Category Archives: Entrepreneurship

A Pocket-Friendly Poultry Farm Manager Software for Profit Conscious Farm Business Owners

A growing number of smallholder poultry farmers are impressing me with their drive to achieve best practice improvement in their farm businesses. The increasing rate at which they contact me about purchasing my Excel-VB driven Poultry Farm Management app, is how I know.

That’s Why I Deliberately Bear The Cost of Calling Them on Phone – Both Locally and Internationally!

Yep. That’s what I do. I now make up to 2 calls per week on the average, in response to web based enquiries from farm business owners about that app.

Every time I’ve done it, the Farm CEO has often been taken by surprise.

It never ceases to amaze them, that I can readily make such an expense of effort, time and money, even when I’m not sure any sale will come of it.

Like I’ve told each and every one of them, I do this because I have a vision I want to accomplish.

Smallholder farmers in many countries tend to be limited in terms of resources they can access to really take their businesses to the next level. One key area has always been the dearth of customizable software well suited to the unique needs of the respective farms.

As a result, most have had to improvise using conventional solutions existing in the market.

My vision is to establish trusting relationships with willing smallholder farmers, to equip them to use low cost PC and Internet technology, for running their farm businesses more productively and profitably.

The more they are able to plan for and manage their farm operations in a way that minimises setbacks and delays, the better their fortunes will be.

By proving that I have ability and resources to help them achieve the foregoing, serious minded farm CEOs are likely to regard me as a potentially useful solution provider, to keep around for the long term.

The first step of course, is to get them to give me a chance to show what I can do.

Those who are already members of my Farm Business Ideas Club, have seen that I can truly help them. A good number purchased my Feed Formulation Handbook, and the accompanying Ration Formulation Software.

Most have never met with me in person, yet they have continued as subscribers to my newsletter for over 3 years. Some have become good friends, with whom I share great phone conversations regularly.

But like I said, most of those I have in my network have come based on their interest in finding feed formulation solutions.

Recently, a new group of Farm CEO enquirers has begun to demand my attention

In the past, their enquiries were very few and far between.

This group is interested in my Best Operating Process Management System(BOPMS)™, which advocates use of low cost customizable software applications for proactive farm operations performance monitoring and control.

In several past articles, and also on the Mind Map I created for the BOPMS™, I refer to such applications as Enterprise Information Systems (EIS).

These new group often watch the video presentations I’ve recently put up on my website, and also on Youtube. Then just as I anticipated would happen, the attractive benefits of the featured software solutions and Best Practice System make them submit the web contact form provided on the page.

Up till that point, everything goes according to my projections.

However, when I eventually call them up, I have noticed, consistently – but not surprisingly – that most are not prepared for what I tell them.

Apart from the deliberate profiling I do via question asking, to be sure they are the right fit for my software solution, most are not able to fit the required investment for the app, into their budget.

The Farm Business CEOs that have, so far, reached out to me regarding the Poultry Farm Manager software, include persons from Kenya (2 of them), Cameroon, USA, South Africa etc

By way of interest, one person did get across to me from Iran, but when I called him up, he said “I no speak English. Please send email.”

That was odd, considering he’d filled the web form in English to make his enquiry. Looking back however, I imagine he had a basic understanding of English, and on seeing what the app could do in the video, desired it. Then he probably used translate.google.com to word his enquiry :-)

I should add that due to habit of checking the websites archive of past enquiries, I discovered the same chap from Iran had sent in an enquiry about my Feed Formulation Handbook in 20!0!

All of this goes to further underscore the fact that the web marketing system I use delivers powerful, and lasting/long term benefits.

Tailoring My Poultry Farm Software Solution to Meet the Budget Needs of Small Farmers

Since I really want to help these farmers, I’ve decided to offer them an alternative solution.

Yesterday I told a Cameroonian Farm Business owner who has 1,000 broilers on his farm, that I’ll build a scaled down version of my Poultry Farm Manager, for persons with limited budgets/needs.

He expressed great relief on hearing that.

I promised I would get back to him in one week. But he’s not the only one I’ll be offering this Mini-Poultry Farm Manager to.

All the other smallholder farmers who’ve reached out to me will get an special offer to buy this lower priced, less sophisticated version of my app.

Are a Profit-Conscious Poultry Farm Business Owner?

Do you desire a pocket-friendly priced and ready-to-use app to help you better manage your farm operations, proactively and profitably?

If yes, I urge you to fill/submit the form on this page.

Do so now, to get yourself served my special offer, once the mini version of my Excel-VB Driven Poultry Farm Manager Software is ready.

Believe me, you’ll be glad you did!

Quit Your Job? (Some Web Marketing Ideas for Your New Business)

So, you finally bit the bullet and resigned your appointment with your employer after years of meritorious service, to start your own consultancy? And you did it while the ovation is still loudest? Good for you! Most people rarely get rich working for others. No matter what service you want to offer, the web can boost your expert status so people feel more confident hiring you.

I propose the following:

1. Setup a proper website in your name using a Content Management System (Joomla or WordPress) – that will make it easy for you to manage the site yourself (just like you use MS Word or Facebook). See an example I did for a Cameroonian client (a Legal Consultant) in Cotonou: www.nanaarnold.com

This means you will purchase a domain name – e.g. www.yourname.com (long overdue!!) – for $10 approx – for ONE year.

And you would also purchase a hosting account – from $40 approx – for ONE year.

2. Once the site is up, you must use it to get people to take action to contact you. That requires writing new content regularly, and using preferably zero cost channels to promote it. That’s where the work will be.

My method is to use writing to attract visits via the search engines. So, I recommend you have a blog where you’ll publish your new articles and other reports. The purpose will be to establish yourself as an authority in your field or interest or expertise.

As your “content” volume increases, those who encounter it online, who fit your target audience profile, will be won over by it.

They will come ready to engage you. My blog has been central to my webmarketing success:

http://spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets/

Like mine, everything you do on your blog will be automatically linked to your Facebook outlet and your website. See my Excel-VB Solutions page www.tinyurl.com/tksexcelheaven. It has 95% membership from overseas. They talk about my works in their network i.e. free promotion! No wonder I’m getting more foreign enquirers about my Excel-VB driven farm business software.

You will also need to setup a promotional email newsletter which you will publish regularly, to  subscribers. It will boost your expert status.

Note that this approach will SAVE you a lot of marketing expense, and eventually boost your generation of quality sales leads.

It does not yield success over night. BUT it always works! You just need to persist.

If you could have served as long and successfully as you did with an employer before quitting, I believe you will be able to generate the QUALITY of content that will make people who need your services see you as a preferred provider.

Over time, they will seek you out by themselves. You will have less need to reach out to potential clients. But even when you do go out, this system will bean instrument you will use to win clients over with less effort, in less time and at less cost.

I call it the Development of a Web Marketing System.

TOTAL INVESTMENT REQUIRED (If I do it for you):

1. Domain Registration (1 year) and Website Hosting (1 year) – N7,500.00

2. Setting up your Web Marketing System (comprising your website, your blog and your promotional Facebook page) – N100, 000.00

IT WILL PAY FOR ITSELF

This approach will save you lots of business promotion expenses, and also help you win MORE paying clients. As an expert in your field of specialisation, you can also approach international organisations to write papers or even speak at conferences (for a fee too!).

An updated/quality content, online presence will make those you contact choose you over your rivals!

How Much Should Your Start-up Farm’s Business Plan Cost? (Real Life Email Conversation)

I get email requests and enquiries of all kinds from visitors to my different websites:

1. Self-Development Education. 2. Best Practice Farm Business Support. 3. Freelance Writing/Web Marketing Systems Development . 4. Custom Excel-VB Driven Software Development

But MOST of the enquiries come from my Cost-Saving Farm Biz Ideas/Support Service website located at: http://www.iff.spontaneousdevelopment.com.

Initially, most of the enquiries were about my feed formulation handbook. Later, when I put my Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator software online, farm business owners began writing in to ask how they could purchase it.

******** Start of Message ********

Subject: Re: Your request for my poultry feed formulation handbook

Hi, You need to purchase the handbook.Click here to read full details of the required investment, the steps you need to take, and what you will get subsequentlly.

Let me know if I can help you further.

******** End of Message ********

With time, visitors began to enquire about my other products and services (e.g business plans, feasibility studies, research papers etc).

Some have emailed and even called me, to know what it would take to have my Best Operating Process Management System (BOPMS) implemented on their farms. A growing number have been writing and calling about my Excel-VB Driven Poultry Layer Farm Management Software, which I recently decided to make available online. A few others have written in with special custom software development needs they wanted me to tackle for them.

As you can imagine, this presents a constantly changing range of requests I have to attend to. And many times, only a few ever mature into actual sales. The reasons for this vary. Sometimes it’s the price attached to my product or service. At other times, it turns out the enquirier is just price shopping, or simply curious.

In the earlier days, about 4 years ago, I actually had a rather high proportion of the enquiries coming from phony prospects. People with no serious intentions, who only derived fun from playing mind games.

It was this latter group that taught me the importance of using carefully crafterd autoresponder messages and other tools to protect myself, and save my limited time and energy for those who really mattered. My strategy has worked quite well, and today, I can say less than 5% of enquiries I get could be said to be from “phony” prospects.

Usually When They Don’t Buy, It’s Because They Have a Limited Budget, or They’re Not Ready

For instance, reproduced below is a web form submission by a guy (a Nigerian who said he was based in Canada), who wrote saying he wished to startup a poultry enterprise in Nigeria.

Like others before him, I was not sure he was to be taken seriously when I saw his web form request. See submission below.

——————————–

> kaffo2@xyz.com wrote:

>> name = SEGUN KAFFO

>> interest = Feasibility Study

>> comments = i am interested in comissioning a feasibilty study/business

>> plan for a start up poultry farm and feed mill.

——————————–

Below is the response I sent to him…

—– Original Message —–

From: “Tayo K. Solagbade”

To: “segun kaffo”

Subject: Re: Feasibility Study

Hi,

Your request will require a meeting with me.

Past experience (right into 31st Dec 07) has made me decide to require ANYONE who wishes to meet with me pay N2,500 for that to happen. This amount will be 100% deduducted from the actual fees I eventually charge to carry out a project for him/her.

If however it turns out that after meeting with me s/he decides for any reason not to take it further, only 50% of that amount will be refunded. My apologies for this seeming self-defeating approach, but I have had too much of my time wasted by many people who were merely “curious”.

If/when you are ready, please call me on 0803-302-1263 for further details.

I encourage you to browse through every page on my IFF website (http://www.iff.spontaneousdevelopment.com/) to learn more about what I offer. Call me to clarify any areas.

Regards

Tayo Solagbade

He would go on to call me on my mobile

We spent about 20 minutes discussing, after which he said he would send a formal email specifying his exact needs.

Then Kaffo sent his formal/detailed service request(after we had spoken on phone):

===Email Startss===

Subject: Re: Feasibility Study

From: “segun kaffo”

To: “Tayo Solagbade”

Priority: Normal

Hi Tayo,

It was a pleasure having a prelimary discussion with you. I am contemplating a poultry project of about 7000 birds in 4 cycles. That is about 28000 for the first year. In the second year, I expect an expansion to about 15000 to 20000 birds per cycle or 80000 per year. It will be a broiler operation.

I plan to site the poultry in the vicinity of Epe. My starting point is to determine the viability of the project. This is where you come in. I need a feasibilty study which will assist me in determining whether to proceed.

This should cover the total capital cost, operating cost, land area required, feed cost/conversion, acquisition of day old, equipment etc.

Before you proceed, I would need to have an idea of what your charges would be – just a ball park figure is sufficient. If the amount is reasonable then I would comission you to proceed. This way I do not waste your valuable time. I propose to pay 25% of your fees to start.

When you are about halfway complete, I will pay another 25% and the balance on completion and receipt
of the study. I hope you will consider this as fair to both of us. Some element of trust is inevitable and I am willing to set the pace with the mobilization payment.

You should be able to e-mail me the work as you proceed. I will pay you by Western Union. Please let me know if you find the above arrangement suitable.

Regards, Segun

===Email Ends===

I did him a response in which I specified my fees for preparing the document, among other details…

===Email Starts===

Subject: Re: Feasibility Study

From: “Tayo K. Solagbade”
<http://webmail.xyzdevelopment.com/src/compose.php?send_to=tayo%40xyz.com<br>

To: “segun kaffo” <kaffo2@xyz

Priority: Normal

Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version | Download this as
a file

Hi Segun,

Your original submission via my website form refers below:

——————————————
>

comments = i am interested in comissioning a feasibilty study/business
> plan for a start up poultry farm and feed mill.

——————————————

I noticed you left out the “feed mill” in the project details you sent
in(see excerpt above from your original web form submission). Was that an
oversight or did you decide to leave it out deliberately? I ask because
inclusion of the “feed mill” has implications for “costing” of the study
preparation.

Ball park figure to prepare the study is N200k. If you choose to include
the “feed mill” then it will be N250k.

As for payment terms, 50% advance and 50% on completion is preferable.You can be sure of getting regular updates thru a restricted (login) access page that I will update with FULL details of progress.

The finished report will come with an automated Excel-VB driven
spreadsheet application that allows you as the “owner” to do what-if
analyses to mimick possible changes that could affect the farm biz plan
costings. For instance if a change in major feed ingredient prices occurs,
projected costs for feed compounding would be affected.

The spreadsheet software containing your original startup data/projection
could be updated in relevant places with the new prices to automatically
generate revised estimates that guide decision making.

This is a critical element in farm planning and management especially for
poultry entreprises that are so capital intensive and RISK-prone even as
they are potentially highly profitable.

I prefer (as I believe most biz owners should) to see the feasibility
study &/or biz plan as a business management tool that can be adjusted as
the project is implemented over time to reflect changes/realities of the
day. Making it “dynamic” is a good way to make effective use of it to
achieve the biz goals one desires.

Hope this helps.

Regards, tayo

===Email Ends===

The above took place in 2008. I have NOT heard from him till this day.

Maybe that’s because I told him what he wanted would cost N150k (divide that by 140 to get the dollar equivalent), payable 50% in advance.

There have been similar others. I guess they were just not convinced it should cost them so much to get the type of solutions I offer.

Maybe by the time they go ahead and startup their farm businesses without the benefit of guidance from the kind of tools/resources I offer, and they end up “struggling” endlessly to be/stay productive and profitable, they will be ready.

That is, if it is not too late by then.

Final Words: In case you decide you want to contact me about any of my products or services, keep what I’ve said above in mind.

My fees will often be affordable, but rarely be cheap – especially for my services.

If you adopt a long term perspective to the matter however (afterall, it’s unlikely you’ll be running a farm business for the short term), it will become obvious making the required investment for my kind of products/services will be a wise thing to do!

NB: This article is based on excertps from Issue No. 31 of Tayo K. Solagbade’s Self-Development Digest Newsletter published on Mon 6th October 2008 at http://spontaneousdevelopment.com/news/sdacn_Mon_061008.htm

No. 123: Boost Your Marketing Success by Using the Web Differently

The massive name recognition and marketing reach/impact I’m getting via my zero cost Web Marketing System baffles many. Most believe if you don’t spend on online ads in some media, you cannot get enough marketing exposure.

My achievements on the web disprove that myth.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ FULL ISSUE

Click now to view the latest issue of Tayo Solagbade's Public Speaking IDEAS page

Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 6th January 2014

No:123

Title: Boost Your Marketing Success by Using the Web Differently

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [Tel: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic) ]

Blog URL: http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/blog

Archive (E-mail version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view

Archive (Blog version started 24th September 2011): Click here


Have You Downloaded Your Gifts?

Ten Ways Self-Development Bible

As a subscriber to my mailing list, you get to access over 10 potentially useful books and reports.

Click here to view the download page:

Login using the username and password sent to you during signup.

Can’t find it? No problem. E-mail me via tayo at tksola dot com and I’ll send you another. Not yet a subscriber? Click here to signup.


**** **********

NB: This newsletter is published every Monday. Point your browser to www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule :-)

**********

View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google Plus

No. 123: Boost Your Marketing Success by Using the Web Differently

The massive name recognition and marketing reach/impact I’m getting via my zero cost Web Marketing System baffles many. Most believe if you don’t spend on online ads in some media, you cannot get enough marketing exposure.

My achievements on the web disprove that myth.

To boost your online self-promotion efforts in 2014 as an expert-who-speaks, adopt the mind set shift, and ideas/strategies I advocate in this article!

Using The Web Successfully Is Rarely About Your IT/Technology “Up-to-date-ness”

I like the sound of that…”up-to-date-ness”…:-))

I’ve found that some people think succeeding with IT depends on using the latest versions and models. Wrong! Anyone familiar with my elaborate online presence, will be surprised to learn that I use what purists would consider very outdated equipment and software.

For instance, I write and do all my Excel-VB coding on a VERY old Toshiba Satellite (at least by today’s standards. It was purchased 5 years ago.)

And I say this proudly. It gives me the results I want, and many times I deliver output that exceeds those of others who use more modern machines and software.

My philosophy is: if it’s not giving problems, and stilll produces the results I want, why change it?

That’s why you’ll find I have Windows XP installed on it, and there’s also a copy of MS Excel 2000 (that’s NOT a typo!) on it, in case I need to develop an app that’s downwardly compatible.

You should also see my Blackberry Pearl 9035.

It’s seen better days, as I’ve flogged it mercilessly since 2 years ago when I bought it.

Many times, I’ve had to teach clients using superior, newer models how to do what I do with my old horse e.g creating and publishing new posts to my blog, with graphics, and also using a blackberry as a modem for browsing via my laptop, saving over N4,000 monthly as a result.

So, it’s rarely about the “tools” and more about the competence, commitment and creativity of the user!

Think about it: Long distance runners from Ethiopia and Kenya who often start out training bare foot, without access to modern sporting facilities have for decades dominated World and Olympic competitions.

Their peers in developed societies, despite all their special diets and conditioning, with their aerodynamic running shoes and wears, are rarely able to match them!

It’s More About Your Ability to Find/Use The Right Mix of User-Friendly Tools and Resources

As an expert-who-speaks in 2014, the way you put PC and Internet technology to use will determine the degree of marketing success you achieve.

Too many of us still think we must get a “certification” in a particular vocation before we can consider ourselves competent to function in it. And we apply that same thinking to others we come across.

This leads to a bias that denies us the opportunity to benefit from the GENIUS of someone who, for example, studied Sociology in the university, but later discovered and developed his God-given talent for Web Marketing.

In trying to decide whose proposal to accept, we choose the person who sends a thick proposal endng with a listing of all sorts of IT qualifications. We tell ourselves “Aha. This person will know all there is to know about helping us use IT and the Internet to successfully market our products and services!

We blind ourselves to the need to check for real-world relevance of each person’s know-how!

An IT graduate may NOT have a passion for creatively applying what s/he knows in a way that benefits his/her clients in the real world. In today’s world, technology makes it possible for anyone with the interest and willingness, to learn almost anything s/he wants to learn.

And that’s why today we have so many people achieving great successes in fields they did not formally study in. Look around you. I do not need to give any examples. They abound everywhere!

To me, that is a sign that we all need to pay more attention to verifying real world competence, instead of depending on academic credentials in isolation.

You, or Your IT Manager Need Not Reinvent The Wheel, to Market Online Successfully

I say this with confidence drawn from over 8 years of using the web to market physical and digital products/services to buyers within and outside Africa.

Knowing that my target audiences varied greatly in their familiarity with the web, as well as their purchasing power, I had to focus on low to zero cost ways to do it all, until I could be sure what worked best. Then using what I learned, I narrowed down to certain strategies, and this increased my rate of success.

Since I was short of funds, and of time, I had to find ways to do my online marketing faster and with less effort i.e. via Intelligent Automation. And I remain alert to any new opportunities to do that.

Around 2009, I discovered Content Management Systems(CMS). That marked a turning point in the way I used the web.

Before then, I’d learnt and used Macromedia Dreamweaver, Macromedia Flash, Adobe Photoshop etc to create my designs and web pages from scratch. Discovering CMS like Joomla! and WordPress opened my eyes to the invaluable opportunity to focus my attention on what really mattered: CREATING and propagating USEFUL CONTENT for my target audience!

It took time. It took effort. It took persistence.

But today, I know what to do and how – combining the CMS with other Internet resources, to achieve high impact marketing mileage at low to zero cost.

Whenever I speak to others who want to use the web, I alert them to the need to avoid wasting limited time, and resources, manually doing stuff that I get done automatically.

For example: In CMS like Joomla! they are called “Extensions”. In WordPress, “Plugins”.

On my blog, I have a plugin that allows me create all sorts of contact forms, with powerful automation features, without any coding knowledge, and within seconds.

Another allows me automatically choose posts on my blog, and compiles them into a book I can immediately publish. Considering that I have almost 500 posts to plough through, you can imagine that plugin will be a time saver for me, since I plan to publish ebooks for sale on some of my blog categories in the near future.

Without the plugin, I’d have needed a developer, and a hefty sum of money to pay him/her!

In truth, I am yet to have a need for a special feature or function to aid my marketing online that is not catered for by an extension or plugin already existing. (My experience also indicates that if you search long and hard enough, you’ll find a FREE one too!)

So, when I see some people sweating for months to write code to do something they claim to be important for their website or online marketing, I often get saddened. When I point out the mistake they’re making, they conclude I don’t know enough IT (e.g. like a friend of theirs, or an IT employee), to advise them.

A prospect once asked me to explain how a degree in Agric. Extension qualified me to advice him on Web Marketing :-)

That would have been be a valid question, IF I did not have a verifiable trackrecord of success in developing Web Marketing Systems that generate quality sales leads for clients. I tried to show him…he paid little or no attention.

So I asked him: “Which is more important? My academic credentials, or the income generating web marketing results I’m getting online in the real world?”.

He gave no answer, but his body language was enough.

I felt so sorry for him, as I often do for people who let petty biases deny them valuable growth opportunities. The programming done on us from school can be that strong!

A Few Years Later, His IT Manager Requests My Advice on Real-World Use of IT/Internet Technology!

If you’ve been reading my writing a while, you know I do NOT share this to brag. It’s just an example I feel effectively drives home the point I’m making.

What follows below is an abridged version of a Facebook chat conversation session I once had (in 2010) with a young IT manager. He worked with the above mentioned CEO I’d discussed providing web marketing systems development service with.

Like him, and his boss, if you and/or your IT personnel fail to take heed of what I’m saying, your company may be unable to develop an effective online presence that delivers the results you want.

Take a few minutes therefore and read – it could save you a lot of wasted time, effort and money in future!

———–START of chat————-

8:19pm<NameRemoved> is online : Hello Sir

8:19pmMe: Hi

8:20pm<NameRemoved>: I suppose u remember me?

8:20pmMe: You work with the real estate company I visited

8:21pmMe: Yes? No?

8:21pm<NameRemoved>: not real estate, IT company

8:22pmMe: My apologies – I do over 10 sales visits each day. Sometimes gets hazy. Your pix looked familiar, so I accepted your friend request

8:23pm<NameRemoved>: <types company name + address here>..remember now?

8:24pmMe: Yes – I do. Spent quite a while with your boss that day…

8:24pm<NameRemoved>: I’ve been trying to learn PHP & MYSQL bt it`s kinda tedious for me…So I was wondering if u could help me out

8:27pmMe: I told your boss – coding PHP and MYSQL are not competencies one needs to dwell on to deliver the kinds of solutions I offer – except you want to go on an ego trip…I use content management systems that make developing web solutions cost and time efficient. In using them, I only need to know how to TWEAK php and mysql code where necessary.

8:30pm<NameRemoved>: I don`t understand wat u mean?

8:32pmMe: For my work, there is no need to really “know” PHP or mysql in depth

8:33pmMe: What you need mainly in basic knowlegde of html, php, etc that will allow you make adjustments to the code produced by powerful content management systems like Joomla (which is php based)

8:35pm<NameRemoved>: really?

8:35pmMe: Today what is needed are expert developers of solutions that work, not expert programmers who know how to write program code.

8:37pmMe: The problem is Nigerians believe they must write code. My focus is on helping clients develop web solutions that do what they want. Go to joomla.org and LEARN what it means to use CMS like it (there are others) to deliver web solutions for the most sophisticated client needs you can encounter

8:38pm<NameRemoved>: so how can I be getting the codes since I don`t know how to write??? r u serious?

8:40pmMe: Once you understand basic html, you are well equipped to learn how to develop web solution using the NEW generation of tools like CMS. The world has moved on. Programmers are a dime a dozen (common). They have automated the process using CMS. Learn how to use CMS to solve problems, and you will become relevant

8:41pmMe: Forget about becoming a code writer or programmer. It would be a waste of time. What you want to code is likely to have already been coded out there into a powerful all-in-one software like a CMS. Find that software and save yourself the hassle. Then spend quality time THINKING of how to USE that new tool to serve clients, and solve their problems

8:45pm<NameRemoved>: u mean I would be able to develop database driven sites like WAEC, JAMB and all that???

8:47pmMe: Please go to joomla.org, then read and learn. The world has moved on. Nigerians need to learn to do more THINKING. We need to stop trying to prove we are good at writing code. It is NOT about writing code. It is about SOLVING real life problems. Just like GSM phones have replaced the dial phones, so have CMS come to remove the drudgery from development of dynamic database driven websites!!! (This was sent as a message, when his net connection broke off)

(May 29 at 9:26pm)<NameRemoved> Replies via FBK message :facebook chat is really messing up dat`s why I`ve to resort to mailing u…….

I really appreciate ur help…….u r the right man I`ve been looking for all these while. Pls I need u to enlighten me on these CMS and JOOMLA u are talking about. I also need ur phone no. and ur yahoo messenger id so we can chat better. I`m into networking, engineering, I also do web design but I really wanna develop myself in the web engineering part. I`m studying computer science in UNILAG. I`m only doing some sort of part – time work in that company where we met. These are some sites I designed: <supplies 3 website addresses>

So basically, I want to go into web engineering. I want to be developing database-driven sites(PHP & MYSQL) and all that. This is why I need u to show me the way as to how to make use of CMS and JOOMLA.

Thanks.

(May 29 at 9:32pm) I reply via FBK message : I would encourage you to search using Google for many of the very useful resources for learning how to use CMS like Joomla, Drupal and WordPress. In my opinion Joomla and WordPress are the ones you should focus on learning – and I learned to use them FREE online. Just search using “where can I learn to use Joomla” for e.g. Believe me, there are hundreds of manuals and videos available online FREE

May 29 at 9:33pm I send another FBK message : If I have to teach you, I charge an hourly rate of N3,000. I am not sure that would be a cost effective way for you to go about it. Though you are likely to learn faster.

———–END of chat/FBK messages————-

Final Words: Change Your Thinking About Using the Web

In 2014, I challenge you to change your thinking and begin to use the web the way it’s meant to be used: CREATIVELY.

That is the first step towards achieving web marketing success.

I have supplied a few tips to help you in this article. If you need help to progress further, get in touch with me.

Good luck!

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic)

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement SpecialistTayo Solagbade – works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing  zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur.

He’s presently based in Benin Republic, where he’s preparing an English-French Language Guide, City Travel Guides, and a Commercial Rabbit Farming Guide.

He earns multiple streams of income providing clients with performance improvement training/coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).

In a previous life, before leaving to become self-employed, Tayo served for seven years as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

For a limited time, Tayo is available to speak to your group or organization for a moderate fee. Send e-mail to tayo at tksola dot com. You can also visit www.tksola.com to learn more.

Connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.

==================

View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google Plus

 

Useful Resources for Speakers

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters.

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Burt Dubin’s monthly Speaking Biz Strategies Letter [Signup & get a 7-Part Email Course on “How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker“]

Get Burt’s mentoring at any of the 3 levels below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here]

2. Mid Range [Click here]

3. Budget Delight [Click here]


Publications

On Being a Master (PDF)...A Gift from Burt Dubin - Click now!

Burt Dubin’s latest book: “On Being a Master

Download Chapter 1 Preview as PDF

Showmanship Strategems

177 Wow! Wow!

Showmanship Stratagems

Discover these secrets of making your programs more interesting and valuable to your clients and audiences now.

more information

Burt Dubin live

Burt’s Flagship Album

This is the product to own if you can own only one. Why? Because in it you discover principles of platform mastership available to you nowhere else at any price.

You hear performance strategies you can emulate. You shorten your learning curve. You see ways to engage and delight audiences with both content and stories . . . plus you experience a bit of fun.

With its Money back if not delighted Guarantee hardly any are returned.

Find out why

Presentation Magic - Speaking Business Success

Presentation Magic

A live example, including a complete audio recording of a program Burt created from scratch–on a topic he knew nothing about and never, ever presented before! See how you, guided by your personal Learning Guide, (Presentation Magic), can do this too and thrill audiences as often as you want.

Presentation Magic Manual with new pages added plus 3 audio CDs.

more information

ProgramManual

How To Create a Great Program Manual

Discover how you can produce a precious memento of you and your program. Capture over 44 model pages you can easily adapt for your use. Engage proven principles that add value to the experience of sitting at your feet and learning from you.

This is a reprise of the historic presentation that launched the Speaking Success System.

No copy of this 2 CD program and 50 page Learning Guide has ever been returned.

more information


 

Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive - Click to read

Click to read article titled: 'Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive'...and ONE other. Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist - Tayo Solagbade - works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur. 

 

Using MS Excel® Solver for Least Cost Feed Formulation Can Be Easy - But Also Dangerous (How to Protect Yourself) - Click to downloadDownload above PDF

NEW PDF - 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Feed FormulationDownload above PDF

THEY WROTE…


“(Tayo Solagbade) is amazing and I think he is going to produce some impressive results online…” – click here to read full comment by Patrick Meninga (US based 6 figure income blogger who gained fame for building a $2,000 per month adsense website and selling it for $200,000).

—————————–

“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding….Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here – you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. – Andy”(R. Jones)*

*Operations Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery, December 2001 (Handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards sent to Tayo Solagbade following his resignation to start his own business).

———————–

Click here to contact Tayo… 

SD Nuggets Blog

New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking

[Monday]:

Entrepreneurship [Tuesday]:

Self-Development [Wednesday]:

Career Development [Thursday]:

Parenting [Friday]:

Writing/Blogging [Saturday]:

Want me to write for you? Click here…

 

Meet the Best Agricultural Radio Program for 2013: Alhaji Luqman Ibidunni’s Global A.I.M.S

Happy New Year to you!

And here’s one bit of news that will help you start up the new year perfectly – on radio. Especially if you’re a lover of agriculture.

Global A.I.M.S is a company specialized in providing agro-industrial information marketing services. And they are making BIG strides in agribusiness communication nationally.

Infact, their radio show recently won the “Best Agricultural Radio Program for 2013” awarded at the second Farmers National Conference.

Alhaji Luqman Ibidunni leads the team at Global A.I.M.S. And he is the show’s anchor on radio. He also happens to be my uncle…

You may recall I featured a PDF Sheabutter Guide published by my brother Femi Solagbade, yesterday.

Nigeria needs more of its university educated members to put what they learnt to practical and productive use, in ways that can improve the lives of others.

I’m not starting some family or nepotistic campaign here. It just so happens that at this point I feel these two people need to be brought to the attention of my own audience. That’s all.

Those familiar with my Cost-Saving Farm Business Ideas know I objectively discuss and feature anyone and anything relevant to the needs and interest of the farm industry stakeholders I serve.

Do you have news of an authentic achiever making things happen in agriculture?

Contact me via this blog or email tayo at tksola dot com.

I’d like to connect with him/her and see how we can tell more people about the great work s/he is doing. Please note that I said “authentic achiever”. I do my due diligence, and I will dig deep to find out if there’s any fluff, or falsehood, in there. Sorry. But we see too much of that in these parts :-))

In the meantime I suggest you visit the Global A.I.M.S at www.greenstudiong.com. You can also email them via info at greenstudiong.com or globalaims at yahoo dot com.

Catch the show on air Fridays at: 89.75 EKO FM from 8.30 – 9.00 p.m (in Lagos, Nigeria).

Below: A picture of the award plaque presented to them at the Second Farmers National Conference in 2013.

 

A picture of the award plaque presented to them at the Second Farmers National Conference in 2013.

No. 122: You Need Mastery, Innovation and a Problem Solving Focus

Modiu confidently assured me he could do it. He said “Just let me have each child’s age. That’s all I need to sew the outfits for them”.And he was going to sew six full outfits in about 4 days (with piles of other people’s fabrics awaiting his attention)! I still struggled to believe it.

Modiu is my Tailor Friend in Cotonou…

SCROLL DOWN TO READ FULL ISSUE

Click now to view the latest issue of Tayo Solagbade's Public Speaking IDEAS page

Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 30th December 2013

No:122

Title: You Need Mastery, Innovation and a Problem Solving Focus

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [Tel: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic) ]

Blog URL: http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/blog

Archive (E-mail version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view

Archive (Blog version started 24th September 2011): Click here


Have You Downloaded Your Gifts?

Ten Ways Self-Development Bible

As a subscriber to my mailing list, you get to access over 10 potentially useful books and reports.

Click here to view the download page:

Login using the username and password sent to you during signup.

Can’t find it? No problem. E-mail me via tayo at tksola dot com and I’ll send you another. Not yet a subscriber? Click here to signup.


**** **********

NB: This newsletter is published every Monday. Point your browser to www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule :-)

**********

View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google Plus

No. 122: You Need Mastery, Innovation and a Problem Solving Focus

Modiu confidently assured me he could do it. He said “Just let me have each child’s age. That’s all I need to sew the outfits for them”.And he was going to sew six full outfits in about 4 days (with piles of other people’s fabrics awaiting his attention)! I still struggled to believe it.

Modiu is my Tailor Friend in Cotonou…

This happened last week. It was the first job I was giving him. Being the doubting Thomas that I was, I went the extra mile to get my laptop and deliberately show him pictures of ALL the kids in a group photograph, noting which child was what age.

He smiled indulgently at me and said “Don’t worry. I do this all the time. I have a chart here with standard measurements I’ve worked for different ages and sexes. I’m sure I’ll get it right.

Then he added:You see Tayo, this is what I do!

And when he said it, he looked me directly in the eyes. Little wonder that I counted the full fee and gave to him 100% in advance!

But apart from his convincing manner, I also wanted to be sure thoughts of getting his balance did not distract him from giving his very possible best.

Time was short. It was a Tuesday. I had to arrive Lagos Saturday.

As the week progressed, I went around town doing my last minute buying and then retired to the cafe to work into the night. On my way home each night, I’d see Modiu’s lights on, and him bent over working. He had loads of client’s fabrics at different stages of progress. I kept wondering how he’d get around to my “pile”.

Each morning, by 9a.m at the latest, this young, hardworking tailor and his assistant would have arrived. They knew they had lots of work to do.

And they also knew when to say NO, to new work, if/when necessary.

Indeed his assistant told me that Modiu had been turning away new jobs at the start of the week, saying he’d taken on enough and wanted to have some free time into the New Year!

“Now this is a guy who knows his business.” I told myself.

He’d planned his work so he could actually say NO to “excess” clients, to avoid failing to meet agreed deadlines or standards!

All of what I saw made me feel more convinced that I’d made the right decision to have him sew the special year end outfits for my people.

I recall stopping over the second morning at his shop to say “You never asked me for any details about their mother!”

He calmly replied that he would have called me later on, since the first thing he had to do that day was to go and get the fabrics from the market.

But since you’re here already, please come with me.” he said.

Gently pulling me by the arm, he took me just outside his shop, and pointed to a woman seated on a commercial motor bike, waiting for the rider to move.

Is she anything in stature like that lady over there?” he pointed at the woman. I looked and found, to my surprise, that my wife actually had a similar build to her!

I said “Yes, I must admit, she would wear just about the same size of clothes as that lady you’re pointing at. How did you know?

A Sure Sign of Mastery…

I could not help myself. I had to ask.

Modiu smiled knowingly when he heard my question, and said “Ise mi ni” (That’s Yoruba for “It’s what I do”). “I know how to get what I need to do my work properly” he added.

[NB: Modiu speaks French and Yoruba languages fluently. We tend to speak the latter more often. ]

To me (I don’t know about you), it was like magic.

But he acted as if there was nothing to it.

He said he did not really know my wife’s size of course, but since I’d said she was as tall as I was and not slim, he’d gotten a fair idea.

Then he added that if the woman he’d pointed out had not fit, he would have taken me around till we found someone else who did. That way, he got a real-life idea, as close as possible to my wife’s measurement, to work with.

From what he told me, he’d been doing it successfully for years, such that today, old clients who relocated to Europe and America simply send funds down, along with names and ages or pictures of those they want outfits sewn for!

…and they are never disappointed. So he told me.

I wondered what my story would be…

Trying on The Outfits In Nigeria

By 2p.m Saturday afternoon, Modiu handed me a neatly wrapped package containing all the outfits, sewn and ironed.

They looked beautiful, but I still wondered – quietly to myself – if they would fit.

It was such a strange experience for me.

So, I thanked him for finishing the job on time, and promised to call to tell him how they fit.

I arrived my home in Lagos, exhausted, on Saturday night at past 10p.m. The traffic from right after the main border town had been hectic. I knew I was indeed back in Lagos!

When I walked into the estate, the kids were all over me within seconds(I’d called their mother to ask them to help with the bags).

They grabbed my bags and hurried into the compound. The little 4 year old “lady” who was already asleep eventually woke up due to the noise, and soon joined in.

Despite being dead tired, I just had to know how well Modiu had done his job.

So, as they tore at the masks with blinking lights and the other gifts, I told them to pick up the outfits and try them on.

Each child did as s/he was told, and I found myself staring in amazement at them.

The clothes fit them perfectly!

Even their mother who often accused me of exaggerating about good things in Cotonou, agreed Modiu had done a great job despite not having any actual measurements (She later tried on hers, and it also fit well!)

One thing is certain: I’m going to be calling Modiu to say a very big thank you!

Modiu’s Combination of Mastery, Innovation and Problem-Solving Focus Is Worthy of Emulation

I’ve tried to analyze what Modiu does. And this is my experience based conclusion.

Note however, that achieving mastery comes first. Without it, innovation and problem-solving become hard to apply.

Modiu developed a chart of people’s sizes according to age ranges they belonged over the years of doing his work.

Using that chart, he found a way to successfully improvise for customer unable to supply measurements for people they wished to have outfits sewn.

It must have taken time and effort – and probably a few errors (and angry/disappointed clients!).

But over time, with persistence, he appears to have achieved mastery. Then his amiable, positive, problem-solving disposition makes him willing to entertain fears a client may express and to find ways to address them satisfactorily.

[NB: I still feel it’s a risky approach given that growth rates for people vary across societies, with diets etc. For instance a 14 year old in the US is most likely to have very different measurement. Knowing Modiu, when that issue comes up, he’s likely to find a way around it.]

Final Words: Are you a speaker who wants to be a master?

It is my considered opinion, that Modiu’s mastery of what he does, and his attitude to getting around challenges to deliver requested “tailoring” solutions are worth emulating by every expert – including you (i.e. if you do not already do it).

Doing so will make buyers/customers choose you over others.

Many will not even mind waiting in line, just to have you handle their job – like they do at Modiu’s!

In 2014, as an expert-who-speaks, I suggest you make doing the above an objective.

You may wish to start by checking out Burt Dubin’s On Being a Master website. It could be the key to Stellar Speaking Success (like that enjoyed by many coached by Burt over the past 3 decades) for you.

PS: Happy New Year In Advance

Thanks for reading my newsletter all through 2013, and I wish you an exciting and prosperous 2014!

Not sure what your plans are, but I’m here in Lagos, to spend quality time with my familly, into the new year.

My father will be 80 years old on the 4th of February 2014, so there are BIG plans being made to celebrate that.

I’m going to be teaching my kids to make my Pineapple peel cakes – without using an oven – just like I did it some weeks back. You should have seen them get the charcoal stove I brought with me started by themselves – WOW!

They already make and sell the pineapple peel drink by themselves.

If all goes well, we should have a special “batch production” of the cakes and drinks, for “‘Grandpa’s” birthday bash ;-))

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic)

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement SpecialistTayo Solagbade – works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing  zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur.

He’s presently based in Benin Republic, where he’s preparing an English-French Language Guide, City Travel Guides, and a Commercial Rabbit Farming Guide.

In a previous life, before leaving to become self-employed, Tayo served for seven years as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

For a limited time, Tayo is available to speak to your group or organization for a moderate fee. Send e-mail to tayo at tksola dot com. You can also visit www.tksola.com to learn more.

Connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.

==================

View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google Plus

 

Useful Resources for Speakers

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters.

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Burt Dubin’s monthly Speaking Biz Strategies Letter [Signup & get a 7-Part Email Course on “How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker“]

Get Burt’s mentoring at any of the 3 levels below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here]

2. Mid Range [Click here]

3. Budget Delight [Click here]


Publications

On Being a Master (PDF)...A Gift from Burt Dubin - Click now!

Burt Dubin’s latest book: “On Being a Master

Download Chapter 1 Preview as PDF

Showmanship Strategems

177 Wow! Wow!

Showmanship Stratagems

Discover these secrets of making your programs more interesting and valuable to your clients and audiences now.

more information

Burt Dubin live

Burt’s Flagship Album

This is the product to own if you can own only one. Why? Because in it you discover principles of platform mastership available to you nowhere else at any price.

You hear performance strategies you can emulate. You shorten your learning curve. You see ways to engage and delight audiences with both content and stories . . . plus you experience a bit of fun.

With its Money back if not delighted Guarantee hardly any are returned.

Find out why

Presentation Magic - Speaking Business Success

Presentation Magic

A live example, including a complete audio recording of a program Burt created from scratch–on a topic he knew nothing about and never, ever presented before! See how you, guided by your personal Learning Guide, (Presentation Magic), can do this too and thrill audiences as often as you want.

Presentation Magic Manual with new pages added plus 3 audio CDs.

more information

ProgramManual

How To Create a Great Program Manual

Discover how you can produce a precious memento of you and your program. Capture over 44 model pages you can easily adapt for your use. Engage proven principles that add value to the experience of sitting at your feet and learning from you.

This is a reprise of the historic presentation that launched the Speaking Success System.

No copy of this 2 CD program and 50 page Learning Guide has ever been returned.

more information


 

Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive - Click to read
Click to read article titled: 'Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive'...and ONE other. Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist - Tayo Solagbade - works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur. 

 

Using MS Excel® Solver for Least Cost Feed Formulation Can Be Easy - But Also Dangerous (How to Protect Yourself) - Click to downloadDownload above PDF

NEW PDF - 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Feed FormulationDownload above PDF

THEY WROTE…


“(Tayo Solagbade) is amazing and I think he is going to produce some impressive results online…” – click here to read full comment by Patrick Meninga (US based 6 figure income blogger who gained fame for building a $2,000 per month adsense website and selling it for $200,000).

—————————–

“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding….Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here – you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. – Andy”(R. Jones)*

*Operations Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery, December 2001 (Handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards sent to Tayo Solagbade following his resignation to start his own business).

———————–

Click here to contact Tayo… 

SD Nuggets Blog

New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking

[Monday]:

Entrepreneurship [Tuesday]:

Self-Development [Wednesday]:

Career Development [Thursday]:

N/A
Parenting [Friday]:

Writing/Blogging [Saturday]:

Want me to write for you? Click here…

 

Sometimes Going On Alone Will Be Futile (Hint: I Wrote “Begging Letters” to Keep Going)

I first encountered the term “begging letters”, from reading a biography of Karl Marx. Many books have been written about Marx, and NONE fail to mention that he wrote “begging letters” (read this one).
That’s why I know that the SMSes/emails I’ve sent to ONE friend (few times in 2002), and many relatives (over the years) as I pursued success, were mostly “begging letters”!

But I often wrote such “letters” ONLY when I’d pushed myself to the limit and could find no other way to progress.

For instance, on more than 2 occasions, I ran out of fuel on Lagos’ 3rd Mainland Bridge, due to lack of cash to by fuel even as I was trying to squeeze in one extra client visit!

Many times the inability to provide for my family made it imperative I ask for help in this manner, even when my pride and fierce sense of independence would be wounded. I had to learn to think of those who depended on me.

I’ll never forget one day few years after I started out.

My second son was down with severe malaria attack. I had no paid projects in hand, and no money. With my wife and kids in the car, I visited Ikeja computer village, and after going from shop to shop for hours, begged a PC dealer who showed interest, to buy my new CD writer (bought for N35,000 some months earlier), for  N10k.

Just so I could get money to take my son to hospital.

Believe it or not, he COLDLY offered me N5k, and I gladly took it!

If your business is not doing well, get help to fulfil your obligations. Don’t punish your loved ones because of “foolish pride”!

Oh…how I’ve learnt so much from prolonged exposure to hardship…!

It is for the above reason that I LOVE the quote below – by Emerson – so much:

“When man…is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something; he has been put on his wits, on his manhood, he has gained facts, learns from his ignorance, is cured of the insanity of conceit; has got moderation and real skill.” – Emerson

Here’s something important to take note of:

Not once did I ask for help to fulfil pleasures or pursue trivialities. I literally punished myself to maximize any money I had. Sometimes I’ve eaten ONCE a day. I’ve even gone without food over an entire weekend, just to have money to continue my work at a cyber cafe. That’s why I often produce results with little money!

The above explains why I LOVE this quote by Dan Kennedy…

“I have long taught:: if you can’t make money without money, you won’t make money with money either. And if you’re going to back somebody, pick an entrepreneur who has proven that he can survive without adequate capital” – Dan Kennedy

My experiences informed my decision to write my article advocating – as Kennedy did – giving support to people “worthy”of it – instead of giving it to people who routinely (due to sloth and indifference), rarely have tangible results to show.

Here’s something I read by James R. Cook that further explains how this kind of suffering makes a person GROW (Get his New York Times Bestselling “Startup Entrepreneur” here).

Here's something I read by James R. Cook that further explains how this kind of suffering makes a person GROW(Click now to get his New York Times Bestselling "Startup Entrepreneur" ).

And that’s what I did: I stuck with it long enough – drawing inspiration from quotes like the above, when things got “unbearable”.

Believe me: It is true that BOOKS STRENGTHEN THE MIND!

And that’s why I write so much. I want others to find useful ideas and inspiration from reading my stories, the way I did from reading those of other! It is also why I’m writing a novel, about my journey so far. Names etc will be changed to protect privacies.

Here’s a fact: I have no secrets. I always tell my “whole story” even when doing so does not make me look “cool, calm and collected”.

In my Forthcoming Novel, there will be a chapter titled “The Begging Letters I wrote…”

I’ll publish many of the email and (sometimes bulk) SMS “begging letters” I sent with my LAST kobo when I was hard up.

It is noteworthy that not all those letters “worked”.

Therefore I’ll be adding narratives how I survived those periods. Some people already know parts of this story. But there’s a LOT more!

One thing I can assure you is that those “letters” will make for entertaining reading…:-)))

No. 121: If Others Doubt Your Ideas, You’ve Probably Struck Gold!

Fran Tarkenton (Former American Football Star turned Millionaire Entrepreneur) once said:  

“I have never started a company that, at some point, didn’t cause me to have doubts. ‘This must be a stupid idea because no one else is doing it. Why don’t people get it? Maybe there is nothing there’. We all have self doubts, but as entrepreneurs we don’t let these thoughts stop us. It is only a sanity check and is a normal thing.” – Fran Tarkenton

How People React to an Idea Often Depends on How They Feel About the Owner!

SCROLL DOWN TO READ FULL ISSUE

Click now to view the latest issue of Tayo Solagbade's Public Speaking IDEAS page

Publication: Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Newsletter

Date: Monday 23rd December 2013

No:121

Title: If Others Doubt Your Ideas, You’ve Probably Struck Gold!

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [Tel: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic) ]

Blog URL: http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/blog

Archive (E-mail version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view

Archive (Blog version started 24th September 2011): Click here


Have You Downloaded Your Gifts?

Ten Ways Self-Development Bible

As a subscriber to my mailing list, you get to access over 10 potentially useful books and reports.

Click here to view the download page:

Login using the username and password sent to you during signup.

Can’t find it? No problem. E-mail me via tayo at tksola dot com and I’ll send you another. Not yet a subscriber? Click here to signup.


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NB: This newsletter is published every Monday. Point your browser to www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule :-)

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View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google Plus

No. 121:If Others Doubt Your Ideas, You’ve Probably Struck Gold!

Fran Tarkenton (Former American Football Star turned Millionaire Entrepreneur) once said:  

“I have never started a company that, at some point, didn’t cause me to have doubts. ‘This must be a stupid idea because no one else is doing it. Why don’t people get it? Maybe there is nothing there’. We all have self doubts, but as entrepreneurs we don’t let these thoughts stop us. It is only a sanity check and is a normal thing.” Fran Tarkenton

How People React to an Idea Often Depends on How They Feel About the Owner!

If it’s someone they like or admire, even the worst idea will be great – as long as it comes from him/her.

Think celebrities for instance :-)

If truth be told, ground breaking, earth-shaking or life changing ideas rarely sound “Ground breaking, earth-shaking or life changing” to most people, when they are first muted!!!

Ever noticed that? It’s an irony of life well documented in history.

My experiences suggest that if you go with what majority think of your “new idea”, you’re likely to go wrong.

And that includes highly intelligent and successful members of the majority: believe me!

Consider my passion, for solving data handling/report generation problems for business owners using low cost Custom Excel-VB Software.

It’s all so easy for people to buy into mine now, BECAUSE I have many success stories to share that make it believable!

 But back when I was doing the hard thinking to develop my ideas, I had no one around saying “Yes. This is going to work.” Finding willing clients was a struggle. And many close friends and relatives often adopted “Told you so!” as I limped along.

So, you can imagine how much Fran Tarkenton’s words flashed through my mind all those years.

I knew from what I’d done in Guinness, and what I was creating anew that I could help business owners. But they just did not “get it”!

One of the very first business owners I told I built “Custom Excel software” said:

What? Who’s going to pay you money to do that?”

Interestingly, he was also a close family friend!

Another business owner (and his friends) laughed me out of his Ikeja office, saying:

I can teach YOU Excel. Imagine him wanting to build software for me in Excel!

This happened mostly between 2002 and 2004. But I kept going – and eventually got my first client in late 2004, who paid N100K for an app he gave to an Oil Service client.

Today, my custom Excel apps have been built for hospitals, clinics, speech improvement centers, health and fitness clubs etc.

Many farm business owners use my popular Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator (which they often buy along with my Feed Formulation Handbook). A few have bought my Poultry Layer Farm Manager, as I continue to improve on it.

Elite Farm Industry Support Providers Are Also Showing Interest

1. Earlier this month, my agribusiness research paper recommending that Extension specialists worldwide be trained to use Excel-VB to serve farmers the way I do, was accepted for publishing by an international organization. (Read details here).

The paper is a case study, in which I featured my popular Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator, which has been bought by farm business owners within and outside Nigeria/Africa, since 2004.

[NB: In the first quarter of 2014, using payment received for the above paper, I’ll launch my Home based Farm Products Brew-Pub here in Cotonou, selling my drinks and cakes made from pineapple peel].

The glass-bottled drink you see in this photo, has been pasteurized using a home-based method I learnt online. The cake is made using pineapple peel.

2. Just last week, I received email notice of a call for entries to a related contest by the same international organization that accepted my above paper.

It’s for a “Top 20 Innovations for smallholder farmers” awards contest, which comes with a grant of 5,000 Euros to each innovation that gets voted. My Excel-VB driven Ration Formulator software is going to be entered for that.

3. The same day I got the notice about the above “Top-20” contest notice, I got another email informing me of a request from the Country Project Manager of a well known agriculture focussed international organisation.

On learning about my Ration Formulator, he’d asked that I send a quote, towards travelling to his East African country, to teach farmer groups how to use my software for feed formulation!

But It’s Not Just My Knowledge of Feed Formulation That’s Attracting These Opportunities …

No. Instead, it’s my idea of using MS Excel Visual Basic to cost-effectively automate the process, that’s opening the above doors for me.

Then again, it’s not just the idea. It’s actually more due to my SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION of the idea i.e. I made it work!

Remove the low cost, customizable Excel-VB solutions, and I become just like any other farm support Extension Specialst. Possibly with lesser credibility!

See?

You can now see, I’m sure, that Fran Tarkenton was DEAD right: “We all have self doubts, but as entrepreneurs we don’t let these thoughts stop us. It is only a sanity check and is a normal thing.

As the new year approaches, I urge you to do just as Mr. Tarkenton said.

Don’t worry when you have doubts or others question your ideas. It’s supposed to happen that way. That it’s happening is proof that you’re sane.

Keep working on (and improving) your idea, and you’ll eventually succeed with it – like many others have done before!

Have a lovely week!

Tayo K. Solagbade*

Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist

*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic)

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement SpecialistTayo Solagbade – works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing  zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur.

He’s presently based in Benin Republic, where he’s preparing an English-French Language Guide, City Travel Guides, and a Commercial Rabbit Farming Guide.

In a previous life, before leaving to become self-employed, Tayo served for seven years as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.

When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).

For a limited time, Tayo is available to speak to your group or organization for a moderate fee. Send e-mail to tayo at tksola dot com. You can also visit www.tksola.com to learn more.

Connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.

==================

View Tayo Solagbade's video tutorials and demonstrations on Facebook Productivity Tips, Web Marketing, and for his Custom MS Excel-VB driven software applicationsJoin the SD Nuggets community on Facebook.comConnect with Tayo on Twitter.comConnect with Tayo on Google Plus

Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring

for Africa Based Experts(PDF…Click!)

SD Nuggets Blog

New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking

[Monday]:

Entrepreneurship [Tuesday]:

Self-Development [Wednesday]:

Career Development [Thursday]:

Entrepreneurship [Friday]:

Writing/Bloggin[Saturday]:

Want me to write for you? Click here…

 

To Mr Tayo Solagbade…you made me understand what the world speaks.” – Adepoju Samson, SS3 Student, Volunteer Corps (VC) Tutoring Project: Handwritten Comment in memoirs section of VC Year Book published in 2003.

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Mr Tayo Solagbade…he has educated me so that he had touched that thing in me that motivates me.” – , SS3 Student, Volunteer Corps (VC) Tutoring Project: Handwritten Comment in memoirs section of VC Year Book published in 2003.

The speaker, Mr Solagbade, is an authority in his field. (He is) an achiever who is able to carry his audience along with him in his message/speech” – Baker A.T, Confidential Secretary, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.

————–

There’s a lot more to learn (experience wise) from the speaker(Tayo Solagbade)…Honestly, he gave so much within a short time. I learnt a lot without writing much. It’s amazing!” – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

Your (talk) encourages people not to depend on sycophancy to achieve their aims. People are also encouraged to leave the level of mediocrity. One needs to look inwards and make use of one’s potentials to reach the greatest heights. I hope this
is not the last session we will be having with you
” – Ezemba C.I (Miss), Teacher, Corona Schools

————–

The (talk) is very (useful for) those who want to up-grade themselves. The older generation who think they have come to the end of their career would find it very very useful to rejuvenate their attitude, interest and empower themselves to greater goals.” – E.C. Sarsal, Corona Schools

————–

The Ten Ways for Self-Development would go a long way (in) improving teaching/learning situation(s).” – Cynthia Nwosu (Mrs.), Corona Schools

————–

It was an interesting (talk), and the speaker spoke well, with a lot of experiences that (were) so educative.” – Emmanuel (Mrs.), Corona Primary School Victoria Island

————–

Mr Tayo Solagbade is a very good motivator. I really appreciated him but the time was short.” – S.E. Atkins, Corona Schools

————–

(The talk was) ‘very useful’ (and the speaker was) ‘excellent’…Good insight for the much needed Human Revolution to drive creativity in this nation.” – Oma Williams, Director, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.

————–

A very worthwhile exercise. The package can however be improved by making it organisation specific.” – C. I. Okeke, AD/Research Consulting, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.

————–

The speaker, to me, is quite an inspiration to the young generation” – Nwaokokoh Eddy Azuka, Confidential Secretary, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.

————–

This is a celebration of Change Management, quite an appropriate and timely presentation at CMD to Stimulate Change.” – Binuyo, Francis A. (Mr.), MDO I, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village, Shangisha, Lagos.

————–

Well this is my first seminar and I think I have gained a lot…I am on NAPEP attachment to the centre for a while, but generally speaking I think you are good and can go even above the sky. I wish I could get in touch with you for more lectures (on) Self-Development, as regards Career Development or probably Personal Development.” – Sanwo Pamela A., Unemployed Graduate, Centre for Management Development(CMD), Management Village,Shangisha, Lagos.

————–

The presentation content and style was nice.” – Adjekophori Peter, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

The training course and approach used was a good and kind of unique one, – talking about the mind map.” – Odunlami Olaitan. O. Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

The practical real life experiences (made) the seminar more realistic…The seminar fuels my heart to develop myself the more.” – Kemi, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

The training was a new dimension to the act of personal effectiveness, was less of theory but of tested and proven principles. Keep it up!“- Oluwakemi, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

This is an academy that will go a long way in helping to develop the youths of this country. Keep up the good work.” – Alake Oluwayemisi, Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

(Tayo Solagbade) is a very good speaker who was able to communicate his (ideas) effectively without boring me and wasting no time. Within the short time he spent, he gave loaded and relevant information/(ideas) which were superb.” – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

The presenter was superb. He dealt with the topic extensively, citing real life experiences that (were) personal to him.” – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

The facilitator (Tayo Solagbade) has done so well, and he has made me to feel that the sky is not my limit but the start, if I can apply all the personal effectiveness principles appropriately.” – Onifade Olajide, – Management Trainee, Tantalisers (Fast Foods Restaurant), Festac Headquarters, Lagos.

————–

I was very impressed with the speaker (Tayo Solagbade), his integrity, method of delivery and what he had to say. This should not stop here. I personally need access to those books and if pointed in that direction will be happy. Also, I will be happy if (I can be shown) ways to apply oneself to the concept of Self Development as regards my job as a teacher, that will help me to be a better time manager.” – Teacher, Corona Primary School, Ikoyi, Lagos.

————–

I am really impressed and I think I have to wake up.” – Teacher, Corona School Branch

————–

It has been a very useful session which can make people or employees wake up from lethargy. It is a wake-up call for continual hope and rejuvenation for speed to higher ground to life aspiration.” – Teacher, Corona School Branch

————–

I observed that you are a real model of a saying that when a child washes his/her hands well he/she will eat on the same table with a king.” – School Nurse, Corona School Branch

————–

I have observed that you are sacrificing your time to help mankind explore new grounds and live a happier life. More grease to your elbows.” – Eke N. (Mrs), Corona School Branch

————–

This talk/seminar is very good and realistic. Someone who wants to be an achiever should adopt and practice these ten ways.” – M. O. Ihonor – Head Teacher, Corona School Branch

————–

“…The Ten Ways on Self-Development inspire me to the marrow, and henceforth are going to be (the) guiding ideologies, principles and work concepts in my life.” – Oduye Olumuyiwa, Corona School

————–

(The talk) is an eye opener and very important tool that can be used to become great. I think I buy your ideas too. Thanks a lot.” – Mrs. Atere F.O. – Secretary, Corona School

————–

The general comment I will like to make is that I can call this seminar a vision seminar. So my comment is that you can make this vision a wider vision by having a complete textbook on it.” – Assistant Teacher, Corona School

Click here to contact Tayo… 

 

Useful Resources for Speakers

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters.

Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him.

Burt Dubin’s monthly Speaking Biz Strategies Letter [Signup & get a 7-Part Email Course on “How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker“]

Get Burt’s mentoring at any of the 3 levels below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here]

2. Mid Range [Click here]

3. Budget Delight [Click here]


Publications

On Being a Master (PDF)...A Gift from Burt Dubin - Click now!

Burt Dubin’s latest book: “On Being a Master

Download Chapter 1 Preview as PDF

Showmanship Strategems

177 Wow! Wow!

Showmanship Stratagems

Discover these secrets of making your programs more interesting and valuable to your clients and audiences now.

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Burt Dubin live

Burt’s Flagship Album

This is the product to own if you can own only one. Why? Because in it you discover principles of platform mastership available to you nowhere else at any price.

You hear performance strategies you can emulate. You shorten your learning curve. You see ways to engage and delight audiences with both content and stories . . . plus you experience a bit of fun.

With its Money back if not delighted Guarantee hardly any are returned.

Find out why

Presentation Magic - Speaking Business Success

Presentation Magic

A live example, including a complete audio recording of a program Burt created from scratch–on a topic he knew nothing about and never, ever presented before! See how you, guided by your personal Learning Guide, (Presentation Magic), can do this too and thrill audiences as often as you want.

Presentation Magic Manual with new pages added plus 3 audio CDs.

more information

ProgramManual

How To Create a Great Program Manual

Discover how you can produce a precious memento of you and your program. Capture over 44 model pages you can easily adapt for your use. Engage proven principles that add value to the experience of sitting at your feet and learning from you.

This is a reprise of the historic presentation that launched the Speaking Success System.

No copy of this 2 CD program and 50 page Learning Guide has ever been returned.

more information


 

Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive - Click to read
Click to read article titled: 'Smart Exercising Will Keep You Fit, Healthy and Alive'...and ONE other. Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist - Tayo Solagbade - works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur. 

 

Using MS Excel® Solver for Least Cost Feed Formulation Can Be Easy - But Also Dangerous (How to Protect Yourself) - Click to downloadDownload above PDF

NEW PDF - 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Feed FormulationDownload above PDF

THEY WROTE…


“(Tayo Solagbade) is amazing and I think he is going to produce some impressive results online…” – click here to read full comment by Patrick Meninga (US based 6 figure income blogger who gained fame for building a $2,000 per month adsense website and selling it for $200,000).

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“Tayo, I honestly believe you are one of those who will succeed at anything he does. Your commitment and effort has been outstanding….Thanks for all your hard work since I’ve been here – you will be sorely missed. I don’t need to wish you good luck, you have the ability to make your own luck. – Andy”(R. Jones)*

*Operations Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc Benin Brewery, December 2001 (Handwritten comments in farewell/xmas cards sent to Tayo Solagbade following his resignation to start his own business).

———————–

“From:”Obadiaru, Osawemwenze” <email address deleted >

To:”Tayo Solagbade” <email address deleted >

Subject: Greetings from Benin!!!!

Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 14:27:30 +0100

Uncle (Tayo),

Greetings to you from your boy. How are you doing?…All
is well here in Benin and everybody is really been bugged again by this ISO audit thing.

All the same you have set a standard, that nobody will dare to go below. I really miss
you sir, your words of encouragement, your pressures, your drive, your humor and
every thing about you. But in consolation, I try so hard to follow your footsteps, which
I have been doing little by little, and I am sometimes amazed at the things I do.

…I look
up to you, and really desire to someday dedicate a major success in my life to you, for
the little while I spent with you has been a turning point in my life. I will always be

grateful to you.

Keep the flag flying sir. Regards

Osas

———————–

To Mr. Tayo Solagbade.

I appreciate all your effort. It is through you I knew the difference between Schooling and Education and its also through you that I knew that mathematics as a subject can be answered in many ways. I am very grateful.” – Ifeanyi Okeke, SS3 Student, Volunteer Corps (VC) Tutoring Project: Handwritten Comment in memoirs section of VC Year Book published in 2003.

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Click here to contact Tayo… 

 

 

 

Even When Too Busy, Don’t Stop Marketing!

A badly managed company (or indeed country!) that still makes regular sales will stay “afloat”. Peter Drucker’s famous quote explains why:

“Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two – and only these two – basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are “costs”.

Serving Clients/Customers is Serious Work, but Marketing & Innovation are More Important

Why? Because anyone who’s been in business a while knows that there will be peaks and troughs now and then. Today, potential buyers may be chasing you around, but tomorrow you may be wondering where all the enquirers went!

The most seasoned business owners make continuous generation of good quality sales leads their number one preoccupation.

Ask a hotel owner. His/her focus is on percentage room occupancy, day in, day out. All other considerations are important, but that one stays right at number one!

That’s Why Marketing (Backed by Innovation) MUST Never Stop!

And you should do it through as many channels as possible too. Nothing is too much/little to consider. Sales people talk about keeping the sales funnel filled. At all times, take innovative marketing action to get more potential buyers clamouring to get your attention.

That’s the “funnel” concept. The more they are, the greater the chances that when you attend to one, another will simply pop right in as s/he leaves. Your sales people would be able to maximize time closing sales!

So, even if you’re overbooked now, the last thing you want to do is stop marketing! Instead THINK of ways to close more of those begging sales opportunities, now that they are within reach.

For instance, you could get one of the smart chaps working in another section to undergo crash training in taking orders. S/he could be added to as an extra hand to cope with the additional surge in demand, until it subsides.

If it does not subside, you’ll be making MORE money, and may be able to hire a new (or temporary/contract) employee to play that role.

If that’s still not enough, consider tactfully negotiating a longer response time with those yet to be attended to. Depending on what you sell, this may be a good way to avoid having people get upset.

Of course if it’s an online sales model with a shopping cart, and credit card payment processing, none of this would be relevant.

However, I remain very conscious of the fact that my favourite people (Farm Business Owners) read my articles on Entrepreneurship.

So, the examples provided are sometimes given with them in mind. And for those who do not yet “get it”, I’m on a mission to make farm business owners in developing countries make more creative use of web marketing to promote themselves and their products/services locally and even internationally – for PROFIT :-)

Interestingly, if/when you have to tell intending buyers to give you time due to lots of orders you’re getting, that  can actually boost your image and credibility in their eyes.

They’re likely to think “Hmm. S/he must be good to have so much demand and be unable to fit me in!” Some could actually decide  to wait till you’re available – just because of that.

So you see, filling the funnel via regular creative marketing can end up helping you achieve a “celebrity” status of sorts. What is called “Authority” status…and why not :-)

Final Words: The Time to Do More Serious Marketing, Is When The “Going Is Good”!

Here’s an instructive historical anecdote…

An entrepreneur who achieved great success over many decades, reportedly often got worried if things were going too well for (what he considered) too long in his business.

Hmm? He got worried whenever everything was going right? Why?

Well, to him, it was a signal that some things were (probably) not working which he was missing.

So during such (seemingly) “good times”, he paid greater attention to every aspect of his operations.

It was through that habit of his, that the company achieved long term success!

It goes without saying that what he did included ensuring marketing and sales did NOT slow down – because only a company that made sales could last that long!

Sometime ago, I read a quote that said:

“A little dose of paranoia is healthy”.

I’ve made a little change to it for any business owners enjoying “good times” to consider:

A little dose of marketing paranoia is healthy…especially when you’re making lots of sales!”

NB: All I’ve said above applies to every kind of business – including that of the writer/blogger!

Sell Successfully Using a Mailing List

[Quick tip: If you own – or run – an agro-based/allied business, the ideas in this article can REALLY help you. Trust me. I LOVE farmers – and would NEVER steer you wrong :-))]

Are you responsible for creating marketing awareness, and generating sales leads for your company? If yes, then building a mailing list needs to be your number one priority.

Why?

Because most times only people interested in buying will take pains to join such a list. Success in therefore likely to boost sales dramatically (and possibly take your career to the next level)!

However, You Must Do It Right, To Ensure The Right People Sign Up

You want to sell your products and services don’t you? Well then you must do something to make them give up at least their email address – so you can contact them again after their first contact with you.

Note here this “contact” may not only happen online. It can – and does often – happen offline as well. So do not close your eyes to the opportunities to “direct” such contacts to marketing material that’ll make them join your list!

But You Must Be Careful to Attract The Right People

Make sure you only use bait that attracts people likely to be willing to pay for what you sell!

It sounds obvious, but the truth is not everyone gets this part quite well. You see, you must develop a marketing instrument that touches on something that interests them, which is related to what you sell. Then somewhere in there, you offer access to even more – maybe some special ground breaking report or white paper. That what will make them feel a need to come over and signup to get it.

Now, one of the most effective “marketing instruments” with which to propagate the above kind of offer is a website.

On the website, you could have a blog and/or a web based newsletter. Through one or a combination of the foregoing (which are components of what I call a Web Marketing System), you can easily publish and distribute useful and interesting content for your target audience to read.

The key will however be to remember that what you’re doing is just a means to an end – AND NOT AN END in itself!

The profitable end you seek will always be to make as many of those who stop long enough to read your stuff, decide to join your mailing list – swelling it’s membership. To make that happen, you will regularly have new bodies of useful information and education packaged in different forms. Some will be directly access free articles. Others will be members-only articles or PDF reports/other documents that a prospective reader has to signup to get. Some could be available for a fee.

Ultimately, you want to have a situation where over time you are able to build your own community of potential buyers for your products and services. And you’d be able to periodically make them sales offers, while still serving them useful, free information via a your broadcasts.

One kind of downloadable document that can be used – in an article – to get people to join your list is called an “Educational Commercial” or “Edumercial”.

A good example of an Edumercial is my new report on “Using MS Excel® Solver for Least Cost Feed Formulation“.

The following are key objectives you will aim to achieve using an Edumercial:

1. Establish you/your company as an authority on the subject e.g. Shea Butter (if that’s what you sell)

2. Generate enquiries from potential buyers of your Shea Butter range of products

3. Stimulate interest in reader’s minds to tell their networks and contacts about you.

4. Generate visits from people fitting your target audience profile to your website to get more useful information

5. Make your website, and brand/name get picked up – MORE OFTEN – by Google and other search engines when people do searches related to Shea Butter.

6. Save you money, time and effort in promoting your products and services BEYOND the limits of your current marketing reach/influence and impact.

7. Gradually help you collect contact details into a MAILING LIST of potential buyers/sales leads, so you can send notices of new useful stuff you publish and/or announce sales offers of your products.

A mailing list of trusting buyers will not only come ready to pay, but will also tell others about anything you tell them in your email broadcasts.

Hopefully you see what is possible here.

Try to offer marketing content mainly from your blog – NOT just your website

Be sure however, to channel blog RSS feeds to the site. That way people who land on the website will still see the useful titles and click to the blog.

Except your website is already blog based, you may need to do this – especially you use a static html website. The reason is that a blog comes ready-to-use with the instruments for content syndication and archiving that Google/readers want.

And it also makes the process of updating content online quicker, and easier. You can install your blog within minutes, from your website’s CPANEL at NO COST. Just tell your website manager – or if you want, I can help (email tayo at tksola dot com).

You need not spend money on blog design – in my experience based opinion.

Thousands of professional templates are available for FREE, which can be perfectly customized to suit your needs. Later on you can get a paid one, if you wish. Just don’t let that stop you from getting started.

What is crucial is that you aim to generate content to publish regularly on it that will help you build a community of followers, many of who are likely to be in buy-mode by the time they read your stuff and see your good quality products.

Take a look at the number of sales enquiries still being generated from a single interview a Shea Butter expert from Abuja did on this post at NaturalNigerian.com.

And the orders were coming in from all over the world – because most people had been unable to find a RELIABLE source of 100% PURE Shea Butter.

See how this approach of giving useful information away free in the right place, to the right people can generate massive rewards?

As long as you also offer reliable quality of products and services, you can get similar attention from potential buyers. And it will make your company get more “name recognition” both online and off, locally and internationally.

Tips for Generating Your Content

Even if you’re writing from experience, read up on the subject periodically.

This will enable you enrich your articles with additionally interesting information. Where appropriate put in all the references you consulted. No matter how minor. It’s important to acknowledge the sources one reads. Make sure you do NO copying or plagiarizing.

Sometimes I simply write by drawing from past or present experience/observation.

But normally, the standard way I generate content is that I first read lots of material on the subject. Then I sit down and think of a useful angle to write from, that has not been covered by any of the sources I read.

And I try to make sure what I end up with adds useful value to the existing body of information. All of that is done using my own words. That way, my final write-up is free from any duplicate content.

Note that it’s always best not to create the impression you’re trying to “sell” in an edumercial! (Read through my Educational Commercial on Feed Formulation)

That tends to turn readers off. They must believe you’re offering the useful information to help them as a real public service.

That gesture, on its own, will make you appear as a more credible provider to go to as a result!

It’s a bit counter intuitive, but IT WORKS quite well for generating quality sales leads!

Try it. You will not be disappointed. And neither will your bosses/employer!