₦airaland Forum

DMasterpiece: please, someone who knows the price of blackberry curve 2 and blackberry tour should drop it here. and which is better of the two?

drzed: First of all, dont make the mistake which many Nigerians make when submitting proposal.

The best approach is to introduce the project, describe the problem and simply highlight the solutions that will emerge. NEVER (and I repeat) NEVER ever describe the methods, technique, process or the actual approach to reaching the solution. This will be done ONLY after trust and guarantees have been established. Let me explain.

For example:

1). You have identified how Company A will increase profit at half the cost of providing a popular service (lets call it Service X).
2). In your initial proposal, just simply overview (i.e. give an introduction) of who you are and how your expertise matches their business model, then;
3). Discuss why/how they are losing money through their current procedures (this is the part where you catch their attention by exposing their weakness or inefficiency) and then;
4). Explain in the proposal that profits can be increased by reducing costs of providing Service X; by following a new approach called Solution Y, which you developed originally.

Then you can now submit the draft proposal which is just a skeleton without flesh. But also have another version of the proposal which contains details of HOW they can arrive at Solution Y by following your brilliant concept. But keep the detailed proposal secret until the time is ripe (See STEP 9 below). If they ask why you are withholding details, be honest: Tell them you are protecting your idea.

5). At this stage, (assuming that the company truly wants/needs to cut down cost of Service X) your phone will be ringing off the hook with calls from their representatives. Agree to meet them, and prepare a PPT presentation of the same material in your original/skeletal proposal, just in case. They may/would want you to make an oral presentation (besides, its a professional to always be ready).

6). Before you go get legal representative (lawyer) to prepare a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and have the idea/proposal copyrighted as well. This is much more than putting letter C in a circle. There are official ways of copyrighting and it is cheap. For effizy, you can even get a dark suited lawyer to accompany you. There are samples of NDAs online that you can modify by yourself, but having a legal firm prepare one with their letter head and/or having a lawyer accompany you is more effective in Nigeria. They wont want to mess with you.

7). If they are honest and truly require your service, they will sign the NDA. Just make sure you have audio and video recording of the signing process, especially IF a lawyer is not present. Dont let them know you are recording the process. Pssst: ask Otedola for handout on how to capture crooks digitally. Audiovisual recorders in the form of spy pens, ties, fez caps and wristwatches abound everywhere even in Nigeria of today.

8'). If they are dishonest (and 75% of your potential Nigerian clients fall into this category) they will not agree to sign the NDA. In that case, walk away. It is better to "die" with your original idea than have id1ots steal it, while you gnash your teeth each time you watch it being executed. Walk away and approach their competitors or find a willing investor, in which case, repeat STEPS 1 to 7 above.

9). For the honest 25%, after the NDA is signed, you can now bring out the second detailed PPT slides (or detailed documentation) which contains the HOW aspect of your proposal. Dont expect this NDA thing to happen overnight. They will likely consult their own lawyer and re-invite you for the signing after some days/weeks.

10). If they breach the terms of the NDA i.e. execute it without you or disclose it to some third party without your permission, (explicit or otherwise), you can confidently approach Mohammed Fawehimi and similar legal folks who like to take on (i.e. sue) such crooked Nigerians head-on...sometimes for free, or sometimes for a fixed percentage of the spoils of war! But you can also reach a journalist who is looking for a story like this to make a name for him/herself. Trust me, big companies and big men dont like being rubbished in the media, especially if their is audio or video evidence.

11). Did I mention that you should dress VERY well each time you visit your clients? Once your potential clients (especially the crooked 75%) perceive you to be a hustler or 'hungry man', they will be tempted to out-muscle you out of your ideas. First impression matters. Borrow your friend's decent car for the trip if you have to. Sounds funny, but it is true. Even in developed countries: a successful looking consultant has bigger chance of tying up a deal than a tattered-looking, job-seeking, desperate-sounding hustler. Sad, but true. Ask yourself, if you were the CEO of a Telecoms or Fast Food company, will you not be more comfortable parting with 10 Million Naira to a well-dressed consultant, rather than to a ragged-looking fellow?

12). Also bring along a colleague or two each time you visit them. Even if they are not your employees or business partners, the presence of two or three of you in a room will inspire confidence in your consultancy. A one-man show is not usually well-respected and does not always look professional. Think about it: you are the minister of Railways and you want to do a deal with a German company to deliver High Speed Urban Trains to each Nigerian City. Will you be happy if only ONE German showed up all the way from Munich? Or will you be more impressed if he came with a team?

Well, thats my two cents based on experience. Enjoy your success. Remember, there is no such thing as luck. What people call luck is simply a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. Be prepared and know your worth. I am also assuming that you have a registered business, if you dont, you are essentially wasting your time trying to do consulting work with private or public entities.

cheers
Suggested Reading: Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss

Soul_caine: @ sheyma get a non disclosure agreement. Had sth with a telecom coy too. Good luck and be careful

Soul_caine: @ sheyma get a non disclosure agreement. Had sth with a telecom coy too. Good luck and be careful

2010a: No, you don't need to. That's the beauty of the playbook. Just connect it to your blackberry phone through bluetooth and a free app called blackberry bridge, and you will find yourself with unlimited browsing in your hands.
Right now, I am sending this with my playbook and I am not using wifi.

OYINBOGOJU: You can say that again and again.

I wish one of those Pastor can say this to their congregation.

slimyem: ...at least he does want it...
There are clearly more important things to be worried about than names..

slimyem: ...at least he does want it...
There are clearly more important things to be worried about than names..

slimyem: my name is hypenated to include my father's name and my husband name...and my husband doesn't mind...
Who nor like am..make im go die!!

andyanders: Well, I think I should not argue with people like you and your so called MANHOOD. Nobody told you that your name should not be retained animal. A lady's name like; Linda Michael ==== Linda Michael-Okotie., So if your stu-pid name is Okotie, she retains your name also. When you are from a background where your family has no value, then that your name can apply.

chucky234: Can't stop laughing,women trying to become the head instead the tail God ceated to be,gender equality in full swing.

andyanders: Poster, well, I don't blame you and your thinking. Well, show get size. You can only marry your class of woman you can dominate.
I am a man, but there are women of class who made it b4 marriage and can retain any name that brought them to fame.
I wouldn't blame you because after much suffering, some brains like the poster here tend to work abnormally hence the post. Better improve in life and face reality. A woman is a gift from God and not a maid to your likes. So, go ahead and locate your class of woman in a slump.

Super1759: This man should stop talking out of annoyance. He should be praying and not looking at the issue from the surface. GEJ isnot sleeping on the matter either. Anyway,he is overwhelmed like NL server most times

Mr. Globe:
Don't mind the Nasty people.. Whoever thinks water can flushes microorganisms. Its not like they are even use a bucket or half. just a scoop of water and they do the magic. Take their filthy hands to pick their nose, shake you, jump on amala. The women wipe the hands on their wrapper and head to the kitchen. Nasty people. No wonder the queen wore gloves when she came to Nigeria. There is reason tissue paper was invented and there is a reason its tissue paper. you have to use it well or you bathe straightaway.

ifihearam: What is wrong in giving a delegation who came to see the president honorarium Sometimes I wonder at ur public display of immaturity,its a sign of appreciation and goodwill so what is phucking wrong with it??

onatisi: you bakare followers continue abusing gej on nl and on all social media we christians will continue to pray for our leaders that God should lead them right,we fasted and prayed t(all xtiansa)during abacha time and God heard our prayers ,he died without a single bullet been fired.we have started on boko haram too and God has started answering our prayer ,we will pray for the army,police ,jtf and all other agencies that God should give them victory of boko haram,we dont need to be shouting every sunday abusing anyone WE KNOW THE GOD WE SERVE.you continue with ur insults and nl ,facebook and others.ur pastor has never come out openly to condemm the group of bh ,why becos his boss and .master is a well know supporter of the group.infact there is nothing to argue about on this matter.

Billyonaire: Nigeria is the only country that Politicians are jobless. waiting for every next four years to contest election, and if they lose, they spend another 4yrs criticizing their opponent.

Super1759: So this arabian goatie mallam is still talking..can elrufai swear that he dosent know anything about BH. So bad!!

Emmy9ite: Wow.! nice story. Only real men like us can do that! Op,if it is me,i will invite GuyB to live with us too!

temmy.m3:
what? are u kidding me? what is the difference between two pikins wey goat born? no be ''Meeeheee'' dem both go dey sound
Are u goin to do more than PINGING with both?! u berra find somwhere siddown my friend.

hotwax: It is a small issue. No need to come together and waste your time. Arrest and prosecute the Boko-haram norther cabals.

Jonathan knows them, but afraid of his second term. He is using the life of Nigerians to pay for his second term. He is trying to appease them.

The solution is to kick GEJ and his second term out.