₦airaland Forum

Business is a complex sport. What you have to do depends on who your target customers are, which country they are in, and what stage your business is in.

The best people to listen to are those who have done exactly what you are trying to do, or those who at least sell to the same people you sell to.

Let’s see what happened when a Nigerian businessman implemented a strategy he learned from his American mentor.

Mark sells foodstuff in his town, so he read from an American author that if your business is not online, you are losing money.

Delighted to have learned something new, he spent 200K to put up a website and set up pages on all major social media platforms.

One week in, friends appreciated his way of thinking and praised him for embracing technology since “tech is the future.”

In the second week, he started telling his customers:

“We now have a website that you can order from home.”

That is when he noticed that 90% of his customers did not even have a smartphone.

200K gone, just like that.

What was wrong?

Is it wrong to say, “Every business that is not online is losing money?”

Not at all.

So what happened?

Mark did not understand what his customers cared about.

They would definitely not order something online.

While the advice was generally sound, it did not work for him.

That is exactly what I am trying to explain here.

Learn what your customers care about and do that for them.

If your business grows to a certain level, then you can think about how to use technology, if it will actually bring in more customers.

I do not see why you would spend money on a website that does not help you make more money at all.

You have a business, so you know more about business than most business content creators.

Do not take social media advice without doing your own research.

PS: Mark’s story is fictional.

First to comment
Please let's make Nigeria a better country

Please guys I need scriptwriting job or video editing please
I’m a graduate also
My contact - (09011239618)

Okay, you did make some good points.

"The context of your industry and target customers will determine the product of technology that makes sense to adopt into your business process".

In your Mark story, you were a bit vague about what industry Mark was in, but if you say 90% of his customers don't have a phone, then I suppose his customer base are in remote areas - villages.

However, as someone with a personal interest in getting website clients, as I do with my clients, we first DEFINE the goal of owning a website.

1. Not all websites exist for customers buying products on. Many website are for brand awareness, local search visibility and also building authority on a platform that you own - think about a place where you blog industry insights without your account being banned.

2. No matter how great any technology is, its purpose will be abused when used in ignorance No, that babalawo in that corner in your street will not write a python web scrapper that scraps all your information from the web, pass it through ChatGPT and use it to read Ifa to you. No, a vulcanizer doesn't need a website. The Iye selling foodstuff down the street doesn't need a website.

The guy who buys and sells from village market to urban areas MIGHT. The Businesses who frequently bid for contracts WILL.

Like I said, vested interest 😌

Oya.... Now back to the post.
Interesting Insights 😁😁

Go to a business school. Simple.

All of you should stop using people's opinions to try and navigate business.

You studied mathematics, English and geography and did not listen to opinions on social media about any of them. Study business with the same approach and vigour.

Again, go to a business school.

June is not just a new month — it’s a new mandate for national rebirth. 🇳🇬
Let’s rebuild with Justice, Unity, Development & Economic strength.
#HealingTheNation #NewGenerationVoice”

Business is not for inexperienced people , advertisements are good but not necessarily in some businesses

You need to undergo a thoroughly training or learning before you can start a business and be successful,
Every business has its secrets

BlackRains:
My own lesson I learned from doing business in Onitsha is that you must sell as cheap as possible no matter what, in fact any other thing don't matter much.

You see those that sell cheaper even make more gain than you think , it's all about knowing the secrets,

I remembered my days in Otu onitsha
There was a particular boys wear that called BANANA,
Short and T-shirts with different colors,
There was a time BANANA became scarce in the market, only the top filled the market no more the one with short
I have to travel to ABA to produced the shorts and comeback to onitsha to fixed it with the Thailand made BANANA T-shirst , and our ABA customers will come and buy them without knowing that the shorts were made in ABA


Most important thing is in the picture below

My own lesson I learned from doing business in Onitsha is that you must sell as cheap as possible no matter what, in fact any other thing don't matter much.

The way relationship advice

Academy advice.

Health advice.

And other advice can be wrong to you.


If you want to do something important to your life, go to experts who are trained and knowledgeable in that field and which can also measure risk assessment, before you embark on it.

More reason, I pity those who come online to seek or take advice about their personal life.

In next ten years marriage will be destroyed more by online advice, most especially TikTok, than infidelity or other factors.

So you telling me that all the advert on nairaland is deceitful and can take away my investment

Ai post. Zero originality

That's why I laugh at those web designers that come to business owners to make them feel like without a website they are doomed.

Me being a web developer myself with a thriving business I don't even have a website for my business because I don't think my business needs it.

Whenever they approach me to build a website for me (not knowing that I am a web developer myself) my response is always "why do I need to compete with the big guys when I can use their platform to market my product"

I sell UK used laptops and I don't see the need to own a personal website with hope of getting leads when I can simply leverage Instagram, tiktok, Facebook pages to build a community and run Ads that leads them directly to my WhatsApp chat.

Instead of owning a website that I will struggle to promote to gain popularity like the big guys (jumia, temu, etc) that will cost so much and people will barely remember the name I'd rather push those funds into building a large following on their platform

In business, no advert is a waste, both online and offline. Same as the saying goes that there's nothing like bad publicity...

O

Itzhaydar:
Business is a complex sport. What you have to do depends on who your target customers are, which country they are in, and what stage your business is in.

The best people to listen to are those who have done exactly what you are trying to do, or those who at least sell to the same people you sell to.

Let’s see what happened when a Nigerian businessman implemented a strategy he learned from his American mentor.

Mark sells foodstuff in his town, so he read from an American author that if your business is not online, you are losing money.

Delighted to have learned something new, he spent 200K to put up a website and set up pages on all major social media platforms.

One week in, friends appreciated his way of thinking and praised him for embracing technology since “tech is the future.”

In the second week, he started telling his customers:

“We now have a website that you can order from home.”

That is when he noticed that 90% of his customers did not even have a smartphone.

200K gone, just like that.

What was wrong?

Is it wrong to say, “Every business that is not online is losing money?”

Not at all.

So what happened?

Mark did not understand what his customers cared about.

They would definitely not order something online.

While the advice was generally sound, it did not work for him.

That is exactly what I am trying to explain here.

Learn what your customers care about and do that for them.

If your business grows to a certain level, then you can think about how to use technology, if it will actually bring in more customers.

I do not see why you would spend money on a website that does not help you make more money at all.

You have a business, so you know more about business than most business content creators.

Do not take social media advice without doing your own research.

PS: Mark’s story is fictional.

What of the 10% ?
I bet this is a lie.

If you're ready to spend on SEO then get a website for your business.

Just building a website and letting it sit there won't bring business to you.

You are not entirely correct

The website could target another customer base for him rather than existing ones

The website is not a waste it's might not just be the priority now

One man's meat is another man's poison

Business decision should be based on situation and context.

Advise should be tailored. You are right

BizLeader:
Go to a business school. Simple.

All of you should stop using people's opinions to try and navigate business.

You studied mathematics, English and geography and did not listen to opinions on social media about any of them. Study business with the same approach and vigour.

Again, go to a business school.

No be some peoples opinion Dem go still teach you for business school?

Is there any school teachings from school that are not 1 or 2 people opinions?

Business starting required proper thinking. The common mistakes people make is focusing on profits without considering expenses

Just like our mama dem wey dey sell ugu(vegetable) make u come dey advise them to sell online

chival10:
First to comment
Please let's make Nigeria a better country

Yes.

The most important question is HOW?

What is the difference between his and yours?

Stephen0mozzy:
Okay, you did make some good points.

"The context of your industry and target customers will determine the product of technology that makes sense to adopt into your business process".

In your Mark story, you were a bit vague about what industry Mark was in, but if you say 90% of his customers don't have a phone, then I suppose his customer base are in remote areas - villages.

However, as someone with a personal interest in getting website clients, as I do with my clients, we first DEFINE the goal of owning a website.

1. Not all websites exist for customers buying products on. Many website are for brand awareness, local search visibility and also building authority on a platform that you own - think about a place where you blog industry insights without your account being banned.

2. No matter how great any technology is, its purpose will be abused when used in ignorance No, that babalawo in that corner in your street will not write a python web scrapper that scraps all your information from the web, pass it through ChatGPT and use it to read Ifa to you. No, a vulcanizer doesn't need a website. The Iye selling foodstuff down the street doesn't need a website.

The guy who buys and sells from village market to urban areas MIGHT. The Businesses who frequently bid for contracts WILL.

Like I said, vested interest 😌

Oya.... Now back to the post.
Interesting Insights 😁😁

PulaPower:
No be some peoples opinion Dem go still teach you for business school?

Is there any school teachings from school that are not 1 or 2 people opinions?

I am going to believe that you actually attended a regular secondary school.

Assume someone telling you that mathematics as a subject is a collection of opinions of 1 or 2 people rather than a collection of principles that has been perfected over time.

May this 2 minutes TikTok and 60 seconds motivational speakers on the internet not keep confusing una.

Go school, you say no be opinion dem dey share for there?

I for even understand if you say the N16m tuition fees are high but say na opinions the lecturers just dey yarn?

#just tired with this generation#