
absorbed into the skin preventing the air from drying the damaged skin. Older case studies
reported that aloe gel applied topically could help heal radiation burns, and a small clinical
trial found it more effective than a topical petroleum jelly in treating burns. However, a large,
modern, placebo-controlled trial did not find aloe effective for treating minor burns.
In clinical, stabilized aloe gel is applied to the affected area of skin three to five times per day.
Besides, treatment of more serious burns should only be done under the supervision of a
healthcare professional. For intestine use of aloe gel, two tablespoons (30ml should be taken
three times per day) for patient with inflammatory bowel condition such as Crohn’s disease
and ulcerative colitis. Remember, the latex form of aloe should not be used by anyone with
inflammatory intestinal disease including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or appendicitis.
It is known to help increase movement in the intestine, relieve constipation, promote
menstruation and aid in digestion. Anthraquinone glycosides are split by the normal bacteria
in the large intestines to form other molecules (aglycones), which exert the laxative action.
Since aloe is such a powerful laxative, other plant laxatives such as senna or cascara are often
recommended. For constipation, a single 50 – 200 mg capsule of aloe latex can be taken each
day for a maximum of ten days. However, for people with constipation, aloe latex should not
be used for more than ten consecutive days as it may lead to dependency and fluid loss.
Extensive fluid loss may lead to depletion of important electrolytes in the body such as
potassium.

On top of that, aloe vera has been found to help in preventing the formation of kidney stones
and to help reduce the size of the stones. It can help clean, soothe and relieve pain on contact.
It rapidly penetrates through all three layers of the skin to promote healing. It contains
salicylic acid and magnesium which work together to produce as aspirin-like analgesic effect.
Two small controlled human trials have found that aloe, either alone or in combination with
the oral hypoglycemic drug, glibenclamide, effectively lowers blood sugar in people with
type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. In clinical trials, it is proven that the used of one tea
tablespoon (15ml) of aloe juice, twice daily. Treatment of diabetes with aloe should only be
done under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. Okyar A, et. al. (2001)
reported in Journal of Phytother Res, A. vera leaf pulp and gel extracts were ineffective on
lowering the blood sugar level of ND rats. A. vera leaf pulp extract showed hypoglycaemic
activity on IDDM and NIDDM rats, the effectiveness being enhanced for type II diabetes in
comparison with glibenclamide. On the contrary, A. vera leaf gel extract showed
hyperglycaemic activity on NIDDM rats. It may therefore be concluded that the pulps of
Aloe vera leaves devoid of the gel could be useful in the treatment of non-insulin dependent
diabetes mellitus.

Aloe vera also been used as a treatment for vital diseases such as AIDS and may help prevent
the virus from moving from one cell to the other. According to Dr. Pulse's published report in
the Journal of Advancement in Medicine: "No adverse effects attributable to the essential
fatty acid capsules where observed nor any side effects of the nutritional supplementation
powder nor of the aloe vera juice. Most patients who were symptomatic reported that within
three to five days their energy levels improved, fever disappeared, night sweats stopped,
cough decreased or stopped altogether, shortness of breath decreased, lymph nodes decreased
in size, diarrhea stopped, strength improved, and the only measurable side effect of this
particular study was weight gain, which is a desirable effect.”

Aloe Vera therefore has a complimentary role to play in the management of various
conditions. It is very important however that people should always seek the advice of their
medical professional when the diagnosis is in doubt or where a condition does not
improve. Self diagnosis can be extremely dangerous as many serious conditions can mimic
more simple ones.

Tipping the Balance Against Suicide

Tipping the Balance Against Suicide
By Dr Leow Chee Seng
Senior Consultant of Yale Consultancy Sdn Bhd
Fellow of British Institute of Homeopathy
Certified Stress Management Consultant, USA

During attending lecture by Dr Maznah Baba, from University Putra Malaysia, I was exposed to various concept of mental health. According to Would Health Organisation (WHO), mental health refers to state of well-being which release his own ability and cope with normal stressors of life; can work productivity fruitfully and able to make contribution to the community. In fact, the definition is ambiguous and it depends on which angle you are interpreting it. It is impossible to know for sure if a person who seems sad or who has changed for the worse is at a real risk for suicide. Nobody can ever predict how another person will react to the more troubling or difficult things in life. Different people handle different situations in different ways - this is a fact of life no matter how old you become. But there are some clear warning signs that a friend may be in trouble and that suicide may be something they are considering.

Since suicidal wishes are a prevalent and potentially lethal problem in depressed patients, it is important for the therapies to understand why the patient is considering such a drastic action. The therapist will then be in a better position to select appropriate and effective techniques to deal with the particular problem. However, no anti-suicidal strategy is of any use unless the therapist is able to detect and assess the degree of suicidal intentionality.

Common Suicide Risk Indicators
Clues to suicide plans may be detected in overt behaviours such as secretiveness, a sudden decision to make a will, or verbal statements. A suicidal individual may say, for example, “I don’t want to go on living” or “I want to end it all.” Other statement suggestive of suicidal intent include, “I’m not going to put up with it anymore,”, “I’m a burden on anyone,” “Things will never get better,” and “My intent is indirect and may be pieced together only in retrospect. For example, I have experienced getting statement, “I guess I won’t be seeing you again” or “I want to thank you for trying so hard to help me.” For a depressed patient leaving on a weekend pass from a hospital. Or on retiring for the night, the patient may say “goodbye” instead of “goodnight”. Researchers have noted that individual tend towards suicide more than others. The characteristics associated with such at-risk adolescents include the following:

A previous suicide attempt
Suicidal gestures (cutting off one’s hair, self-inflicted cigarette burns, other abuse of self)
A tendency to be socially isolated (having no friends or only one friend)
A record of school failure or truancy
A broken home or a broken relationship with a significant other (family member, boy/girlfriend)
Talk of suicide, either one’s own or that of others
A close friend or relative who was a suicide victim
Not living at home
Preoccupation with death or dying
A recent significant loss or the anniversary of one
Sudden disruptive or violent behaviours
Being more withdrawn or uncommunicative and isolated from other than usual

The most common external causes - or more accurately, external catalysts - of suicidal behavior are bullying, peer pressure/incidents, family crisis’s and health problems. Usually these are situational in nature and have an escalating history that has led the individual to feel as if they have no other way out. In their mind the situation has reached a breaking point and they see no other way out except death, or the threat of death. When external forces become unbearable enough for a person to contemplate suicide depression of some sort is always involved. The depression causes the individual to make irrational decisions based on unstable emotions.
This type of suicidal tendency is often accompanied by “after-death” fantasies in which the now dead individual, after taking their own life, gets to view the reactions and grief of those they left behind. In these fantasies the people that have caused the psychological pain feel punished by the suicide and in their grieving they demonstrate great remorse for having driven the person to take their own life. In this type of suicide (or suicide attempt) the individual is attempting to take back control in a situation that they feel is totally outside of their control. In killing themselves they are taking back control and getting in the last word and if the real life situation has left the individual feeling totally helpless the idea of going out in control and teaching other people a lesson in the process can be strangely appealing.

Suicidal urges that are brought on by external circumstances unwanted pregnancy without a support system, abuse in the family, abuse in a relationship, sexual assault, sexual harassment, bullying, peer rejection, and romantic rejection. The individual is intrigued by the fantasy that they would be getting back at somebody who they feel has hurt them and that this somebody will see the error of their ways and feel tremendous guilt, they are often fleeting in nature and happen in a moment of extreme emotional stress, they are more likely to fail, be repeated and escalate in severity with each repeated attempt. Under these circumstances the suicide attempts are often dismissed as cries for attention, which can be a fatal mistake on the part of the people close to the suicidal individual. Since the root cause here is a deep and wounding sense of helplessness being ignored or having others dismiss the attempts as attention seeking can lead to the person successfully taking their own life. Ironically when the external causes are addressed and dealt with and the person’s sense of helplessness is overcome the suicidal urges all but disappear.

Internal causes of suicidal behavior are much more complex and harder for the average person to see than external causes. The most common internal causes of suicide or suicidal behavior are clinical depression, psychiatric disorders or chemical imbalances. Essentially all suicide attempts come down to something inside the suicidal person but those without external catalysts are often biological in nature. Severe depression, which is believed to be caused by a combination of external factors and internal chemistry, is one thing that almost every suicide or suicide attempt has in common, how that depression came to be is the only difference. Some people suffer from depression because of chemical imbalances and to outsiders their lives seem great, or at the very least average, with nothing outstanding that would indicate a reason to want to die.

Practical Tips on Balancing against suicide

It is important for friends and therapist to “play for time” until the dangerous period for suicide has passed. The strategy used to involve patient to get himself involved in the process of therapy that he decides to :stick it out” until he sees where the therapy is going. This can be done by stimulating interest in his therapeutic approach. On top on it, the therapist should maintain continuity between sessions.

Involvement of patients on the treatment plan helps to treat the decision to commit suicide as the outcome of the struggle between the patient’s wishes to live versus his wishes to die. As in a declaration of war, an irrevocable decision may be made on the basis of a margin of a single vote, as it were. Initially, therefore, the therapist’s efforts should be directed towards shifting the votes in favour of living.

Once the patient has agreed to weigh the pros and cons of suicide, the therapist would elicit “Reason for Living” and “Reason for dying.” Although patient might forget reason for living, we can guide them by asking them to think of happy moment. The next step can be done by technical aid by drawing two columns on a sheet of paper. The therapist and patent can then list reasons in favour of living that were valid in the past. The therapist proceeds to ascertain which of the “past” reasons for living are valid in the present or at the least might be valid in the future. It is interesting to note that the suicidal patient has often nullified these positive factors in his life that he has forgotten them; ignore them or discounted their value.

The therapist should also recognize that it may be quite painful for the patient to reconsider his decision to kill himself. The patient may have undergone enormous turmoil before arriving at his decision to terminate his suffering via suicide, and reopening the question may mean to him that he will have to go through another period of turmoil and prolong his plan.

Summary

When dealing with depression, hopelessness, and fear, it is difficult to know where the bad feelings end and real risk begins. If your friend exhibits two or more of these warning signs in a close period of time it is best that you try to help. This does not mean you should take the weight of their world upon your shoulders, but it does mean you should alert other people to the possible risk. Go to your other friends, your at-risk friend's family, or a trusted teacher or counsellor. Just like your friend does not have to go through a difficult time alone, you do not need to try to save your friend on your own. If you fear your friend may attempt suicide, you should get some outside help and guidance from people who are best able to get your friend the help he/she really needs.