英语智慧背囊 10-吸取一个教训，赢得一份礼物

[00:02.88]Learn a Lesson, Find the Gift吸取一个教训，赢得一份礼物
[00:07.02]Tom Peterson worked for many years to build a solid business
[00:10.86]selling television sets, stereo systems, and home appliances.
[00:15.00] He gave people good value, a full satisfaction guarantee,and friendly service.
[00:21.26]With the help of his wife Gloria, who handled the books,
[00:24.66]Tom developed an excellent reputation.
[00:27.70]He was proud of his high percentage of repeat customers.
[00:31.32]About five years ago, Tom was approached by the owners of a competing company, Stereo Super Stores.
[00:38.23]They wanted him to buy them out.
[00:40.83] The price was very attractive.
[00:43.35]Everything looked good.
[00:45.32]Before making his final decision Tom asked Gloria what she thought about the purchase.
[00:51.22]She told him that even though the numbers looked good it didn’t feel right to her.
[00:56.58]However, Tom was so self-confident and so convinced that this was a rare opportunity,
[01:03.15] he went ahead and made the purchase.
[01:05.77] Within months he discovered that he had made a big mistake.
[01:10.47] He had paid much too much for a dying company.
[01:14.74] He tried as hard as he could to make it work out, but he couldn’t turn things around.
[01:20.42] He was forced into bankruptcy.
[01:23.05] He was about to lose everything, including his original business.
[01:27.75]Tom was embarrassed, but he is a survivor.
[01:31.58] He looked at his situation.
[01:33.44] He decided to openly admit his mistake and,
[01:37.22] rather than getting bogged down in lawsuits,
[01:40.15]he would focus his energies on saving and rebuilding his original business.
[01:44.97] He saw also that he had made a mistake by not listening to his wife,
[01:49.89] and that he needed to learn from this experience.
[01:53.38] Tom played up his mistake in judgment.
[01:56.67] He dealt with the crisis in a way that delighted many people and increased their respect for him.
[02:03.01] Old customers flocked into his store.
[02:06.18] He and Gloria adapted to changes in retailing and have built an even better business than before.
[02:13.29]In the business world, it is natural for businessmen to gain and lose.
[02:17.78] Only those who regard their mistakes as gifts and learn from them attract endless profits.