Praveen Rajan: May 2009

Jon's recommendation

Just tried soft green tea ice cream (so unlike me). RM2.50, and very good. Kuyichai Tea Shop, in The Curve, next to Watsons.

Bukit Tinggi

First time up here at the French Castle. Team building. And some paint ball!

What's for Dinner?

Are you going some place new for dinner?

I want to go somewhere new, but I'm a creature of habit. I'd rather avoid going to a new restaurant as I fear bad service, bad food, and a bad experience.

But I'd definitely try a new place if it was liked by my best friends. And I'd probably try recommendations from other people who enjoy the Lucky Garden Pan Mee or Yut Kee's Roti Babi.

The problem is most food websites today don't solve this problem easily. You've got to think of what you want to eat which is impossible on the road or when you're hungry. You read blog reviews and tell yourself to go over the weekend, but you end up going to the same old places.

That's why we're building OpenFeast.com. It's going to be the easiest and fastest way to discover relevant new places to eat in your area. Go to places that your friends have liked, and eat food that people with similar taste buds like to eat.

Want a taste of it now?

We want to launch OpenFeast.com in July, but we need help in testing it out. We're looking for at least 100 friends to be our first users.

Sign up for the beta today, and help us build the most relevant food recommendation engine (in the world?).

Labels: food, openfeast

Wrecked Porsche

Ranga, this one is for you. If I had a Porsche, I'd keep it in bubble wrap.

A water table is ...

Mel's sketch to explain the concept of ground water and the invisible "water table". She's like a textbook when it comes to anything scientific. Geek.

-991 bucks (poorer)

I've never liked cars, especially maintaining them. Today I had to fix 991 bucks worth: front disc pad, rear absorbers, gear oil, bulbs and 2 tires. And I skipped the idea of fixing all four power windows. The front drivers side was quoted at RM320! I'll just have to keep my windows locked and sealed!

There must be a way to make it more affordable for people that don't care about the make and model of a car. A pay-as-you-go type of service, where I never have to worry about anything in a car. Auto upgrades every 3 years. Can you think of a way to solve this? Multi million dollar business, I'm willing to bet.

Sales — when done right — is more than a job. It is an art. It is a high-wire act. It is, as Arthur Miller immortally said, being out there “on a smile and a shoe shine.” It is learning the product you are selling, learning it so well that you can describe it while doing a pirouette of smiles for the customer and talking about the latest football scores. It is knowing human nature so well that you can align the attributes of your product or service cleanly with the needs and wants of your customers.

At its best, selling is taking a doubt and turning it, jujitsu style, into a powerful push. Selling is making the customer feel better about spending money — or investing it — than he would have felt by keeping his wallet zipped.

Source: New York Times: The Sales Profession: Attention Must Still Be Paid

Labels: marketing