₦airaland Forum

Hello OP, I have been following your posts on this thread and indeed on other threads for a while and I must commence your style which actually reflects your sincerity. I wish to request a favour; kindly recommend for me preferred brands of the under-listed products.

1. A good power bank; preferably between 10,000mAH to 20,000.mAH.

2. A good charger (I would like to buy the Aukey) but is it only on Konga that I can get it. No one in Computer Village trading this brand?

3. Where can I get high quality USB cables & the really long/flat ones that and catalyze the speed of both charging and data transfer?

Finally OI deduce that you are an IT consultant of sort. Would you like to divulge what you do specifically. Who knows one could patronise you today or in the future. you can reach me privately via karinebinne@gmail.com.

Thanks! And I am looking forward to a prompt response.

I waited for her to come out but she didn’t.

All she did was to call Ronke her sales girl inside who later emerged with 100,000 and the scarf telling me Aunty Bunmi sent it and requested that I leave her shop.

I was stupefied.

I rejected the money and scarf and now took a seat insisting that she come out and meet me. She took her time but on realizing that I wasnt going to budge, she came out a bit embarrassed that I had seen her in such a vulnerable state.

She then sent Ronke out and asked me with a most peaceful tone that I didn’t think she was capable of; why did I buy her the scarf as difficult as she was to me?

I then explained that I liked her very much and I always felt that I met her on her bad days and that one day I would be fortunate to meet her on her good day. She cried again and then obliged me a short history of her life;…… Interesting lives we lead. Simply amazing.

1. Aunti Bunmi, the transfigured shrew.

One of the women I have been selling to for a while always takes credit and never pays until you replenish her stock.
Before my trip we had a serious showdown; she had finished her stock and refused to pay for the goods since I didn’t come with any replenishment. I explained to her then that I wasn’t going to be around and needed as much cash as possible. She insisted on only paying when I brought stock.

Yesterday I approached her again but this time not to ask for my money but just to say hi. When she saw me approaching she registered her displeasure by putting on a terrible scowl on her face. Apparently going there without any stock, it was obvious that I had come to create a scene so she inwardly prepared for battle and the scowl was meant to intimidate or cower me. As pained as I was I still mustered my widest smile while praying inwardly for strength and patience to persevere.

On greeting her; Good morning Aunty Bunmi, her response was a very impatient grunt; enhe! So you have come again without stock abi? You are being stubborn abi? Do you know what happens to the stubborn fly? She went on and on and on . At some point it dawned on her that I wasn't firing back as I usually do so she changed gear and became quiet and then asked me if was both deaf and mute simultaneously? Why wasn't I talking? What happened to all my onyinbo grammar? I then told her that she should relax that I just returned from my trip and decided to check on my customers. She then asked of what need is it for me to check on customers when I don’t have stock and that her customers have worried the living daylight out of her and that she had lost some of her customers on this account. And by the way, was I expecting my customers to die or fold up their business because I refused to supply my 'money ritual chin-chin'?

I steeled myself and prayed for help to tolerate and overcome this woman. At that point I brought out the scarf already wrapped with attractive wrapping paper and ribbons and offered it to her saying that it was something that I bought for her from India. She was perplexed and awestruck at the same time. But she relaxed at that point but there were still large question marks in bold type all over her countenance and she then asked me jokingly if I had brought a bomb to detonate in her shop because of a paltry 100,000 that I was owing her. She collected the scarf and added that she has to open package very close to me so that we will die together. She opened it carefully and I noticed that her features were softening by the minute. On seeing the cheap but very attractive multi-coloured scarf, her reaction was startling. She was transfixed and just about when the tears were dropping she ran inside her shop but it was too late I could still hear her sobbing. That I was shocked is an understatement. I also lost a few tears myself.

During my trip I had bought a few cheap Indian stuff to share among my relatives and friends. You know in Nigeria the reason for travelling abroad is usually immaterial in the face of your loved ones. You must bring something back even if you came back after a medical trip. So among other things I had decided to buy some Indian saris' and some very cheap chiffon scarfs that were really colourful and attractive. The scarfs came 12 for the equivalent of 2 USD in rupees. So I splashed 10 dollars on 5 dozen scarfs and the Indian merchant happily added an extra half dozen as 'jara'. Th intention was to share this among my relatives and also my customers in Port Harcourt and the female staff of PH depot at Woji. Honestly as cheap as it was it came in so useful that you simply have no idea. After all it is free and 'imported'. Such is the mentality some of us harbour.

My return to business yesterday morning was quite fulfilling.

I first of all checked out my big buyers in Slaughter market and the visited the not so small buyers in Abuloma axis.

Most of them were very happy to have me back primarily because their stock was completely depleted. For some of them I had provided some credit facility when I was leaving for India since it did not make sense for me to leave the goods in my store considering the time I was going to be away.

I was quite pleasantly amazed that some of them had paid the monies in my account. Most of them paid me on my return yesterday while a few of them promised to pay subsequently.

Two outstanding cases I would like to expand on just to share the lessons therefrom.It may be useful but I cannot say as of yet.

Allstrasse:
Way to go Madam Karine. I must say its really good to have you back. Its so sad that we had to miss you for so long. I was planning seriously with the tips I got here. My wife is working seriously on starting a snack selling business that models your sucess. Thank you for the effort. This is really our biggest blessing since joining Nairaland.

The pleasure is all mine.

Monday morning always has an exhilarating feel for me. And that is the feeling I had as I hit the road yesterday.

While I dread the challenges that are posed by the infamous Port Harcourt traffic and the ever looming rejection by prospective customers I still perceive Mondays as a refreshing commencement of a new season of opportunities especially as it concerns building my network.

Yes, that is what selling is all about; Building a network. The most practical approach to being successful in business or rather trade is to build and sustain a loyal effective network. Trust me, all the contacts that you glean in your quest to sell whatever you are selling at the moment is are very important. As a matter of fact, both the prospects that patronize you in what you are currently selling now and those who don’t patronize at that time are all equally important to you.

Nurture your contacts and you will find them all useful to you in the immediate or remote future. That is why I advise that you take a serious interest in your clients. Genuinely show interest and ensure that you connect with them at a particular frequency. Don’t let them see you as someone who is just interested in returns or sales but rather let them see you as a friend. Compliment them where you can and advise them where necessary. Make all this as real as possible. No acting or pretenses whatsoever. Some people are experienced enough to see right through an act especially the very poorly scripted and badly delivered ones.

Kingkingsley:
welcome back ma,we all miss you.hope your mum's health is okey now. Thank God for journey mercy

Thanks Kingkingsley. Its indeed nice to be back home and yes she is making good progress.

juliebest:
Welcome back ma.
Hope your mum is in perfect health now.

Thanks Julie Best. my mum is recuperating and her progress is satisfactory considering that she is no spring chicken.

Today I will resume hustling officially.

I will be off to the depot to familiarise myself with all the developments that have taken place in my absence. I will also make a deposit for a fresh supply of stock which all things being equal will arrive on Saturday or Sunday.

Later today I will brief you on what transpired in the course of the day.

I will also brief you on possibilities that currently exist in the trading milieu. Most importantly I found some new businesses that I want to explore. It is already functioning in Lagos but it is meant to undergo expansion by October. This implies that some new people will have a window of joining it in Lagos. As for Port Harcourt and Owerri, it will commence in October and be expanded by January 2017. Those interested may join in October. I will have to write in detail about this new concept. I am yet to decide however if it will be a corollary of this thread or if a fresh thread will be opened for it all together. I will keep you posted. It is a super business that starts with a minimal investment of about 50,000 or even less but assures of a minimum profit of about 5,000 daily and before 12 noon.

This daily net income can however only be attained after operating aggressively for at least 3 months.

I am hoping that I will be able to share with you this model during the Sallah Holidays. This model is however limited to those residing in Lagos and Rivers States only at least for now. Those in surrounding states of Ogun, Bayelsa, Abia, Imo and Enugu will be invited to join in January 2017 when the logistics would have made it favourable.

MnenaSadiku:
Welcome back, Madam Karin. Good to have you back. And how is your mum?! Thanks for sharing with us lessons you learnt on your trip. I have also learnt.

Thanks again. Looking forward to your posts...

Hello my dear friend. Thanks, for the warm welcome. I remembered you a lot while I was away. I had really wanted to see you when I stopped over in Lagos but I had really missed my family I had to hurry and go back to them.

I did mention you in one of my business discussions while in Lagos and we deliberated on your matter at length.

Summarily, I have good news for you.

Baring all odds, I will chat with you later tonight if you are still awake.

Cheers and take good care of yourself.

I returned on Monday 27th June and will only resume officially tomorrow. I will try to continue with the thread for as long as there is a reasonable active followership.

I must say that I did learn a few important lessons from my Indian experienced including but not limited to the following

1.There is a certain fulfilment that one draws from providing help especially one that that is totally altruistic and devoid of any form of reward.

2.Every profession is important. In a hospital for instance, the absence of cleaners, surgical attendants, ambulance drivers and even the stewards are so noticeably inconvenient that you cannot but marvel when you see the void their absence creates even in a few hours.

3.Doctors at various and different professional levels are very important. However, my opinion is that the all others in the medical chain are equally very important (in fact if not more important). I have really learnt to appreciate the importance of the entire medical career spectrum.

4.The Indian Medical system is now very popular and patronized globally. It isn’t only Nigerians that patronise the Indian medical tourism platform but it may surprise you that they are attracting a lot of Patronage from places like Western Europe and North America.

5.Most glaring was the fact that the standards of this hospital in terms of hygiene and general cleanliness, client attention, emergency response and professionalism could pass for what is obtainable all in the most developed dispensations of the world.

6.As Nigerians, one is inclined to think that the service provided in this hospital was a direct result of the remuneration of the staff. I established a relationship with some of the staff. My best friends were two sisters who were both on the staff of the hospital in different capacities (the elder is a surgeon and the younger is a Manager in Human Capital Administration). It is from this duo that I found out that the salaries of the personnel in this very private hospital was competitive with what the staff of a grade one Public hospital in Nigeria gets monthly. Of course there will be a few differences here and there but essentially the differences are infinitesimal

Hello everyone,

I have been unavoidably absent for the last seven or more weeks.

I had to accompany my mum for a medical tourism experience to Apollo Hospital, Bangalore, India. I sincerely apologise for the suspense this created but do understand that it far from being intentional. While there it was virtually impossible for me to attend to this thread as my responsibilities widened extensively.

Do accept my heartfelt apologies for this impasse.

Having been in Port Harcourt for a while now I observe that many items available in Lagos are not yet available for sale here.
On further inquiries I discovered that the main reason is that the transportation of goods from one location to another poses a serious challenge for many manufacturers. And I would like to suggest that for one who has been in the trucking business for a while, you could solve this problem while smiling to the bank. Supposing you arranged a reasonably priced kind of delivery for small time manufacturers and their distributors from Lagos to Abuja and indeed other towns where the cost of the trip is shared among the owners of the goods. A kind of grouppage arrangement with loading at a particular location and offloading at one location at the destination. Pm me if you need more insights.

Kingkingsley:
@Madam karine, its every story that people face.the only way out is the passion and strong will to achieve your biz goal.please can you in your next post explain to us your steps of selling.the practical ways you use in selling and winning over you customer.finally madam over the in ph do you still sell chin-chin to school.THANKS

There are two essential parts of selling; the mental and the physical. Every other part can be subsumed within these two broad categories.

Mental or Psychological;
Selling at this level involves the careful and meticulous planning of the sales pitch, approach, reactions, responses, market delineation and customer classification. Suffice to state here that the sales plan should be on paper. Here you will define your customer, decide the market where you will find these customers and very importantly ascertain why the customer should buy from you as against other options available. I would like to add here that you must identify the benefit(s) the customer will draw from this product and at the price you are offering. Confidence building is also a feature of this phase of selling. If you are a newbie in Sales you may be seriously intimidated by a certain type of customer if you have not been mentally prepared for that kind of reaction. So sometimes role playing, auto-suggestion and even visualization become a very important tool in selling or sales planning.

The physical part is the action and interactive part of the selling.
At this point the actual sales is experienced in real terms. Now Kingkingsley, in response to your question I must say that at the very beginning it was difficult to approach prospects and introduce my product to them. After some women snarled at me a few times it became a bit more difficult because most times I was not prepared for the reaction.

It is one day that I recall reading sales book that the author made a suggestion that changed my sales dynamics and by extension my sales volume for the better. The first suggestion was that I should first of all like the product enough, be proud of it enough and be a convinced user or consumer. Fundamentally the most difficult thing to do professionally is to sell a product you yourself are not sold on. If you are not convinced about what you are selling you will be a poor imitation of a PHCN staff convincing a customer to pay for 12 months upfront for uninterrupted power supply.

Secondly, for just a moment forget yourself and the benefits the sale will bring to you and the enhancement it will add to your bottom line. Focus your attention on the customer. Don’t sell him or her a product or service.

In my case what I am selling to my customers is not chin-chin, cakes or doughnut but I am selling her consistent profitability for her business. That is what I offer as against what my competitors are offering. This translates to the fact that I always ask the question; what does he or she stand to benefit from this transaction. The answer is that he has a well-made product that is acceptable in the market to sell quickly and profitably. So I am selling her a feeling of satisfaction that is drawn from high volume sales and profitability. Please note that in selling, you really don’t sell a product or service but a feeling. Even the bigger companies that are identified with certain brands are selling a feeling.

Perfume companies don’t sell fragrances. They only sell the feeling that comes from using the fragrance.

Luxury car dealers aren’t selling cars but the feeling of fulfillment that comes with identifying with a particular group that can afford that particular car.

An airline in selling First Class and Business class tickets is only selling style and distinction for those who seek to distinguished from the rest of the aircraft passengers even if they all take-off and land at the same time.

So next time you are selling chin-chin, cakes or doughnuts to the Mallam in the kiosk on your street, remember that what convinces him to buy is the fact that he will be able to make something from the sale for himself while satisfying his customers is secondary.

Ever since this thread came up many people have read it and commented accordingly. Some have even sent me emails requesting for the name of the company making the snacks and how they could become successful distributors of the products.

All this is well taken actually,but there is some common thread that runs through all of them. The fact that they all want to do well. Now I would say that while it is very important that in becoming a distributor for any brand, the company, its products and compensation package must be attractive enough this isn’t usually the kernel of the business.

No matter how good a company or its products are it does not make sense for you to rent a shop and put them there while waiting for them to sell themselves. It will never happen. Products have no brains, legs or drive.

Somebody has got to do the work, the hard work.
I used to wonder how those glamorous shops you have on Awolowo Way, Ikoyi, Opebi road, Allen Avenue, Isaac John, Aba Road Port Harcourt and indeed other high streets in this country manage. I mean when you go in there most times they are practically empty and apparently under patronized yet year in year out they all renew their rents and meet other obligations that may arise in the course of doing business. One day I now ran into one of my university mates selling for a very popular brand on Opebi and she startled me with what she claimed she was earning.

It was no longer a shock when she told me that the shops are only display points as the main activity involve them as Marketers and sales people driving around and meeting prospective clients and selling to them right in their homes and offices.

Many things are sold in this country that way. In Lagos my children were sold Homework carriers in their school for which we paid 1000 per child, I ran into the supplier and she told me that her husband sews those bags while she markets the school proprietor and PTA.

In one of the responses to inquiries made on this thread I did advise that as a starter it will be very difficult for anyone as an individual to produce a commercially viable product or service on the one end and also sell or create a market for the product on one end. While it is very possible the growth of the business will at best be pedestrian.

Share out responsibilities. Choose the one part of the business that you are more competent in and farm out the rest to competent hands who have a comparative advantage in that respect.

A good idea will naturally set you apart from the rest. Effective planning will naturally bring the idea closer to manifestation. But action is the singular most important ingredient that will transform it from good plan to reality. Action will provide the motion required to transform.

Many people who have great ideas are limited not by the lack of a wonderful plan or the capital to start up but by the decision to take action and then boost it with massive action. The reasons for this sometimes border on the inability of the person to generate the requisite energy to START or the courage to face the prospects and other hurdles. Among all reasons the most important of them is the fact that they are not ready because they lack one thing or the other and must have that before stepping out to commence the process. Summarily, without action you might as well never have conceived the idea because it will be still born.

I knew a man while growing up. He was a lecturer in one of the Nigerian universities. During the days of the military governments, he was fed up with his circumstances and decided to make a career change. He thought of trying out his hands in business and opted to start as a general goods and services supplier. Fortunately for him he had some contacts in Oil and gas and even in Government. As an academic he sat down and for several nights hammered out a beautiful and inspiring business plan. A very theoretically attractive plan without realistic underpinnings. The plan could not be effected for several years and no action was taken. First hurdle for him was a getting a befitting name. The name just had to be ‘right’ and ‘appropriate’. The name had to reflect the names of all his children and wife while at the same time capture the very essence of the business thrust. After that the issue of the appropriate address for the registration of the business and even the number of share capital that would be befitting for a company owned by a man of his stature.

When eventually the company was eventually registered, it never did business because the Oga was waiting for his brother to bring the contract to him at home, after all he was his elder brother. What of the other companies that had hinted offers? They were expected to come to him because the officials involved had at one time or another been his students. By the time he came to recognition that he needed to push for whatever he wanted it was too late. He retired as a professor never having used his Limited liability company even for one day. I still see this man regularly.

Many people graduate from university and rather than take action they chose to wait. I will never forget the story of a particular lady who was a niece of my neighbour in Lagos. After her NYSC she relocated there in search of a job. She applied using every medium. Newspapers, word of mouth and online. But she went the extra mile. She joined my husband every weekday by 5.30am to Victoria Island and came back with him by 6,00pm. Everybody in the neighbourhood thought that she was working naturally. It was only one day that I noticed that she didn’t join my hubby for about three days consecutively that I asked after her and my hubby shocked me. She was taking a break for a week before resuming at a job.
All the while the lady wasn’t working, she left home in the morning with freshly printed resumes and walked from office to office seeking jobs. Never giving up for over two months until one day she arrived at an office where someone was required to temporarily replace a lady whose hubby died in the ill-fated Dana flight. She stepped in immediately and eventually was confirmed to take the job.

Many others see opportunities in different formats and ignore it unconsciously. As simple as an action like asking may appear people still don't do it. If you want to receive something then you must ask. Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be open. Please note that in this biblical quote there is action(ask, seek, and knock) before we have the granting which is essentially a reaction(received ,find and open). Action must precede a reaction. ALWAYS,

ACTION
If you have had the privilege of being around the shooting of a film or a television programme you will be very familiar with this word in the context in which we need to see it today. After all the arrangements have been put in place the camera begins to roll only when the Producer/Director screams out; action. At that point everything becomes active. This is the point where all the programming, planning and preparations become alive. Prior to this point everything was ready but without life. So with 'action' the camera comes on and pans all, the actors and actresses and scenes who have been prepared by all other contributors who begin the attempt to give the script life.

When the Director screams cut everything screeches to a halt momentarily.

This scenario has a great similarity with our lives. As children we begin learning from day one at an informal level; our homes and its immediate surrounding. Incidentally this is where our preparation for living commences at a societal level. We begin to absorb the attributes and tools required for an interactive living in the society.

We then grow into a structured formal learning system that traverses several years.

Depending on the choice which again is dictated by several factors some of us are ready after 12 years, others after 18 years, while a number of others are still not ready after 22 years because of the specialized preparedness required.

The entire educational process from Nursery till tertiary level is a preparation platform for living successfully in society.
It is nonetheless very important to recognize that the entire process is only a preparation. There is no guarantee that the process in itself will make you successful. Absolutely no guarantee. The only guarantee for success is ACTION.

Again, I apologize for the long recess.

I needed it. I honestly did.

Back to the thread. I promise you that I will try to post every other day this week.

Today I want to talk about a very important word that is so important that even if you did every other thing right but did not observe the demands of this word you might as well never have done any other thing.

This word is so short that one could actually ignore its import.
It is however the one word that determines how successful you get or if you will be moving in fits and starts. The lack of this word and what it represents is the most prominent reason why individuals and businesses fail.

Brace yourself as we look attempt an objective and clinical demystification of what this very important word signifies.

I hope the value of this word will jump at us at the end of our interaction today.

May we be granted the recognition to understand that the reason we have failed in the past is because WE reused to take this word seriously.

And that in the future we will realize there is no step forward or even backward without this word or concept.

My apologies for the lapse in the last few days.

Believe me honestly, the intention has not been to keep you in suspense.

The life of a Sales person is not glamorous especially when you are just starting out. Too much talking when making cold calls and sales pitches, too much trekking and then again too much carrying of load from car to shop and then being faced with stories or outright rejection. By the way it is important to note that should you ever plan to go into sales/distributorship, please serious consideration to the type of footwear you use. They should preferably be of crepe soles and and very comfortable. And do expect outright wahala.

On the whole, huge kudos to those who live in PH who survive all the excesses of this town. Everybody in Port Harcourt is a 'big man' or 'Big Mans' wife or girlfriend or son , daughter, cousin, neighbour, country man.........the list goes on and on and on.

The best place to show your hard earned connection is when there is a minor vehicular accident. It goes thus 'do you know who I am' and delivered in very high pitch for emphasis.

The whole town is one big drama scene with comedy strips punctuating every where. The wahala of Port Harcourt appears to dwarf that of Lagos, but then its fun.

The area boys here have a total different code. Even when your vehicle is parked in strictly earmarked parking spaces you still gotta 'settle'. The height of it is when you stop at an intersection and you are accosted and ordered to produce on paper or the other (some of them you have no idea of whatsoever). I have learnt the hard way.

When I had to buy a car I opted for a station wagon type for two reasons;

1. To be able to carry more goods.
2. To be able to advertise my goods through the visibility provided by the rear the see-through compartments.

This wasn't such a good idea in Port Harcourt. But I have learnt my lessons and so since the birds have learnt to fly without perching, the hunter has learnt to shoot without missing. I had a very discouraging experience in Igbo Etche the other day and I almost wept when all the pent up frustrations came welling up. But I was able to steel myself with a technique I learnt from my hubby. These things do happen. I will recount this experience later tonight. It was very severely discouraging but at the same time very enlightening. Do keep a date.

My experience here in PH is like starting the business afresh. I have to cover as much ground as possible and ensure that I cultivate and strengthen as much loyalty as I can get. My experience is increasing by the day and my resolve to move from break even status to profitability and further up to to mega profitability has been triggered and I hope to sustain it. I will expose this trigger and recognition in my next post(s) which will be up latest this weekend. In that post I will attempt to use anecdotes to explain one very short word which all of use daily without savouring its very deeply overwhelming significance.

Meanwhile, do wish a sister some love and strength as I waddle along trying to add value and take value simultaneously. It ain't easy.

And guess what in a few weeks, half the year would been gone.

We need to stand naked before a huge mirror and draw the necessary lessons.

This is my wish for you.

Ericoleon really impressed me. He is one of the people who have made the effort of putting together this thread a worthwhile and delightful venture. The size of the capital is not even important to a newbie in business. In the last few weeks most people have emailed me and asked about how much was required to set up my type of business? I have replied them that the amount used in any start up while important is not as important as a number of other variables.With the gale of right sizing sweeping through the formal sector of the economy, most people who will 'sent forth' by their current employers will be given something as a parting gift which serves two purposes;

1. To appreciate the staff and his contributions during his stay with the company.

2. To enable the staff find his feet while he either sets up a business or seeks employment somewhere else.

Many people get this money and complain about the amount and its inability to solve their problem(s).

It is imperative to note that the most important requirement for a startup business is the relevance of an idea as regards how useful it is to the people it is targeted at. i would imagine that if you were living abroad and working at manufacturing Generator sets your business wouldn't last that long and neither would it be profitable as just about every body in the developed world have access to high quality electricity at all times.
We would therefore advise that you study the market and start with the market needs and is willing to pay sufficiently in order to take care of your own cost and profitability. Please also leave room for reviewing the product, strategy and pricing to relect a balance in the market place that will show some fairness for all stakeholders.

YoungExec:
Karin001
He who finds a good wife finds a good thing.
You are a blessing to your husband and your family, I hope they know that.

Thanks YoungExec. We are all channels for the blessing of the Most High.


Youngexec just reminded me of a certain lady we started this retail trade together. Her husband scoffed at the business initially saying that nothing could be lower than chin-chin sales but yet in fairness to him he never dissuaded the wife from doing the business. Then he used to tell his friends when they visit and chin-chin was strewn all over the living room. He used to announce then to his visitors ‘oh, that’s my wife’s business’.

Later on as the business grew with more capital invested and profitability soaring she started introducing it as ‘our’ business and defended it to the hilt. Today the business has grown phenomenally, he now calls it ‘his business’. He is so involved in the running of the business that you would think it is his own business. He now liaises with the company for supplies and payments. His wife who is also my friend is nonetheless a real blessing to him in the real sense of that word. Of course from time to time she humours him about his initial scoffing which he has forgotten completely. This particular kind of forgetfulness is as hilarious as it is alarming.

Women, please hold on to your businesses, grow them in faith and just keep pushing. Forget about whether you can see results/profits or not. The business will change you and it will begin to yield at some point.
It does for others, it will do for you.

Recently, I had a little time to evaluate my performance since arriving Port Harcourt. I realized that my turnover and profitability had dropped considerably. In trying to establish why it dawned on me that my one product sales and the totally new effort was primarily responsible for this lull. Now, this is very important because this is the point at which people make a u-turn and abandon any business they have embarked upon. At this point in PH I am not making any profit at all. I am however not also making a loss. At best I am just breaking even. In order to motivate myself into staying on I had to give myself reasons to continue. These reasons are seen as references in Psychology. Now references’ can work both ways; they can motivate or demotivate you. How you see the reference is how it affects your decision at that point in time.
In this case my references reinforced my commitment to strengthen my commitment to improving my sales while looking for something else to increase my sales, thus turnover and profitability. While in Lagos, I was selling both chin-chin and doughnuts while in PH I am sort of limited as I cannot see doughnuts to sell. Does anybody know who produces wonderful jam doughnuts within Port Harcourt? Please notify me?

red19:
@ karin001... From your other topics u seem to be the owner or u r working for the snack company?this your particularly topic looks like u using idea to get people intereted in this "ur snack company".u talked about getting people to supply them oil, another thread u asked if they could supply ur company eggs and another of ur topic u r talking about getting distributors in onitsha .Are u the producer trying to get people interested in ur snacks or u r actually the distributor that is making money from the snack biz as u said here?...why am asking all this is because I know a lot of people would have been e-mailing u to get more info,so its best u r plain so we get the right message

I must first commend you for your frankness in expressing only what others have accused me of in their minds and some through email.

You are indeed smart. Very smart. The idea must confess didn't ever occur to me at all. However that ploy wouldn't work with the majority of Nigerians. We are a very cautious lot. We see before believing. And chin-chin honestly is not your everyday product that people must buy. It isn't a NEED. It takes painstaking persistence and patience to make it work. The only consolation being that when it works and certain variables are kept consistent it provides a consistent stream of income.

For the avoidance of doubt, I do not own a snacks company and have no intention of owning one now or in the future. I do have my dreams and I hope they materialize one day but it is definitely not a snack business. This is only a temporary platform that will provide the necessary springboard required to catalyze my metamorphosis.

Secondly, in creating this thread I deliberately shielded the name of the company from open mention because that is not the kernel of the thread. Very true that a number of people have requested for the details of the company, some I have divulged some I have not told. The company is a medium sized one and probably wouldn't be able to sustain an avalanche in terms of demand going by my personal assessment of their equipment and other resources. They are also at the moment not even taking on Distributor everywhere apart from Onitsha and Kano which they announced to existing distributors at the annual forum last month.

If you read my posts carefully, you will see a lot of references made to other businesses. Incidentally, more of the emails I have received are from posters who are more interested in me marketing their businesses,products and services; some of them snacks and other stuff. On the issue of the other posts that have to do with the supply of Veg. Oil and Eggs and whatever, that is information I put across for people who could be interested in supplying these items. This was actually a reaction to the post on egg distribution created in the business section of Nairaland earlier on.

Finally, I live in Port Harcourt now with my family. I do sell chin-chin and cakes in Port Harcourt. For your information I also sell other stuff like chocolates, candies and Yale bread when it is available.

As a parting shot, I will have you know that I have met with 6 female Nairalanders here in Port Harcourt since creating and populating this thread. Two of them on their own volition without ant prompting whatsoever even followed me around as I did my rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday(yesterday when I went to Yenogoa).

Many people have sent me emails thanking me for publishing my experiences. Many people will also approach this effort with a a stereotyping that is only typical of a certain kind of Nigerian. Each one to himself or herself.

Kamkamdd:
Gud am madam!To tell u d truth,u'll do well as motivational speaker in dis area.U've really inspired me thru dis thread & mi thinking cap is on.
Wat i want to ask u is dis;wat are d hurdles some1 who wants to start dis biz but as a manufacturer(though in small scale)will ave to face b4 he/she can succeed?
2ndly,is it not possible 4 sombdy to adopt dis ur biz plan & apply it in anoda product?Eg,instead of producing chin-chin,one produces plantain chips.Don't u think it can sell like chin-chin?

Oga,the hurdles here in this business are the same hurdles you face in every other business that you commence. there are first of all teething problems and then growth challenges and the competition. In order to succeed however you must balance out the entire spectrum of hurdles as this will enable you emerge triumphant.

The plan is actually a one fit all kind of plan but it emphasizes sales in great detail. of course you will have to tweak it here and there to ensire compatibility with your with your own plan.

Plantain chips sells a lot. In fact I dare say plantain chips sells more and faster than chin-chin or indeed any other product. It has its own issues all the same.
Production is a totally different ball game. You simply cannot imagine the wahala that goes with production. You really must be very careful in considering whether to get into production or not. But whatever your choice please don't combine both of them especially as a startup business.

The purpose of the thread is not to advertise any company but rather to cause you to look out for small and apparently insignificant businesses that you can invest in and make monies by the day. the poster above me should note. I may be willing to divulge the name of the company if requested personally via email or pm but definitely not on thread.That would amount to free advertising and I don't think Seun will like that. Then again it isn't even fair play.
But yes they do have a branch in the FCT.

For many inexperienced business men (this should make oga Kamkamdd happy, men have been finally mentioned) and women the concept of testing the waters is a very prominent feature. Even some experienced business people do this. I would like to state here that I don't subscribe completely to trying out business models and ventures. I consider it an outright waste of time, resources and energy. The first indicator whether I should do a business is my intuition; How do I feel about the business? Do like the model. Will give me any fulfillment? Will I learn what I need at this stage of my evolution? Will it constitute a rung in the ladder that leads me towards my ultimate goal? Is it flexible enough for me to tweak it a bit to suit my aspirations? These are the determining factors ti be considered when opting for a business model. This is a personal checklist and may not apply to all. If a business doesn't attract me enough by making me think about it consistently then I will not opt for it because its just a question of time before I abandon it.

I'm taking time to and effort to explain this because I consider it a serious bane among the Nigerian business community. Many people swing into various businesses without any internal motivation and when they face any squabbles they quickly swing out and then describe the business using many derogatory terms and without any introspection whatsoever.

Immediately you decide to start a business, some psychological processes commence in your subconscious mind. An energy center is created and all manners of ideas are drawn to that center. At that point you begin to have different ideas about the business. More suggestions and even support come your way. If you observe carefully more opportunities begin to appear in your horizon. These opportunities were perhaps still there before your decision to embark on this business was taken but you couldn't see them then because they were not in your focus.

The more you think about the business the more you grow in ideas and opportunities.
By the time you grow the ideas into implementation you have expended a lot of energy. And because in most cases you didn't share the ideas and the opportunities publicly your focus was intact because there was no resistance. Immediately you start voicing your dream and goals and set forth in action, a lot of hurdles are going to come your way by way of criticism and all forms of discouragement.

If for instance you have started marketing the cakes and other snacks in Emene, Enugu state, and you proceed through Trans Ekulu and pass through Upper Chime and hit Holy Ghost and come descending to Ogui road and down through Presidential and back to Agric. Bank Junction in Independence layout and you have not been able to make a single sale while being offered a myriad of reasons/excuses then you most certainly will experience a lull no matter how confident and determined you may be.

If this happens twice and then a third time even the most resolved person will waver.
but there is something subtle here which a careful observation will reveal.

The process of going through that route once was a sowing experience, the second and third attempt could be likened to a manuring and watering of the seeds previously planted. Since the process of development of the seed is an invisible action, will the planter/farmer abandon the seed on account of the fact that his eyes cannot see the germination process until the seed sprouts? definitely not. He will nurture the seed until it sprouts and he will continue tending the plant until it yields a multiple of the seed thus resulting in a bumper harvest. If you start a process especially as it regards attempting to convince a prospect, you have started a an activity. You must nourish the process whether the prospect is an easy or difficult one because unknown to you and even the prospect at times certain actions in favour of his purchase of the product or service has already begun invisibly even though his outward countenance may not reflect this but that is the case. Supposing after browbeating this prospect or simply persuading you now get to the verge of closing the sale and you then withdraw from the process out of despair or exasperation you have lost the race. If now another person is assigned this territory and om just one trip he convinces the prospect everybody including the previous salesman will attribute it to luck. The new person is just inheriting the harvest.

PLEASE NEVER START SOMETHING YOU DON'T INTEND TO CARRY THROUGH. IT IS A GROSS DISSIPATION OF ENERGY.

This is the bane of many Multilevel Marketing distributors. Whenever you meet obstacles always return to the starting point and review the process and ask yourself the most objective and extenuating questions and the answers will come.

You may wish to read the book; Acres of Diamonds by Russell H Conwell. A most interesting read for all but especially entry level sales professionals. Please note that a free downloadable PDF copy is available on the Internet.

Whenever one embarks on an enduring business model, there will be obstacles seen and unseen. There will be naysayers, doomsday prophets and also a proliferation of unsolicited advise.

There will even be run-off-the mill theorists and overnight business consultants who will do everything but encourage you to face your business with determination. The biggest hurdle to your success in business stands before you.
Just take a look at the mirror.

If you have overcome your initialized fears and are now operating on the confidence freeway then you are most likely to bounce or slide off or any unwanted sentiment from whatever quarter just like a bias filter. Whatever news is trending at that moment, whatever the state of the economy at that time and no matter the number of negative responses you get in the course of the day, you will get up every morning with dogged determination to succeed and you will hit the road without a care.

I am not by any means saying that you will not be discouraged every once in a while, This must always happen but the most important issue here is not whether you are discouraged or not but rather what your reaction is. You must never dwell on temporary defeat or negative responses. As a reminder please note that in sales circles ''NO'' does not mean I don't want', it may simply be a time bound response. Lets say you met the person in a foul mood, or when she doesn't have cash to pay for it or has a recent bad experience with another snack company or a variety of other factors. Does it mean that she wont buy tomorrow or next week?

I would like to testify here that I profile my prospects very carefully and while I will not waste my precious time with an unpromising client.
I will learn as much from the person as possible and perhaps get some leads of people who can buy.

Without the intention of sounding boastful, I would like to say that even though I've made some terrible financial blunders and serious strategic errors in the course of this business, I am proud to say that I have always conquered every "real" prospect I have ever had, even if it takes me 3 months. How do you make this happen. Your singularly most important job is to ensure that your customer benefits from your business. You must show the customer genuine attention. He/She has to believe that you are interested in his/her doing well in the first instance. Your selflessness may include spending some time with him/her and ensuring that you introduce and market the product to all his/her customers. When you have won her over you have gotten his/her loyalty for life. Unless you mess up the relationship. Try to allow the fact that sales is about your love and intrinsic concern for the buyer and his progress and that is how she will remember you. You must convert her to become your associate and deepen the relationship into a rare friendship. That way you can't possibly go wrong.

My husband is very good at cultivating friendships and I have learnt so much from him in this regard and I am deeply grateful. He has friends in all strata of the socio-economic ladder; mechanics, newspaper vendors, gate-men, vulcanizers and what have you! When my family was living in Magodo GRA, my husband cultivated the friendship of a vendor who was selling him newspapers and through him we met his friend who sells recharge cards; Biodun.

This guy is a very quiet maverick. he is a friend to all and sundry. He stands all day in the rain and in the sun selling recharge cards everyday of the year with a smile on his face. He sells recharge card for so many people including my hubbys' office which now buys recharge card from this fellow to a tune of 300,000 a month. And he has never been to this office, he just loads the designated numbers by VPN and he gets his payments every Friday. A distinguished senator also patronizes this guy also buys a lot and has introduced some other senators to this guy so he sells recharge cards to people everywhere. I asked him at some time if he was not afraid and his response was very philosophical. He said that he only sells on credit to his friends and he doesn't believe his friends will deliberately harm him and more so it is a win win situation for everybody. If they default they lose a very essential service and he believes that on a scale what they lose is heavier than his own loss.

Recently there was an outpouring of emotions for this young man. His residence in Ojota caught fire and everything belonging to this guy was scorched.

Wow, it was a contributions galore, my hubby contributed substantially, his colleagues at work contributed, his office paid for six months recharge cards upfront, the senator gave him 250,000 and more cash and household items were received. What to note here is the fact that this is relationship that was formed on an economic pedestal but evolved into a full fledged friendship which expressed itself abundantly during his time of need.

In summary cultivate a lasting bond with your customers. Make them your friend and always project their interest first and you already midway to success. Make the relationship real and not the type that the banks cultivate by sending you automated and soul-less text messages on your birthdays. That amounts to nothing and sometimes may even be considered insulting.

Kamkamdd:
Hmm madam,i was thinking if maybe u're from Akwa-ibom,until u enter Kwara state.Ur doing a great job.Well done!

Yessoooh. Ive been around a lot of places. Im a bit nomadic by nature.

Supposing it was Kwara State what would I do? i would do the same thing. I would visit the major markets in Ilorin and then map out all the major secondary schools in Fate, Tanke, Gerialimi, Post Office, Maraba, Sango and then of course visit the major commercial centres i.e Unity, Taiwo road, Post Office etc. I would then embark on a tour of the major economically viable local Governments like Offa, Omuaro and others. the academic communities in Kwara state are very well populated in their various campuses like Unilorin; both main campus and the permanent site at Tanke, the College of Education, ilorin, Unilorin teaching Hospital, Kwara State Polytechnic, Federal Poly Offa and Land Mark University just to mention a few. The Sobi Military barracks within Ilorin would also be a small local economy that would be explored. Again to grow phenomenally you would need an exclusivity clause and a car ultimately.