It’s not normal for us Indians to be dressed in a tie, unless we are in for business meeting.
A couple used to be my customers for many years. They weren’t ordinary. Whenever they came, the man wore a bright tie, and his woman in an elegantly saree. She would choose a jewelry piece, and he gladly bought it for her. I became friendly with them over time.
He happened to be an agent who connected merchants to wholesalers. He charged a rupee per kilo of the deal, no more, and no less. To glorify his policy, he had printed the watermark of a one rupee coin below his name in capital letters. They had two cute daughters of 10 and 15years. They bought gold from me whenever he struck a deal.
I still remember those good old days, when we would share a cup of coffee, discussing business, relationships and culture. Suddenly, the man passed away due to an heart attack. It was a sad day for me.
The day she broke the tragic news, the lady wanted to buy a coin. I told her the cost, but she questioned, ‘what is my price, Anil?’ I felt that she wanted a discount. And then I offered her a discount. But she repeated the same statement. It was apparent, she didn’t want to pay the discounted price, either.
Her presence reminded me of the wonderful discussions that her husband and I had had in the past. He had once shared his experience of how he had struck a huge deal. I had learnt from him about what principles gave him the fabulous results. Over the two or three years, he had become more of a friend than a customer. That day I told her, pay me whatever she wanted
From then on, she would only buy gold coins. There weren’t more price discussions and negotiations. And I would definitely offer her a special price. For their weddings, she bought them jewelry in exchange for the gold coins that she had accumulated .
Today, both their daughters are employed in good companies. Their CEO’s and top managements buy from us, thanks to these kid sisters.
We really don’t know how the seeds of good sprouted.