Saturday, September 18, 2010
Cranium Booster: Why is it so funny?
Cranium Booster: Why is it so funny?: "Image via WikipediaDay Forty One, Buzzwordy stood right in front of the reception desk of the Shenzhen-based company where he and B..."
Why is it so funny?
Image via WikipediaBuzzwordy stood right in front of the reception desk of the Shenzhen-based company where he and Bif were scheduled to meet with their Chinese negotiating team. The lobby was immaculate and well lit, and there were workers pacing back and forth constantly. He was particularly fascinated by the oversized chandelier in the middle of the sprawling lobby - it looked so much like Medusa's head since there were many little crystals that resembled the miniature snake heads of the underworld female monster.
"Good morning Mr. Bif and Mr. Buzzwordy, welcome to Dominance Technology. Please follow me!" greeted a well mannered female staff assistant.
"Good morning to you also. We'll let you take the lead here!" responded Bif readily.
It was quite a walk from the lobby to the meeting room and the decor throughout the company looked incredibly modern.
"Bif, this is a really hip looking place. I'm impressed. You just can't tell that you're in China!" complimented Buzzwordy.
"This country has changed so much and all we see is merely the tip of an iceberg." said Bif.
"Here we are gentlemen, please make yourself comfortable. Mr. Wang and his team will be here shortly." smiled the female staff assistant.
"Thanks very much!" replied Buzzwordy.
Twenty minutes had gone by and there was no sign of Mr. Wang. Both Bif and Buzzwordy were losing patience and trying extremely hard to calm themselves down. Buzzwordy spotted an interesting contraption directly above their heads and it looked kind of like a video camera. He had never seen anything like this before and wasn't even sure why the shape was round.
"Bif, did you see this widget on the ceiling?" asked Buzzwordy while pointing to the round contraption.
"Forget this pet rock, I'm feeling really cold. What about you?" said the shivering Bif.
"You're right, the room does feel cold and I think it is getting colder. Let me look for the thermostat!" nodded Buzzwordy.
"Good morning Mr. Bif and Mr. Buzzwordy. Welcome to Shenzhen, China. I'm very delighted to meet both of you. I'm Wang Fong, the Senior Deputy General Manager of Dominance Technology and please allow me to introduce my team to you." greeted a tall middle-aged Chinese man in a three-piece suit as he entered into the freezing room.
"It is very nice to meet you and your team Mr. Wang. Could you show us where the thermostat is? We're freezing our tush tush in here!" complained Bif.
Mr. Wang made a quick call to the front desk and shouted indiscriminately. Within two minutes, the room temperature came back to its normal level.
"Thanks so much Mr. Wang. We're feeling much better now!" praised Bif.
"Please forgive my staffs for bringing discomfort to both of you. I'm glad that you two are feeling a lot better now. If you don't mind, I would like to introduce my team to you." replied Mr. Wang assertively.
Both Bif and Buzzwordy nodded in unison.
Mr. Wang went around the room introducing everyone to Bif and Buzzwordy. There were Ms. Lily from marketing, Ms. Angel from sales, Mr. Bobby Lin from engineering, and Mr. Yap Chang from procurement. Everyone got up to exchange a warm handshake and business card with Bif and Buzzwordy.
"Excuse me, is there a person named Madam Fei on your team?" asked the curious marketing whiz kid.
Everyone on Mr. Wang's team started to laugh out loud and they just couldn't stop laughing.
"Why is it so funny?" queried both Bif and Buzzwordy simultaneously.
Mr. Wang walked up to Buzzwordy and looked at him seductively.
"That was me before I had my physical transformation!" said Mr. Wang in a strikingly appealing pose.
"What?" screamed Buzzwordy while Bif looked away embarrassingly.
This meeting with Madame Fei or Mr. Wang is becoming interesting - probably more interesting on Day Forty Two.
Buzzwordy
Note from Buzzwordy
If you enjoy reading the Cranium Booster - Buzzwordy tales, why not spread the words and share them with your friends and family. Everyone deserves a good laugh and so do you. Just send them this link so they can sign up for free.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Cranium Booster: Never mind, I will crush her tomorrow!
Cranium Booster: Never mind, I will crush her tomorrow!: " Image via Wikipedia Day Forty, Flying coach was never that much fun to begin with, especially when it..."
Never mind, I will crush her tomorrow!
Image via WikipediaDay Forty,
Flying coach was never that much fun to begin with, especially when it was a 14-hour flight. The plane experienced quite a bit of turbulence while it was climbing to a higher altitude, however, once it was about 30,000 ft above the sea level, the ride had been smooth and steady.
Buzzwordy found himself sandwiched between two diabolically opposed characters - the lady on his left never stopped talking to herself since boarding the plane and the man on his right kept leaning over to his side and trying to start a conversation with him.
The Cathay Pacific crews on board of the plane were efficient and courteous, and their professional demeanor made Buzzwordy feel at ease. The only regret that he had was not to get to the airport earlier so that he could get a better seat prior to boarding.
"Hi sir, looks like you have work cut out for you!" said the man on his right.
Buzzwordy did not bother to respond to his neighbor. He kept his head low and continued to thumb through all the email copies and proposals inside the folder that Bif handed to him right before they boarded the plane.
"Hey sir, I saw names such as Madam Fei in many of your documents. Are you meeting her in Hong Kong this time?" asked the curious man.
For some strange reasons, the name Madam Fei came across as a warning bell to Buzzwordy. All of a sudden, a mixed feeling was developed within the marketing whiz kid. On one hand, he couldn't wait to meet and crush this lady opponent of his, but on the other hand, he felt an enormous sense of anxiety. The same anxiety which he found in Bif when his CEO mentioned Madam Fei to him.
"Do you know her?" asked Buzzwordy coolly.
"Not really. Are you having a meeting with her?" inquired the curious man.
"I do appreciate your thoughtfulness but since I must digest all the materials in this folder during the flight, I would like to do my reading alone!" replied Buzzwordy.
The curious man looked annoyed and he abruptly changed his sitting position. This was exactly what Buzzwordy wanted.
Once the plane landed at the Hong Kong International Airport, Buzzwordy ran into Bif inside the immigration hall and both of them looked exhausted.
"Buzzwordy, did you finish with my folder?" asked the concerned Bif.
"Umm, I sure did! Many interesting stuffs there and I think I'm ready for our shenzhen meeting tomorrow." confirmed Buzzwordy.
"Don't be too sure! Madame Fei is not your normal opponent, she could shred you into pieces within the first 15 minutes of the meeting. Mark my word Buzzwordy!" warned the CEO.
"Lets see!" grinned the marketing whiz kid.
Needless to say, their stay in Hong Kong was a rather short-lived one. Buzzwordy was too tired to enjoy his dinner at the Holiday Inn in Happy Valley, a popular area where many Hong Kong residents and tourists went to wage their bets on various horse racing events.
He and Bif hardly spoke to each other during dinner, all they did was to sit quietly and guzzle down multiple rounds of affordable Hong Kong beer while trying to finish their own meal.
"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. Meet me in the lobby at 6AM!" said Bif as he began to leave the restaurant.
Buzzwordy nodded at the CEO and began to rub his bloody red eyes. He was trying very hard to picture what Madam Fei would look like but no images could be put together in his head.
"Never mind, I will crush her tomorrow!" snarled Buzzwordy.
Looks like Day Forty One could very well be a showdown between Buzzwordy and Madam Fei.
Buzzwordy
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Note from Buzzwordy
If you enjoy reading the Cranium Booster - Buzzwordy tales, why not spread the words and share them with your friends and family. Everyone deserves a good laugh and so do you. Just send them this link so they can sign up for free.
http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com/
Questions
If you are interested in contributing to Cranium Booster-Buzzwordy, please send an email to gwu@buzzwordy.com.
Privacy Policy for http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com
The privacy of our visitors to http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com is important to us.
At http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.
Log Files
As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.
Cookies and Web Beacons
We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.
We also use third party advertisements on http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).
You can choose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.
AdSense Privacy Policy Provided by JenSense
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Cranium Booster: Negotiating tips that rock!
Cranium Booster: Negotiating tips that rock!: "Image via WikipediaBuzzwordy's Reservoir of Marketing Tips: Negotiation There are so many different styles, tricks, and personalities ..."
Negotiating tips that rock!
Image via WikipediaNegotiation
There are so many different styles, tricks, and personalities involved in negotiations. Depending on where you are, who your opponent is, how does your opponent behave, and many other varying factors, each negotiation can be different. Nonetheless, there are common traits that can be found in every negotiation. Buzzwordy wants to share his top 10 favorites with you,
- When negotiating with your clients and vendors, never give them a clear indication of how far you are willing to go - whether the price is up or down. Just sit tight, smile, and stick to your gun. Usually a poker face works every time. Time is your best friend in negotiation - learn to love it.
- When the other side offers you something to drink, always choose water over anything else. Naturally, a bottled water with a tightly sealed cap is preferred. Make sure that you check for bubbles inside the bottle - if bubbles are seen, don't drink that bottle. This means that it has been tampered. With a clear bottled water, you don't need to drink too much, just a tiny sip to keep your mouth moist will work.
- Always ask for one-on-one during negotiation. If the other side insists on a panel negotiation style, then ask to meet them in a noisy location. Use the noise as an excuse to identify and home into just one representative on the other side to drive the message across. This Divide and Conquer method works well in many cases.
- If the negotiation involves tons of documents, use a projector to show only the relevant ones. This will bring focus to the highlighted issues and reduce complexities. In the absence of a projector, use a master hard copy that clearly details out all the highlighted issues and distribute spare copies to all the meeting attendees.
- When the other party loses their cool in the midst of a hostile negotiation, stay focus on the issues and don't budge.
- Many times, the other party will play the "GOOD COP BAD COP" role to weaken your strength and distill your focus, don't fall into their trap. Keep focusing on all the pertinent issues and block out all the distractions.
- When you are negotiating with a much older opponent, beware of his sweet talk since his strategy is to usurp your focus, make you just a little too comfortable, and snap at you when you're not paying attention. When in doubt, always remember to focus on the issues.
- When you are negotiating with a much younger opponent, watch out for his fast talk since his strategy is to humiliate you, weaken your stance, and corral you into giving away your position. When in doubt, always remember to focus on the issues.
- If your opponent takes too many water breaks during the negotiation, you should also take the same water breaks and follow him around. This will surely drive your opponent crazy. If your opponent happens to be a "SHE", you could still follow her as long as you stay clear from the ladies room.
- Remember to study your opponent's facial expression, eye and body movements, and his or her vocal strength during negotiation. Watch for fatigue signs like excessive perspiration, nervous finger movement, fast blinking, and other unusual reactions at the table.
Buzzwordy will return on Day Forty to confront Mandame Fei in Shenzhen, China.
Buzzwordy
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Cranium Booster: Is she a Medusa?
Cranium Booster: Is she a Medusa?: "Image via WikipediaDay Thirty Nine, The Cathay Pacific ticket counter was packed with travelers from all walks of life. Just the hustl..."
Is she a Medusa?
Image via WikipediaThe Cathay Pacific ticket counter was packed with travelers from all walks of life. Just the hustling and bustling of people was enough to give Buzzwordy flashback about his trips to Tokyo, Malaysia, and other exotic places.
Being an efficient traveler himself, he normally packed light - so light that even the frequent globetrotters would be jealous of him. This all started after his first trip to Japan when he had to ride the trains to inspect a few factories outside of Tokyo and Kyoto.
Buzzwordy dragged three big and heavy luggage onto the train platform and readied himself to get on the morning train. When the train was just about to arrive, he saw a horde of people running from one side of the platform to the other side in order to seize a fighting chance to get on the locomotive.
The scene was so captivating and powerful, and left Buzzwordy completely speechless. He made multiple attempts to get on the train, however, he failed every time because of the three humongous luggage. They were like oversized graystones or boat anchors, and no matter how hard he tried to drag them along, they didn't seem to budge.
After struggling for almost three hours and once the morning traffic began to die down, he managed to climb atop an express train heading towards the outskirt of Tokyo. Needless to say, he learned his lesson very quickly. From that moment on, whenever he traveled, his only motto was "FASTER THAN A BIRD AND LIGHTER THAN A FEATHER!". Buzzwordy had never looked back ever since he adopted this new mantra.
"Buzzwordy, here you are! Have you checked in and gotten your boarding pass already?" asked Bif when he bumped into Buzzwordy amidst a large crowd of moving people.
"Yes Bif. I'm all set and no baggage check-in required for me." replied Buzzwordy.
"So all paper undergarments for the entire week?" questioned Bif sarcastically.
Buzzwordy grinned and moved his shoulder up and down slowly.
"Alright, lets find a bench where you and I can sit down and have a quick chat about Madam Fei. I just got an email from our sales agent in Shenzhen late last night and she warned me that Miss Fei is really looking forward to our meeting. Oh, she is really looking forward to meet you Buzzwordy!" said Bif in an elevated tone.
"Why?" asked Buzzwordy innocently.
"Well, she heard about your eccentricity and unique way of closing deals. Just remember, don't challenge her in the open and never look her straight in the eyes. You will find out when we get there!" commented Bif.
"Good grief Bif, is she a Medusa? Am I going to turn into a rock if I look her straight in the eyes?" laughed Buzzwordy incessantly.
Bif shook his head and pointed to an empty bench in front of them. He signaled Buzzwordy to sit down while he reached into his briefcase and pulled out an old folder.
"Everything that you need to know about our upcoming meeting in China is in this folder. Go and study all the materials during our flight to Hong Kong. You and I will spend a night in the city and head up to Shenzhen the next morning." said Bif as he handed the folder to Buzzwordy.
"This should keep me busy!" replied Buzzwordy.
What are the dark secrets inside the folder? See you all on Day Forty.
Buzzwordy
Note from Buzzwordy
If you enjoy reading the Cranium Booster - Buzzwordy tales, why not spread the words and share them with your friends and family. Everyone deserves a good laugh and so do you. Just send them this link so they can sign up for free.
http://buzzwordy-craniumbooster.blogspot.com/
Questions
If you are interested in contributing to Cranium Booster-Buzzwordy, please send an email to gwu@buzzwordy.com.
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