:: Hikmah @ Ekhwan.Com :: » Money Matters

MAF Najmcard Irony

Juzar Noorani — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:28:25 +0000

MAF, one of the most reputable group of companies launched credit cards a few years back with staunch terms and conditions in store for applicants. The credit card is basically issued by MAF Finance and the initial card they launched was the JCB card while the Visa was added to their range later on.

These cards were initially promoted by the MAF group hyper mart, Carrefoure by adding discounts almost every other thing available off the self there. In addition to this the NajmCard boasts upto 4% cash back in all promotional material including the website and all other printed materials. They also have “Free for life” cards with a lower cash back value which is by all means acceptable.

So far so good. The surprises are yet to come, just like most banks that astonish the consumer with finer prints rarely readable, known as, terms and conditions apply. However, these terms and conditions are rarely mentioned in promotional material which lure consumers into a trap of so called loyalty shopping at times, turning it into tied up and bound to shopping.

What a cash back means in Najm Card language is accumulation of points that can later be converted to Carrefoure Vouchers that can be redeemed to pay ones carrefoure bills.

The Najm Card cash back system is not a cash back system but its a holding back customer for myself system. Such promotional material cannot be deemed as accurate and in consumer interests, rather it is misleading to those who have to offer a blank dated and signed cheque to MAF Finance, have a large salary and other such conditions to apply for the so called Cash Back credit card.

Unless you are willing to pay a good amount of fee for the Najm Card, just forget getting one with an adjustable cash back system. Except for the priority counter benefit at carrefoure nothing is so attractive about the Najmcard. The special discounts that were initially offered also do not exist any longer.

5 Ways To Protect Your Business

Juzar Noorani — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:26:17 +0000

1. Have a Board of Advisors. Find people who have built great companies and ask them to sit on your advisory board. Meet every quarter. Show them your numbers. Share your struggles. Listen to-and act on-their advice.

2. Set Up A Peace of Mind Fund. Install a reserve fund with at least 12 months (and ideally 24 months) of operating expenses. Set it up so a portion of your monthly sales automatically goes into this account. You’ll sleep better at night knowing your business can run even if income slows down.

3. Focus on People and Culture. The single best way to protect your business is to hire top talent and invest in training your people so they amp up their performance in good as well as hard times. And work on your culture. That’s the “special sauce” that brings out the best in a team.

4. Work On Your Business vs In It. The old Michael Gerber distinction is key here. I spoke at a YPO/EO event last week and met a young entrepreneur who’d just sold his company. I asked him for the single best move he made. “I worked on my business vs in it.” He explained his core concentration was on building systems and processes so the business ran superbly without him.

5. Become Obsessed with Value Creation. This is not some pie in the sky idea. It’s a hard-hitting business growth tactic. Obsess (yes, obsess) over how you can add more value to more people and the revenues will take care of themselves.

by Robin Sharma is the author of the #1 international bestseller “The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in Life,” a book that is causing transformation in many of the best businesses in the world.

111 Lessons Life Taught Us

Juzar Noorani — Wed, 25 May 2011 07:54:56 +0000

Sometimes thinking about your life and sorting out what you have learned is just as important as tackling a new venture.

Reflect on your past, dig deep within yourself and answer one simple question:

What has life taught you?

Think about all the things you would love to tell yourself if you could travel back in time to give your younger self some advice about life.

Here’s a sample of 111 life lessons that were recently submitted to the site:

Spend more time with those who make you smile and less time with those who you feel pressured to impress.
Never tell someone their dreams are impossible. You’ll feel like a fool when they prove you wrong.
No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.
Pursuing happiness by acquiring material things (fancy cars, expensive jewelry, designer clothing) is like jogging to the grocery store on your treadmill: it won’t get you anywhere.
Laugh at stupid jokes. Apologize. Tell someone how much they mean to you. It’s the small moments that make life grand.
At 79, I regret the things I didn’t do far more than the things I did.
Life is way more enjoyable when you stop trying to be cool and simply focus on being yourself.
Start by asking yourself whether each of your relationships drags you down or lifts you up. Surrounding yourself with positive, loving people is half the battle of living a happy, successful life.
When the ‘want’ gets stronger, the ‘how’ gets easier.
Too often we judge people on too little information. Instead of judging someone for what they do or where they are in their life, figure out why they do what they do and how they got to where they are.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the great things you have that money can’t buy.
I have taken noticed that the deeper I know about myself, the clearer I understand others.
You can’t change who you are. You can only change what you know and how you apply this knowledge.
I don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends I can be certain of.
People who are meant to be together will find their way back to each other. They may take detours, but they’re never lost.
The older I get, and the more I learn, the more I realize I know so little. At 72, life still teaches me new lessons every day.
You can press forward long after you can’t. It’s just a matter of wanting it bad enough.
Complaining is like slapping yourself for slapping yourself. It doesn’t solve the problem, it just hurts you more.
Embrace change. As uncomfortable as it is sometimes, change allows us to stretch and grow. New things feel awkward and scary at first, but those feelings go away, and you are left with something bigger and bolder in your life.
Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow emotionally and intellectually. They force us to stretch ourselves and our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first. And when we don’t feel comfortable, we don’t feel ready.
No matter how bad your heart has been broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief. The sun comes right back up the next day.
Supporting, guiding, and making contributions to other people is one of life’s greatest rewards. In order to get, you have to give.
Learn to adjust the sails of your life to unpredictable winds, while keeping your focus clear on your destination. And keep sailing until you get there.
As you strive to achieve your goals and dreams you can count on there being some fairly substantial disappointments along the way. Don’t get discouraged, the road to your dreams may not be an easy one. Think of these disappointments as challenges – tests of persistence and courage – that life throws at you during your journey. They are necessary and are meant to help you grow as a person.
Spend less than you earn, go without until you have the money in hand.
Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is the greatest freedom.
Even when you feel like you have nothing, someone else likely has far less. Find them and help them. You’ll see why.
Marriages evolve and change. The feelings you had for the man or woman you married will mutate and evolve several times over the life of a marriage. Hopefully you will evolve in the same direction or at least embrace and accept the changes in the other person. It takes work, and sometimes it takes counseling. Don’t gloss over those changes or you may wake up next to a stranger one day.
Negativity breeds more negativity. When you focus only on the negative, obviously that’s all you will see. You will not seek out positivity, and even when positivity comes into your life, you’ll look for the negative side of things.
If you want something in your life you’ve never had, you’ll have to do something you’ve never done.
As a child, I always thought the expression “it’s better to give than to receive” was trite and silly. As an adult, I recognize the expression’s value. Having the capacity to give means you possess a mindset of abundance. Having the will to give means you want to make a difference in the world. Having the desire to give means you care.
It’s not so much what you say that counts, it’ how you make people feel.
Figure out what you want. Set real goals and make a logical plan to achieve them. It’s like the old saying, “A goal that is never written down is nothing more than a New Year’s resolution.” And we all know what happens to New Year’s resolutions.
Being open-minded is the key to more knowledge. If you want to know more about the world you have to keep an open mind. You have to give people and things a chance.
If you want love, give love. If you want friends, be friendly. If you want money, provide value. It really is this simple.
If something won’t be significant to you 3 days/3 months/3 years from now, don’t waste all your time worrying about it now.
Manage aging, but why fight it? You can spend a fortune on face creams, plastic surgery, hair growth formulas, and Botox, but eventually you realize you are fighting an uphill battle. Groom yourself nicely. Stay fit. Have unsightly things removed. But accept the beauty of aging. A striking mature man or woman is much more attractive than someone who looks overly taunt, tanned or top-heavy.
Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.
Being busy and being productive are two different things.
Life is unbelievably brief. When you’re young, you might feel like there’s a huge mass of time ahead of you. But trust me, it passes much faster than you think. You get gray hairs before you feel like a real adult. And then you have kids, and suddenly they’re leaving for college. Stop long enough to appreciate it all.
Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.
Your health is your life, keep up with it. Get an annual physical check-up.
Change is the only permanent thing in life.
Having a thousand credentials on the wall will not make you a decent human being. But genuinely helping one person everyday will.
You must create and look for opportunities. Opportunities rarely ever come knocking on the door of someone who’s not seeking them. You have to create and seek opportunities for yourself. You have to take the initiative to get the ball rolling and the doors opening.
Keep your brain active. Don’t get into a mental rut. Do new things, learn new things, explore new ideas in all areas of your life. Keep challenging yourself and your mind. Be curious and interested in the world around you.
Someone always has it worse. At times you may be having a bad day, but stop yourself and think about it; there are plenty of other people who have it worse off than you do.
In work and business, when they need you more than you need them, you have succeeded.
Trying to be somebody you’re not is not sexy. Be you. That’s when you’re beautiful.
Truly ‘rich’ people need ‘less’ to be happy.
Your ability to select a suitable spouse will greatly influence your financial and emotional well-being. Three common sense guidelines: 1. Pick someone who’s a joy to be around and who makes you happy. 2. Know the person well. 3. Ensure compatibility beyond physical attraction because beauty and youth are fleeting, while the mind and heart endure.
No matter how much progress you make there will always be the people who insist that whatever you’re trying to do is impossible. Or they may incessantly suggest that the idea or dream as a whole is utterly ridiculous because nobody really cares. When you come across these people, don’t try to reason with them. Instead, forget that they exist. They will only waste your time and energy.
We are all weird. And life is weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we call it love.
Saying “no” to right people gives you the time and resources required to say “yes” to right opportunities.
Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless. Period. Don’t be dishonest and don’t put up with people who are.
If you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop. You’re on to something big. Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.
Bulls**t might help you get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there. The truth always rises to the top and buries the bulls**t eventually.
After 40 years of teaching at a local college I’ve come to realize that a teacher is nothing but a clever student.
Sooner or later, you just want to be around the people who make you smile.
Forgiving yourself is far more important (and difficult) than getting others to forgive you.
Simplicity is often a major factor of success. But the process of simplifying things is rarely easy.
There are few joys in life that equal a good conversation, a good read, a good walk, a good hug, a good smile, or a good friend.
Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Laugh at yourself often. Find the humor in whatever situation you’re in.
Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective.
When you spend time worrying, you’re simply using your imagination to create things you don’t want.
Maturity is more about education and life experience than it is about age. I know plenty of mature 30-somethings and immature 50-somethings.
When passion and skill work together, we’re often left with a masterpiece.
You’re not alone. Everyone has problems. Some people are just better at hiding them than others.
True friendship and true love do sustain the tests of distance and time.
It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary. I believe this to be true and have experienced this with my own family. When I think of the times where we laughed the most or had the most fun – it was when we were doing simple, everyday things like swimming in a pool, combing a beach for shells, playing a board game or sharing a delicious meal.
Get up 30 minutes earlier so you don’t have to rush around like a mad man. That 30 minutes will help you avoid speeding tickets, tardiness, and other unnecessary headaches. (Read Getting Things Done.)
It is okay to be angry. It is never okay to be cruel.
Arguments are natural. An argument between two close friends doesn’t show a lack of love or respect, it’s simply a disagreement. In fact, quite often, the only reason we get frustrated with people and argue with them is because we care about them. Which is why we need to remember not to get too carried away.
Money and stuff are not all that important. Yes, you want enough to be comfortable and do the things you want to do. But accumulating for the sake of accumulating is boring and empty. Trust me, it gets old fast. So feed your soul, not your ego.
Hang out with younger people. Stay connected with what the generation behind you is doing and thinking. Establish friendships with them. You will benefit and learn from each other. Don’t act superior, because younger people may know a whole lot more than you do.
There is nothing to hold you back except yourself. There is only one question to ask yourself here: “What would you do if you were not afraid?” Think about it.
No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win.
Either you’re going to take action and seize new opportunities or someone else will. You can’t change anything or make any sort of progress by sitting back and thinking about it.
Your years spent at school, reading and learning will seem short compared to a lifetime of minimum wage jobs. Get a good education, concentrate on areas that interest you and pursue your dreams.
Keep six months of your salary in an emergency savings account just in case you lose your job or have an emergency that prevents you from working for a prolonged period of time. And keep a few extra hundred dollars on hand for unexpected expenses, such as car and home repair.
A hero is someone who makes a positive difference in someone else’s life – even if it’s only one other person’s life.
You’re never too old to follow your dreams, whatever they may be. I didn’t start my first business until I was 46 (something I always wanted to do). Now at 53, my business is more successful than I ever could have dreamed.
Let your kids fail. Your kids will be okay, even if you think they are headed for the juvenile hall right now. Don’t come to their rescue all the time. Don’t manage every detail of their lives or over-schedule them with karate or viola lessons. Give them some boundaries, and then relax.
Be vulnerable. Allow yourself to feel, to be open and authentic. Tear down any emotional brick walls you have built around yourself and feel every exquisite emotion, both good and bad. This is real life. This is how you welcome new opportunities.
There’s no such thing as ‘risk free.’ Everything you do or don’t do in life has an inherent risk.
Take a step back to gain some perspective. Usually when we’re worried or upset, it’s because we’ve lost perspective. In the grand scheme of things, this one problem means almost nothing.
Every mistake you make is progress. Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.
The greatest “adventure” is the ability to INQUIRE, TO ASK QUESTIONS. Sometimes in the process of inquiry, the search is more significant than the answers. Answers come from other people, from the universe of knowledge and history, and from the intuition and deep wisdom inside yourself.
If it were easy everyone would do it. This is why get rich quick schemes will never be true. If it was so quick and easy then everyone would be millionaires. Making money and accomplishing tasks is hard work, but well worth it.
If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.
Count your blessings every day. I know, this is a refrigerator magnet line, but practice it daily anyway. There is so much good, so much beauty, so much love in your life. What more do you really need? You have so much right now, you just need to pause long enough to appreciate it.
It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance. You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work. But you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Sometimes you just have to go for it!
The one with nothing to hide is always the one left standing tall.
There is only one way to learn, and that is through action. Trying to learn without doing is like trying to lose weight by watching someone else exercise. It’s just not going to work.
Change happens for a reason. Roll with it. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
Experience life before you settle down. Whatever it is you want to do or experience, do as much of it as you can before you have children. Especially travel. Live in a hostel in Costa Rica for a month or drive across the country from coast to coast if you have to. But go have some really great, amazing, mind-blowing experiences.
Life gives and takes away. During difficult times, be committed to resolving problems, but also lighten up and ride the waves of impermanence. What is a monster problem today will be a forgotten thought in the future.
When two people cooperate instead of competing against each other their teamwork accomplishes far more than either of them could have achieved on their own.
Between what happened and what will happen is your choice. So choose to be positive in everyday tasks.
The best feeling in the world is getting paid to do what you love to do.
Good looks attracts the eyes. Personality attracts the heart.
If you’re smiling right now, you’re doing something right.
If you live your life consumed by the past, you waste the great moments you still have left to live.
Treat every small interaction with another person as an opportunity to make a positive impact in both your lives.
There’s a big difference between knowing and doing. Knowledge is useless without action.
Time is of the essence. You are born and you will die. Don’t waste the time in between. Use a time management system to control events, rather than have events controlling you.
The French have an aphorism that you don’t appreciate something until you don’t have it anymore. In 40 years from now what is it that you will regret not having accomplished, appreciated or attempted? Do it, appreciate it, attempt it NOW!
If it’s out of your control, why fret about it? Concentrating on things you can control is how you make good things happen.
Never send a text message, email or photo to someone that’s unfit for the eyes of the entire world. In this digital age you never know what might slip into the public eye.
The acquisition of knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing. Growing happens when what you know changes how you live.

For Love of the Written Word

Juzar Noorani — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:33:39 +0000

The Sharjah Book Fair is one massive event “for the love of the written word”, just as the slogan expresses. Visit the event and you would be astonished to the amount of ink mankind has spread of tons of paper full of expression and thoughts.

Since the dawn of civilization man has always been obsessed of communicating his thoughts, the knowledge that he acquire through a long learning process of understanding, experimenting and experiencing. The hunger and thirst for knowledge is what differentiates us humans from all other species that dwell this planet and probably make us feel superior.

The revolutionary age of information has digitized these thoughts and turned the ink into bits and bytes nevertheless the urge for holding a book in ones hand and swallowing the vast knowledge implanted in ink never lessens. The scent of the books its lustful binding and bright pages with shinny ink is what attracts readers to love the hard copies. Mind well that ink is called “rosh’naee” in Urdu because it radiates the light of knowledge and enlightens the soul. Love of books has grown and deepened within my heart and I could hardly resist a wonderful title except when the dept of my pocket is shallower. The Sharjah Book Fair is a place where I find relaxation skimming through pages and titles over the bookshelves and in stalls, and at times the clock stops as I just swallow a finer piece of work rather then just window shopping. The love and passion is never ending.

Though I am a book lover and like spending on a good title but the purse is not quick to open up. Though we are growing in terms of knowledge, education and information which is readily available everyday our lives are becoming shorter and homes smaller, with no spare time nor enough space to store the thought provoking work of authors. Even today books are a luxury for those who could afford to maintain its high costs.

During my recent visit to the Sharjah Book Fair, a thought popped up my mind as I looked up on the large banners that declared “Love for the written word”. The thought of being fortunate to own some of the worlds lovely titles published and happy to have read through the minds of some of the worlds brilliant men time has known was the most prominent. While another thought did sneak in to declare that since the authorities of Sharjah and its leadership are braving such a huge and massive event why not arrange some sort of a pre-owned books fair as well. The reason this thought popped up was seeing the tons and tons of paper displayed at the fair. The rate at which we are producing paper and coping up with demand is growing at such a high pace that I dare to say we might be out of paper in a very near future.

A book fair where people could dispose their pre-owned collection, share, sell, exchange or even give away for recycling would be another such massive event of equivalent impact to the community and our culture as well as our environment. Maybe such a stand alone book fair would not be possible but a well organized section in the International Book Far event could make a huge difference.

To be very much frank and truthful I even do not have an idea of how such an event or a part-event could even be organized but such an initiative would surely be a step forward for the intellectual beings that we humans belong to.

Banks are in Business as well

Juzar Noorani — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 18:24:23 +0000

Nowadays marketing agents just climb on your back until they get their piece of incentive in the form of commission for whoever they work for. Bank salespersons are no exception to this rule. The huge benefits they show you in their sales pitch for any product can make you feel you might be a millionaire in a few years. Take a credit card sales pitch for instance, where the sales person would show you the heaven and beware that if you are not capable of handling the heavenly features of the credit card it can turn to hell in no time.

Some people think that banks are just crazy enough to offer huge cash backs, sometimes up to 5% or have that gorgeous loyalty points program that creates and urge within to spend more and even more. But does it never come to our minds that banks are doing business as well in their own shrewd way. At times its wise enough to buy in cash from a small street shop which is reputed for its quality and goodwill rather then from a mall with a credit card where the same product might be 10 to 20 percent costlier. Well you might be getting a cash back of maybe 1% but then look at the difference. The bank would surely be earning 2 to 3 percent on sale from the merchant to return a minor bit to us, that too in a very clever way. The merchant would add the charges to the cost of goods passed to us.

Recently I had an experience with RAKBank where they managed to bifurcate my international spends and local spends on the credit card and the return was not even the 1% that was the usual supposed payout thought the expected percentage was higher. Banks do know their way around when it comes to making profits and posting the same to their ledgers for shareholders. The truth is that is what banks are for. The sales person would show the possible benefits that a person can derive but those are rather for the very rare cases and not on a general base.

Every wise and sane person would inquire both the pros and cons before falling prey to the hunt. I remember a sales person who looked at my statements and told me that this is the way a person should really use a credit card and to tell you the truth a bank would not really gain anything from a person like you. The banks job is to generate profit and more profit from interest sources which by all means I do not comply with and therefore a people should always keep their accounts straight and balanced. To have a clear view of the bank policies one should remember the ways of Shylock and his character in the wonderful work of Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”.

A Profession worth living

Juzar Noorani — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:36:25 +0000

At a very young age of about 15 years or so we had to write an essay about the best of all professions and which we in ourselves thought was an ideal one which made a real difference. I chose the teacher as the person who made the biggest difference in our lives, in shaping the individual, the society, culture and many other aspects of human life. The argument presented by a teenager was that if it were not for the teachers we would not have any doctors to save lives or engineers to shape our way of living. Everything depended on the teacher. There was also a quotation in the essay that “If you want to plan for 10 years plan trees but if you want to plan for a century educate women….or maybe it was children”. It does not matter as long as it was knowldge that was imparted.

It has been many years since then and recently I had to visit one of the very nice Schools in Sharjah where getting an admission is as difficult as a dream and reality. However, the principal of the School who is the owner himself and admired by many people for his devotion towards education, happened to be in touch with me for some reason. A School teacher asked me to accompany him to visit the Principal for the admission of his daughter. I willingly agreed and introduced him to the principal as a teacher. The principal exclaimed I have seen the papers written by your child. When asked what she would do with a million Dirhams, she has written that she would help her parents first and then others who are under privileged. The principal then exclaimed that “the children on teachers are the children of God”.

The school admitted the girl with priority and she was in one of the best schools with a low fee that the teacher could afford.

Teachers are not looser, they beget winners and champions. They are roots of our society. Yet in every part of the world they are the most under paid work force looking at the scope and importance of work. A few years back someone told me about a few teachers that they were a bunch of losers. I kept thinking why was that so. The reason was the person like him. He did not care for the person who cared for his child and nurtured him with knowledge. The teacher was not a loser rather the parent was.

Just because the teacher was under paid and sought other means to meets his ends does not make him so. Rather the parent was a loser who did not teach his child to respect his second parent just for a petty reason of not making enough money.

We are the losers when we pay low wages to teachers. The reason of the underpay is us, not being able to afford the high standard of the person who shapes are society and dump them into low grade work force category. It is we who are bent down by the weight of their generosity.

I have read in history several times that our culture has the highest stature for Gurus and the Kings and Emperors would bow to them in respect. Have we forgotten our culture and heritage.

A teacher is not a teacher, he is an actor who entertains, a farmer who sows and reaps, an engineer who builds character, a doctor who cures doubts and questions, a consultant who shows profitable ways of living and growing, an artist who draws and shapes the mind and thought, a couch and guide.

As I write this article I applaud all the teachers today on the 5th of October, being ‘The World Teachers Day“. A profession which is worth living, even for a day. My stand as a teenager seems fair enough even today. For the love and respect to all teachers in the world a single sentence would suffice, “You are not in the wrong profession, never were and never will be and the perspective of other people does not matter”.

Teachers Appreciation week is from May 2nd – May 6th, with teacher’s appreciation day being on Tuesday May 3rd, show your affection to your teachers and teach your children to do the same.

The thing about Ads

Juzar Noorani — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 08:11:23 +0000

Basically advertisement really means to promote and draw attention to your product. A more ethical way to say it would be to raise awareness. Ads that work within these bounds are only valuable the rest is just wasting money on junk and crap.

There are these multinationals that sponsor large events to get a piece of public attention drawn by the media and spend a hefty amount of money on campaigns. Does it really work is the question. Say if Pepsi was to sponsor a huge international sporting event and roll their sleeves on promotional offers would that even matter to the Coke lover? It might hike Pepsi sales during the event but would it effect the loyalty of people towards other brands?

There are 2 things that are involved when sales are closed. The first thing is that, which draws the customer’s attention and the second, which makes him or her loyal and keep them returning back.

A cool blonde might be just enough to draw the prospect into a sales lead and close the deal but what makes them loyal is customer support. The kind of treatment one gives to the customer. Its like the old saying that goes, “treat a lady like a queen and she becomes surf”.

Advertisement for the sake of getting the glorified attention of the media begets the most needed attention to draw your clients so why not use it to raise the awareness of the support and services that the customers experience at your sales counter and from the customer support department. Using the media to promote the word of mouth of a customer is something that will endorse the brand. A brand recommended by commoners and not celebrities. Get a webcam and capture your customers’ testimonials and promote them as you go.

Its not the sales lead that makes a company grow and stand rather its the customer loyalty and demand that keeps it going and that is what exactly what kept us going as well. Customers are real people who make us stand apart from the competition.

Our bounce back after deciding on a closure was stopped not by customers, rather our friends.

Liberty Automobiles and their Money Minded approach

Juzar Noorani — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 10:19:35 +0000

A Chevrolet Optra is a nice smooth vehicle with a practical pricing option and it is a nice car for personal use. I bought the vehicle from Liberty Automobiles without any finance and since 5 Years I am happy with the car and its running conditions.

Apart from this the Agent Liberty never contacted me for any reason being it a suggestion or complaint regrading the vehicle. Being very regular with Oil Change, Breaks and Tire services the car should never have any issues. The regular services were either done at AC Delco or some nice reputed garage, the car was fine until a few months back when there was heavy rainfall.

Just like any mechanical part the car also faced some faults and there was a dragging and start-up issue in the car. I took it to the liberty service station and asked them for a full diagnosis which they said they do not do.

The fault was all mine according to them for not bringing the car to them for regular checkups which cost more then 6 times that of normal service. I asked them to check the problem for which they would charge me 450 AED which is supposed to be written off if any repairs were made. They asked my approval for a job worth more than 4500 AED almost 1/10 of the vehicles price. I asked for bifurcations which were only partly revealed.

Asking them to repair the engine issue which was to be solved by some programming and cleaning of the injector which cost 750 in all, they refused to hand over the other diagnosis they had made, though I got it through another way by requesting the cashier who handed over their costing. A front light bulb change labor charge was 100 AED such a huge amount for a simple bulb change which would take me less then 10 minutes to do it myself.

They had written a complete change of the brake master booster where as it did not require any change. All that was needed was a simple change of brake pads. I replaced the original brake pads at a price of 120 AED including the service charge and the car’s braking system was as good as new.

Just for getting out money from the pockets of customers liberty pulls false reports on their cars and the customer pockets are deeper. Customer satisfaction is not the motto of the company rather it looks to pocket extra profits whenever possible.

Personally, I have had a very bad experience from unfriendly people at Liberty, so watch out everyone.

National Bonds, its prize money and profits

Juzar Noorani — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:37:09 +0000

Believing in luck is a completely different thing and relying on luck for getting rich is another. People who dream and commit to their dreams invest very sensibly and have a passion of taking risks for high returns. Taking risk does not mean gambling with your luck rather it means walking with your luck to fulfill the most passionate of dreams by taking calculated risks.

People are often lured by the current market situation and most service or job minded people people have a very narrow vision of security, which might mean a secure future without involving risks. These are the people who often get lured into the saving schemes legally started by banks, financial institutions, insurance companies or governments and private entities.

Many companies float their stock and go public for liquidation of assets while some issue bonds. Even the government does that to assure the low risk involved and the guarantee of the capital. While most bonds are purely issued by luring people to save a bit of their income for the future and by handing out huge prize money, “The National Bonds Corporation” has gone a step ahead by declaring itself Shariah Compliant and handing out a tiny bit of profit or whatever they might call, on the capital investment. The region where “National Bonds” operate is widely dominated by Muslims who prefer Islamic and Shariah Compliant financial products, which are rare to find even if approved by a council. The complexity of being Shariah Compliant is far more then what could be including in this article and should be left to a future one.

National Bonds are issues by a non-governmental institute and are legal. The company apart from issuing profits on the capital investment also has set aside “if you are lucky” deals which i call gambling and do not believe in. Luck and hard work (which does include financial investment) go hand in hand. The company gives out more than a million UAE Dirhams in prize money to bond holders every month. Which might accumulate into about a 150 Million probably in a Year. The exact amounts are not stated here as it is irrelevant to what the issue with National Bonds is.

More than half a million people have invested in National Bonds due to high expectations of winning these lucrative prizes and advises for saving for a better future.

With inflation on the rise a thousand Dirhams saved today might be worth only a few hundreds in a few years. The case is evident all over the world. The purchasing power of any currency in the world has declined and therefore it is just not sensible to save a commodity or whatever money is called for a far off future. As far as National Bonds is concerned the profits that they declare at the end of each year are just figures without meaning. If on a 1000 AED one is to get only 65 AED or as for 2009′s profit’s about 38 or something after a whole year does it make sense. The value of the amount has already depreciated in terms of what it could buy after a year and the value would be greater then the accumulated profit. Just to cite an example here, in December 2008, 5 KGs of a certain brand of rice at Carrefour was worth AED 16 while the same thing was priced AED 32 in December 2009. It was a tremendous growth in the pricing of all commodity and consumables, while a hand full stayed the same and yet a minor percentage has decreased.

What would the saving have done, if it was meant for a year? What would the profit that it had generated resulted to? National Bonds are definitely not so beneficial on the whole, even if someone wished to save on it, though I am not against saving totally, but surely the return of profit does not just mean saving only. It has to do with investment where it seems to be a failure. Rather then giving out millions in prize money in a lottery system, it would have been better if it focused more on giving out larger profits to the extent that these huge prize amounts also be distributed in the same way.

All said the verdict is that though the entire corporate and its functionality is legal it still is based on a “life is a gamble” thinking or maybe it just displays or projects such an idea.

All the figures and amounts stated above are just vague examples and not accurate calculations. Exact figures can be found on nationabonds.ae These are totally personal views/suggestions and are not endorsed by any entity.

Success Begins with a Dream

Juzar Noorani — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:38:32 +0000

Every successful person, every leader or any of those greatest men we adore who ever walked on the face of the earth were true dreamers. They dreamed to what no one would have ever dared to do in their situation. They were not afraid of the idea that finally made them successful. They not only dreamed big but also believed in their dream.

Belief has such huge strength that can do wonder. It can move the entire existence to work in favor of that belief be is a positive one or a negative thought. Anyone who wants to succeed needs to have a burning desire to have his exact need fulfilled to such an extent that he would see himself actually possessing it. If you want to have a Rolls Royce for your car dream for it and believe that you will possess it someday. Feel yourself actually driving one or sitting in one. Go for a test drive once in a while and feel yourself owning it.

The key to the entire process is to believe in your dream, to have a burning desire to achieve it. Nothing can be gained until you have first given something to receive it. Think and be precise about the think you will do or give to have your dream. Ask and you shall receive is the key to all the success and happiness be it materialistic or be it spiritual in nature. Dreams have no limits and so does ones desire. The more the burning desire the more stronger the belief. Belief can do wonders. Belief does not have choices, it is always a win or die situation and obviously no one wants to die.

Write your views in a few words on this topic. Express your dream loudly on this post by leaving a comment and you can win Free web hosting for your blog for 1 Year. PYou must have a registered domain name to be eligible to receive the prize.

Please do not post one liners, your comment must be relevant to the post and have your views on the topic.

Contest ends on the 10th of August. The winner’s name will be posted in the comment box at the end of the contest. 1 Winner will be drawn from all the entries.

:: Hikmah @ Ekhwan.Com :: » Money Matters

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