Abdur Rahman ibn Awl

He was one of the first eight persons to accept Islam. He was one of the ten persons (al-asharatu-l mubashshirin) who were  assured of entering Paradise. He was one of the six persons chosen by Umar to form the council of shura to choose the  Khalifah after his death. 

His name in Jahiliyyah days was Abu Amr. But when he accepted Islam the noble Prophet called him Abdur-Rahman - the  servant of the Beneficent God. 

Abdur-Rahman became a Muslim before the Prophet entered the house of al-Arqam. In fact it is said that he accepted Islam  only two days after Abu Bakr as-Siddiq did so. 

Abdur-Rahman did not escape the punishment which the early Muslims suffered at the hands of the Quraysh. He bore this  punishment with steadfastness as they did. He remained firm as they did. And when they were compelled to leave Makkah  for Abyssinia because of the continuous and unbearable persecution, Abdur-Rahman also went. He returned to Makkah when  it was rumored that conditions for the Muslims had improved but, when these rumors proved to be false, he left again for  Abyssinia on a second hijrah. From Makkah once again he made the hijrah to Madinah. 

Soon after arriving in Madinah, the Prophet in his unique manner began pairing off the Muhajirin and the Ansar. This  established a firm bond of brotherhood and was meant to strengthen social cohesion and ease the destitution of the  Muhajirin. Abdur-Rahman was linked by the Prophet with Sad ibn ar-Rabi'ah. Sad in the spirit of generosity and magnanimity  with which the Ansar greeted the Muhajirin, said to Abdur-Rahman: 

"My brother! Among the people of Madinah I have the most wealth. I have two orchards and I have two wives. See which of  the two orchards you like and I shall vacate it for you and which of my two wives is pleasing to you and I will divorce her for  you." 

Abdur-Rahman must have been embarrassed and said in reply: "May God bless you in your family and your wealth. But just  show me where the suq is.." 

Abdur-Rahman went to the market-place and began trading with whatever little resources he had. He bought and sold and  his profits grew rapidly. Soon he was sufficiently well off and was able to get married. He went to the noble Prophet with the  scent of perfume lingering over him. 

"Mahyarn, O Abdur-Rahman!" exclaimed the Prophet - "mahyam" being a word of Yemeni origin which indicates pleasant  surprise. 

"I have got married," replied Abdur-Rahman. "And what did you give your wife as mahr?" "The weight of a nuwat in gold." 

"You must have a walimah (wedding feast) even if it is with a single sheep. And may Allah bless you in your wealth," said the  Prophet with obvious pleasure and encouragement. 

Thereafter Abdur-Rahman grew so accustomed to business success that he said if he lifted a stone he expected to find gold  or silver under it! 

Abdur-Rahman distinguished himself in both the battles of Badr and Uhud. At Uhud he remained firm throughout and suffered  more than twenty wounds some of them deep and severe. Even so, his physical jihad was matched by his jihad with his  wealth. 

Once the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was preparing to despatch an expeditionary force. He summoned  his companions and said: 

"Contribute sadaqah for I want to despatch an expedition." Abdur-Rahman went to his house and quickly returned. "O  Messenger of God," he said, "I have four thousand (dinars). I give two thousand as a qard to my Lord and two thousand I  leave for my family." 

When the Prophet decided to send an expedition to distant Tabuk - this was the last ghazwah of his life that he mounted -  his need for finance and material was not greater than his need for men for the Byzantine forces were a numerous and  well-equipped foe. That year in Madinah was one of drought and hardship. The journey to Tabuk was long, more that a  thousand kilometers. Provisions were in short supply. Transport was at a premium so much so that a group of Muslims came  to the Prophet pleading to go with him but he had to turn them away because he could find no transport for them. 

These men were sad and dejected and came to be known as the Bakka'in or the Weepers and the army itself was called the  Army of Hardship ('Usrah). Thereupon the Prophet called upon his companions to give generously for the war effort in the  path of God and assured them they would be rewarded. The Muslims' response to the Prophet's call was immediate and  generous. In the fore front of those who responded was Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl. He donated two hundred awqiyyah of gold  whereupon Umar ibn al-Khattab said to the Prophet: 

"I have (now) seen Abdur-Rahman committing a wrong. He has not left anything for his family." 

"Have you left anything for your family, Abdur-Rahman?" asked the Prophet. 

"Yes," replied Abdur-Rahman. "I have left for them more than what I give and better." "How much?" enquired the Prophet. 

"What God and His Messenger have promised of sustenance, goodness and reward," replied Abdur-Rahman. 

The Muslim army eventually left for Tabuk. There Abdur-Rahman was blessed with an honor which was not conferred on  anyone till then. The time of Salat came and the Prophet, peace be on him, was not there at the time. The Muslims chose  Abdur-Rahman as their imam. The first rakat of the Salat was almost completed when the Prophet, may God bless him and  grant him peace, joined the worshippers and performed the Salat behind Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl. Could there be a greater  honor conferred on anyone than to have been the imam of the most honored of God's creation, the imam of the Prophets,  the imam of Muhammad, the Messenger of God! 

When the Prophet, peace be on him, passed away, Abdur-Rahman took on the responsibility of looking after the needs of his  family, the Ummahaat al-Muminin. He would go with them wherever they wanted to and he even performed Hajj with them to  ensure that all their needs were met. This is a sign of the trust and confidence which he enjoyed on the part of the Prophet's  family. 

Abdur-Rahman's support for the Muslims and the Prophet's wives in particular was well-known. Once he sold a piece of land  for forty thousand dinars and he distributed the entire amount among the Banu Zahrah (the relatives of the Prophet's  mother Aminah), the poor among the Muslims and the Prophet's wives. When Aishah, may God be pleased with her, received  some of this money she asked: 

"Who has sent this money?" and was told it was Abdur-Rahman, whereupon she said: 

"The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: No one will feel compassion towards you after I die  except the sabirin (those who are patient and resolute)." 

The prayer of the noble Prophet that Allah should bestow barakah on the wealth of Abdur-Rahman appeared to be with  Abdur-Rahman throughout his life. He became the richest man among the companions of the Prophet. His business  transactions invariably met with success and his wealth continued to grow. His trading caravans to and from Madinah grew  larger and larger bringing to the people of Madinah wheat, flour, butter, cloths, utensils, perfume and whatever else was  needed and exporting whatever surplus produce they had. 

One day, a loud rumbling sound was heard coming from beyond the boundaries of Madinah normally a calm and peaceful city.  The rumbling sound gradually increased in volume. In addition, clouds of dust and sand were stirred up and blown in the  wind. The people of Madinah soon realized that a mighty caravan was entering the city. They stood in amazement as seven  hundred camels laden with goods moved into the city and crowded the streets. There was much shouting and excitement as  people called to one another to come out and witness the sight and see what goods and sustenance the camel caravan had  brought. 

Aishah, may God be pleased with her, heard the commotion and asked: "What is this that's happening in Madinah?" and she  was told: "It is the caravan of Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl which has come from Syria bearing his merchandise." "A caravan  making all this commotion?" she asked in disbelief." "Yes, O Umm al-Muminin. There are seven hundred camels." 

Aishah shook her head and gazed in the distance as if she was trying to recall some scene or utterance of the past and then  she said: 

"I have heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: I have seen Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl  entering Paradise creeping." 

Why creeping? Why should he not enter Paradise leaping and at a quick pace with the early companions of the Prophet? 

Some friends of his related to Abdur-Rahman the hadith which Aishah had mentioned. He remembered that he had heard the  hadith more than once from the Prophet and he hurried to the house of Aishah and said to her: "Yaa Ammah! Have you  heard that from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace?" "Yes," she replied. 

"You have reminded me of a hadith which I have never forgotten," he is also reported to have said. He was so over-joyed  and added: 

"If I could I would certainly like to enter Paradise standing. I swear to you, yaa Ammah, that this entire caravan with all its  merchandise, I will giver sabilillah." 

And so he did. In a great festival of charity and righteousness, he distributed all that the massive caravan had brought to the  people of Madinah and surrounding areas. 

This is just one incident which showed what type of man Abdur-Rahman was. He earned much wealth but he never remained  attached to it for its own sake and he did not allow it to corrupt him. 

Abdur-Rahman's generosity did not stop there. He continued giving with both his hands, secretly and openly. Some of the  figures mentioned are truly astounding: forty thousand dirhams of silver, forty thousand dinars of gold, two hundred  awqiyyah of gold, five hundred horses to mujahidin setting out in the path of God and one thousand five hundred camels to  another group of mujahidin, four hundred dinars of gold to the survivors of Badr and a large legacy to the Ummahaat al  Muminin and the catalogue goes on. On account of this fabulous generosity, Aishah said: 

"May God give him to drink from the water of Salsabil (a spring in Paradise)." All this wealth did not corrupt Abdur-Rahman  and did not change him. When he was among his workers and assistants, people could not distinguish him from them. One  day food was brought to him with which to end a fast. He looked at the food and said: 

"Musab ibn Umayr has been killed. He was better than me. We did not find anything of his to shroud him with except what  covered his head but left his legs uncovered. . Then God endowed us with the (bounties of) the world... I really fear that our  reward has been bestowed on us early (in this world)." He began to cry and sob and could not eat. 

May Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl be granted felicity among "those who spend their substance in the cause of God and follow up  not their gifts with reminders of their generosity or with injury. For them their reward is with their Lord, on them shall be no  fear nor shall they grieve". (The Quran, Surah al-Baqarah, 2: 262).

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A Letter from Mark Zuckerberg

MENLO PARK, CA (The Borowitz Report) – On the eve of Facebook’s IPO, Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg published the following letter to potential investors:

Dear Potential Investor:

For years, you’ve wasted your time on Facebook.  Now here’s your chance to waste your money on it, too.

Tomorrow is Facebook’s IPO, and I know what some of you are thinking.  How will Facebook be any different from the dot-com bubble of the early 2000’s?

For one thing, those bad dot-com stocks were all speculation and hype, and weren’t based on real businesses.  Facebook, on the other hand, is based on a solid foundation of angry birds and imaginary sheep.

Second, Facebook is the most successful social network in the world, enabling millions to share information of no interest with people they barely know.

Third, every time someone clicks on a Facebook ad, Facebook makes money.  And while no one has ever done this on purpose, millions have done it by mistake while drunk.  We totally stole this idea from iTunes.

Finally, if you invest in Facebook, you’ll be far from alone.  As a result of using Facebook for the past few years, over 900 million people in the world have suffered mild to moderate brain damage, impairing their ability to make reasoned judgments.  These will be your fellow Facebook investors.

With your help, if all goes as planned tomorrow, Facebook’s IPO will net $100 billion.  To put that number in context, it would take JP Morgan four or five trades to lose that much money.

One last thing: what will, I, Mark Zuckerberg, do with the $18 billion I’m expected to earn from Facebook’s IPO?  Well, I’m considering buying Greece, but that would still leave me with $18 billion.  LOL.

Friend me,

Mark

http://www.borowitzreport.com/2012/05/17/a-letter-from-mark-zuckerberg/

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The Characteristics Of a Master Sales Closer

1. Shows no fear: Never ‘pushy’ and does not resolve to hard sell. No signs of weakness and vulnerability to rejection. The master sales closer is confident and relaxed, and lets the conversation take its own course and move at its own pace. He wants the prospect to buy but understands the pace that needs to be at.

2. Not selling just for the commission: Profound genuine belief in the value of what he is selling. Matching the right people to the right product/service.

3. Never gets down on herself/himself: Knows how to control his inner critic. May use errors to improve but never as a stick to beat himself with.

4. Very Organised and straightforward in asking for action: “Here’s how we will get started”

5. Understands the prospect has doubts, fears and the temptation to avoid confrontation too: A master sales closer understands their job is to close sales more than anything else. Knows the prospect wants him to be firm, convinced, and reassuring to help the prospect act rather than avoid/postpone a decision.

6. Immune to rejection: Never taking questions, objections or refusal personally.

7. Avoid all negative influences and distractions: Committed and focused on the objective

8. Master closers are competitive yet remarkably stress free: A master sales closer competes with himself and his goals, records but rarely competes against others.

9. They celebrate success: Without guilt!

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12 Commandments for Closing a Sale

Like any game there are rules to selling, especially when it comes to closing a sale. To ensure sales success in your business, whether you're a startup or an established entrepreneur, here are a dozen of my best commandments for sealing the deal.

1. Remain seated. The saying goes, present the product, service or idea on your feet, but always negotiate from your seat. Even if your prospect stands up, remain seated. Going from a seating position to standing up suggests something has changed and allows your prospect to exit and end the negotiations.

2. Always present a proposal in writing. People do not believe what they hear, they believe what they see. Always have a contract available and a writing pad. Anything offered or points of value that are included should be written down to show buyers what they get when they make a decision with you.

3. Communicate clearly. No one will trust a person who cannot communicate clearly and confidently. I practiced using recorders and video for years and then played them back to ensure my communication was coming across the way I intended.

4. Make eye contact. This is a discipline instilled only through practice, and you can perfect it by recording yourself. If you want to be believed, it is vital to make eye contact with your prospect. It suggests interest in them and confidence in yourself, your products, your services, and in what you are proposing.

5. Always carry a pen. I remember once I was closing a deal, and I reached for my pen in my jacket but it was gone. The prospect took this as sign that he shouldn't sign—and didn't. I was devastated, and now I refuse to go anywhere without my sword in hand. All agreements require signatures and that requires ink. Keep a pen available at all times. In fact, always have a back-up pen, too.

6. Use humor. Any humor that can make people feel good, inspired or hopeful is always appropriate during the close. Everyone loves a good story, and people are more likely to make decisions when they are less serious. You will close more deals if you can get your client to lighten up and laugh.

7. Ask one more time. Figuring out another way to circle back and reposition negotiations after being told "no" ultimately will make you a great closer. It is not rude to persist; it is the sign of success and prosperity. Because I continue to ask in another way for a "yes" after being told "no" does not mean I did not listen. It only means I am more sold on my view than I am the other's view.

8. Stay with the buyer. Each time you leave the customer to check on something, it creates doubt and uncertainty in their mind. It can create undue antagonism in the negotiations, lower perceived value, and extend the closing time. But keep in mind, this does not mean there is not an appropriate time to leave a buyer and use an authority for a close, as this can be very powerful as long as it is not overused

9. Always treat prospects like buyers. Regardless of the circumstances: no money, no budget, not the decision maker -- always treat the buyer like he is a buyer. I always survey the prospect for signs that demonstrate they have bought in the past. The watch, the shirt, the suit, the necklace, the car they drove, the house they live in, the credit card they use, and others. All are evidence that this prospect has actually demonstrated the ability and history of closing. I always tell myself, "Every buyer is a buyer. Treat them as a buyer and they will turn into a buyer."

10. Stay confident. I always maintain that we can come to an agreement, no matter what I am told by the buyer or those around me. The saying goes: "Where there is a will, there is a way." This mindset of knowing you will reach an agreement requires you to eliminate all negativity from your environment as though it were a disease that kills, and be assured, it does.

11. Be positive. No matter how the buyer responds, keep it light and maintain a can-do attitude throughout the negotiations. When you go negative due to the buyer being negative there is only one outcome and it's not good. Negativity always succumbs to positivity.

12. Always smile. This is not just about your attitude, but also your physical manifestation. For the next week, practice smiling with everyone in every situation you encounter. Do this until you are able to argue with a smile, disagree with a smile, negotiate, overcome objections and close with a smile. Have you ever noticed that very successful people are smiling all the time? It is not because they are successful that they are smiling, it's how they got successful. This is a million dollar tip: Smile.

Adapted excerpt from The Closer's Survival Guide by Grant Cardone (Cardone Enterprises, 2011).

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How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett might be catching a lot of flack these days, but I think if you want to know about closing big deals, he's still the guy to watch. Why? The man knows how to talk about money when he's dealmaking.

Buffett is famous for doing ginormous deals with as little information as a few pages of business plans and the standard financials a company would submit to a bank to qualify for a loan. What he has when he goes into any conversation is an encyclopedic knowledge of how businesses work financially. He knows "their money," "their wallet," and how investments and outcomes should work. Follow his lead and you will close more business.

Here are seven things I've learned as I've watched Buffett from afar:

1. Know the other guy's money - How they make it, how they count it, how they spend it. This is obviously much easier to do for publicly traded companies. For privately held companies, the numbers are fairly easy to estimate, at least the cost of goods sold and probably the cost of sale. These numbers are critical to discussing the possibilities of working together. Too often the discussion stops at budget. When you don't know, ask. Not the trade secrets, but at least the industry averages. This provides a basic framework for the discussion.

2. Know the other guy's wallet - How does this sale impact any of these critical numbers? The terms of the deal should be looked at from their side of the table first, then yours.

3. Start discussing the money early - You know you are going to discuss the money later. Early in the conversation, you do not have enough information for precision. Instead, you have an understanding of the economics of the prospect's industry, so you have enough to determine if a deal makes any sense at all. Use that economic information and industry knowledge to frame a shared understanding of the reality of the money for this opportunity.

4. Use ranges to qualify and disqualify - Understand early (and throughout the discussion) whether you and your prospect are in the same arena. By using ranges of prices, cost structures, yields, and performance you can both be sure that you are dealing in a shared reality rather than getting to the end and finding yourselves so far apart that there is permanent damage done to the relationship.

5. Speak the language of investment and outcomes - Every large sale is an investment on both parts in an outcome. When you move the conversation from price to investment and cost to outcomes you are focusing on the business impact rather than budget impact. This is the language of large sales.

6. Don't discount early - I regularly hear fearful "deal makers" use language like, "Let's not let money get in the way of working together." There's a word for this that is not used in polite company. This is the language of discounting before the scope has been clearly defined. The sales person believes that he is being clever by taking money off the table. What he has really done is to take margin off the table, his and his company's margin. If qualifying investment and impact has been made up front, then this point does not need to be made again.

7. Don't negotiate until it's time - Work on the deal points one at a time. Work through the investment and outcome ideas clearly, then negotiate. True, all of these points require negotiation. However, too often the conversation turns to negotiations too early before real scope and deliverables have been defined. Which means that the whole is reduced to the little parts before the shared picture of the whole has been established.

Side Note: I watched a deal unravel recently because the players did not observe these guidelines. The sale involved the installation of a point-of-sale system into a retail chain. The details are complicated as many large deals are, but the numbers were simple:

If you calculated the investment necessary for the system, the transaction cost was going to be >5% of the transaction revenue value. That's more than the cost of the charge card processing fee! Never going to work regardless of the reporting bells and whistles, speed to data consolidation and so on.

This violates rules 1-5. The selling team did not understand the fundamental money issues of their prospect. They had not asked, done their research or even estimated. They were focused on the features of their system and what they had heard the IT people say would be the selection criteria without working through the money issues. That always leads to disaster.

as written by Tom Searchy @ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505183_162-46440283-10391735/how-to-close-a-deal-like-warren-buffett/?tag=bnetdomain

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