Category Archives: My DN Travel News

They Want to Learn English from Me & I Want to Improve my French! (PLUS Video of an angry Beninese Grasscutter, Photo of Rabbits, & a Photo of a 13 Year Old Burt Dubin Classified Ad!)

April 17, 2013 Tayo Solagbade 3 Comments

This is not the main update on my adventures in Benin Republic. It’s just a preview – especially because of an exciting development that’s occurred. Apart from the news, and stories, I’ve included (1) a photo of a Burt Dubin Classified Advert from 13 Years Ago! (2) few pictures of me with people out here and (3) photos of some big-boy rabbits, and an interesting video of a VERY angry grasscutter that I “chatted” with at an exhibition stand in the FACULTIE DES SCIENCES AGRONOMIQUES on the campus of the Universite D’Abomey-Calavi. LOL!

Creating French Versions of My Software & Information Products

Above: Photo of me with a staff of the Agronomy faculty, in charge of the aquarium stand. I’ll be publishing a separate post on how they reacted when I told them I build and sell Self-Cleaning Natural Aquariums which need no artificial oxygenation.

My interactions with owners of small businesses out here have been interesting. On demonstrating the use of my nifty little Income/Expense Manager to the owner of a multipurpose business centre, he immediately asked if I customize it in French for use in his business.

I told him that was possible, but that I would need to work with a competent bilingual expert to do the needed translation of the messages and instructions in the different interfaces of the application.

For instance, I’m currently looking to complete the translation of my 45 page management research paper titled “Self-Development as a Tool for Achieving Career Advancement (A Practical Guide Based on Experience).

I delivered my first paid talk based on it to managers/directors at the Centre for Management Development. Later I developed a one hour talk based on the management paper, which I delivered in different organisations. It’s titled “Ten Ways You Can Use Self-Development to Become a High Flyer at Work“.

The success I recorded with that talk led me to publish my 113 page Self-Development Bible ™ – which has been on sale at www.lulu.com/sdaproducts since 2005.

I added that I’d anticipated this, not just for my spreadsheet software development service, but also for my information products, and learning events (talks, speeches). However, it’s been hard to find someone with the right mix of skills.

My New Cameroonian Friend is a Lawyer/Language (English/French) Translation Expert

One person I have found to be potentially suitable is a Cameroonian barrister at law who has settled in Benin. Apart from visiting courts, he doubles as the academic head of the English speaking arm of a large institution affiliated to an international educational outfit.

He told me he translated ALL the course materials currently being used by the English speaking students (mostly from Nigeria, some from Ghana) from French to English. And he still has more to do. This makes him fairly busy.

I’m not sure how we’ll make it happen, so I’m looking for alternatives, just in case things don’t work out. That’s held me back quite a bit. My French is not good enough to do a proper translation. The guys I have as friends who can speak some English are not proficient either.

We’ll see how things go this week.

Help, Everyone One Wants a Piece of Me! (Not What You Think Though…LOL)

Above: At last I’ve found Rabbits in Benin! I was told by a senior faculty staff that the ones shown here are actually highly virile imported pure breeds that they intend to cross with local breeds. I’ll tell you this: from what I saw in an elderly lady’s backyard rabbitry, they already have hybrids being used by locals that are quite big compared to any I’ve seen back in Nigeria.

On a different note, I’ve gained an interesting insight into how to capture the active attention and interest of working adults, experts, professionals and career persons out here.

There’s a serious drive amongst the above mentioned group, to learn to speak English. Many professionals enroll at the language institute (CEBELAE – acronym pronounced “saybaylayay”) for short courses.

I’ve been there myself, as I had to drop off a proposal to the director, and I witnessed an oral practical language session taking place. The institute teaches foreign languages to interested persons who enrol.

However, for those who learn English, it appears the absence of an English speaking environment, makes them emerge unable to speak coherently/fluently.

This is similar to the experience I had after my 3 month intensive French course. That was why I and my Cameroonian teacher/friend (Valentine) decided I needed to travel to Cameroon, where I would be forced to speak French more often.

But not all of these guys have the time, money – and I would say, most importantly the courage (!) – To travel to Nigeria to stay a few weeks just to improve their spoken English.

This probably explains why I keep getting approached in cafes, on the campus etc – especially when it happens that I speak English (probably in receiving a call from Nigeria, or chatting with someone who speak English here).

One example: The operator of a cyber cafe I often use here in Calavi insisted on taking my phone number on the very first day we met. This was just after we’d spoken in my shaky French, and he learnt I could speak English.

He said he needed to learn English and that I could help him. I told him I needed to speak more French to improve as well!

We eventually arrived at a compromise: to speak each language to each other on alternate days. Yesterday it was my turn, so I got him to respond to me in English till I left. Today he’ll be grilling me in French

When a Medical Doctor Came Asking…That Got Me Thinking – Hard….!

Above: A picture of staff at the exhibition stand.

Just as I was leaving the cafe yesterday, a well dressed gentleman who had apparently heard me coaching the café operator to speak English approached me.

Speaking English in a manner similar to that in which I speak French, he told me was a medical doctor. He’d taken English classes at CEBELAE, but due to work pressure had be unable to make the most of the opportunity.

To use his exact words:

“I will be very happy if we can become friends, and speak English together.”

We both laughed as I told him I would also want us to speak French. Exchanging call cards, we parted…but I got thinking there was an opportunity knocking in form of these encounters.

I realized that these people strongly desired something I had, and took for granted. For me – and you I’m sure – being able to speak English is no big deal. It’s the same for them with French. But out here, my ability is considered of greater value, and they want it.

It eventually struck me that I had to find a way to use this “need” they had to launch my public speaking events out here. By so doing, I would be able to promote relevant products and services to them while adding tangible value to them. If nothing else, I’d earn significant name recognition in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

My target audience are Beninese and Benin based experts and professionals who want to learn English and those who already speak, but who want to get better.

Suddenly, I Discover How I Can Give Them What They Want & Help Myself at the Same Time

This morning, something pushed me to spend an hour in the library here to do some thinking.

By 11 a.m when I left the place for my first meeting, I’d had an epiphany of massive proportions!

Based on that “revelation” I’ve now resolved to use my friendship with a TV show host I met here in my first week, and his newspaper colleagues, to promote a series of learning events. I’m convinced many career persons and professionals out here WILL jump at it.

I can’t give details now. But I can tell this will work. I start preparing the relevant write-ups from tonight. My goal is to finish and have my stuff ready latest by Monday.

Video of a VERY Angry Grasscutter

This is already too long, but I felt you might like the entertainment – there’s more where this came from. For now, just listen to/watch this short clip of a grasscutter placed at the Agronomy Faculty exhibition today. You don’t want to run into this guy in an alley – and you certainly do NOT want to poke a finger into that cage – he’s very different from his docile Rabbit relatives…LOL!

I’ll be publishing a follow up to this preview later this week.

Memories: Photo of a Burt Dubin Classifed Advert from 13 Years Ago!

Below is a picture of a printed page from an edition of Michael Angier‘s Success Digest newsletter which I received via email in 2000 – while still in Guinness.

Burt Dubin will recognise the classified ad at the bottom of that page.

I mentioned Michael and his newsletter in my Self-Development Bible. Without Michael’s newsletter I doubt I would ever have discovered Burt Dubin – and I would not be promoting his speaker mentoring products and services to experts across Africa today.

Download this flyer as PDF: http://tayosolagbade.com/uploads/burt_new_flyer.pdf

Entrepreneurship, My DN Travel News

Use Excel-VB Automation To Boost Your Profits

April 16, 2013 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

This article explans – with practical examples – how developing in-house expertise in automation of Microsoft Excel.can dramatically boost productivity – and profits – in your company.. Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for analyzing and presenting information.

Too frequently however, many users – individuals and organizations – fail to realize the extensive range of functionalities offered by this application. They therefore decide that a need exists for a special application that will do things like:” automatically analyse, manage a database, chart and print reports of “ accounting, financial or other data for them in a pre-defined format etc.

Above: Video tutorial for the advanced version of my Payslip Generator purchased and used by companies within and outside Lagos.

Their often-erroneous assumption is that the desired functionalities are not obtainable in existing standard spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel, which they already have. So they engage a software developer to design a standalone windows based application to do those tasks.

The Problem

That’s all well and good – if they can afford the huge costs that often result from such acquisitions. For instance, with the requirement to enforce the software anti-piracy laws, many organizations must get a licence for each copy of software to be put on every one of their PCs. So, imagine a company that has over 170 managers and maybe 1000 staff that use PCs. That’s a lot of money!

But then such big companies might be able to afford it. What about the smaller businesses that get into such expenses because they believe they have no choice?

Even it you had such money, why not spend it more prudently and get greater value for that which you spend? That is after all why one runs a business – to make (more) profit!

The Alternative Proposed

Above: Video demonstration of the latest upgrade version of my Excel-VB Driven Livestock Feed Formulation Software. This has been on sale since 2007, as an complement to my popular Feed Formulation Handbook. It has been purchased by buyers within and outside Nigeria. Get details here.

The question then becomes “Is there any other way to achieve the same objective?” My answer is that there is! The alternative is one that puts the user in a position where inhouse custom automated spreadsheet solutions can be developed using standard spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel.

This way, your organization would only then have to invest in employee training and time, to have appropriate and convenient solutions developed by one of your own staff!

It also means that if/when changes occur in your processes (which happens all the
time), you will only need to get one of your in-house experts/ developers to effect modifications to accommodate such changes. Only when a really complex and major need arises, would you then have to consider going out to get a developer or pick a package off-the-shelf.

Additional Advantages Of The Proposed Alternative

Most of the advanced functionalities/automation that users desire (or need) can be easily achieved in Excel using its extensive range of functions/tools coupled with its powerful programming language – Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Excel.

Above: Video demonstration of my Excel-VB driven Business/Personal Contacts Data Manager

There are custom pre-programmed Excel spreadsheet applications solutions – some called Enterprise Information Systems – that have been developed using VB for Excel, which most uninitiated users would insist could not have been produced using Microsoft Excel.

Microsoft has described Visual Basic for Excel as a complete development environment, consistent with the stand-alone version of Visual Basic, and shared by all Office applications. Having used Visual Basic myself, I could not agree more.

Certain kinds of scenarios, (some listed below) if existing in an establishment, might require an organization to seriously consider having its staff trained on “Mastering Microsoft Excel”.

1. Management of routinely collated and analysed data in spreadsheets is still done manually, even though the tasks carried out on such data tend to be fairly repetitive. Through training, they could learn how to use Visual Basic Macros to automate daily simple and/or complex tasks.

2. In using Excel, they often go the “long way” via the standard menu hierarchies to effect specific commands. This will detract from their productivity while using the application. Through training, they could learn numerous shortcut techniques, tips and tricks to make more efficient use of Excel. This would result in drastic productivity improvements in spreadsheet use on their jobs.

3. Not many of them can confidently handle Excel and expose its many capabilities to other colleagues or new entrants. Through training, they could gain confidence needed to educate colleagues etc on the use of Excel. In a short time, the knowledge will spreads to others, with positive benefits to the business.

For best results from training, a Visual Basic for Excel Micro Information Specialist (i.e. someone who not only knows VB for Excel programming, but can also understand your processes and provide relevant examples, solutions etc) should handle such training.

Apart from teaching them advanced ways to use Excel, he could also teach your staff how to develop/maintain customised automated spreadsheet packages to solve their routine data management, and reporting problems. (Click here to request a custom Training Course/Coaching program).

Justification For Custom Automated Spreadsheet Solutions

I worked for over seven years in a large, multinational manufacturing organization. Within that time I had become widely recognized in the company for developing various custom automated spreadsheet solutions that dramatically facilitated “raw” data collection/analysis from the production and packaging processes. Quite often, large corporate, network-based software applications do not address “shop-floor level” data collation/analysis challenges that individual employees encounter daily.

Above: A Video Demonstration (No Audio) of a Custom Financial Reporting Application I Built For A Medium Sized Hospital. Click here to read the interesting story of how I won the project to build this app.

This problem frequently exists because corporate-level software packages are designed with a broad user group in mind. As such, they do not cater fully for the variety of users’ peculiar needs arising from differing operational processes.

For instance, even though Nigerian Breweries and Guinness Nigeria Plc both brew “beer”, the way they individually collate, document and analyse records from the beer production process for management reporting differ significantly. This is not just because different people run the companies, but also because their raw materials are different, and they process their beers differently!

Now, the two companies would ideally want to produce reports that are easy to compare with those from other brewing companies’ (or even their sister companies) within or outside the country. They would therefore want data from the lowest levels of the production processes, to be channeled – intact – to the management reporting level in what should be a fairly standard format. That is of course already being done in both companies on a regular basis.

However, it’s the “HOW” of doing it that poses a significant challenge, leading to questions like those below:

1. How much effort and time does it currently take them to get that data? How much effort and time should it take?

2. How many employees are currently involved in getting the data? How many really need to be involved if the process was efficient?

3. If one employee collated the data this month, and another next month, would there be a difference in the reliability of the resultant summaries posted into the networked corporate database?

The above, are the kinds of questions that need to be asked in order to check for existence of data collation/handling inefficiencies in routine data, management processes in an organization. Let’s face it, if accurate data were not being fed upwards for use by management, the effects would not only be inaccurate interpretations of the business’ performance, but also a danger of its possible collapse in the longer term.

Summary Of Benefits

The development of custom automated spreadsheet solutions would effectively bridge the existing gap between manual data collation done by employees, and the automated data handling by corporate software applications.

Being able to develop such solutions will give oganizations the capability to produce simple yet reliable remedies to data management and reporting problems as the need arises.

The developed packages are also likely to be more effective – and relatively inexpensive (having been produced by an employee – who “understands” the process) compared to those done by outsider(s).

Cost conscious organizations can save huge amounts of money by empowering their employees to develop a mastery, firstly of Microsoft Excel, and then of Visual Basic for Excel. Note that true mastery of Microsoft Excel is imperative, if one is to be effective at developing robust and reliable automated spreadsheet solutions.

Examples of Specific Areas of Potential Application

The following are specific areas for which automated spreadsheet applications could be (and have been) successfully developed. Note that by virtue of their being customized and inexpensive, automated spreadsheets applications can also be easily acquired for use by individuals – on their jobs or for personal use (see item 3. below):

1. A VB for Excel Enterprise Information system could be developed to retrieve, summarise – and present graphically or otherwise – data from an external database like Access, Oracle etc.

2. A custom automated Excel spreadsheet application could be developed to

a. Collate raw “process” data, which will then be inputted into a larger application or corporate database.

b. Collate and analyse process or other data for use – by individual employees on special projects; by departments for internal checking/controls, or in performance monitoring/testing etc.

3. A nifty VB for Excel automated spreadsheet package could be developed for specific application by self-employed individuals (or small businesses) e.g. an automatic sales recording/invoice generation spreadsheet

BUILT-IN EXCEL SOLUTIONS DEVELOPMENT

Self-Development Academy’s Excel Heaven™ is the FIRST provider of Preprogrammed and Custom Spreadsheet based solutions in Nigeria. We offer Workbook Auditing/Optimisation and VBA Automation; Custom Spreadsheet Software Development; Sales; Job-Based Spreadsheet Coaching; and Consulting/Advisory Services on effective application of spreadsheets for business use.

See video demos at http://www.youtube.com/user/TKSolagbadeSDAc

Visit our Excel Heaven mini-site at : http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com

NB: Our Custom Automated Excel Visual Basic applications are provided as-is with no warranty of any kind. We also cannot assume responsibility for either any programs provided here, or for any advice that is given since we have no control over what happens after our code or works leave us.

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Invite Me To Speak

If you’re reading this after 31st March 2013, I would have begun travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Entrepreneur. If you’re in West Africa click here to invite me to speak to your members or group on this topic.

Above: In May 2012 he was the Guest Speaker at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development’s Annual Semester Entrepreneurial Lecture at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos. (Click here to download the PowerPoint slidesshow and mind map I used for that talk).

If you’re in West Africa click here to invite me to speak to your members or group on “How to Use Excel-VB Automation To Boost Your Profits.”

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My DN Travel News, Public Speaking

Use Persuasion to Save (or Make) MORE Money (3 Tips)

April 15, 2013 Tayo Solagbade 1 Comment

The core message in this week’s issue of my newsletter is that you never know what you can get, until you try…or ask. If you always accept what you’re told – be it price or options – you may end up shortchanging yourself in life.

Virtually everything can be negotiated. And if your persuasion skills are well honed, great bargains or deals can be yours. The fact that you have the money does not mean you should spend it! If an opportunity exists to pay less, take it. Nothing is cast in stone.

Remember that, when you’re buying, selling, leasing, renting – indeed in all your interactions. This article 3 ideas you can use, including examples my recent experiences out here in Benin Republic (full details – with photos – in an update I’ll publish here).

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Publication: Tayo Solagbade’s Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Page (PSIP) Newsletter

Date: Monday 15th April 2013

No:85

Title: Use Persuasion to Save (or Make) MORE Money (3 Tips)

Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [234-803-302-1263]

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

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

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

Hi,

Please find below the latest issue of my Speaking IDEAS newsletter.

Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 2 of 3

This post had 1481 views in less than 4 days. Maybe you should read it too…:-)

Above: Screen shot of the preview of part 2 of my 3 PART EDUCATIONAL SERIES: Why You Need a Web Marketing System.

This installment is titled “Understanding How (Routine/Repeated) Use of Paid TV, Radio & Print Media Short Changes YOU ”. Published on Thursday 11th April 2013 it had over 700 views by Saturday morning (< 2 days).

As I type these words today, Monday 14th at 1pm, it has been viewed 1,481 times (<4 days). Before now, the best I’d seen for ANY of my posts was 200 views in 7 days.

This write up (not surprisingly) resonates strongly with many people!

Maybe you should read it too…click here

No. 85: Use Persuasion to Save (or Make) MORE Money (3 Tips)

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NB: If you ever find yourself wondering what else I’ve written, some days after you’ve read THIS Speaking Ideas newsletter I send out on a Monday, here’s what you can do to find out: Point your browser to www.sdacademy.org 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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Virtually everything can be negotiated. And if your persuasion skills are well honed, great bargains or deals can be yours. The fact that you have the money does not mean you should spend it! If an opportunity exists to pay less, take it. Nothing is cast in stone.

Remember that, when you’re buying, selling, leasing, renting – indeed in all your interactions. This article 3 ideas you can use, including examples my recent experiences out here in Benin Republic (full details – with photos – in an update I’ll publish here).

1. Save Money When Buying Products & Services

Who says you always have to pay what the seller gives you as the official or standard price? Indeed who says you have to pay at all?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking you to go around trying to cheat people. Instead I ask you to think before you shell out cash for everything you want. Quite often, there will be a viable alternative to spending cash – that even the seller you confront may LIKE, but has not yet thought of. Challenge him on possible alternatives. You could be surprised.

The self-confidence you develop from public speaking can help you get what you want at low or even zero cost. Asking is not a crime. Just open your mouth and ask if there’s a way you can have a product, service or item at something other than the stated price.

I’ve successfully applied variants of this strategy to get what I want at low – sometimes ZERO – cost. And that includes getting myself featured on TV (twice), and in a newspaper (half-page feature).

Examples/Suggestions:

a. After 2 weeks here in Benin Republic, I’ve already applied this strategy to secure rented accommodation for myself at a fourth of the going rate – with ALL the normal facilities included. It took some searching, but it was well worth it: No more hotel bills!

b. Do you know that you do NOT have to hire space for every speaking event? No you don’t. I know because I’ve done it – and seen others do it. Simply do some thinking – and research – to discover potential venues. Then approach them with proposals to pay low to zero cash via some form of barter exchange.

c. Be sure to approach those who do not even offer their properties for such use. It’s possible they have not thought of it. When you make your proposal to them, the opportunity to make extra income could appeal to them. And most times, they will be willing to accept less payment than those who do it commercially!

d. The above also applies to staying in hotels. Under certain conditions, you can get FREE room in hotels.

I’ve got many ideas you can use. Get in touch if you want specific details.

2. Make More Money From Clients/Buyers

In every business the need to negotiate fees or prices will periodically arise. It could be with an old client or a new prospect. Knowing how to articulate your arguments is essential to a successful negotiation.

For long term benefits, you must leave the other party feeling good even when you have your way. That means you must be good at expressing the benefits accruable to her in a way that persuades her it’s a win-win.

Your speaking proficiency will be an asset in this regard. How well you do it, can determine how much you make. It goes without saying that your offers will be good!

TIP: When a prospect demands for a price reduction, don’t just cave in. Remember to offer options of other useful benefits as an added incentive, to keep the price the same. Many people will be glad to pay what you ask if they perceive that that extra is worthwhile.

In addition, sometimes – as Jason Leister notes (get a FREE copy of his highly rated “How to Get Kick As* Clients” PDF below) – you can even use questions to help a client discover other services you offer, that can help her achieve a valued goal. And that could make her gladly extend the project scope: meaning more money for you!

3. Generate Additional Income Via Passive Streams

The more you speak, the more people will know you in your market or niche. Public speaking is a reliable way to get “famous” in your target market – for what you know/do.

As your name recognition grows, you can use it to sell items that generate passive income for you even when you do not speak. This would be by producing learning resources based on your expertise – and drawing from speaking events you host.

Examples: Video and audio versions of your talks, or other learning programmes, as well as educational resources (books, courses, reports etc).

Every expert-who-speaks can – and should – do this. Otherwise, you waste a valuable opportunity to earn more with little or no extra effort. If you’re good enough to get invited and paid to speak, you’re good enough to have your products purchased even when you do not speak!

Final Words: There Are Forces Waiting To Help You – But Only If You Act!

Everything I’ve said above has to do with persuading others. Your speaking proficiency will be your greatest asset in doing this. The more effective you are as a speaker, the greater will be your chances of saving or making money by persuading others.

If you’re not currently doing any public speaking, you’re missing out on an excellent opportunity to earn more, and spend less, while expending little effort and time.

You don’t need any special qualifications to succeed as a speaker. Just develop expertise on a subject you have a passion for.

Burt Dubin, widely acknowledged today as a leading authority on the business of public speaking, points out on his website that he’s a high school drop out. Like he says “ Oh boy, if I can do it, then so can you!”

With solid preparation (which a seasoned mentor, like Burt, can help you with) and a message that won’t stay untold, you can get paid to speak to audiences locally and even internationally.

LASTLY, an important point that must be highlighted:

With the right mental attitude, each of one of us can earn support from providence, to achieve our goals. Just play your part by diligently implementing your plans. Then watch the “coincidences” happen (scroll down to read a real-life example of a “coincidence” that happened just before I sent this newsletter out to you!)

My recent comment on a Facebook thread (screen shot below) provides additional insights, and a fitting conclusion with regard to the foregoing:

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FREE PDF REPORT: How to Get Kick As* Clients – By Jason Leister (www.artofclients.com)

Just as I was putting finishing touches to this newsletter, Jason Leister’s e-mail broadcast to subscribers popped into my Blackberrry messages window.

Amazingly – in a theme consistent with this issue – he announced that he’s giving away his highly rated “How to Get Kick As* Clients” PDF report for FREE. Not optin required. Nothing.

Now Jason’s email offer’s arrival is an excellent example of one of those “coincidences” I mentioned will happen IF you take diligent action!

All he asks in return is that we spread the word about his PDF. That’s why I’m doing this. And it’s also why I’ll be creating a permanent link to it via a thumbnail image on my website.

Yes, that’s how much value I place on it: You see, in a tribute blog I published last year, I listed Michel Fortin as one of 5 mentors whose works really influenced me (another is Burt Dubin). It so happens that Michel has read Jason’s PDF. His review tells me it’s a gold mine. Period.

I intend to do my bit to see that Jason gets rewarded for his generousity. So click here to get your copy now – and don’t forget to spread the word. That’s ALL he asks. It’s the least we can all do…and it’s good Karma too

Need More Details of How to Make The Above Ideas Work for YOU?

If you need more specific details of how to make use of the ideas I’ve shared in this newsletter, send me a message using this request form (with “Re: Use Persuasion to Save (or Make) MORE Money” in the subject line).

SD Nuggets Blog™	New posts from last week that may interest you! *
Public Speaking [Monday]:	Why 30 Out of 31 Speakers Do Not Succeed (2 Tips) – By Burt Dubin
Entrepreneurship [Tuesday]:	Why You Need A Web Marketing System – Part 1 of 3
Self Development [Wednesday]:	To Excel, You Need To Take Intelligent Risks – Sometimes BIG, FAT ONES Too!
*Entrepreneurship [Thursday]:**	Why You Need A Web Marketing System – Part 2 of 3
*Entrepreneurship [Friday]:**	Why You Need A Web Marketing System – Part 3 of 3
Writing/Blogging [Saturday]:	You Need Thinking Power to Generate Ideas (3 Tips)
*I decided to publish parts 2 and 3 of the series started on Tuesday, in place of the scheduled posts for Thursday (Career Development) & Friday (Parenting). This was to enable readers find all 3 parts close to each other.
Want me to write for you? Click here…

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

http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com

Tayo Solagbade is a Performance Improvement Specialist & multipreneur. He works with individuals/businesses who want to achieve highly profitable outcomes, and also with parents who want to raise real-world competent children.

Tayo 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).

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).

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Have you been undecided about whether or not to become a paid speaker? Or have you been trying to get your speaking career off the ground with little success?

Here’s a tip: 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.

Comments?

What do you think of the above message? Do you have any personal experience to share on this subject? Are there some other points you feel can be added, to help persons looking for answers? Please share your thoughts!

Share this issue!

Do you know anyone who might benefit from reading this newsletter issue? Why not hit the forward button now, and send it to him/her with a short recommendation. You can also use share it via your social media channels. Thanks in advance.

What fears or doubts are keeping you from (a) taking up Burt Dubin’s monthly speaker mentoring, or (b) buying his products?

You can choose to purchase Burt’s mentoring at any of the three (3) levels listed below:

1. Top Shelf [Click here] | 2. Mid Range [Click here] | 3. Budget Delight [Click here]

Burt’s three mentoring packages can be likened to the seating options offered by airlines: Budget Delight (Economy); Mid Range (Business); and Top Shelf (First Class).

At least that’s how I like to think of them!

All three will get you to your desired destination of “speaking success-ville” – so long as you meet the requirements/play your part well (your fare, abide by the set guidelines etc). During the “flight”, the seat you have will determine how much personal service attention and preference the provider will accord you. It’s that simple

So, make your choice:1. Top Shelf [Click here] | 2. Mid Range [Click here] | 3. Budget Delight [Click here]

Send me an e-mail with your questions via tayo at tksola dot com. In the meantime, why not get started by subscribing here to get his 7-Part Course (How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker) . . . and receive his monthly newsletter (Speaking Biz Strategies Letter) at no cost.

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Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, My DN Travel News

Why You Need a Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 3 of 3

April 12, 2013 Tayo Solagbade 1 Comment

This is the third and final part of “Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS)” – a 3 PART EDUCATIONAL SERIES. This installment ends with links to other articles that describe key components of a WMS. It’s titled “A Passion for What You Do, Will Help You Use A Web Marketing System to Get New/Repeat Business At Close to Zero Cost”. (Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here).

A WMS enables a business dramatically reduce marketing expenses, while increasing marketing reach and impact. In this final article, I explain why a business owner NEEDS undiluted PASSION to successfully use a WMS to acquire those benefits.

The key message here is that to get the best results from using a WMS, you must be in a business you thoroughly love!

Many People Fail To Follow Their Passions in Business

The phrase “having a passion for what you do” is one that I first came into contact with as a young manager in Guinness Nigeria Plc. This was in October 1994, when I was recruited along with 11 others as a new set of Graduate Management Trainees.

This happened after a rigorous selection process that ended with a grueling selection board discussion session, involving shortlisted candidates.

I believe strongly, that my exposure to best practice operations in that company, made a tremendous difference to my ability to function as a human being, at the highest levels of performance possible.

And I believe honestly that the culture of striving for excellence perpetually, which was promoted within that organization, helped me to really discover who I was, and to go after anything I want in my life.

Having a passion for what you do, is crucial to your ability to excel. I think a lot of people fail to get involved in vocations and businesses that they have a passion for. And that explains why some of such people so readily settle for cutting corners, in trying to achieve their business goals.

When you have a passion for what you do, you will not have a problem continuing to strive, till you achieve your intended business goal. And you will prefer to do so with integrity.

Only a Lack of Passion Will Make You Accept To Give a Bribe to Succeed In Business

Imagine if somebody tells you, as a Fashion Design expert, that you need to grease his palm, to make him submit your designs for consideration by a panel of decision makers.

Maybe they need an official designer for an international event – and you want that exposure.

If you accept to bribe that person, it shows that you don’t know who you are. Don’t start a business you only enjoy doing because of the money. Once the incentive of income disappears, you’ll find it hard to persevere with honesty and integrity.

Without a passion for what you do, you cannot know who you are. A lack of passion will make you willing to accept any conditions given you by others – even if that means cutting corners.

So let me put it the other way around. When you venture into a line of business that you see other people seemingly making big money from, without knowing what fundamentals will help you succeed in it, you set a trap for yourself.

This is because you do not have a passion for it. When things get tough you’ll crack under pressure. And things do get tough: in every area of life, in every line of business, there will always be hard times.

Without passion, you will find it difficult to keep going during hard times, because the inner drive will not be there.

You’ll start looking for quick fixes and short cuts. And that’s when you become crooked. And when you become crooked, your work will likely become crooked, because then it’s no longer about quality, it’s about surviving!

If You Will Struggle To Continually Think Up New/Useful Things to Say to Promote Your Business, Don’t Bother With a WMS

So, when I talk about using a WMS, as a complementary alternative to spending money wastefully, in traditional media like newspapers, TV and radio, especially as a small business person, that’s what I mean.

You’ve got to first of all be passionate about what you do. That way you will not have a problem adopting this alternative method, because this alternative method requires that you have no difficulty whatsoever, continuing to do the necessary things to make it work.

If you’re going to have a problem thinking up new ideas to talk about, in relation to what you offer your potential customers…

If you’re going to have a problem thinking up a new topic to write about, that will be used in promoting your work to potential customers…

…Then don’t bother trying to use a WMS!

Just go back and keep looking for money to pay the newspapers and the TV stations and the radio stations.
Then you sit back and wait for magic to happen. God help you. Hopefully, magic will keep happening. And hopefully, there’ll always be big money for you to spend on it.

Also, hopefully, you’ll also have enough profits to make it worth your while

Final Words – A Web Marketing System Will Keep Your Marketing Going (Even When You Sleep) Till You Succeed

However if you want to be able to beat your chest that you get business on merit, and that the value you deliver is actually what gives you the patronage you are able to show off, then I believe this is the time for you to consider using a WMS.

If you have a passion for what you do. If it’s something you wake up at 8am and are ready to jump into the streets and get started doing it all over again like you did yesterday, last week, last month or last year…

If it’s something that you don’t mind keeping at, even when you’ve not had a meal, since morning, and you’re working on it till 12 midnight and never get tired…

If it’s something that you never get bored with…

…then you can use a WMS to succeed in your business marketing.

This is because it is your passion that will help you make your WMS give you the results you want i.e. MORE sales leads or potential customers!

What you have just read is final part of a 3 part series titled “Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS)”.

Part 1 of 3: Why You Need To Change The Way You Find Buyers for Your Products/Services

Part 2 of 3: Understanding How (Routine/Repeated) Use of Paid TV, Radio & Print Media Short Changes YOU

Part 3 of 3: Why You Need a Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 3 of 3

GET HELP TO SET UP YOUR WMS

There is a lot more you need to know. This series is available as a keynote speech, a half-day or full-day workshop – or request for audio/video version.

You can also contact me if you would like me to send you a report that breaks down what a WMS comprises, and how to get started with yours within the next 24 hours. E-mail tayo at tksola dot com with “Re: Why You Need A Web Marketing System” as the subject.

Why You Need a Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 2 of 3

April 11, 2013 Tayo Solagbade 3 Comments

This is part 2 of a 3 PART EDUCATIONAL SERIES. This installment is titled “Understanding How (Routine/Repeated) Use of Paid TV, Radio & Print Media Short Changes YOU ”. (Click here to read Part 1). If you run a business in Africa, the ideas offered in this series can help you. Any 21st century African business that depends more on paid traditional TV, Radio and print media for business promotion, is wasting money. Indeed, if you’re not using the ideas on offer here to find new clients and customers, YOU ARE LOSING PROFITS. I elaborate below…

Invite Me To Speak: If you’re reading this after 31st March 2013, I would have begun travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Entrepreneur. If you’re in West Africa click here to invite me to speak to your members or group on this topic.

In this 2nd part, I use a real life example or analogy to illustrate how the typical traditional media organization asks business owners to pay to share their expertise. This is an arrangement that benefits the media house, but rarely helps the small/medium businesses.

A Real-World Relevant Analogy

Consider this. A typical newspaper outfit. They come to you and tell you: Oh Look, We’re doing this special thing. We’re going to feature your company in our newspaper. We give you half a page, one page and you get to give us a little speech or talk about something you do, or share your expertise in our medium, and potentially you have the opportunity of getting read by millions of our wonderful readers all over.

And so you ask them: Right, if I do this, what’s in it for me?

And they say: Oh, you’re going to get read by so many people and they’re going to call you. And all of that.

You ask them: And I’m going be the one that supplies the content?

And they say: Yes of course, you put in your content, basically anything you want. If you want an editorial, we’ll let you do that. And so on.

Then you say: Well, that’s nice. That sounds good. When do we get started then?

And they say: Oh, there’s one thing: you’ve got to pay.

That stops you dead in your tracks.

You ask: Oh, I thought I was going to share my ideas and expertise. And I thought that would be in exchange for exposure through your medium?

They quickly reply: Well you see, everybody else pays to use our medium. This is the way it works. We’ve got to charge you because that’s really the marketing space or slot we have.

So you ask: Okay exactly how much are we talking about here?

They reply: From N200,000 (i.e. $1,500).

You say: What? That much – even though I’m offering my expertise?

But your friend – maybe he is more familiar with these things – tells you: Oh yes, that’s the way it’s done really. You see it’s a national newspaper, and you’re going to get a lot of exposure.

So, You Agree. And You Pay.

And they put this beautiful write-up you’ve done in the Monday edition (Monday being the day that maybe a lot of people like to look at real estate, and you are a real estate expert. So they tell you it’s going to get by a lot of people who are passionate about real estate).

Problem number 1:

On Monday, the paper comes out, and it’s about 150 pages thick. And your write-up? Yeah it’s in the real estate section alright. The challenge is that the average reader on a Monday is busy, and probably won’t have enough time to flip long enough to find that page – except he knew about it ahead of time, and was looking forward to it.

Problem number 2:

By the end of that day – I would say 10pm, some would say 12 midnight. The point is, by the next morning, the Tuesday edition is out: Your N200,000 would be gone!

The truth is more often than not, you’ll probably get a handful of phone calls or emails – if at all you get any responses to your ads that is.

It doesn’t make any sense!

What I’ve found out is that apart from a few leads which mostly fizzle out eventually, all you end up with are bragging rights that you had the means to place an ad in that kind of medium. But your target audience more often than not could not care less, if it does not add value to them!

If you’re a big company, there’s a budget for it, and you do have the cash flow to cope with it – probably because of your size, you get a lot of customers. And so, maybe it won’t matter much, you won’t feel the pinch and the returns would be tangible.

But if you’re a small, medium or micro business owner, the last thing you want to do is give that kind of money to advertising or marketing in a medium that has a shelf life of 24 hours! That’s just too volatile.

I say this from years of personal experience struggling and falling flat on my face for years, actively exploring cost-effective ways to get high impact long term marketing exposure, to the right people that are interested in my products and services.

Instead, You Need To Think Smart!

$1,500 can do a lot of things for you for a much longer period of time, and you’d be able to measure the returns. And those returns more often than not would pay for the money you spend in marketing in that way.

I have just done this analysis to help you put in perspective, the way you spend your money on traditional advertising or marketing media in your local market.

You want to give yourself an opportunity to reach out to as many people as possible, so as to find those who would be willing to pay the kind of money you want for your quality products and services.

I’m placing deliberate emphasis on quality because I’m assuming that the person reading this now is the kind of person that is not involved in selling anything that is substandard…or low quality…or cheap.

In order to benefit from the ideas I offer here, you’ve got to be somebody that has, on offer, products and services that command respect, and that appeal to people who are discerning in their tastes, and in their preferences.

If you’re not someone like that, you’ll not be able to use the ideas I offer here. But if you are someone like that that, then what I’m saying I’m sure will make sense to you. For every naira you spend, you must seek to extract at least an equivalent return in terms of marketing reach and impact – marketing mileage you achieve.

There is a Better Way to Do It

The channels of radio, TV, newspapers, flyers, bulk SMS and all that, can work in conjunction with, and can be complemented, by this other method that I’m talking about.

I cal it the use of a Web Marketing System. I will explain it in detail in my next article. This article you’ve just read was written to demonstrate, in practical terms, how the current and more familiar marketing and advertising media cannot really help you to cost-effectively achieve the kind of reach and impact you need in an economy where money is not as available as it used to be.

People are getting more reluctant to spend and need more reasons to do so, therefore making it more difficult for the man who wants to sell products and services to find customers. Therefore, everyone needs to be smarter. The WMS enables you to be smarter in spending your money, and smarter in getting returns, tangible returns, that add to your ability to make sales. That’s what a WMS does for you.

=========

What you have just read is part 2 of a 3 part series titled “Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS)”.

Part 3 follows tomorrow (I’ve decided to dispense with the plan to publish according to the weekly schedule, so readers can find all 3 parts close together).

Part 1 of 3: Why You Need To Change The Way You Find Buyers for Your Products/Services

Part 2 of 3: Understanding How (Routine/Repeated) Use of Paid TV, Radio & Print Media Short Changes YOU

Part 3 of 3: Why You Need a Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 3 of 3

GET HELP TO SET UP YOUR WMS

There is a lot more you need to know. This series is available as a keynote speech, a half-day or full-day workshop – or request for audio/video version. You can also contact me if you would like me to send you a report that breaks down what a WMS comprises, and how to get started with yours within the next 24 hours. E-mail tayo at tksola dot com with “Re: Why You Need A Web Marketing System” as the subject.

Entrepreneurship, My DN Travel News, Self-Development

To Excel, You Need To Take Intelligent Risks – Sometimes BIG, FAT ONES too!

April 10, 2013 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

NB: This is the second of a ten part series (click here to read part 1) based on an e-book I wrote few years back. Subsequent parts are published at weekly intervals – in the “Entrepreneurship” and “Self-Development” categories.

************Upcoming DN Travel News update preview**********

Pix 1: A Handball Semi Final Match at Stade De L’Amitie, Cotonou, Benin Republic (taken on Saturday 6th April 2013 at 9.45 a.m)

This was one of the exciting matches I watched in a handball competition that ended over the last weekend – from Friday till Sunday evening. The organisation and quality of play was impressive.

I actually got a chance to play with one of the teams – but over 15 years without playing competitively is a long time. I was simply too match rusty and had to be taken off after costing the poor guys on my side two goals

The competition was held in honour of a referee who passed on. More in the update I’ll be publishing.

*****The above was just a quick news flash/preview of what’s to come in my next DN Travel News update.****

Now, to the article proper.

Risk-Taking Is Inevitable

You cannot run away from risk in business or life in general, if you want to excel. And you can be sure you’ll fall flat on your face more times than you’ll enjoy looking cool, calm and collected while you work your way up to success.

That’s the truth. True champions usually have to get themselves dusty, muddy and dirty from fighting their way to the top, before they finally arrive.

If you don’t like the idea of looking (or being) vulnerable, or you detest the thought of looking bad from making mistakes/getting things wrong, you have a big problem on your hands.

One thing is certain: authentic success is likely to elude you.

I quit my high paying job in Guinness Nigeria (1 year after being promoted/sent to the UK), to start my business. Ten years on, I remain more fulfilled than I ever felt while working in my high paying job as a manager in a large corporate multinational!

Some people reportedly said I was mad then. I later learnt one of those who said so was made redundant a year after I left.

Now think about it: At least I was ready and I chose to leave by myself. In his case, he wasn’t and he never saw the sucker punch coming either. Double trouble I call that.

And it can happen to anyone. It could have happened to me too. You can insist on holding on to your comfortable job for as long as possible. But it’s not likely to be able to return the favour. You could of course try moonlighting – where you try you hands at a busienss idea on the side during your time away from work.

Example: It Makes No Sense To Expect A Loan Without Collateral

Many aspiring or practicing entrepreneurs usually want bank loans without collateral etc. But that does not make sense since banks need money from all of us, to loan out and make profit from interest they charge those who take such loans!

Prepare your mind to do what is at stake. Be OPEN to opportunities of support from others.

That’s what those who achieved authentic success did.

A well known entrepreneur explained that what helped him launch his sports magazine was that someone purchased an advert page in the first edition, which was used to produce the second edition.

But if he had not taken the risk of starting without knowing where money for the second edition would come from, he would never have been able to get that opportunity.

Later on, he found a mentor who backed him for 3 years in printing subsequent editions at night without asking payment!

Final Words: I Practise What I Preach

The moral of the above is that you must understand that to get what you want, you will not be the only one to make it happen.

And that’s why you must keep an open mind as you explore your options. Purge your mind of petty biases. Understand that anyone – no matter how small they appear to be – can become a source of unexpected blessings to you from your creator. So be prepared to take leaps of faith as the need becomes apparent.

Let me end by saying this: Just in case you’re wondering, I practise what I preach and I get great results from doing so, in terms of achieving my set goals.

For instance, I’m writing this from a bar in the Etoile Rouge area of Cotonou, Republic of Benin. Less than 2 weeks since I arrived here, I’ve made good friends in this country, by adopting the mindset described in this article. And that attitude has opened more doors of opportunities for me out here, than I would ever have had otherwise.

People I have never met in my entire life have gone out of their way so many times to help me achieve progress towards my goal. It’s been amazing. Just today, I met yet another person – barrister at law, and educational consultant who translates documents from French to English – among other things. We’re going to be working together to produce a complete French version of my 45 page management research paper which I delivered at the Centre for Management Development on formal invitation.

Details will be shared in my next update article to be published under the My DN Travels category on my blog this week. So stay tuned

Pix 2: Nigerian International School, Cotonou, Benin Republic

I came across this school by accident. Never knew they had one here. Turns out it gets frequently mixed up with one (non-nigerian) school called “English International School” – which is in an entirely different location. If you ever have to visit one, make sure you don’t end up being taken to the other – by specifying whether or not it’s the Nigerian one

Entrepreneurship, Excel-VB Solutions, My DN Travel News

Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 1 of 3

April 9, 2013 Tayo Solagbade 2 Comments

This is part 1 of a 3 part educational series. If you’re an expert running a business in Africa, the ideas offered in this 3-part series can help you. This installment (Part 1) is sub-titled “Why You May Need To Change The Way You Find Buyers for Your Products and Services”. Any 21st century African business that depends more on paid traditional TV, Radio and print media for business promotion, is wasting money. Indeed, if you’re not using the ideas on offer here to find new clients and customers, YOU ARE LOSING PROFITS. I elaborate below…

Invite Me To Speak: If you’re reading this after 31st March 2013, I would have begun travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Entrepreneur. If you’re in West Africa click here to invite me to speak to your members or group on this topic.

Traditional Media are Not Bad – They Just Cost Too Much For Too Little

Capital is not easy to come by, for business startup or expansion in Africa. Very few can access funds adequate to start large enterprises or multinationals. That’s why African economies depend heavily on micro to medium businesses. If these smaller players can find buyers faster, with less effort, and at less cost, they would become more profitable. And that benefit, would create positive multiplier effects across the African economy.

This article explains why intelligent use of Low Cost Web Marketing Systems can help them achieve that goal faster than paying for access to traditional media.

What I’m trying to do in the African market is to get as many business owners as are willing to listen, to understand that there are other ways they can get customers or clients interested in actally paying good money to get their products even if the market is down.

The Web Marketing I propose will complement and not replace whatever methods you already use. However, over time you may find it worthwhile to reduce your use of the latter, if/when it becomes obvious that they cost your more money, time and effort.

Two Questions You Need To Ask Yourself About Your Marketing

It’s time people began to think of the fact that obvert hew last 15 to 20 years, they’ve followed the same trafitional; methods of marketing and advetixing, spenting quaite a lot of money on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, to get customers to come and pay for their products and services.

Over trhe years, we’ve found thayt there has been a new market, or let me say a new method of markeing that allows you to get probably the same or even beytter results, without spending up to half of what yopu currently spent.

First question. You spend money on newspaper adverts, TV and radio jingles, and then you waith,. 9 times out of 10 people who do these kinds of things say “Oh, that’s what everyone else does.”

The question I ask is this; If every othewr person is doing it, can you afford to do what they’;re doing? Will you get the same results they get? And will the resuts you get, be satisfactory, for you, in terms of your bottom line, your profits, how much you get to keep in your pockets, after you take out all your expenses?

At the end of the day, if you find thayt you are not able to account, for a significant increase in your profit margins, then that method of marketing is not doing as well as it should, and you need to think of other ways.

What You Need To Do

I believe one of the smartest ways to do business is to find customers at little or no extra expense over what you are already spending.

So first of all, I say you have to do what is called a Mind Shift. Change the way you think about your marketing. Begin to consider that you can actually find peiopkle who will pay good money to get your products and services without seeing one expensive ad by you in any of the traditional media – be it radio, TV, newspapers or what have you.

Secondly: Consider a method of marketing that makes it possible for you to stay visible, to be noticed, and followed and contacted by potential customers, year in year out, without your having to spend one extra kobo, or naira, or dollar – depending on where you;’re living or where you’re based. That’s what I’m talking abvout.

A Web Marketing System helps you to leverage those kinds of marketing channels to your advantage, and make them work for you even when you’re asleep.

What you want is a situation where, every now and then – and with an increasing frequency over time – people who need your products and services pick up the phone at 8.00am in the morning and call you and say:

“Hello. I found out XYZ about you while I was doing ABC somewherw an dI’d like to know how much it would cost to get ABCD that you offer”.

And this guy would be talking with you obviously in a state of mind that shows that s/he is ready to pay good money to get what it is you offer, because your WMS would have done its job of getting him or her to that level of decision making readiness.

Final Words

What you have just read is part 1 of a 3 part series titled “Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS)”. Part 2 will be published next week.

Part 1 of 3: Why You Need To Change The Way You Find Buyers for Your Products/Services

Part 2 of 3: Understanding How (Routine/Repeated) Use of Paid TV, Radio & Print Media Short Changes YOU (to publish 15th April 2013)

Part 3 of 3: Why You Need a Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 3 of 3

There is a lot more you need to know. This series is available as a keynote speech, a half-day or full-day workshop – or request for audio/video versions. E-mail tayo at tksola dot com with “Re: Why You Need A Web Marketing System” as the subject.

My DN Travel News, Writing/Blogging

2 Dangers of Using Social Media As Your Business Home

April 7, 2013 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

If you promote your business primarily by using social media as your base platform, you’re likely to shoot yourself in the foot. And very badly too. Read this article to learn 2 important reasons why you will be better off using your own website as a base, while your social media profiles function as secondary marketing channels.

Like every results focussed business owner, you work so hard promoting your business using Social Media as your primary marketing platform.

However if you continue doing this, you’re likely to hurt your business more than you can help it.

1. You Need To Be In Control of What Happens To Your Brand’s Marketing Vehicle

What if one day the Social Media websites you depend on change their rules and terms?

They’ve done it before. They all do it.

These Social Media entities are constantly testing, tweaking and even reinventing. They like to set trends.

The implication is that you’re never really in control of your primary business promotion channel.

Google, for instance, keeps giving website owners grief by changing the rules just as people are getting their website search engine optimization back on track.

LinkedIn.com recently restricted access to my profile claiming they noticed suspicious activity in my account. They asked me to send proof of my identity. I sent my scanned international passport weeks ago, but I don’t think they’ve unlocked it.

2. You Need To Build A Professional Image

Luckily for me, my core business promotion medium is my website (www.spontaneousdevelopment.com), and the blog (www.sdacademy.org) linked to it.

Social media simply serve as secondary support channel.

I strongly recommend you adopt a similar fail safe approach.

You can get a wordpress or Joomla based website up and running at zero cost. Both come as free installations with most web hosting accounts. These 2 Content Management Systems make it easy for even a non-techie to update her website. The former is however easier to learn and has a larger user base.

Don’t go for free website hosting services. That would amount to the same thing as using Facebook or Twitter as your base.

Purchase a hosting account from a reliable provider. If you run a business, you need to own the primary business marketing medium you use.

The truth is that you will never have a final say over a free yourname.blogspot.com blog – the company hosting it will.

Even if they don’t change anything, you must remenber that online companies offering free services can shut down operations anytime.

Many pocket friendly web hosting companies abound online. A good example is www.hostgator.com who I’ve found to quite supportive and flexibly responsive to client needs (note that I’m not an affiliate – but with the great experience I’ve had with them, I plan to be).

You can purchase cheap but reliable hosting at $60 to $70 from my experience based assessment of the average person’s needs, from working with clients in different industries since 2004.

Most hosts will register a domain name for you free for the first year if you purchase a full year of hosting. You then pay approx $10 per year from the 2nd year. That comes to $80 max per year for both domain registration and website hosting.

As you can see, a website can be run on a shoe string budget.

Try as much as possible to register a domain name that reflects what you do.

Also make sure your business email address is based on your domain. You don’t look professional when you display an email address based on Yahoo’s free for all email service!

If you are concerned about email storage problems with respect to exhausting the disk space provided by your host, simply set your domain based mails to automatically foward a copy of every mail that arrives to your free (Yahoo.com, gmail etc) email account inbox.

Then you will be able to free up space in your domain based email box by deleting from the oldest to the newest.

Final Words: Take Action Before It’s Too Late

I’m writing this from Porto Novo in Benin Republic, at the famous Songhai Integrated Farming Centre.

Like I said on my website on Monday, I’m travelling across West Africa offering educational talks for businesses, organisations and solo entrepreneurs.

The main theme is how they can use Web Marketing in conjunction with Public Speaking for low cost but high impact business promotion.

What I’ve told you here is what I’ll be telling people out here.

I urge you to adopt the above approach, to protect all the hard work you’re doing to build your brand.

And I suggest you get started as soon as possible.

Goodluck!

Excel-VB Solutions, My DN Travel News, Parenting, Self-Development

3 Ways Travelling Can Prepare Your Child To Succeed (Features Pix of a Cameroonian Michael Jackson :-)

April 5, 2013 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

Picture below is of a guy I named “Cameroonian Micheal Jackson”...Your child is likely to see unique and exciting sights like those in the pictures below, if s/he travels and explores beyond the world she already knows.

This enterprising chap was doing an impressive version of Michael Jackson’s moon walk in Douala’s Marché Mokolo (Mokolo market). Hundreds gathered to watch him for over 10 minutes. I’m not a dance expert, but I think he did a great job of it!

Marcel Bich (now late) was the manufacturer and cofounder of the cheap, disposable Bic pens, razors and lighters. I once read an interview in which he revealed that travelling with his father really provided him an education that schools could never have given him. This insight apparently served him well – considering that he built great wealth, by creating cheap but highly desirable products.

1. Travel Helps You Demystify Life In General

In 1982, as a 12 year old, I began playing competitive handball for my secondary school and over time got invited to the state team (but always got dropped before most major competitions!). This was in Ilorin, Kwara state.

Moving to the university in Ibadan in 1987, I secured, from my first year a regular first team shirt on the varsity and hall teams. As you may know, travel to and from competition in different places happens a lot in sports.

It was during these formative years that I developed my passion for taking photographs and traveling.

When I eventually became a brewer in Guinness Nigeria, Benin City, most of my colleagues knew that about me. After completing my 3rd night shift in a row (earning 3 days off), I would take off on a trip to a state I’d never visited before, just to see what it was like. I was restless and hungry to explore and discover and learn. I still am.

At 3.00a.m in the morning I’ve walked the streets in different cities during my crazy travels as bachelor (mostly when I was off shift duty, or when I was on annual leave).

I once travelled by night across the border from Ikom in Nigeria to Ekok in Cameroon. Then I took another bus headed for Douala. But we had to stop (and sleep in the bus!) at 1.00a.m in Kumba. Then at 5.00a.m when the driver said it was safer, we resumed.

While in Cameroon, I moved around Douala and Yaoundé on foot and by car – mixing with the locals, to practice my spoken French, in the hope of becoming fluent. My hosts sent me to stay with a family friend at Mendong – a rural community – where I got a real feel for something close to the village life there. It was exciting (see photos below).

I ate local meals like Bobolo (solidified rubbery cooked starch meal made into long fingers) with roasted fish, as well as Achu (a delicacy made from Cocoyam, popular with the Akum people).

Pix 1: Eating Achu with my host’s wife

(NB: I made these digital copies of the original photos from my 1999 visit to Cameroon using my Blackberry Camera before leaving Lagos last week. The phone’s video and picture recording has been acting funny since then. At the bottom of this post is the ONLY picture I took that I’ve been able to retrieve since getting here. It keeps giving an error message. I’m looking at downloading all my data and formatting the memory card. Gremlins…?)

On my return journey to Nigeria (having no funds) I was forced to travel across the Atlantic Ocean for 12 hours, under heavy rainfall, from 7pm till 7a.m. Along with many others the means of transportation was a large rickety motor powered boat!

2. And It Opens Doors to New Friendships, and Exciting Opportunities

Anytime I run into Cameroonians, we usually hit it off instantly because they are often pleased to hear me speak so knowledgeably about areas some told me they’d never been.

For instance, while in Yaoundé, I went on a trip to a place called “Oballa” where I attended a convention organized by a youth group supporting the Cameroonian president. I did it just on a whim. But it was a journey that took some hours from the city. When I returned at 10pm, my host was amazed to learn I’d gone that far. She’d never been there!

Pix 2: Standing in front of country house in Mendong

Looking back I sometimes wondered if I had not gone too far – but the thrill I felt from seeing what others simply talked about based on hear say, convinced me I had not. That exposure also taught me some people voice opinions about things they do not know.

When you travel – and you stay open minded (especially if you start at a young age) – you develop a flexible view of the world. Your views and opinions become more balanced because travel exposes you to the variety that the world has to offer.

It helps you realize that your small corner of the world is just that – your tiny little corner! Outside it, a much bigger world exists that for the most part operates very differently from the perception you have of your world.

Pix 3: One the road to Kumba – an SUV was stuck in the mud (imagine that!)

Like I revealed in my article about my journey across the Atlantic Ocean in 1999, I was to reap the rewards for my efforts at learning French the hard way in 2001. Guinness Nigeria selected me along with four senior managers to attend a one week International Coaching Conversations Facilitators’ Workshop held in Hotel Aqua Palace in Douala.

During that week, my colleagues would witness me speaking French with the expatriate Managing Director of Guinness Cameroon, who later announced to them that he was impressed. What’s more, during the course, when the possibility of having facilitators from Nigeria come over to collaborate with those in Cameroon.

The expatriate female course coordinator from the UK noted that if anyone from Nigeria was most prepared to play that role, it was me. I was already familiar with the place, the people and the language.

It goes without saying that going back in Nigeria, my senior colleagues with whom I attended the course regarded me differently. One actually announced that my achievement had made him resolve to learn French as well.

It did not end there. Maurice Diekem, a manager with Guinness Cameroon, would – at the end of the course – invite me over to his home and hosted me from Friday till Sunday. He took me round town in his SUV, to meet friends – and even arranged for me to visit those I’d stayed with when I
visited two years earlier.

And that’s what travel can do for anyone who indulges in it!

3. Your Creativity Is Stimulated By Exposure to a Variety of Worlds

Well travelled people – especially those who did it from when they were young – tend to be open-minded, and creative. My personal experiences indicate that extensive travel offers powerful educational benefits useful for achieving personal advancement.

Indeed many well schooled people who do little or no travel, will often be at an instant disadvantage when pitched against less schooled, but well travelled counterparts. I’ve actually seen this happen repeatedly in real life.

Exposure to a variety of experiences can be most enriching. Human beings learn best from experience. And when you have an opportunity to travel to different places, you get the unique privilege of seeing the way things are done in different climes.

Your brain gets greatly stimulated from discovering that different societies achieve the same goals using different methods. It makes you realize that beyond what the smartest people in your world know or think, there are equally smart (if not smarter) people in other places who know better ways to do the same thing!

The problem is when a society comprises mostly people who know no other ways of living, few, if at all any of them, will believe things can be done differently.

If progress is to happen, it starts with people thinking differently from the way they always have.

You/Your Child Can Travel Through Others – But it’s Best To Do It Yourself!

With the help of Tim Ferris, and others like him, many people are able to fulfill (to some extent) their dreams getting exposure to other worlds. The Internet itself makes that possible in many ways.

You could possibly do that – especially if your work and personal responsibilities leave you little room to do otherwise.

However, for the sake of your kids, you might want to do more.

I say this because ultimately, the best way to really do this would be to get out of your comfort zone and go where you’ve never been. And find ways take your family with you.

Get away from the safety nets you’ve put in place for yourself. You need to be willing become vulnerable all over again – like you once were as a baby – so you can learn to walk (figuratively speaking) all over again.

By the time you’re done, you’ll find you have a totally new, much smarter perspective of life and what it’s really about.

You may not even have to travel far. There are places within your country or region you can explore which will greatly enrich you.

Final Words: Let Your Kids Become Well Rounded Personalities

Some people only know the routes leading to and from their homes, office, church, clubs and other venues in their immediate neighborhood. You can do better than that.

This is especially important for your kids. Let them grow up to be well rounded personalities that others would enjoy interacting with for their balanced perspective and depth of insights.

Travel based education will give them that.

So, why not let them have that in addition to the normal schooling you’re giving them?

One Last Thing…

By way of interest, I still do the travel thing as often as I can. This time as an entrepreneur.

In 2005, I visited Ghana on an exploratory business trip for 2 weeks.

And this month (April) I launched a new plan to do it at a higher level – as a Location Independent Entrepreneur (who earns income from both online and offline activities).

Right now, I’m writing this from my hotel room in Cotonou, Benin Republic. I arrived here Monday 1st April 2013, and will be exploring opportunities to travel slowly across West Africa, over the months that follow.

Click here to read full details of what I’m offering to do to help Africa based professionals and business owners improve their ability to succeed.

Who knows…if you’re a decision maker in West Africa, you may wish to invite me to give one of my No-Fee talks to members of your group or organisation (?) I already have exciting stories of my experiences to share with audiences. I’d love to hear from you(click)!

Pix 5: Framed hand crafted map of Benin Republic bounded by neighboring West African states – displayed in the reception of a hotel.

Career Development, My DN Travel News

Going The Extra Mile, Can Make You A High-Flyer At Work!

April 4, 2013 Tayo Solagbade Leave a comment

This is another in a series of articles I have committed to writing, to help career persons in paid employment. If you aspire to climb high, as fast as possible, up the corporate ladder, in the organization you work for, this article can help you. I outline practical steps you can take to set yourself up to succeed as quickly as possible – based on real life successes I achieved as a high performing employee in a multinational corporate organisation.

First, You Need To Understand the Formal Rules & Requirements

When you think about it, you’ll realize that most of what a person needs to get ahead in life is an understanding of requirements and rules. It’s the same thing in paid employment as well as elsewhere.

In sports for example, you need to know what rules guide the playing of a particular sport, so you do not go against them. It’s the same thing in paid employment. You must also understand what is expected of you – to qualify for a promised reward from the organization e.g. a salary, bonus, commission, promotion etc.

Talk to your boss. Read the company handbook (if available). Talk to experienced hand, the Human Resources department etc. Once you know the requirements and rules, you can then devise a plan(s) of action that you can use to excel based on those set conditions.

Next, Find Out What the Unwritten Rules and Requirements Are

There are sometimes unwritten rules and requirements, based on an established work culture and/or past occurrences.

Accepted alternative ways of doing things that may not be formally documented. If you are not familiar with them, it could hurt your ambitions. Sometimes it pays to know what you can get away with – or tested ways of getting things done, and what not to do.

Identify those knowledgeable about such workplace subtleties. There are people like that everywhere. They have exceptional social skills. What the French call Savoir Faire (know-how). They often have their ears to the ground about what’s worked – or has not.

Spending time with people like that can open your eyes to opportunities you probably would never discover otherwise. You would be able to make use of that information when needed.

Street-wisdom is important. No one can be perfect, but it’s best to learn as fast – and often – as possible, to increase the chances of success. Knowing the unspoken rules and requirements, and how to make the most of them is one way to acquire street-wisdom.

True Story: How Ignorance of an Unspoken Rule Can Hurt Your Ambitions

As a young brewer, my senior colleagues who had been on the job five or more years before I joined often regaled me with entertaining anecdotes. One especially instructive one was about a young brewer whose boss asked him to perform an unauthorized procedure in the production process. This was to recover lost time and achieve the target output.

Being a greenhorn, the brewer naively implemented the instruction without requesting a written instruction to that effect. Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong did. It was a mess that cost the company a handsome amount in hours lost and product damage.

But during the investigation, the brewer’s boss bluntly denied ever instructing him to go against standard procedure. The young man literally broke down in tears, surprised at how his boss had disowned him. Luckily, the management decided to let him off with a warning, since he was new on the job.

Five years later that brewer would always warn new brewers to insist on a signed memo from their superior in the event that they face a similar challenge.

Now that is an example of an unspoken rule that could determine your success or failure in the workplace.

Also, Know the Company You Work For, and Be Clear About Your Role in It

By “knowing the company” I mean getting to know who the decision makers at different levels of hierarchy are. Your boss, and his/her boss, and the next, until you get to the top.

Each of these people will communicate his/her desired result, typically derived from a need to achieve the company’s goal, to his/her subordinate(s). At some point, the desired result will be translated into specific tasks for people at your level.

So long as each person does his/her assigned bit, the overall company goal will often be accomplished.

Once you gain this understanding, it will be easier to appreciate the role you have to play in the entire scheme of things in your position of responsibility. It is the lack of understanding of how the role they play, fits into the big company picture, that makes many employees fail to take their jobs as seriously as they should.

This limited insight also prevents them from seizing opportunities that appear, to proactively introduce improvements that would help the company excel.

Go the Extra Mile to Know A Little Bit About Other People’s Jobs & Help Them!

Just as is the case in life, the key to becoming a high flyer in an organisation, is to possess real world relevant competencies, which enable you deliver results your company wants.

So once you’ve taken the steps outlined above, the next smart thing to do is to go out and get as much exposure to varied workplace experiences as possible.

If you know you really want to excel, to be a really high flyer in your company, do this with resolute tenacity, and integrity.

Do it every day, and at every opportunity you can get. Learn everything you can about how others do their jobs, and then actively explore ways to help them do better whenever you can.

Those who are sincere, especially those who benefit from your efforts ,will appreciate you. Eventually, word will get around about your versatility and passion for being a great team player. People often like a team player who can be useful in many ways to them.

There will always be the cynics and critics who see only the negative side of what you do. Ignore them. Snide remarks, nicknames etc…those will only last for a while.

Once you begin to achieve your goals, those same people will show unmasked admiration for you – and some may even ask you “How did/do you do it? What’s your secret?”

Question: Can This Plan Work?

Answer: Yes. It worked for me. I became a high-flyer, gaining company wide recognition for my achievements, within 3 years of joining a large multinational corporation – using the steps outlined above.

After another 3 years, I had achieved career advancements that put me well ahead of others ten years my seniors on the job.

If I could do it, then so can you.

TIP: Click here to view details about my past life in paid employment. The link opens into a new window – scroll down the right column to “About Tayo…In a previous life”. You can request my full PDF resume using the form).

On that page, you will also see scrolling testimonials from others that I coached (even after leaving the company) who wrote to thank me for the progress they made by applying the strategies I taught them –which I’ve described in this article.

And if you want, I offer customisable talks and coaching programs on-demand to interested groups and organisations. I’m currently in Benin Republic as part of a slow trip across West Africa. If you’re a decision maker, you can invite me over to your country, to speak to members of your team. Click here to learn more.

If I (and they) could do it, then so can you

Creating French Versions of My Software & Information Products

My New Cameroonian Friend is a Lawyer/Language (English/French) Translation Expert

Help, Everyone One Wants a Piece of Me! (Not What You Think Though…LOL)

When a Medical Doctor Came Asking…That Got Me Thinking – Hard….!

Suddenly, I Discover How I Can Give Them What They Want & Help Myself at the Same Time

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Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS) – Part 2 of 3

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No. 85: Use Persuasion to Save (or Make) MORE Money (3 Tips)

1. Save Money When Buying Products & Services

2. Make More Money From Clients/Buyers

3. Generate Additional Income Via Passive Streams

Final Words: There Are Forces Waiting To Help You – But Only If You Act!

LASTLY, an important point that must be highlighted:

FREE PDF REPORT: How to Get Kick As* Clients – By Jason Leister (www.artofclients.com)

Now Jason’s email offer’s arrival is an excellent example of one of those “coincidences” I mentioned will happen IF you take diligent action!

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Many People Fail To Follow Their Passions in Business

Only a Lack of Passion Will Make You Accept To Give a Bribe to Succeed In Business

If You Will Struggle To Continually Think Up New/Useful Things to Say to Promote Your Business, Don’t Bother With a WMS

Final Words – A Web Marketing System Will Keep Your Marketing Going (Even When You Sleep) Till You Succeed

What you have just read is final part of a 3 part series titled “Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS)”.

Further Reading: Components of a Web Marketing System (WMS)

A Real-World Relevant Analogy

So, You Agree. And You Pay.

Problem number 1:

Problem number 2:

It doesn’t make any sense!

Instead, You Need To Think Smart!

There is a Better Way to Do It

What you have just read is part 2 of a 3 part series titled “Why You Need A Web Marketing System (WMS)”.

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Pix 1: A Handball Semi Final Match at Stade De L’Amitie, Cotonou, Benin Republic (taken on Saturday 6th April 2013 at 9.45 a.m)

Risk-Taking Is Inevitable

Example: It Makes No Sense To Expect A Loan Without Collateral

Final Words: I Practise What I Preach

Pix 2: Nigerian International School, Cotonou, Benin Republic

Traditional Media are Not Bad – They Just Cost Too Much For Too Little

Two Questions You Need To Ask Yourself About Your Marketing

What You Need To Do

Final Words

1. You Need To Be In Control of What Happens To Your Brand’s Marketing Vehicle

2. You Need To Build A Professional Image

Final Words: Take Action Before It’s Too Late

1. Travel Helps You Demystify Life In General

Pix 1: Eating Achu with my host’s wife

2. And It Opens Doors to New Friendships, and Exciting Opportunities

Pix 2: Standing in front of country house in Mendong

Pix 3: One the road to Kumba – an SUV was stuck in the mud (imagine that!)

The expatriate female course coordinator from the UK noted that if anyone from Nigeria was most prepared to play that role, it was me. I was already familiar with the place, the people and the language.

3. Your Creativity Is Stimulated By Exposure to a Variety of Worlds

You/Your Child Can Travel Through Others – But it’s Best To Do It Yourself!

Final Words: Let Your Kids Become Well Rounded Personalities

One Last Thing…

Pix 5: Framed hand crafted map of Benin Republic bounded by neighboring West African states – displayed in the reception of a hotel.

First, You Need To Understand the Formal Rules & Requirements

Next, Find Out What the Unwritten Rules and Requirements Are

True Story: How Ignorance of an Unspoken Rule Can Hurt Your Ambitions

Also, Know the Company You Work For, and Be Clear About Your Role in It

Go the Extra Mile to Know A Little Bit About Other People’s Jobs & Help Them!

Question: Can This Plan Work?

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