Karmic Business
Dealmakers get what they give.
In the 1920s and '30s, my grandfather was a successful
small-town merchant in Poland. When times were hard, many who
frequented his general store fell into debt. Grandpa never sued and
often extended credit to (or bartered with) these customers. He
didn't have to do this; in many ways, it made no
sense.
In the early 1940s, the Germans occupied his hometown. My
grandfather was Jewish. It was then that these customers remembered
his kindness-by hiding, feeding and saving my grandfather and his
family from extermination.
Perhaps it's a dramatic example, but it's why I believe in
the law of business karma-what goes around, comes around. To those
who say, "in the long run, there is no long run": your
shortsightedness will cost you.
It's a rare deal in which two sides will never meet
again--business circles can be small. Think twice before you
"take no prisoners." You never know when you'll need
something from the opponent you're about to fleece or
humiliate.
A speaker and attorney in Los Angeles, marc Diener is the
author of Deal Power: 6 Foolproof Steps to Making Deals of Any
Size (Owl Books/Henry Holt). You can reach him at MarcDiener@aol.com
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