The Last Round of Water

The Last Round of Water

Life is a Journey, and every journey is a teacher that has a lesson to teach. This is one such lesson I have learnt in my life's journey, while travelling between Bangalore and Chennai.

After a fruitful meeting with a client in Bangalore, I boarded an innovative but uncomfortable train called the Double Decker. It is genuinely a double-decker when you sit in the middle seat. This train is loaded with people &pampered with eateries from IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation). Being a closed A/C Coach, the aroma of the food enters our noses and tempts our tongues to try the food on sale. The Catering service offers a variety of food items that are continuously available from the start of the journey to the end.

I heard a peculiar sales phrase used by a catering person who started selling drinking water at the end of the journey, saying, “Last round of water,” in a hybrid of English and Tagalog, or Tanglish, tone, and he repeated it as he passed every seat.

I closely observed his words and had the following insights about communication.

·         The phrase last round of water was communicated so that people can buy it

·         The phrase water will not be sold after this round was not communicated directly, but the above phrase, from the last round of water, imply it

The catering personnel created a demand with the choice of words he used, and we should remember that, sometimes in sales, our communication should be built on untold words that have the power to convert implied needs to explicit needs.

Once I got down from the train and started walking to hire an auto, I saw a water lorry that was speeding on the road and recollected the words “ last round of water”, yes, what he meant was right, the world is heading towards the last round of water, it’s time to realize the fact & be wise in saving every drop of water.

In the journey of life, there are many moments that quench our thirst.

M.L. Narendra Kumar