Category: Business Strategies

Too aggressive

June 28, 2026

A few weeks ago, the north side of Springfield, Missouri, experienced one of those 100-year hailstorms we hear of from time to time. Almost every home and business within a three-mile-and-then-some range has hail damage to cars, buildings, and anything that was outside during those few minutes.

That is the introduction to this topic because everyone in the area is being inundated with unwanted salesmen and unauthorized inspections. I know you want and need business. Stop and think for a moment, and you will realize that there is such a thing as pushing business away.

When I was operations manager for a bearing and power transmission distributor, I had to take up the outside sales responsibilities for a time. My district manager made calls with me one day and did not feel that I was aggressive enough for him. I think that was when he decided that I would never be the branch manager.

Shortly after that, our location had its best month in years, and when I received that report, he told me he had rehired a man who had deserted us, and he would be my new boss. That was when I made my decision to leave that company and informed my vice president.

I left there a few years later and returned to purchasing. This had me on the opposite side of the sales process. I made it a policy to avoid working with companies whose sales personnel practiced hard sell tactics. At each new position, my previous company was a supplier. Some pushed harder than I liked, and their portion of my business was reduced.

As I was growing up, one of the men at church was a car salesman. As a young man, I went with another friend to talk to him about a new vehicle. I was surprised that he was as kind and polite at the dealership as he was at church. I thought that I could do that myself when I was given a chance at sales.

He is the example that I chose to follow. I was trained by more than one company to be a hard sale salesperson, and I chose not to follow that instruction. I did not stay in sales for very long with those companies. I want to be the type of person that I want to deal with, not the people that I walk away from.

Aggression is not only used in sales. Managers often use tactics that make workers fear and despise them. Again, I chose not to be that type of leader in the businesses where I had authority over others. I was not perfect in all my management responsibilities everywhere I worked, but I tried. My recommendation to you is to attempt to curb aggressive behavior in all situations. I believe life will be better for you.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

We don’t want it

June 27, 2026

I just heard another commercial that bothers me. Have you heard about the companies that don’t want your money for what they are selling for a certain period? Most of these offers are for delayed interest payments.

Cindy and I enjoy these offers of no interest payments until a future date. What you may not know is that many of these contract’s state that the interest is only waved if you pay off the debt before the specified date. We use this to our advantage.

We accept the free interest period and divide out the total cost of our purchase, so it is paid off before interest is accrued. This is an easy way to establish credit when you have had problems or are new to being a responsible adult.

Sometimes these offers include a credit card that you can continue to use. Do not fall victim to this trap. The issue with credit cards is that they do not expire like individual loans. After the limited date offer expires, you may only have 30 days to clear your account to prevent being charged interest.

This is the concept of getting you to take out a charge card at stores. Our first Discover card was issued to us when we made a purchase at the Battlefield Mall Sears store. Recently we were given a Home Depot card on a similar type of deal.

We had a plan to clear up this cost within the allotted months. No, it and the Lowe’s card are in the lock box and kept until this type of offer comes again for another purchase. Stop and think for just a minute before you pay cash that is in savings when this type of offer is available.

If something happens and you need to use those savings for purchases that do not have this kind of deal, they will still be available. Being an adult is great isn’t it. The commercials I was talking about at the beginning of this column are from vendors that act like they are benevolent.

Everyone must earn a living whether you sell products or services like producing advertising commercials. We do have a capitalistic economy and buying and selling things is a legitimate way of making a living.

They are just marketing, but not as good at it as those companies that tell you openly that you will pay more if you do not pay it off entirely by the end of the offer. This is simply their tactic of choice. Honesty is the best policy. I’ve lived my life by this motto and I still endorse it.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

You must act now

June 26, 2026

On the news last night, the representative from the Better Business Bureau told us that scammers push you to act quickly. This morning, a commercial said the above phrase. There is a relationship between these two concepts. One of my first positions was as marketing director for a small company.

As I have done throughout my career, I read everything I could about my job. We used mailings, including catalogs, to encourage customers to call us. This was in the early days of the eight hundred numbers. We used one, and our owner thought we ought to have the operators offer buy-now deals to callers.

One chance to get a special price, and then the cost went up. I thought this tactic cost us more sales than it gained. Years later, as a sales service specialist, I advocated keeping prices the same until our vendors raised theirs. I believe you lose credibility when you pressure someone to make an immediate decision.

I know how to interpret sales at retailers. Some businesses begin each season with thirty to fifty percent off seasonal prices. At the end of each season, these same stores clearance these products at up to ninety percent off the original retail price.

My experience tells me that this is probably their cost of the merchandise. I say this because most companies would rather sell at cost than donate overstocked items for tax write-offs. Another thing I notice that most shoppers do not is that many businesses have private label items that compete with name brands.

Think about a few other things when you buy these store brands. Someone must manufacture them. It may be different companies, or it can be the same product that is sold by the original brand name with a different label. I’ve been to plants where I saw products with many labels in the warehouses.

My wife worked at a dairy many years ago, and this was the only brand of milk we would buy, even before she started there. She learned that they packaged another brand that came from the same tanks, and the only difference was the brand and the price. We still buy that lower-priced product when we can. Some of the plants I called on told me that there were differences in their product line and the store brands that they manufactured. The only way to determine this is to try the cheaper products and decide if they are as good.

Another fact I have noticed is that some retailers will suspend selling name brands to boost the sales of their own brand. Others simply refuse to sell higher-priced brands and stock only bargain-priced merchandise. We’ve noticed over the years that buying these cheap products can cause problems.

Certain brands of appliances and electronics in the big box stores are all made at overseas plants, and none of these products last as long as domestically made goods. When I was a kid, you did not want a Japanese-made radio, and many Chinese-made products are well known to have more frequent recalls than goods from other countries.

A Latin saying, “Caveat Emptor,” that you should know. The English translation is, “Let the buyer beware.” Become a perceptive consumer and learn as much as you can about how and why things are priced the way they are. It is a good idea to remember that we have a free market economy. That means companies set the prices at what they want. Market demand affects pricing, and we should always look for a sale.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

We don’t want it

May 21, 2026

I just heard another commercial that bothers me. Have you heard about the companies that don’t want your money for what they are selling for a certain period? Most of these offers are for delayed interest payments.

Cindy and I enjoy these offers of no interest payments until a future date. What you may not know is that many of these contracts state that the interest is only waived if you pay off the debt before the specified date. We use this to our advantage.

We accept the free interest period and divide out the total cost of our purchase, so it is paid off before interest is accrued. This is an easy way to establish credit when you have had problems or are new to being a responsible adult.

Sometimes these offers include a credit card that you can continue to use. Do not fall victim to this trap. The issue with credit cards is that they do not expire like individual loans. After the limited date offer expires, you may only have 30 days to clear your account to prevent being charged interest.

This is the concept of getting you to take out a charge card at stores. Our first Discover card was issued to us when we made a purchase at the Battlefield Mall Sears store. Recently, we were given a Home Depot card on a similar type of deal.

We had a plan to clear up this cost within the allotted months. No, it and the Lowe’s card are in the lock box and kept until this type of offer comes again for another purchase. Stop and think for just a minute before you pay cash that is in savings when this type of offer is available.

If something happens and you need to use those savings for purchases that do not have this kind of deal, they will still be available. Being an adult is great, isn’t it. The commercials I was talking about at the beginning of this column are from vendors that act like they are benevolent.

Everyone must earn a living, whether you sell products or services or produce advertising like commercials. We do have a capitalistic economy, and buying and selling things is a legitimate way of making a living.

They are just good at marketing, but not as good as those companies that tell you openly that you will pay more if you do not pay it off entirely by the end of the offer. This is simply their tactic of choice. Honesty is the best policy. I’ve lived my life by this motto, and I still endorse it.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Why the Sabbath?

May 19, 2026

Christians and Jews celebrate a Sabbath or a day of rest because God made it one of His commandments. Around Springfield, MO, there used to be a “Blue Law” that prohibited certain types of stores from being open on Sundays and products such as alcoholic beverages from being sold. Those laws have been removed from the books for many years.

Why would God tell us to take one day off every seven? According to Exodus and Leviticus, it is to be Holy or separate, and by Jewish law, no work was to be done. The Talmud (Jewish holy law) even specifies the number of steps a Jew could take before it became work and violated the Sabbath. Is there a reason for this?

Today, doctors tell us that we must get the proper amount of rest. They focus mostly on the number of hours of sleep each night. There has been research into the effects of not taking at least one day off each week. Some companies have found that a four-day work week works for them.

Paid time off or vacation time is often a benefit that your employer provides. Most of us work forty hours per week, and that should give us two or more days of downtime that we can use each week. If you do not use this time to rest, then your health may suffer.

There seems to be a trend among younger workers to spend more than forty hours a week on their occupation. I remember being on a salary and believing that I should work as much extra as was needed without additional compensation. I thought this would be appreciated by my bosses. This did not work out.

Because of that, I advise you not to put your life on hold for something that you might receive. I’ve had employers make promises that I had to fight for, or that never appeared. Let’s face it, the wealthy sometimes get that way by cheating and lying. I did not mention President Trump so that he has no recourse against me if some know he fits this description.

I worked my way up to five weeks’ vacation at one position before leaving them for a different job. I went to work there because I wanted to stay with a company that has room for growth. I stayed with them until they convinced me that they did not agree with me that I could continue to progress.

I’m not saying that money should be your focus in employment choices. Work-life balance is important, and the old saying is true: “All work and no play makes Chuck a dull boy.” Put your name in for mine on this quotation.

Modern research tells us that this balance, proper sleep and nutrition, as well as getting away from stress, is the reason not to work seven days a week. Even the Beatles knew that Eight Days a Week was not enough for the best things in life. It should not surprise us that Jehovah reminds us to give Him one day.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Management

May 15, 2026

Some are leaders, and others are followers. We have heard this all our lives. If it is true. Which are you? That should depend on the situation you are in. At times, even the best leader should step back and allow others to take the reins.

Managers are leaders. The best allows others to lead when they show talents and abilities. I have often trained employees who eventually became department supervisors or managers. My management experience began with my first job while still in high school.

Does that seem unusual to you? I’ve gotten to know many leads, supervisors, and managers over the years who have started in the ranks and worked their way up in companies. You know that old saying, “The cream always rises to the top.”

The most important upper managers that you know of have most likely started at lower levels. What is the President of the United States? He is the chief executive. That means he is the top manager. He has lower management that works for him. Each Cabinet member also manages their staff as well.

Think about the people that you have voted for during the last few decades. Most of the candidates were governors, senators, and congressmen who began at lower levels of state government or even as assistants to others who worked in these offices.

The problems any business has can also crop up in government. Managers who try to bully their way through, around, or over employees seem to exist everywhere. I’ve noticed commercials on local TV for an attorney who is asking women to call her if their bosses are acting inappropriately

These are the worst cases of bad management, but there are a lot of poor managers out there in the business world. I would rather take some time to tell you what I learned from some of my best managers. Mr. Costello owned Dog N Suds on North Glenstone in the 1970s, and he taught me to treat everyone the way I wanted to be treated. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Tom hired me as a salesman and promoted me to a store manager in three months. He then recommended me to be the assistant livestock manager at the wholesale company owned by the man who owned the pet stores. He and the livestock manager, John, then recommended me for my first purchasing position.

Gary hired me as a buyer and made me his purchasing supervisor with the intention of my taking his position when he moved from purchasing to another spot in the company. I learned from some of the best, and I have trained some of the best. Accept help and pass it on.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Finding a place

April 28, 2026

In 2009, I was laid off from the position I held at a manufacturing company. I found another position a few months later, but was fired for incompetence within seven months. They claimed that I wanted to be fired and opposed my unemployment. I fought back with the unemployment office and won when I informed them that for the first six months, I was told I was doing my job very well.

Shortly after that, I was instructed to run a complete inventory for the first time in over two years. I was salaried and worked over 120 hours in the next two weeks. I asked for two days off next week and was given it reluctantly. The next week, I was given a written warning about something I did not know was not the proper procedure.

The following week, I was walked out of the plant. The plant manager who fired me failed to ask for my key. The next morning, I returned about two hours after my shift would have started and returned the key. I learned that my desk and position were taken over by a former employee.

My Unemployment was approved, and I returned to looking for another job. One of the companies that I applied to was coming to Springfield, and they were looking for a representative to promote their business. They worked with nursing homes and other companies that helped families find services for senior citizens.

I was excited about the opportunity after I had spoken to HR two or three times. They liked my sales experience, purchasing background, and ministry experience. She downplayed the salesman concept until I was interviewed by the sales manager, who would be my direct supervisor.

After that conversation, I declined to go forward and began thinking about the fact that for most companies, closing the deal is more important than people. I did not want to be one of those employees. I finally found another purchasing job. That is the company I retired from six years ago.

I found my place, and I hope that each of you can find yours. Keep looking for where you belong, whether you are looking for a job, a church, a mate, or a home. Life is one long search for enjoyment and meaning.

I have taken jobs where I was asked to do things that I would rather not. That one time, I felt that it was better to remain without a job than to accept one that I felt certain that I would fail at. There might have been companies that I would not want to recommend to families. I hope you can say no when you want to.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Ministry is not a side hustle

April 20, 2026

In the spring of 1974, I was asked to be the preacher for youth week at Immanuel Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri. If you have never heard of youth week, it is what churches do to give their young people a taste of ministry. Our youth minister made the plans and chose the members to perform tasks that adults did every week.

Clyde, our pastor, met with me and walked me through what I needed to do. I would preach both Sunday morning and evening, and I went with him to the hospital and on other visits that he made each week. I had never given any thought to being anything but a journalist until that March.

I had speech in high school and started feeling ready to pass out when I gave my first speech in class. That was only five minutes of introducing myself to the other students. After three years of class and the last two competing around the area at other schools, I had never made the quarter finals in any of the events.

Extemporaneous Speaking was one of my favorite types of competition. We were given a topic fifteen minutes before our time to present, and we were judged on topicality, structure, preparation, and presentation. I thought that my experience would make it easy for me to deliver these sermons.

I was right about that because I had heard so many sermons and been in Sunday School my entire life. Preparation and presentation were easy. I enjoyed the time with our pastor and noticed how easy the speaking came to me. The problem was the way everyone looked at me.

I noticed that something was different. I did not understand it. I was a journalist, not a preacher; all I did was give two speeches at church. I started to feel something new as well. I had doubts about my chosen occupation. God could not want me to do this as a profession, could he?

A few weeks later, I received my acceptance letter from the University of Missouri in Columbia, School of Journalism. I should have been ecstatic, and I was not. I was contemplating that this might not be what I should do. If Jesus wanted me to be a full-time minister, would I do that? I finally accepted His call to ministry, and I assumed that would be as a pastor. I have never been a singer.

I told my parents that I did not think I should transfer to MU. We went to look at Southwest Baptist College and talked to them. I enrolled there as an English major and changed to a Religion major, which was what most ministerial students did. I spent two years studying the Bible and ministry.

After graduation, I could not get clear guidance about what seminary to attend, and I continued with a company I started as a part-time employee. We planned our wedding, and the company offered me the opportunity to join their management trainee program, and my career as a workplace minister began.

A side hustle is something that you do to make ends meet. If your avocation does not provide the funds to live on, then you find something else to make money. My side hustle has been many and varied over the years. My life’s work has been ministry, as yours should be. Try it, you’ll like it.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Saying no

April 14, 2026

There is a Casey’s commercial where an actor that is dressed as an employee says that they hate to say no. I worked in a convenience store years ago. It was not part of this chain. I was trained in what I could and could not do for a customer. I could not leave the store to pump the gas for them.

If I was there with other employees, I could do that. When I worked at another station, my job was to pump the gas. That was what we were trained to do. This ad tells us that they deliver pizza to you and that they will even bring you to them to get their pizza. Call your local Casey’s and ask for these services.

My guess is that they will not say no. They will laugh at you, hang up on you, or tell you to contact Grub Hub, Lift, or some other company for these services. Every business has their rules and guidelines regarding what they will do to accommodate their clients. Ask a stupid question and they should give you a polite answer.

I have worked in retail, wholesale, and manufacturing. Some of the companies I worked with also sold services. I have told customers no without using that word. “What if we . . .?” was a favorite answer for me. Suggesting an alternative to a request that I could not grant was the way I was trained.

Your employer should be educating you in how they want you to respond. I worked in several positions over the years. When I was a supervisor and manager, I often trained others to do the things that I did. I never wanted them to be stifled by someone telling them that they could not accomplish anything.

One of the first young men I hired at a pet store where I had just become the manager took over a different position I had held with that company. As I was leaving a restaurant with customers and my boss, I ran into him and the owner of that company, and he was introduced to me as the current purchasing agent.

My old boss had apparently forgotten that I was the one that had brought him to the company. When I hired him as a part time salesperson while he was a college student, I trained him and another employee that was there when I came, to know and be able to do anything that I could. Some management personnel do not teach any more than they need to. They are afraid others might be promoted over them. I’ve never felt that way.

I once told the President of a company during an interview that I would be getting ready to be promoted to my prospective boss’s position from the first day, if I was hired. I got the job and a few months later began working as the department supervisor and training to become the manager. Telling the truth is always the best advice, especially in advertising.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Watch the commercials

April 6, 2026

I know. Who wants to watch the ads on TV? You can learn a lot by viewing the advertisements during and between the shows. Did you know that everything you could ever need or want is sold in the media these days? Except for world peace. Advertising is the way the American public finances its broadcast companies.

Newspapers and magazines sold advertisements, and when radio began, they had to develop spots that were totally verbal in nature. I remember in the nineteen sixties listening to the disc jockeys read on air copy for the local ads. As high school speech students, we learned how to be radio announcers and competed in tournaments.

For many years now, one of my classmates has been an anchor on our local NBC affiliate. In school, he was not a speech student. He was working at a local radio station. Our coach invited him to join us at tournaments and compete in radio speaking. He won first place in every competition he was able to enter.

It did not bother me. He was better than all the other competitors. One of my first jobs after college was as marketing director for a small company. We were a direct marketing firm and produced catalogs and flyers, and accepted orders by phone.

Some modern commercials fail to do the one thing I have thought essential. An ad is not successful unless it makes you remember the company’s name. When I see an advertisement repeatedly and cannot remember who ran the spot, I know it failed.

Funny scripts are great, but not all humor is funny to everyone. Some types of comedy just make me think that whoever produced it is stupid. Looking stupid to prospective customers is not a good idea. I always thought it was a good idea to put your best foot forward.

Local commercials about lawyers are a perfect example of what works and what does not. Some attorneys brag about the amount of money they can get for you. Others criticize their competitors and try to denigrate them. This is never a good idea to encourage people who know nothing about you and your business practices to see that you are willing to say things that are hurtful.

Some of my favorite ads just tell me what these businesses can do for me and let me know that they want to take care of anyone who wishes to do business with them. Offend no one and show everyone that you know how to get their business.

There is one commercial that I view regularly today about a perfect gift. It is for a shower head. I’m sorry, that would never be the present my wife would want. This guy must be buying this for his parents. It is a standard comedy schtick to buy your wife something you think she needs. This is against the idea that it is the thought that counts.

Which types of advertising encourage you to buy their products or services? Our economy is a free market, which is supposed to mean that we make our own decisions about what we buy from whom. Few techniques are illegal, but many that are not ethical. When a business fails to present enough information or lies about their products, I just decide not to do business with them.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger