Turning a Bad Situation into a Good One

[PureInsight.org] I like to share a story about turning a bad situation into a good one.



A large service corporation wanted to expand its services and wanted to
hire a person to be in charge of it with a high salary. Many people
came to apply after the advertisement came out.  



Facing a large number of applicants, the chief examiner said to them:
"Evaluating a horse by its appearance may not be as good as racing it.
In order for us to select the best qualified person, we have this
practical test for you: Find a way to sell monks wooden combs."



Most of the applicants were puzzled and some were even angry: "Why
would a monk need a wooden comb? Is this a joke?" One after another
left. Finally there were only three people who stayed.



The chief examiner said to them: "You need to report to me in ten days on your sales results."



After ten days, the chief examiner asked applicant A: "How many combs have you sold?" He answered: "One."



"How did you sell it?"



Applicant A started to tell his laborious experience. He said that he
had tried to convince monks to buy combs without any good results and
was even scolded by them. On his way back from the mountain, he met a
young monk, who was scratching his scalp while he was sun bathing. He
thought of a good idea and passed a comb to him. The young monk was
very happy and bought one.



The chief examiner then asked applicant B: "How many have you sold?"



"Ten."



"How did you sell them?"



Applicant B said he went to an ancient temple on a renowned mountain.
Because of the altitude on the mountain, the wind blew fiercely and the
hair of many worshippers was blown untidy. I went to talk to the abbot:
"It seems disrespectful to Buddha for the worshippers to be untidy in
appearance. We should place some wooden combs on the altar for them to
comb their hair."



The abbot accepted his suggestion and bought ten combs.



The chief examiner then asked applicant C: "How many have you sold?"



"One thousand."



The chief examiner asked, in surprise, "How?"



He said he went to a very popular Buddhist temple and worshippers went
there in an endless stream. I told the abbot: "Those who come here all
have devout minds. Your temple should give them a present in return as
a blessing and to encourage them to do more good deeds. I have a batch
of wooden combs with me. Since your calligraphy is most excellent, you
can engrave combs with your calligraphy of "accumulating good deeds
comb" and give them as gift."



The abbot was very pleased with the idea and bought one thousand combs.
The worshippers who received the combs were very happy and told others.
More worshippers came to worship.



We frequently consider many things are unimaginably out of the ordinary
and think they cannot be accomplished. Many people flinch at
difficulties and don't want to do them, so many things don't get done.
Those marketing experts had the courage to face a predicament and shift
their thinking to ponder the problem and win the final victory.



We shouldn't fix our thinking on one point such that we might not be
able to win decisively. Transforming one's thinking pattern can often
turn a bad situation into a good one.





Translated from:

http://xinsheng.net/xs/articles/gb/2008/4/8/43018.htm