SOWPub Small Business Forums  
 

Click Here to see the latest posts!

Ask any questions related to business / entrepreneurship / money-making / life
or share your success stories (and educational "failures")...

Sign up for the Hidden Business Ideas Letter Free edition, and receive a free report straight to your inbox: "Idea that works in a pandemic: Ordinary housewife makes $50,000 a month in her spare time, using a simple idea - and her driveway..."

NO BLATANT ADS PLEASE
Also, please no insults or personal attacks.
Feel free to link to your web site though at the end of your posts.

Stay up to date! Get email notifications or
get "new thread" feeds here

 

Go Back   SOWPub Small Business Forums > Main Category > Original SOWPub Forum Archive
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old October 31, 2000, 08:23 AM
Dien Rice
 
Posts: n/a
Default The "Karma" of Contacts.... here are two stories.... :)

A friend of mine told me this story he saw on a TV documentary.... Tell me what you think.... :)

A well known shipping tycoon -- till his death in 1975 -- was Aristotle Onassis. You probably know of Aristotle Onassis as the husband of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the widow of President John F. Kennedy....

Aristotle Onassis was asked what he would do if suddenly he lost all his money.

Here's how he answered.... He said:

"I'd get a job, and work till I had saved up $300. Then I'd go buy myself an expensive suit, and go to where the rich people hang out...."

The point of this story was the importance of CONTACTS! That's what he'd do when he reached "where the rich people hang out".... He'd start to make business contacts.

(Of course, $300 was worth a lot more in the 1970s when he probably said this than it is now.... An "expensive suit" now would cost more than that....)

Now, I KNOW that not everyone agrees with this conclusion.... Some will, and some won't.... But to continue....

It's possible to run a business, purely based on contacts!

When I read this, I was stunned.... I had no idea it was possible. Here's how.

I'll let Joe Cossman tell the story.... He says....

When I came out of the U.S. Army after World War II, I looked for a job like thousands of other GI's. I was fortunate to land a job with an export firm in my hometown for $35 a week. They put me in charge of two countries, Venezuela and Argentina, and I corresponded with the company's agents in these two countries. The company I worked for sold railroad equipment. I would write a letter to the agent in Venezuela, introduce myself and in a couple of weeks he would send me an inquiry asking for a quote on my maybe 60 miles of railroad track, 3 million railroad ties, maybe 10 million spikes, possibly 10 locomotives, 20 passenger cars, or 200 freight cars. This was a direct-mail inquiry and I never saw the agent. When I received this inquiry, I would make a phone call to the company who made the locomotives, a phone call to the steel company, a phone call to the company that made railroad ties, etc.

The company I worked for owned nothing but contacts, and when I got the prices in my office I would add an 18-percent profit margin, send my quotation to the foreign agent, and in many cases a letter of credit would come back for four, five, or six million dollars. This, to me, was inconceivable at the time. Here I was corresponding with a man 2,000 miles away and I never even saw him! Our only contact was a letter, a postage stamp, and an envelope. In it's most simple form, that is direct mail.

I copied this system to earn my first big success with the laundry soap and continued to use it....

(From Making It, by E. Joseph Cossman and William A. Cohen, p. 207-8.)

The point here is that here is a business based on nothing but contacts! So, certainly for some businesses, contacts are vital -- since that's all there is!

What do you think?

Food for thought on this Halloween morning.... :)

Dien Rice
  #2  
Old October 31, 2000, 02:53 PM
Julie Jordan Scott
 
Posts: n/a
Default Lessons from Contacts in Abundance

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Fascinating scenario! One area I have focused on in the past nine months or so is abundance in all aspects, so I have surrounded myself with people who exude abundance.

I have several multi-millionaire friends now, which a year ago I would have thought could not happen. I have learned MANY lessons from these individuals as I have observed how they think, act and do business.

And ofcourse, the contacts alone bring more contacts which bring more contacts which bring more contacts. Remaining open to the opportunities is one of the greatest lessons of all.

WIth Purpose and Passion,

JULIE JORDAN SCOTT

> A friend of mine told me this story he saw
> on a TV documentary.... Tell me what you
> think.... :)

> A well known shipping tycoon -- till his
> death in 1975 -- was Aristotle Onassis. You
> probably know of Aristotle Onassis as the
> husband of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the
> widow of President John F. Kennedy....

> Aristotle Onassis was asked what he would do
> if suddenly he lost all his money.

> Here's how he answered.... He said:

> "I'd get a job, and work till I had
> saved up $300. Then I'd go buy myself an
> expensive suit, and go to where the rich
> people hang out...." The point of this
> story was the importance of CONTACTS! That's
> what he'd do when he reached "where the
> rich people hang out".... He'd start to
> make business contacts.

> (Of course, $300 was worth a lot more in the
> 1970s when he probably said this than it is
> now.... An "expensive suit" now
> would cost more than that....)

> Now, I KNOW that not everyone agrees with
> this conclusion.... Some will, and some
> won't.... But to continue....

> It's possible to run a business, purely
> based on contacts!

> When I read this, I was stunned.... I had no
> idea it was possible. Here's how.

> I'll let Joe Cossman tell the story.... He
> says....

> When I came out of the U.S. Army after
> World War II, I looked for a job like
> thousands of other GI's. I was fortunate to
> land a job with an export firm in my
> hometown for $35 a week. They put me in
> charge of two countries, Venezuela and
> Argentina, and I corresponded with the
> company's agents in these two countries. The
> company I worked for sold railroad
> equipment. I would write a letter to the
> agent in Venezuela, introduce myself and in
> a couple of weeks he would send me an
> inquiry asking for a quote on my maybe 60
> miles of railroad track, 3 million railroad
> ties, maybe 10 million spikes, possibly 10
> locomotives, 20 passenger cars, or 200
> freight cars. This was a direct-mail inquiry
> and I never saw the agent. When I received
> this inquiry, I would make a phone call to
> the company who made the locomotives, a
> phone call to the steel company, a phone
> call to the company that made railroad ties,
> etc.

> The company I worked for owned nothing but
> contacts , and when I got the prices in my
> office I would add an 18-percent profit
> margin, send my quotation to the foreign
> agent, and in many cases a letter of credit
> would come back for four, five, or six
> million dollars. This, to me, was
> inconceivable at the time. Here I was
> corresponding with a man 2,000 miles away
> and I never even saw him! Our only contact
> was a letter, a postage stamp, and an
> envelope. In it's most simple form, that is
> direct mail.

> I copied this system to earn my first big
> success with the laundry soap and continued
> to use it....

> (From Making It , by E. Joseph Cossman and
> William A. Cohen, p. 207-8.) The point
> here is that here is a business based on
> nothing but contacts! So, certainly for
> some businesses, contacts are vital -- since
> that's all there is!

> What do you think?

> Food for thought on this Halloween
> morning.... :)

> Dien Rice
  #3  
Old October 31, 2000, 05:27 PM
Mike Wirth
 
Posts: n/a
Default Hey Julie...

Is there any way you can share some of what
you've learned from these individuals?

I'm truly interested and others may be as well.

Warmly,

Mike Wirth
  #4  
Old October 31, 2000, 11:49 PM
Michael Ross
 
Posts: n/a
Default Contact.... vrROOOOOMMMM.

If anyone knows how to have a business, successful or otherwise, whilst operating in a vucuum, I'd like to hear that story. And a "story" is all it would be.

Everything starts with a sale?

Sure. BUT, every sale starts with a

drum roll please....

CONTACT.

HAHAHA... I'm just imagining a salesman trying to sell stuff without contacting anyone. In my mind I see him sitting in his office, or standing in an open room, trying to sell the furniture on why it should buy his wares. :o)

People walk by and look in on him and think, "Sheesh, he's gone nuts. He's talking to the furniture."

I'd say there are degree's of contacts.

Obviously you have to make contact with those you buy supplies from, even if it's the guy down at the office supply store.

But the office supply store is more your everyday contact.

Then there are your "special" contacts. Those who have wisdom to share, opportunities to let you in on, etc.

Onassis, I believe, was for these "special" contacts.

Maybe they have nothing to share with you. Maybe they have no opportunities to let you in on. Maybe all they have is a problem which you just happen to be able to solve.

Whether it's an everyday contact or a special contact, they're ALL important. For you never know where an idea or concept may spring from.

A business opportunity from the fish and fries shop?

Yes. Why not.

So there I am, waiting for my chips to cook (a chip is like twice as thick as a fry and is still made of sliced spuds). And having a chat with the shop owner has he hovered over the hot oil.

He told me he wasn't happy with the oil he cooked in. It got dirty too quick and he had to filter it too often. And that meant manually straining it through filters and into buckets - like how filtered coffee is made.

Why don't you buy a filter machine, I ask.

They're way to pricey for the amount of filtering I do. (vital info bite stored away for later)

What I really need is the good oil, he says.

So why don't you buy it, I ask.

Because there are no reps for it around here, he replies. (vital info bite stored for later)

In less than five minutes this guy told me about two problems his business had - oil filtering machines are too pricey for one shop so he is forced to filter his oil by hand, and there are no reps for the good oil in the area.

Light bulb appears above head....

Why not buy a oil filtering machine and offer your services to him, and the others just like him - business opportunity one.

Or...

Why not become the independent rep for the good oil in this area - business opportunity two.

Look ma... I went to the shop to buy some chips and discovered two business opportunities. Who says opportunities are hard to come by?

Downsides...

Oil filtering machine costs a real lot of money. Is THAT opportunity worth the risk?

Do a survey to find out. If all the shop owners tell you they will use your service, buy the machine, otherwise, don't.

Being a rep means calling on people and taking their orders. Ah... but what if, you let it be known you were the rep for the good oil, and whenever they wanted it they called you and ordered? And all you do is call around until you find the manufacturer of the good oil (make contact) and get a price.

So then the locals call you to order and you place an order with the supplier (your contact).

I like the sound of this much better. I don't have to lug around a heavy machine and filter hot oil (it has to be hot otherwise it solidifies).

Instead, all I have is a CONTACT somewhere. My ace in the whole (up my sleeve, whatever the term is).

Cost to begin? A few phone calls to locate the supplier. And even that could be exchanged for a few phone calls to those who'd most likely buy the oil you brought into the area - could also be done with a survey.

I love the concept of option two... it's the same as the Cossman story... making money by positioning yourself in the middle.

And getting into the middle is done by making a few strategic contacts (finding suppliers - in which case you then find retailers - or finding retailers who need something - in which case you locate the supplier).

Yep, when Aristotle Onassis speaks, I listen.

Michael Ross


Learn to profit from being in the middle
 


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are Off
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Forum Jump

Other recent posts on the forum...


Seeds of Wisdom Publishing (front page) | Seeds of Wisdom Business forum | Seeds of Wisdom Original Business Forum (Archive) | Hidden Unusual Business Ideas Newsletter | Hotsheet Profits | Persuade via Remote Influence | Affia Band | The Entrepreneur's Hotsheet | The SeedZine (Entrepreneurial Ezine)

Get the report on Harvey Brody's Answers to a Question-Oriented-Person


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:34 PM.


Powered by vBulletin Version 3.6.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.