Focus on customer delight, sales will flow

The key to increasing sales in an era of algorithms and AI is to focus on fundamentals: customer delight. Although technology can certainly help, it shouldn’t be driving your sales. Your sales fundamentals should dictate what tools you use and how you use them.

Let me give you an example from my recent trip.

We planned a trip to Kashmir recently. I asked friends for recommendations a month before our trip and one recommended a travel agent. Trusting my friend’s judgment, I contacted the agent and shared our itinerary, passenger details, and preferred dates. She offered various packages, ranging from four to five days with varying luxury levels. Once we picked one, we paid the deposit and got confirmation.

Our travel agent was incredibly responsive and attentive throughout our trip.

We were originally booked in a family room for our group of seven – two families with four adults and three kids. However, we quickly realized that one bathroom wasn’t enough. I asked the agent if it was possible to have two separate rooms instead of one. She successfully negotiated with all four hotels and booked two rooms everywhere.

We stayed in a boathouse on Dal Lake in Srinagar on our last day. There was no toilet paper, and the staff wasn’t very helpful. I sent a WhatsApp message to the travel agent, and the boathouse owner called me within an hour and ensured all our needs were met.

Even in the age of technology, it is essential to remember that human connection and exceptional service remain the cornerstones of continued sales.

I don’t know much about her professional background – if she operates independently or with a bigger agency. I trusted her because of a friend’s introduction and my own positive experience with her. We weren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet or CRM record, we were treated like individuals. She used modern conveniences like UPI payments and WhatsApp, but she focused on providing an exceptional experience.

I’m writing this as a delighted customer.

If you ever visit Kashmir and want someone to arrange everything for you, don’t hesitate to contact Namyi of Glitz Holidays. Glitz embodies customer service with a smile. That is the only way to get more sales.

January 1, 2024

I’m not reading books this year

This year, I’m not reading books. Rather I’m focusing on ideas.

Books can be a good way to improve yourself, and it can be enlightening to engage with the thoughts of great minds. But, this pursuit can become empty when reduced to mere statistics – reading a book a year or 100 books a year. Instead, I’d like to focus on one idea and explore it deeply.

Pick an idea, implement it, and let it grow on you; examine it from every angle so that you understand it better.

Here are 12 ideas that have transformed my life; pick one or all.

  1. When you figure out your calling, everything else falls into place. Many people wander aimlessly, copying others’ dreams. Find your true calling, and chase it relentlessly with courage. The moment you figure out what you’re here for, you can silence the world and live your life to the fullest. You might find your calling by writing your obituary.
  2. Nurture your soul – it’s where all growth comes from. As a Christian, daily Bible reading, prayer, and church involvement nourish me. Your external progress is directly proportional to how much you grow on the inside. Without a solid foundation inside, all your growth is just a sham.
  3. Make memories – happiness blooms from them. Don’t chase fleeting pleasures; instead, create lasting memories. We don’t find happiness in solitary pleasures like movies or cricket matches – they’re fleeting. Create lasting happiness by making memories with others. Get your friends together and enjoy hiking, jogging, or helping the underprivileged. All these things will increase your happiness.
  4. Think probabilistic, because life is rarely precise. Precision matters sometimes – during surgery, landing a plane, or connecting calls – but most of our day-to-day lives are based on probabilities. Learn to decide based on probabilities and weighing the odds of various outcomes.
  5. The quality of your life depends on how many uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have. Many of us face tough situations with a fight or flight attitude. Whether it’s confronting a bully boss, negotiating a raise, or soothing an angry partner, we don’t know how to deal with it. Either we avoid or we argue. Learn to deal with these situations with confidence and peace.
  6. Build skills that generate and exploit options. Develop a daily system for honing your abilities, focusing on skills that open up multiple possibilities. Then figure out how to take advantage of them. You’ll go from strength to strength as you grow and take advantage of these opportunities.
  7. Embrace the mindset of “I am okay, you are okay.” Many of us struggle with feelings of inferiority-I come from a village, I can’t speak English, and I don’t look as handsome as someone else. All of us have inferiority complexes, but the first thing you need to know is that you’re okay. You’re perfect as you are. Self-esteem and confidence soar when you embrace who you are. Remember, others are okay too. Embrace their flaws and respect them. You’ll be able to deal with life better this way.
  8. “Cloud or dirt”. Don’t be afraid to dream big, but also roll up your sleeves. Some people only think big but can’t execute, while others work tactically and let someone else call the shots. Develop both your 10x thinking and skills to bring those dreams to life.
  9. Don’t listen to people who don’t have skin in the game. Most people give advice without any experience or investment in what they’re talking about. Seek out people who will benefit from their ideas or suffer if those ideas fail. You’ll flourish if you surround yourself with these people.
  10. Create intentional leverage points in your life. Like Archimedes, give me a lever, and I’ll move the world. When you find your leverage, your life will transform, grow, and flourish. It’s not just about money; it’s about every aspect of life. So, carve out your own leverage points. You can take it a step further and aim for permissionless leverage. You can put your creativity out there and gain leverage without anyone’s approval by writing, podcasting, or creating visuals.
  11. Luck is the other side of risk. We often focus on risk – taking out insurance or having risk departments in companies – but not enough on luck. It’s just the flip side of risk. Think about how you can cultivate luck in your life and expand your luck surface.
  12. Build a flywheel in your life. This concept comes from Amazon’s shareholder letters – improving one component leads to improving the next. It’s tough to get started, but once it’s going, it spins faster and faster, bringing you more leverage and luck. I’ve crafted a flywheel for my life: Wealth, Insights, Network, and Self-Control. When I enhance my wealth, I gain more insights; when I gather more insights, I connect with better people and opportunities. I’ve nurtured this WINS flywheel for four or five years, and my life has changed for the better.

Feel free to adopt any of the above ideas, or even choose a different one. Live it, breathe it, absorb all its knowledge, and act on it. You’ll have a great life.

Wishing you a magical year.

December 31, 2023

Winning an AWS Award

AWS Market Disruptor award

An initiative I spearheaded within the company received the prestigious AWS Market Disruptor Award this year.

In the past, I worked on internal improvements like engineering processes, DevOps procedures, and exploring nascent technologies like Flutter. Our attention this year was on generative AI, a hot topic among industry leaders.

The first thing we did was use Amazon Code Whisperer to boost developer productivity. Our initial focus was on internal applications for employee efficiency and process optimization. Our AWS account manager and CEO convinced us to consider how generative AI could benefit our clients.

In a stroke of luck, one of our retail clients asked about using AI to identify objects in photos. For retailers and brands, this was a big deal. Mega-brands use planograms to arrange products on shelves. Compliance with these designs usually requires manual verification at every location, a laborious process.

We used Amazon’s AWS image recognition models, trained on popular products. We didn’t solve the planogram challenge we set out to solve, but we identified products and matched them. Identifying products from photos taken at varied angles and light conditions was challenging enough. AWS awarded us a Market Disruptor Award for our innovative solution.

Success is often a lagging indicator of skills and processes.Our recent win is not just a reflection of what we’ve done recently, but also what we’ve done all along.

We’ve built a culture of experimentation in our company over the years. Each year, we survey the emerging waves, trying to catch up and build upon them, curious where they might take us. This annual pursuit has become a well-oiled machine, streamlining the process of discerning which waves to chase, what kind of proof-of-concepts to construct, and how best to determine their utility for us and our clients. The AWS award is the culmination of everything we have done so far.

Happy to end the year with an award.

December 30, 2023

When kids enjoy they excel

I homeschool my kids. We’ve been homeschooling for two years now, and I’m seeing their understanding grow. This year, I learned: when they enjoy what they do, they excel.

In August, my eldest son volunteered to assist partially and completely blind people. His experience blew him away and he gained an appreciation for how diverse people’s lives can be. It amazed him how blind people used cell phones, played guitar, and became self-sufficient after initial training. This experience fostered a deep empathy for others’ challenges.

He also did well on his Trinity guitar exam.

My sons started writing regularly on their personal blogs, publishing at least one article per week. They used a generative AI tool called AudioPen to dictate their thoughts and WordTune to refine them. By embracing new technology, they learned how to communicate better.

They also honed their video production skills – recording, editing, and publishing. Many of my friends liked a video he made about Chola history.

In addition, they began learning Harvard’s popular “Introduction to Computer Science” course. They started making videos about their learning.

If you are not already subscribed to their blogs or video channel, you should consider subscribing.

• Eldest son’s blog: https://blog.joshgarrett.xyz/
• Younger’s blog: https://blog.jerrygarrett.xyz/
• Video channel: https://www.youtube.com/garrettsboys

In December, my eldest son ran six kilometers. As part of my fat-to-fit journey, I jogged three days a week with him. It took him awhile to build up his stamina, but he eventually did.

It never ceases to amaze me how much my kids have grown and accomplished in just two years.

I’ve watched my children bloom as they explore new passions – from video making to running – in this vibrant world of homeschooling. They’re energised by their enthusiasm, allowing them to excel in whatever they’re passionate about.

I’m grateful I chose this path, and it seems I’m not alone. This year, more and more curious souls have reached out to me, wanting to know how homeschooling works. In the coming years, this alternative education will only grow in popularity.

December 29, 2023

Grateful at Fifty

I turned 50 this year. My birth was a miracle. When my mom was pregnant, doctors said I might be dead or just a stone. The doctors wanted to operate to remove whatever was there, but my mom being a woman of faith and a fighter, refused. She walked 5 km to a church every day, praying for a safe delivery.

I was born, but challenges kept coming. My family was poor. My younger brother had a medical condition that required constant care. For a minimal amount, a village doctor treated him. At one point, the situation got worse and they had to take him to a better hospital. My parents didn’t have 50 rupees at the time, so we lost him that night. Even I had karrapan (eczema) on my leg. I got healed with treatment, though. Wheezing followed. It fills me with gratitude to have reached 50 in good health.

I celebrated my birthday with my family – my wife, kids, sister, brother-in-law, and niece. Having them beside me for this milestone was another blessing. We stayed in a backwater resort in Kerala, enjoyed a private dinner and a backwater cruise.

I feel so blessed to be turning 50. From a challenging past and poor beginnings to being healthy and surrounded by loved ones today – I am grateful for it all.

December 28, 2023