This is an End-Of-year Offer issue of my WEB MARKETING FOR CEOS TIPS NEWSLETTER – open to Non-Members.
INSIDE: Learn how to get a FREE copy of my Monthly Poultry Farm Manager software (N75k value). Watch 15 user guide videos for it at http://tinyurl.com/15pfmVideos
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This book is based on a White Paper first published online in January 2006. Tayo has since applied the ideas and strategies described in it to achieve the success he enjoys today as a Location Independent Performance Improvement Specialist and Multipreneur (i.e. a highly versatile/multi-skilled entrepreneur), with a bias for delivering Best Practice solutions to Farm Businesses and others – by providing solutions to buyers within and outside Africa.
As a Nigerian born and raised in Nigeria, Tayo is succeeding by functioning, FULL TIME, as a Location Independent Digital Multipreneur traveling slowly across West Africa.
The implications for the future of many Africans are positive, numerous, and multidimensional – especially as it relates to eliminating the problem of lack of jobs or so called lack of capital to startup businesses!
In this book, Tayo describes a strategy, which properly implemented, can make INDIVIDUALS in any society, achieve their truly great potentials, and then work together with like-minded others to help their respective countries prosper in ways unprecedented.
Towards the end, he includes a “True Case Study” section, featuring specific narratives about his personal experiences and achievements as a Digital Multipreneur serving various markets.
Reading and applying the ideas and strategies described in it, can yield similar results for YOU.
For policy and decision makers in private and public sectors, seeking tested ways to empower multitudes at less cost, and using less effort/money, this book’s contents offer limitless potentials – IF used correctly.
Tayo offers educational talks and coaching programs to support policy makers in making use of the ideas in this book to equip those they lead to succeed by becoming Digital Multipreneurs.
The best part is that even persons in paid employment can adopt this strategy on a part time basis as preparation for retirement, while boosting their income earning capability in the short term!
My answer to the above title-question is NO, for the simple reason that short of their being psychic, others around you are unlikey to be able to "see" an idea you originate in exactly he same way you see it. Worrying that someone will "steal" your idea will only cause you needless anxiety, and could even discourage you from taking your idea to the next level.
Read this article to understand why you must not let this happen to you, if you want to be able to look back in future and feel that you lived a truly fulfilled life.
This usually meant that I sometimes found a need to challenge traditional ways of thinking and/or doing things.
That offended many people.
Unfortunately (for them), I was never someone who feared confrontation. I’m not sure how this will come across to the reader, but if I were to be honest, I would say I usually feel better, and perform at my peak, when I know that most people around me do not agree with what I’m trying to do.
I honestly often get the motivation to do something which others say is not possible, but which I believe in, just from the knowledge that they don’t think I’ll succeed! 
A lot I tell you! The truth is that whenever I expressed my new ideas to those around, most people simply reacted by disagreeing. Few would try to really consider what I had said/proposed in an objective light.
In fact, some would say they understood me, and then proceed to try and make me “see” why what I was proposing was wrong!
So, you see, when you come up with YOUR idea for a business, oftentimes, only you might see the idea in the way you see it. No one else (or VERY few others) can possibly see it exactly the way you see it – and even those who see what YOU see would NOT be capable of thinking about implementing it EXACTLY the way you intend. That’s where – and why – you’ll always have the edge!
For instance, the "evil genius" in a movie, who wants to own the secret of the new formula being developed by the "famous" chemist finds it necessary to kidnap the latter and force him to work in a hidden fully equipped laboratory until a breakthrough is recorded.
Very rarely will you find a person who has a bias for "ideas theft" willing to expend "intellectual glucose" to independently arrive at the potentially valuable end s/he suspects another person is aiming to arrive at. Such people are just too mentally lazy – and are always on the lookout for shortcuts to getting what they desire.
Even when you hand all that you know to them, they still would not be able to take it and run to the finish line. The simple reason is: they lack the unique insight into the subject, and would really struggle to understand it the same way YOU do, talk less of implementing it the way YOU would.
The implication: they would not be able to get the results you could. In essence, they cannot really "steal" your ideas successfully from you!
The reason why the foregoing happens is that you are unique as a human being. And depending on how well you have trained your mind to work, you will be able to take your idea and implement it in a way that only you could possibly conceive.
Yes, it is true that this line of thinking or argument is not fully applicable to all situations.
An example is Fred Smith’s overnight delivery service idea – Federal Express (Fed Ex).
As I said earlier on in this article, that’s where – and why – YOU have the edge!
So, stop worrying that someone is lurking around trying to steal your ideas.
Don’t fret when you learn that someone is trying to launch a new product or service that (appears to be) similar to, or exactly the same as that you are about to start. They cannot think about(or implement) it exactly the way you would.
However, DO NOT let the thought or fear of others doing something similar to what you are doing "paralyse" you.
Remember at all times, that except they can gain direct access to the thoughts that you have about your work so as to discover how best to go about developing and implementing your idea, they CANNOT possibly do it the way you intend to, or as well as you would.
You owe it to yourself to develop and implement your unique ideas to the fullest possible extent.
So take action to start that new business today, or work harder to develop that new idea or invention. It might just be the next revolution the world is waiting for.
PS: If you still have any doubts about whether you have what it
takes to take your idea to great heights, maybe the words of Thomas Edison can encourage you to believe more in yourself:
"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." – THOMAS A. EDISON
NB: This article was first published online in 2007.
The maiden issue of my first ever newsletter – called the Self-Development Digest – was published on Mon 5th Jun 2006 and it was titled Bad/Embarrassing Experiences CAN Help You Succeed!
Today makes it 8 years since that issue was published. But the newsletter has since evolved into this blog (Daily Multidisciplinary Self-Development Nuggets).
====
The maiden issue of my first ever newsletter – called the Self-Development Digest – was published on Mon 5th Jun 2006 and it was titled Bad/Embarrassing Experiences CAN Help You Succeed!
Today makes it 8 years since that issue was published. But the newsletter has since evolved into this blog (Daily Multidisciplinary Self-Development Nuggets).
It takes having undiluted passion to keep going, month after month, after month (as happened 8 years ago), and day after day (as happens now), doing something of this sort in a place like Nigeria.
I mean here in Nigeria/Africa. Visit many Nigerian/African owned websites, and you will see what I mean.
Many times, the newsletter issue available for viewing is rarely a current one – and if there is a blog, it will often have irregular or outdated posts. I’ve seen this happen MANY times!
Why is this so?
I believe it’s due to the mental attitude of our people.
We are too focused on getting the benefits FIRST. We want the results we desire to come quickly, and if they don’t we begin to discontinue any tasks or activities we feel cost us too much time, effort or money compared to whatever benefits they bring us.
I am living proof that this is so.
My newsletter subscriber base keeps growing, and I keep getting surprised by the "increasing profiles" of those who choose to join. More and more Nigerian/African professionals, corporate executives and CEOs now subscribe to my mailing list.
In the past, I had mainly people from South Africa, America, Ghana, Cameroon, Singapore, China etc.
But that’s not all – Nigerians/Africans now get back to me – and refer my work to others. As a result, I have discovered websites and discussion forums from that part of the world referring to my websites, and seen traffic coming my way as a result.
It’s so great to see people willing to take such huge leaps of faith – sending money into my account, and then WAITING for 24 to 72 hours to get emails carrying my spreadsheet software, PDF user guides etc that they paid for.
Bello H,. became a subscriber to my mailing list in 2011 and paid N13,000.00 into my bank account from a bank branch in Abuja for my Feed Formulation Handbook and the Automated Ration Formulation Spreadsheet software. 24 hours later, I emailed a zipped folder containing the software and a detailed PDF user guide, with PDF invoice to him. So many other buyers from across Nigeria and some parts of Africa and North America have also followed, and it continues.
Do you need to get word out about yourself/what you do to others?
I urge you to start your own web based newsletter – and also a blog – today.
Make sure you have a professional mailing list management software (I use a FREE one – Mailchimp.com, that is extremely powerful) to send it out to subscribers.
It costs almost nothing when compared to printing of flyers. Yet it can get you more tangible results. If you need help, click here to let me know.
Web Marketing WORKS right here in Nigeria/Africa, IF you know how!
*******
Click here to learn more
Download above PDF
******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
Download above PDF
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
Download above PDF
More Real-Life Proof that Being an Intelligent Jack of Many Trades™ (aka Multipreneur), Can Make You Succeed More Often
In this article, I supply authoritative/real-life references and examples to underscore the fact that intelligently acquiring multiple competencies, that enhance your ability to achieve set goal(s), can be very profitable for an individual or business. If you are keen to find additional evidence to justify adopting Multipreneuring as a strategy for more effectively pursuing any goals you have, then this article is one you MUST read!
It is not good to be a Jack of All trades. Well, that’s probably true. But what about being an Intelligent Jack of Many Trades™? The Jack Of Many Trades™ I speak about is what Tom Gorman calls a “Multipreneur” in his book – titled "Multipreneuring: 1) Using a variety of skills and a series of careers to succeed (2) The Hottest Career Strategy For Success In The 1990s – and Beyond" (More about this book below).
Some entrepreneurs who achieved their successes many years ago, believe that the strategies they used back then will continue to work today, and in the future. Well, maybe…but maybe not! Things have changed, and keep changing constantly – a whole lot too.
Considering the rapid pace of technology/information-driven changes occurring today, a strategy that worked five years ago may – or may NOT – be so successful today.
TIP: Depending on the type of venture you embark upon as a new-idea or established start-up, you may need to come to the market place with a variety of marketable skills in order to survive. Those skills will enable you generate additional income streams that can help you maintain optimal levels of profitability during periods when business is slow for everyone due to economic fluctuations or other reasons.
Early on in my start-up days, I adopted what I called a multidisciplinary approach to entrepreneuring due to combined factors of interest and necessity. The latter arose when I found the response to my Self-Development work(Talks, Seminars, and Workshops) at the time, though positive, a bit “slow”.
So I concentrated on creating additional income-earning opportunities using other skills I had (and/or progressively acquired) such as custom spreadsheet solutions development, web design, and freelance writing. In doing this, I was however conscious of the fact that some people would suggest that I was a “Jack of all trades” kind of person. But having always been very versatile, with a natural aptitude for multi-skilling, I was quite convinced that what I had in mind could be done.
So, I read book after book on business and Entrepreneuring. I also did a search using the word “Multipreneuring” at www.google.com.
It was especially through the search results I obtained, that I discovered a huge world of Multipreneurs.
I learnt that some were self-employed, while others could be found in paid employment.
a). Take for instance, Ken Gaebler, who about 10 years ago started up three different companies (business incubator, holding company and venture capital). On his website(www.gaebler.com) in March 2003, Ken had an article titled “Entrepreneurial Evolution” in which he explained why he became a Multipreneur by starting up three different companies at the same time.
One reason he gave that struck me as instructive was the idea that if a person’s chances of succeeding in business are one out of three, then it only makes good business sense to start three companies, so you can be sure of making a success of at least one of them. In his estimation, even though there were disadvantages to starting up a business this way, it still made plenty of sense to do it. I could not have agreed more with him!
b). On the net, I also came across Tom Gorman’s book titled "Multipreneuring:
(1) Using a variety of skills and a series of careers to succeed
(2) The Hottest Career Strategy For Success In The 1990s – and Beyond".(Last time I checked, the book retailed for about $11.00 US Dollars on Amazon.com). Gorman – himself a Multipreneur – is described as having worked variously as corporate consultant, commercial banker, executive recruiter and writer. This gives the reader further proof that what his book advocates works.
a). Herman Holtz (who passed on in Feb. 2001) was widely regarded one of the world’s most successful Independent Consultants with over 3 decades of experience. He was often described as a Consultant’s Consultant. In his book "The Concise Guide To Becoming An Independent Consultant"(John Wiley and Sons, Inc, 1999), Holtz confessed that he had been personally acquainted with certain "exceptional individuals" who had adopted versatility as their answer to the consultant’sneed to specialise.
According to him, one such individual boasted up to twelve(12)! different resumes. Depending on the specific requirements for different consulting project opportunities he identified, he would simply send in the most suited resume! The best part for me : Holtz testified that NONE of the resumes used by these individuals gave false testimonies of their ability to competently perform widely differing tasks for their clients at a professional fee.
b). James Cook in his book "The Start-up Entrepreneur", apparently also appreciated the reality that frequently faces start-up entrepreneurs(though he did not use the term “Multipreneuring”), when he stated that most entrepreneurs are unlikely to find success by sticking to a single venture or line of business till they succeed. In fact he warned that the startup entrepreneur may find need to change the direction in which s/he continues often, possibly with each failure recorded, assuring however that those who persevere will inevitably succeed.
To buttress his point, Cook provided interesting historical details such as the fact that Henry Ford originally intended to make a tractor, while Edison first invented a telegraph machine (in 1962). From my internet research into the life of Thomas Edison, I can also add that he followed the telegraph machine with an Electric Vote Recorder which was a commercial failure – making him vow he would not waste time inventing things that no one wanted.
c). When Robert G. Allen wrote about "Multiple Streams of Income", he did not exactly say people had to become Multipreneurs. But he implied it – because he was challenging people to reduce the risk arising from depending on one income source(which could be disrupted at any time) by spreading their sources of income generation from one to many.
Ironically, even though I was already functioning as one when I was starting up, I training services delivery organisation was to “educate” me about the proper term for what I was doing, as one who “wears many hats”. After listening to me talk about my multi-disciplinary approach, he asked me what one word I believed could be used to describe me based on all that I had told him.
When I had finished rambling about being an “Educator/Information Broker bringing useful Self-Development information to people of various backgrounds/needs”(I did not have an elevator speech at the time), he said “I have one name that I think describes you very well in terms of what you do, and which I want you to start using from today”. He then asked for my pen and wrote on a sheet of paper, exactly as follows: “Tayo Solagbade is a MULTIPRENEUR.” That was the first time I saw the word!
In business, I would define a Multipreneur as an individual who intelligently combines a variety of (sometimes self-taught) marketable skills to earn income as the opportunities present themselves in the market place.
Then there are those that have always been biased towards having multiple competencies, and are now being vindicated for being that way.
A good example of the latter is General Electric – who, as if determined to ensure critics do not dismiss it as a "coincidence" use the tagline "What GE does and makes touches everyone". THAT’s a Multipreneurial company! And they have been extremely successfully in their Jack Of Many Trades approach – which is why Jack Welch achieved the legendary status he did for providing leadership that made it work.
There was a time when SONY as a company was not considered a force to reckon with in the digital/Internet world. Most people never even "saw" a role for the company to play in that arena. Thankfully for the company, its leadership was a ‘thinking" one: they "saw" into the future, and knew that to gain greater access into people’s homes as an entertainment manufacturing company, they needed to use the cheapest and most far-reaching marketing resources available.
The Internet was unique in that it offered all the convenience, and affordability they sought to take advantage of – while it provided an excellent medium through which to launch a new breed of products that today has captured a larger audience than they could ever have imagined.
The success of Sony’s Playstation is but one example.(Then of course there was the move, before Playstation, into Laptops manufacturing with the Introduction of the VAIO series).
S/he (whether as individual or company) will define a clear vision, and will then consider what option(s) for pursuing it successfully are available. A decision about the most appropriate line(s) of action to adopt is what eventually, among other things, would necessitate developing new competencies that complement each other towards accomplishment of the ultimate goal or vision.
Everything Sony has done as a company has further strengthened it’s ability to make in-roads into people’s home as a provider of entertainment resources. By adopting new approaches that recognise changing technology and especially the Internet, Sony has been able to not only keep the interest and attention of old customers but also expanded its customer base to capture increasingly younger people – those excited by the world of computer gaming software, Internet technology, Virtual reality etc. The result has been phenomenal market place success – internationally.
A close look at the trend of mergers and acquisitions, and the broadening of products and services offerings by many companies today suggest that the leadership of many businesses already appreciate the importance of thinking this way.
It is my opinion that entrepreneurs in the 21st century and beyond, will need to – intelligently – operate adaptable entrepreneurial ventures that can generate multiple sustainable income streams for themselves. Only by so doing, will they be able to effectively cope with the unpredictability of the fast-changing, technology-driven markets of their societies now and in the future. In other words, through Multipreneuring, they will be able to cushion their businesses against negative turns that might result from unexpected changes in demand for some of their key products and/or services over time.
We also have people in paid employment who are Multipreneurs. Like their self-employed counterparts, they often “wear many hats”. I describe them as individuals who intelligently combine their(sometimes self-taught) skills in a variety of related fields to deliver desired results(often beyond their job requirements) to employers. The reality (do a search on the net with “Multipreneur” and see what you get) is that today’s businesses/employers need such people more and more.
Companies are trying to find and retain individuals who are versatile and able to carry on a variety of tasks efficiently. As I said in my article titled “How to make yourself UNRETRENCHABLE”, any employee who can demonstrate, repeatedly and convincingly, the ability to competently do the job of two(2) or more people will make it less likely for his company to want to let go of (talks less retrench) him/her.
This method made it possible to optimise production output regardless of unexpected absenteeism, retirements, transfers etc. Depending on the areas of work, and the organisational skills of the duty Shift Manager, one operator/staff could be made to competently operate two or more machines during such “tight” periods.
In fact, whenever the time came for staff promotions and/or secondments to be decided, one of the key considerations was the multi-skilling ability of the individuals being considered. All other things remaining constant, an individual with the best multi-skilling matrix would get picked to lead a team in an area. It only made good sense to do this, since this person would then be competent to not only supervise operating staff, but also facilitate on-the-job training for newcomers in virtually any areas of the process s/he managed.
I also went further to give examples of Multipreneurs in sports, politics, and entertainment – pointing out along the way, how the reader’s early schooling experiences, in many ways, has already prepared him/her to be a Multipreneur – though s/he may not know it!
In the final part of that article, I outline "Steps To Becoming An Intelligent Jack Of Many Trades™(or Multipreneur)" ending by elaborating on specific ways by which multipreneuruing can make anyone can succeed more often at work and/or in life.
Click here to read the full text of the article I referred to, and learn more about why it pays to be a Multipreneur, if you want to succeed more frequently(and for the long term), in the increasingly unpredictable and fast-changing societies of the 21st century and beyond.
*******
Click here to learn more
Download above PDF
******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
Download above PDF
Download above PDF
*******
Download above PDF
Download above PDF
Much of this article probably goes against ideas held by majority of people, but the truth is that when a person is willing, that which the majority regards as impossible, can become that which can be done with adequate intelligent effort.
In our daily conversations certain expressions we use(such as “man-of-many parts”, “multi-talented” “utility player”, “multi-skilled”, “wears many hats” etc) indicate that we acknowledge that some of us have such abilities – and are therefore potential Multipreneurs. However, sometimes human beings tend to question and/or resist attempts by such individuals to make use of their skills in a formal manner e.g. in business.
This article offers suggestions based on real-life experiences about how a person can increase chances of securing needed financing, by intelligently applying his/her multipreneurial abilities.
“I have succeeded in whatever I have undertaken because I have willed it. I have never hesitated, which has given me an advantage over the rest of mankind.” – Napoleon
On 2008-06-06 at 01:48:46, Ben Oshionya wrote (from Port Harcourt) via my website request form:
“I am excited by this website. You seem to be doing a lot of good to farmers, Tayo. Keep it up. I ran into this website during my search for feed formulation information. Hope I have come to the right place.”
Since 2006, when I launched my Cost-Saving Farm Business Ideas website – www.iff.tayosolagbade.com(Click!) – I’ve had countless farm business owners, support experts and enthusiasts, contact (and/or buy from) me.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most regular readers know that Patrick Meninga is the popular US based blogging expert whose blogging strategy I adapted (in 2012) to make this blog succeed: and we’ve since become friends. Yesterday, Patrick emailed me this link (http://www.hopefornikel.com/), about a care-giver colleague he says he’s worked with for 5 years:
It’s about Nikel Lakise’s story of battling with Leukemia. As soon as I read it, I decided to share it, as one of several ways I plan to play my part in helping her get the help she needs.
The linked page describes several different ways by which anyone can help Nikel – even YOU!
Click here to learn more. Let’s join hands to build a team of Hope for Nikel to beat Leukemia!
Are you trying to choose a web designer to build a website for your business? You may not realize it, but today, great design skills are NOT all you need to check for. In this article I list 4 important issues you MUST consider before parting with your hard earned money to put your business on the net.
People sometimes assume a company with more money, employees, office space etc will be more capable than one with less. This is not necessarily correct. In fact much smaller businesses (or individuals) if they apply themselves intelligently/effectively, are often likely to be able to deliver better quality-and more personalized-services than bigger ones.
My advice it that you get authentic proof of competence in form of past web design projects (website addresses) the individual or company you want to choose has handled. Go one step further, if possible and request for client contact details so as to verify the claims made.
Customers naturally often complain about unreliable service providers -including Internet-related service providers. The “newness” of the website concept sometimes can lead to uninitiated business owners getting less than they pay for.
For instance, websites could be built with little or no effort made – by the designer – to help the owner understand how to use it to reduce advertising/marketing expenses while increasing sales leads generation. Such costumers would subsequently lose faith in the use of websites for low cost, high impact marketing saying “It doesn’t work!”.
Ask the designer for details of what they will do for you, to help your website succeed, that others will not. Use the responses you get to compare with others you are considering – it will not be difficult to identify who is offering you the most tangible benefits.
Is the individual or company you are considering willing to (search for and) incorporate useful tools/resources(e.g. relevant and appropriate automation) that will equip your website to deliver the results you want at less cost, in less time and using less resources? Ask them for examples of useful automation they have setup on websites-and specific ones they can adapt to suit your biz needs.
Without the intelligent integration of appropriate automation on a website, the challenge of using the website to achieve increased business productivity will, over time become overwhelming.
The website should make it cheaper and easier to put information about your business in front of a wider range of prospects almost effortlessly. Website automation using server-sider custom CGI(Common Gateway Interface) scripting is one of the most common and effective ways to do this.
Ask your prospective web designer if s/he is conversant with the use of this technology (or another as effective or better). If he does not, ask if he has reliable access to someone who does. If you get a “No”,MAKE SURE you find someone else who can take care of that aspect.
This is the most important one. A competent web designer must demonstrate the willingness to study(and aptitude to understand) your business – including the goals you aim to achieve.
Most importantly s/he must be able to tell you – in simple, non-technical English – how the website can be used to further your business goals and objectives. So, ask if s/he has a Web Marketing Strategy in mind to enable you maximise the Returns On Your Investment in the website. If s/he struggles to answer, be very worried.
A web marketing strategy is basically a step-by-step plan(that should be developed) based on an understanding of the ultimate purpose you intend to use your website to achieve. If well conceived, it will guide you on the specific things to do – daily, weekly etc – in order to leverage your website to get the intended results.
Without a web marketing strategy, you will soon find yourself struggling to justify the money you have spent(and will spend) to keep your website online. I’ll be a bit blunt here. Traditional methods can no longer satisfy today’s business marketing needs. If you do not have a web marketing strategy, your business WILL become extinct – and that’s putting it mildly too!
It is computed by dividing the total number of visitors to your website by the number of those visitors who eventually take action subsequently to do business with you. The WCR will vary from one website/industry to the other.
For instance on the net a typical target WCR is about 3.0% – which means for every 100 visitors to your site, you will expect only about 3 persons to eventually do business with you.
This is why you must have a good marketing strategy to ensure that only the “right” visitors(i.e who fit the “profile” of your target audience) visit your site. The “right” visitors will constitute your “pre-qualified target audience” i.e people already interested in what your website offers.
A web marketing strategy makes more of the “right” people visit your site giving you a greater chance of getting contacted by more of your potential customers, so you get a chance to “close the sale” and record an increased WCR.
One Analogy: A website featuring a product that makes hair grow on bald heads will not interest a person who regularly visits the barber for a full hair cut!
The process involved in developing a web marketing strategy will help you craft marketing messages that make those who NEED your product or service recognize the unique benefit your website offers – and therefore subsequently visit it.
The above is not an exhaustive list. I have only highlighted four of the most important issues which if properly addressed should make your adoption of a web designer end up making you look good in the long term.
You might want to visit the www.google.com and type the question “How to choose a good web designer to build my website” or a similar query. You will come up links to other useful articles written on the subject.
If you think you’re too busy, get someone to do it for you. The time you spend on this preparatory stage could save you from making costly mistakes!
PS: This article was first written/published online in 2005, via www.spontaneousdevelopment.com (see it also on Ezinearticles.com). I find it simply AMAZING that so many business owners continue to let “experts” setup their online presence for them in the WRONG way. If you need help making use of the ideas I’ve shared here, click here to send me a message.
Even though you use the web for marketing, it PAYS to periodically connect with “humans” offline e.g. via phone and face to face. BUT not with intent to sell. Doing so once got me invited – in May 2012 – as Guest Speaker at Yaba College of Technology’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development’s Annual Semester Entrepreneurial Lecture in Lagos.
I do this all the time, and every now and then, and it wins me the expected results. Sometimes it ends up winning me income earning opportunities even though I did not start out with that in mind.
The above is why I recommend mixing it up every once in a while. Don’t just stick with one way of doing things. Change things up after a while, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what happens.
Note however that you must truly go out with an honest intent to serve or help others. Really make up your mind that you WILL give of yourself without being bothered about whether or not those you give to, choose to reward you in any way.
Yesterday, while waiting to meet with an old client who hired me to setup a blog on his website, with articles I’ve ghostwritten for him, I flipped through the pages of a popular newspaper, and came across a interesting column on using Email Signatures.
The author was a young lady, and she did a great job of it.
After reading it I checked the contact details she provided and noticed her office address was just a walking distance from my client’s office, in the Allen avenue area of Ikeja, in Lagos-Nigeria.
However, it turned out that she was not around – the attendant at the serviced offices firm told me to try calling her on phone.
This morning, around 10:30a.m, I called and spoke with her on her mobile line. Our conversation went well, and she expressed an interest in getting to know more about me, and the ideas I proposed, which she found interesting.
I promised to send her URLs to a few resources, in an email later on.
Hi <name removed>,
It was great speaking with you earlier today.
Like I told you when I called, I believe VERY MANY business owners in our part of the world are shortchanging themselves in the way they use their online presence.
By this I mean NOT just their websites, but the other web based resources they periodically make use of in a bid to promote the products and services they offer.
Your write-up in the <newspaper name> in which you shared tips for using an Email Signature told me you possessed insights that indicated you would appreciate the bigger picture of web marketing that I paint for clients I work with.
As I said, I am NOT trying to sell anything.
Instead, my purpose for reaching out to you (and others I’ve connected with in the past) is to point out other complementary tools, techniques and strategies that can be used in an integrated self-sustaining manner to generate a continuous stream of quality pre qualified prospects/leads, that one can convert to buyers/sales.
To address your request for details about me, I’ve included links below to some of the generic resources I use in my work…
1. Below is a link to an article on my blog that offers prospects insights into what I mean by a Web Marketing System (WMS):
http://tayosolagbade.com/sdnuggets/what-you-need-to-achieve-web-marketing-success-4-tips/
2. Click the link below to view a 2 page PDF that uses a mind map to provide an overview of who I am, and what I do – with links to related resources including a resume that describes my background from a past life over a decade ago, in paid employment.
http://tayosolagbade.com/uploads/WhoIsTKS.pdf
3. Here’s a link to a PDF speaker-one-sheet for a talk I’ve recently begun offering, following my observation that so many CEOs still do NOT get it:
http://tayosolagbade.com/uploads/wms-talks-offer.pdf
The contents of the PDF highlight additional ways I advocate more business marketing decision makers THINK, and ACT if they want to reduce their Cost Of Sales/Cost of Customer Acquisition (COCA) – which is a useful way to BOOST PROFITS without needing to raise prices of one’s products/services.
Okay,
, that’s all I have…just my humble suggestions of possible perspectives you can adopt in informing and educating your readers to make more successful use of the web for their businesses. As I noted when we spoke, I’m hoping you’ll find something useful in the materials relating to web marketing that I’ve referred you to, that may help you better articulate other ideas you decide to share with your column’s readers.
The results I get from using this approach, at zero cost, convince me many African business owners are denying themselves TOO MANY zero cost opportunities to make the most profitable use of the Internet access and websites they PAY good money for.
If you have any queries or need clarifications, let me know.
With kindest regards,
Tayo
PS:
a. By the way, I should add that I came up with most of my own ideas/concepts from YEARS of trial and error trying to apply what I learnt from studying some of the top web marketing minds in the world.
What I now call a Web Marketing System is the condensed version of what I found worked for me, as a business owner in Africa’s peculiar market, dealing with Africa’s peculiar buyers (whose web based buying behavour is VERY different from that of counterparts in developed markets/economies.)
To achieve the above, I had to become comfortable with BREAKING the rules and coming up with my own ways of getting the results I wanted. It is, for instance, why my signature is often VERY long (I have several signatures, for different target audiences).
I mention the above because of the tip you gave in your write-up, about the length of an email signature. The one I’ve used here is the generic version that goes out with ALL my website contact forms’ auto response messages.
b. Once again, I must emphasize that there are no strings attached to this offer of mine. I’m NOT trying to sell anything to you. You do NOT even need to mention me. What I hope to see is MORE information and education being given out to readers from informed columns like yours, so that more African businesses can get better results using PC and Internet technology.
