The news on Monday, December 2

⏱️ 3 minutes

I strongly believe that people can "sense" things.

What does that mean?

Let me start today’s discussion with this introduction: According to statistics, the response rate for SMS advertising is approximately 1 in 10,000. This means that if you send a message to 10,000 people, only one will have a real reaction.

The question is, did the other 9,999 people not read the message?

Everyone, including you and me, when we receive a text message, it’s impossible not to glance at it for at least half a second before discarding it.

Even if it's just a brief glance, we still get an impression of the message.

For example, as soon as we realize it’s an advertisement, we delete it.

So, we've certainly gained at least a superficial understanding of it.

Throughout the day, each of us receives numerous proposals asking us to give our money in exchange for goods or services.

In short, all these messages ultimately aim to take our money and provide goods or services in return.

Is there any other message in these proposals?

How many proposals are there?

Many.

And it’s not just SMS.

There are billboards in cities, TV commercials, Telegram and Instagram channel ads, and more.

It’s impossible to engage with any media platform without encountering advertisements because the livelihood of all media depends on two things.

1. Accepting advertisements
2. Selling themselves to a political party or faction (or, in rare cases, non-political) and receiving financial support from there

Always remember this analogy: buying and selling is also a form of marriage, as the word "contract" is used both for marriage and for buying and selling, meaning "let's make a contract together."

In marriage, there is the man and the woman.

The same applies to buying and selling.

In your opinion, who is the man and who is the woman in this analogy? Is it the one who wants to sell or the one who wants to buy, and which one is the woman?

Here’s the secret and treasure I’m revealing: the one with money, who buys, is the woman, and the one who has goods or services to sell is the man.

The interesting part of this story is that, in today’s world, buyers are so overwhelmed by sellers that they are like a girl with many suitors.

Have you noticed that most girls with many suitors develop a kind of inner illusion? Perhaps I’m comfortable saying this because I don’t have a daughter.

I generally believe that a girl with many suitors is lucky, but in the end, she will marry one of them.

The fact that she has many suitors gives her a sense of status.

Our people, too, have developed an inner illusion that they are something special because they see so many offers throughout the day about where to spend their money.

In our youth, there were no such advertisements.

The person who wanted to buy something had to flatter the seller as well.

I remember that in my early youth, to buy a video player, which was considered somewhat taboo at the time, we had to beg the seller and use secretive phrases on the phone like, "Bring that item," pleading with them. If we were able to get it, we would thank God profusely.

There were no advertisements, and no one was constantly trying to take our money.

We were like girls who rarely had suitors, so when someone made an offer, we gladly accepted.

But today, things are no longer like that.

The overwhelming competition of brands trying to take money from people and sell their products has made people behave like beautiful girls with many suitors, who, if one doesn't work out, move on to the next.

If you remember, in the past, a common trick was when the seller would say, "If you don’t buy, I’ll sell it to the next person," and our hearts would race in panic, fearing they might actually do it and we'd miss out.

Today, if someone tells you, "If you don’t buy, I’ll sell it to the next person," you’d slap them in the face and say, "Go ahead, sell it, enjoy."

I’ve said all this to make what point?

What I want to say is that in such an environment, as a trader, how should you conduct yourself to still sell and sell well?

In this day and age, how are there still boys who have admirers, and girls who are willing to put effort into winning their attention?

The same girls who have many suitors.

God, look how things have come to the point where, in order to teach trade, I find myself resorting to subtly teaching the methods of attracting attention, but I must admit, this is a technique my esteemed mentor, Mr. Shabani, taught me some time ago. 😂

The first and most important point is not to act like a desperate boy.

A desperate boy is one who quickly proposes a relationship, wanting to reach the final goal too fast.

Girls dislike such boys.

A desperate boy proposes to every girl, without considering anything.

He doesn’t differentiate between girls, and no matter who he encounters, you won’t find any compassion in him, as he is focused on winning the approval of all the girls.

Such a boy lacks dignity in his interactions with girls, and the girl thinks, "God, if people find out I’ve been with this guy, my reputation will be ruined."

Just as girls care about telling their friends who they are in a relationship with, people are the same when it comes to shopping

Have you noticed how many brands act so classy that when people buy from them, they can show off to others?

Like Apple, where people show off that they have it.

I’ve said all of this to bring us back to the proverb I wrote at the beginning.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

One of the most ridiculous proverbs that was ingrained in our minds since childhood is this one.

As a merchant, the more you blend in with the people, the less likely you are to become wealthy.

The more unique and different your behavior is from the masses, the wealthier you'll become.

Today, people buy from those who don't conform to the crowd.

I swear to God, what good have you ever seen from the common people that would make you admire someone just because they are like everyone else and be drawn to them?

Let today's lesson be this: whatever the masses are doing, you should either avoid it or do it minimally, and if you must do it, do it in private where others can't see.

If everyone watches football, you don't watch it. If you can't resist, sneak away to a room, watch it for a minute, calm yourself down, and then repent.

A true merchant is known by their unique behavior.

Can you imagine someone who spends hours watching football, scrolling through social media, or watching movies and series, and then says, "I am a merchant"?

Honestly, doesn't that make you laugh?

Anyone who wants to claim they are a merchant must first cleanse themselves, adopt distinctive behavior, and then say, "I am a merchant."

So, throw that proverb "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" in the trash, because it is wrong, not only for merchants but for everyone.

This exact phrase is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), with the difference that he said:

"Zurarah, if you do not want to be disgraced, observe which actions are pleasing to God and align yourself with them, for honor is in His hands, and He does not disgrace those who follow the truth."

It is also narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he said to Ammar:

"O Ammar, after me, if you see all the people of the world going down one path, and Ali ibn Abi Talib goes down a different path, follow Ali."

Yesterday, we discussed that a successful business enterprise is one that has strengthened five key principles:

1. Interaction and communication skills
2. The ability to present and command
3. Technical knowledge of services and products
4. Sociology and anthropology
5. Understanding Arad and loving it

And we provided explanations for these five principles in accordance with each of them.

Now, in this article, we want to discuss who your target audience is, as business enterprise owners.

Generally speaking, your target audience consists of six groups.

1. Traders, brokers, intermediaries, and both wholesale and retail sellers
2. Manufacturers and industrialists
3. Professionals like doctors, lawyers, and specialists in other fields who have a good income and wish to earn more
4. Retirees and capital owners
5. Employees and workers seeking secondary jobs
6. Unemployed individuals, students, housewives, and anyone without a primary source of income

If you speak to everyone in the same way, I ask you: is it truly possible to speak to these six groups in the same manner and then claim to be a successful business enterprise owner?

The key point in addressing each of these six groups is:

A. Understanding the mental needs of each group.

B. Speaking to each group in a way that aligns with their reasoning, without overwhelming them with numbers and figures that might confuse them, nor unnecessarily tempting them.