If a client company’s decision maker demands gratification, as a condition for awarding YOU business, what would YOU do? In this article, I destroy the myth some – misguided – “experts” perpetuate, that, to succeed, one must give in improper demands from crooked client company representatives!
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Preamble: Don’t Waste Time Waiting To Find a Speaking School!
Many people I have spoken with out here about learning public speaking have demonstrated this bias. Whenever I explained to them that there are many self-study learning resources they can adopt to learn public speaking, they expressed reservations about adopting a similar method.
I am not saying it is wrong to attend public speaking classes or school, if you can find – and afford – them. However, my studies have revealed to me that some of the best speakers the world has known actually learnt via self-study.
Here’s how they achieved that feat:
They read extensively about master speakers still alive and those who had passed on. They studied their biographies to identify what made those speakers successful.
Then they used what they learnt as a guide in developing their own unique skills and styles as public speakers. You do NOT need to be in a formal learning environment or class, to read books and learn from them. It is usually done better when you are alone!
To succeed as a speaker, you must have a message you want to pass to anyone who will listen. To do really well, you have to be VERY passionate about your subject – feel deeply and strongly about it.
It is this passion for the subject that will make you think deeply about it, so that you generate powerful messages destined to impact your audience and make them appreciate you. Thinking deeply about issues does NOT require being in a formal learning environment. AGAIN, it is usually done better when you are alone!
And they did not wait until they had an audience to do it. Abraham Lincoln reportedly practiced as he walked to and from his home, office etc. He gathered people around him to listen to his talks. When possible, he took part in debates.
He sat alone in his room and read aloud speeches crafted in line with what he had read, and thought up, revising it till it sounded right. Sometimes he silently imagined himself delivering his talk – visualising the event the way he wanted it to take place.
Today, with availability of audio and video recorders built into various devices such as phones and computers, you have more options for practicing in the absence of an audience!
Dale Carnegie recommends recording your planned talk or speech and playing it back to hear yourself. It provides excellent avenue to improve your delivery. Practicing does NOT necessarily require being in a formal learning environment. You can use the above strategies, and also gather family members or close friends together to critique your talk.
In an article I read, Les Brown recommended that one Speak for FREE until you are sure you’ve got the hang of it. Burt Dubin agrees, having passed the same route to success himself. In the introduction video on his website, he says “If I, a high school drop out can do it, then so can YOU! ” I would add that IF Abraham Lincoln, with all the odds stacked against him could have done it, via self-study (and in spite of myriad failures), then so CAN YOU!
I followed Burt’s advice from his many articles and newsletters, back in 2002, and before the end of that same year, I successfully negotiated and got paid for my first speaking outing here in Lagos.
Not every one will have access to formal institutions providing public speaking training or coaching. If that applies to you, know that you will NOT be the first person with that seeming limitation. Abraham Lincoln’s example is especially compelling. He walked miles to borrow books and read under candle light late into the night, and as dawn broke, woke up to continue.
He had only a few months of schooling, and so lacked access to formal learning institutions to pursue his passion for speaking. But this did not deter him. He adopted self-study methods, and practiced endlessly. Today he is remembered as one of the greatest speakers the world has known. So, sometimes it could actually be a blessing in disguise that you have to self-study.
That outcome depends mainly on your INTEREST, DESIRE, and PASSION – demonstrated in the energy you will pour into doing all the studying, thinking and practicing that will make you develop into a good speaker. You alone ultimately determine how good you will become – and NOT necessarily your attendance of a public speaking school.
I honestly believe that if available, the quality of INSTRUCTION your receive in the art of public speaking can make a difference in how you turn out as a speaker. A competent mentor will know how to help you discover and develop your FULL potential. S/he will guide you, drawing from his/her past personal speaking experiences and also from studying other speakers.
But you know what? S/he, i.e. your mentor, does NOT need to meet with you physically, to play this important role. Indeed, today’s technology makes it much easier to receive instruction on almost any subject, regardless of distance or geographical location – public speaking being a good example.
In case you’re looking to get started with a mentor, one that I strongly recommend (and who I represent as Sole Agent) is Burt Dubin – who mentors experts who want to be speakers, and speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his Speaker Mentoring Products and Services website.
They LOVED it. However, I’ll write later on about the intriguing events preceding the talk I delivered yesterday, at Sherryville Arcade-Lagos, to a group of CEOs and Network Marketing Professionals. (Hint: I came in right from Cotonou border, but arrived over 1 hour late, despite hiring a taxi, due to crazy Lagos traffic)!
To make it up to attendees who waited (those who had to leave get the DVD), I gave an EXTRA hour of information, education, tips and insights based on multiple true stories!
The DVD’s contents include…
1. Two FULL Hours (4 MP3 Audio Recordings) of my Talk delivered yesterday – on the subject:
“Spend Less Money & Time to Make Customers Find & Contact You, Even While You Sleep.”
1. How much money do you spend using the web monthly?
2. How much money do you MAKE from using the web monthly?
None of them could say he was making MORE than he SPENT on the web!
[Note to reader: If YOU also spend MORE, this DVD recording of the talk can help you!]
Would you not challenge the CEO to do better, or possibly even demand that s/he be replaced for reckless spending?
That’s why YOU need to LEARN what to do to attract buyers at zero cost, by listening to these DVD audio recordings!
Key talking points I discussed using multiple true stories about myself/my clients were:
a. What to do to MAKE more money than you spend using the web for your business
b. What you should be selling that you are not (NO MATTER what business you do).
c. How to continue selling even during holidays, when offices and banks are closed.
d. How to make smart use of technology to cut your marketing costs by 25 to 50%.
e. How to find the right kinds of buyers for your products/services.
f. Why you need to educate your prospects and clients if you want to sell MORE profitably.
g. Why website traffic is NOT what you need to monitor, if you want web marketing success.
h. How a Web Marketing System can make ALL the above happen even while you sleep.
In addition, there is screen shot video presentation which explains the 9 key components of a Web Marketing System (WMS).
Plus, you also get my 3 part educational MP3 audio series:
“Why You Need a Web Marketing System”(see “Audio 1”, “Audio 2” & “Audio 3” on DVD menu.
All buyers of the DVD get FREE 30 minutes Consultation Session with me, on what to do & how to get started, to achieve zero cost marketing successes.
Price = N5,000 (Five Thousand Naira)
Email tayo at tksola dot com for details or fill/submit this contact form.
Feeding is one critical element that determines how well poultry or any other farm animals perform. It impacts not only on growth rates, but also on the disease resistance of the birds(though protection is also afforded the birds through vaccination/medication regimes).
To put it another way, it has been acknowledged that ‘Diet is an important component of the environment under all climatic conditions. The potential of the bird cannot be attained if the environment, and notably the diet, is substandard.
Poultry farming, though potentially lucrative, can be fairly risky if a farmer is not diligent. Some farmers have recorded severe losses by way of disease outbreaks or dismal productivity resulting from poor feeding among other things.
Apart from the hygiene condition of the environment where poultry are kept, the types of feeds – and manner of feeding – that the birds are subjected to can prove quite critical in determining the ultimate output achieved by a farmer whether in terms of eggs laid, or bird sizes/weight at point of sale.
He pointed out many of these farmers lack formal training in poultry management. However, despite this seemingly serious inadequacy, they successfully feed/manage their birds for profit – which is why they remain in business even today!
Now if that is possible, imagine how much better off they would be in terms of farm productivity (and profits) if they developed a better knowledge/understanding of poultry feedstuffs and ration formulation/compounding!!
Feeding is one critical element that determines how well poultry or any other farm animals perform. It impacts not only on growth rates, but also on the disease resistance of the birds (though protection is also afforded the birds through vaccination/medication regimes).
To put it another way, it has been acknowledged that ‘Diet is an important component of the environment under all climatic conditions. The potential of the bird cannot be attained if the environment, and notably the diet, is substandard.
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Estimates have shown that feeds represent 70 – 75% of the total cost of livestock production – especially poultry and piggery production. Ration formulation is a technique that enhances adaptation of local feed stuffs in compounding rations. It takes into consideration 2 basic concepts:
a. The specific nutrient requirement of different animals.
b. The ingredients of the feed itself.
There is also some specific requirement dependent on the type of animal in question: whether it is monogastric or ruminant. A ruminant animal is one that brings back food from its stomach and chews it again, and which is able to digest cellulose (a complex carbohydrate) with the aid of microorganisms, which live in its intestines e.g. Cow and sheep. A monogastric is one that can is incapable of digesting complex carbohydrates e.g. poultry etc.
Nutrients are chemical substances found in food materials (feeds), which are required for the growth, maintenance, production and health of animals.
When rations are well balanced, a smaller quantity is required for most economic efficiency, while greater amounts of a poorly balanced ration will be required to meet the specific production purposes in livestock. These greater amounts constitute expensive wastes, which could have been saved if the rations had been well balanced in the first place.
Poorly balanced rations depress appetite in animals leading to poor performance, and high susceptibility to infection and disease. In carrying out ration formulation, we study the daily nutrient requirements of different animals, and compare with the composition of available feed ingredients. We then manipulate the latter to meet the needs for satisfactory productivity either in terms of meat, milk or egg production.
Next: Part 2 of 2- Discussion of Four (4) Major Groups of Feed Ingredients For Ration Formulation
Yesterday (Tuesday 3rd March 2015) p.m, I arrived Cotonou-Benin Republic for a meeting with the CEO (Barr. Arnold NANA) of Global Konsult Group, a multidisciplinary client company. That meeting held today (Wednesday) for approx. 5 hours, on how to use potential promotional materials from their ground breaking events, (which already have corporate sponsors eagerly teaming up with them – see www.globalkonsultgroup.com/fbk) to take their Web Marketing to the next level, so they can better create client attracting awareness.
Tomorrow, Thursday 5th March 2015 by 4p.m, I will be back in Nigeria (at Sherryvile Arcade, Berger bus stop- Lagos (opposit First Bank Plc, speaking to Small Business CEOs and Network Marketing professionals on THIS same theme.
1. How much money do you spend using the web monthly?
2. How much money do you MAKE from using the web monthly?
NB: If – for you – 2 is LESS than 1, you REALLY NEED to attend my talk, or get the DVD recording.
a. What to do to MAKE more money than you spend using the web for your business
b. What you should be selling that you are not (NO MATTER what business you do).
c. How to continue selling even during holidays, when offices and banks are closed.
d. How to make smart use of technology to cut your marketing costs by 25 to 50%.
e. How to find the right kinds of buyers for your products/services.
f. Why you need to educate your prospects and clients if you want to sell MORE profitably.
g. Why website traffic is NOT what you need to monitor, if you want web marketing success.
h. How a Web Marketing System can make ALL the above happen even while you sleep.
Over 95% of my clients have NEVER met me in the flesh, and yet some have been buyers of my products/services for over 7 years from locations across the length and breadth of Nigeria (Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Niger, Oyo, Ekiti, Plateau, Delta, Enugu, Rivers etc)… as well as within and outside Africa (Canada, Abu Dhabi [UAE), Tanzania, Benin Republic, USA, Holland etc).
Download the Speaker One Sheet at: http://tinyurl.com/sherryvillePDF
On 25th November 2014, Nelson Senatin (@fishbonedotcom) tweeted to me saying:
“@tksola may I know how you describe yourself? An agriculturist or businessman?”
“I am a MARKETER first, and an agriculturist second” (where “marketer” = “businessman”)
[NB: By way of interest, my above stated response paraphrases Burt Dubin’s wise quote reproduced which reads thus:
“You are a marketer first, and an expert second.” – Burt Dubin]
My version of Burt’s quote means I AM not just engaged in agriculture because I enjoy it (and I do!). Instead I also intend to get amply rewarded for the value I add…AND as long as I ADD value others consider worthwhile, I will ensure I get AMPLY remunerated for it.
Like I have continually said in my articles, I get lots of enquiries via multiple web marketing channels that I use, from across the world. It’s simply amazing the seemingly unlimited power that the web puts at one’s disposal, if one knows how.
Indeed, this is why I keep harping on the need for small business owners and solo entrepreneurs especially, to adopt my approach to finding buyers for their products/services.
I use what I call a custom Web Marketing System, and it helps me attract high paying buyers for the solutions I offer, at zero cost.
Yet, compared to those who use more conventional marketing methods, I spend MUCH MUCH MUCH (!) less time, effort and money promoting my offers, to get profitable results I record.
Every now and then, I get people who come asking that I give my software or book to them for FREE.
Quite often, they would claim to be students, and that they needed it for their studies. Or that they were researchers aiming to use it for their work.
In a few cases, I have had business owners (or persons claiming they were about to start their own businesses) writing in saying they simply had no money.
Most times, I would respond that such persons let me know what date/time to call and speak with them, AT MY OWN expense. Did you get that? At MY OWN EXPENSE!
Believe it or not, till this very day, NOT ONE of them has ever responded.
As the Americans would say: Figures…
My motive for writing that article was based on a trend I noticed with so many farm business owners I met in the course of my work as a Farm Business Support Specialist.
Majority of them simply did NOT understand that they had to be BUSINESS PERSONS, if they wished to be profitable.
They would spend hundreds of hours planning production details, sparing little or no thought for creating PROFITABLE/SUSTAINABLE DEMAND for products they were planning to churn out.
As a result, time and time again, when I have reached out to such farm business owners months and years later on, I have NOT been surprised to learn they were struggling or had quit.
For instance, just last month, I had phone conversations with 5 Farm CEOs who had previously contacted me about solutions I offered (especially my Feed Formulation Handbook and Software), and 3 of them let on that they had “suspended” operations or close down entirely.
Specifically, they complained that their regular buyers (the “market women”) had proved to be very exploitative, demanding unfair price reductions to make bulk purchases of products.
The women made those demands knowing the farm CEOs did not have alternative means of selling off their produce profitably.
One told me he’d stopped production and taken day job to think up a better way to sell.
Instead they failed because they did NOT know how to find the RIGHT kinds of buyers to take their products off them!
Which brings me back to Senatin’s Tweet, and my response…
You see, what I do actually falls under “Extension Services” delivery. However, my approach is VERY unconventional, and VERY unlike what universities or research bodies readily refer to.
But it is instructive to note that I am a graduate of Agricultural Extension Services from the University of Ibadan – so I do have formal training to function in this role.
That was why writing an international agribusiness research paper, that I got paid for (by a European Union funded NGO based in Holland), came easily to me. (see links at the end).
In that paper, I basically challenged other Extension Service providers across the world, to adopt my approach of going beyond conventional practice to help farmer entrench BEST PRACTICE systems.
This includes development of low cost customizable automated spreadsheet apps to facilitate prompt farm data recording, trending/analysis for timely and more accurate decision making.
You see, if we want agriculture to become more attractive to people, especially the youth, it is crucial that we take the practice of agriculture BEYOND the level of drudgery it is currently associated with.
Interestingly, this does NOT mean spending lots of money.
Indeed, as my method has shown, the exact opposite with regard to spending, is what happens using my adopted approach.
Yet at the same time, the practice of agriculture in the way I advocate will enable farm business owners operate at a much efficient level, using cost-effective technology and indigenous creativity to boost profits.
A key component of that is the use of “Enterprise Information Systems” (like my Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator and my Poultry Farm Manager, as well as my Payslip Generator).
Most importantly, I strongly recommend that they adopt the use of a custom Web Marketing System, to ensure they establish lasting relationships with BULK buyers for their products.
Indeed, this is badly needed today, in a place like Nigeria for instance, where quacks are taking advantage of newly retired persons who indicate interest in venturing into agriculture!
A person who is already running the kind of business YOU intend to start, will (often though NOT always) be better equipped to SHOW YOU how to get started successfully.
That’s my argument, and it is the perspective from which I offer my support to farm CEOs. But many do not immediately see THAT big picture, and I understand why.
Over time, this strategy has worked. For instance I have farm CEOs who have been my clients for years, who recently paid to have me develop Web Marketing Systems for them.
Some have joined my Inner Circle to gain FREE access to my Poultry Farm Manager.
Long lasting benefits will accrue to these farm businesses, if the CEOs take diligent action along the lines I recommend, adding their own creativity along the way.
Ultimately, they will become agro-entrepreneurs or “business minded” agriculturists (to paraphrase Senatin – who has since purchased my Feed Formulation Handbook)!
If that happens, they will record more reproducible financial success, with less effort/at less cost.
You will agree with me that if farm businesses can succeed with more consistency and predictability, they will become more appealing to others – especially young people.
Since the future of our economies depends on more of our people, especially youths, embracing agriculture, it becomes obvious that this approach CAN boost our ability to attract this target group INTO agribusiness!
Click the links below, to read articles I wrote in which I mentioned commencing (and progressing) work on the international research paper I referred to in the above article. I also noted how farm CEOs can function, to generate passive income streams outside sales of their farm produce.
http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/no-119-how-to-achieve-success-in-any-field-true-story/ [Written after I completed the project and just got paid]
http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/dont-just-tell-kids-to-do-be-an-exemplary-role-model/ [Written after the article above]
http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/no-111-farm-business-owners-can-speak-to-influence-research/ [Written when I was still working on the project]
[This 58 page e-book is available for purchase at www.lulu.com/sdaproducts today]
It’s a compilation of 10 of my top performing Cost-Saving Farm Business Ideas articles on the Farm Business Marketing. See Table of Contents here.
As a paid owner of this eBook, in line with the offer made of the sales page in my online store, you can freely reproduce – without making alterations – ANY of the articles contained in this e-book for use on your website, or in any other medium or publication, as long as my byline and copyright information are printed along with every article.
I’ve written articles about many heart breaking struggles I passed through, to achieve the growing success I now enjoy as a Location Independent Multipreneur. However, rather than moan about the “suffering” I endured, I want to point out that I NOW succeed MAINLY because I NEVER quit, during those hard times!
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Coming up…FREE One (1) Hour talk!
Topic: Spend Less Money & Time to Make Customers Find & Contact You, Even While You Sleep (True Stories About How)!
Speaker: Tayo K. Solagbade [Location Independent Performance Improvement Specialist & Multipreneur]
Date: Thursday 5th March 2015
Time: 4 to 5 p.m
Venue: Sherryville Arcade, Ojodu Berger Bus stop (opposite First Bank Plc), Lagos, Nigeria
Key Target Audience: Business owners, Sales/Marketing Professionals, Independent Self-Marketing Professionals
1. This event is FREE for 2 reasons…
a. It’s being held as a FREE educational service for self-marketing professionals and business owner members of my Inner Circle (e.g farm CEOs, Network Marketing Professionals and others)
b. The second reason is that I use Public Speaking for Business Marketing (PSBM) to boost my name recognition and credibility – hence this “public offer” to non-members of my Inner Circle.
2. Intended attendees have ALREADY been pre-notified and confirmed their interest. Some are members of my Inner Circle.
3. This online broadcast is for ANY other interested persons who can find their way to the venue on the stated date/time.
4. ALL attendees will be eligible to obtain duplicated copies of a FREE autorun DVD that will contain an MP3 recording of the talk, a 3 part audio presentation on the same theme, a zero cost marketing ebook and other useful information products.
For details or inquiries, email tayo at tksola dot com…or use the contact details below.
Tayo K. Solagbade*
Performance Improvement Specialist & Multipreneur
*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service (www.speakingsuccess.com) In Africa
Mobile: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic)
