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

Date: Monday 6th May 2013

No:88

Title: Outsmart Competitors (& Earn More) Using Foreign Language Skills

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

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

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

Hi,

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

NOW AVAILABLE! Parts 1 AND 2 of the MS Excel-Based Quick & Dirty Guide to English Language for French Speakers…and to French Language for English Speakers) Soyez les bienvenus! On m’appelle TAYO. Je suis avec mes amis, avec qui je prépare la prémière partie du guide pratique pour des gens qui aimeraient parler l’anglais comme français. Maintenannt, je vous présente les membres de mon équipe. Above: A new version I’ve just created of the guide. It now comes with an automated query form that makes learning EASIER. You click what you want on the menu, and it plays it in audio, and shows photos where appropriate (Click HERE to see screenshots & Watch video) Learn more here…

 

No. 88: Outsmart Competitors (& Earn More) Using Foreign Language Skills

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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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This newsletter serves speakers, but service providers in general may periodically find some issues useful – like this one. Discover how developing ONE foreign language skill can help you (1) beat more competitors in your current market (2) win more business in new markets, and (3) make more money – despite harsh economic times.

This Will NOT Be Easy To Do!

I will not lie to you. What I propose in this piece will not be easy to do. But it can be done. I know, because I have done – and am still doing – it, even now. The long term benefits make it worthwhile.

So, you must purge yourself of any biases. Nothing in life that’s worth having is ever really easy – otherwise, everybody would succeed with little or no effort.

To outsmart your competitors (and earn more) using foreign language skills, I suggest 3 steps you can follow…

1. Become Bilingual: Learn a Foreign Language Your Target Audience Needs

If you’re really ambitious, become a polyglot by learning multiple languages. However, I’d say carefully choosing one language your target market(s) can reward you for is best i.e. aim to become bilingual, by developing ONE useful foreign language skill.

That will give you a unique competitive edge your rivals will find hard to beat. This applies to service providers in any field. Unlike other skills, many people (especially those who consider themselves busy) simply find it hard to commit needed time and effort towards developing reliable proficiency in a foreign language.

That unwillingness on their part creates a great opportunity for you. All you need to do is choose the right language, and work hard to learn it.

Hiring a bilingual employee could also work well. However I argue that having functional competence in reading, writing, and speaking that language, as the top decision maker is what will really do the magic.

I say this from closely observing self-employed professionals who operate in this manner in Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Cameroon.

2. Go into Markets Few Others Care To Visit

The global economic crisis has reduced opportunities available in immediate local environments.  Sometimes you’re in your home country and market, and have to compete for clients with an overwhelming number of people who do exactly what you do.

Finding profitable projects therefore tends to be quite difficult.

But just across the border, there could be a demand for what you offer – in a contrasting scenario. Sometimes even right in your market the demand could be there.

Potential clients could be desperate to find help in your area of specialty: The only problem is, these they speak a foreign language e.g. French, Chinese, Italian etc

One example: As a legal consultant your services could be useful to fresh immigrants arriving in your country, and also to intending investors with limited English proficiency. That is of course if you could communicate effectively in their own language.

No matter how good you are at what you do, they will likely prefer a rival with reasonable familiarity with, their language, and possibly their culture.

3. Offer Solutions Few Others Care To Provide

Here are a few ideas…

a. Reach out to foreign business owners, and organizations (e.g. multinationals) – existing, or just arriving in your country/market to start business – and offer your services.

Example: A French speaking partner to a bilingual legal consultant friend of mine (knowing he cannot wing it) often sends him documents in English for translation. As a result, my friend earns extra income from both colleague and clients by being bilingual!

b. Travel to countries where your learned foreign language is spoken, and offer your services as a bilingual service provider. You can win projects to be executed there – and also win projects to be done back in your own country.

Example: In a French speaking country, for instance, you’re bound to come across business persons and professionals looking to explore opportunities at your end of the planet, but have always been held back by a lack of English speaking competence.

They are likely to jump at the opportunity to achieve their goals with your guidance.

I’m sure you can come up with more ideas when you think about it.

How Can Any of these Help Experts-Who-Speak (or those Aspiring)?

Now if you’re (still) wondering about how any of this can help experts-who-speak, I offer some insights, as one who is currently doing it.

I’m already getting invitations to deliver my talks on entrepreneurship here in Benin. Most people in the first set of audiences I’ll be addressing, are English speakers with a desire to learn French (many being from Ghana and Nigeria).

I plan to deliver my messages to them in a mix of both English and French – sharing anecdotes about my experiences in learning French.

Interestingly, this same foreign language skill is what attracts French speaking career persons, professionals and entrepreneurs out here to me. Many have told me how they would love to make themselves understood in English, they way I do in French.

When I complain that my French is bad, and that I need to improve it, they counter “Mais tu parles deja!” (i.e. “But you speak already!”). So they insist I speak English to them.

This “imperfect” language skill of mine already gets me noticed, making my offers compelling (especially since I also market a product to help others develop similar competence). But I refuse to rest on my oars. Using ideas described here, I continue working hard to improve.

Simply put therefore, a bilingual speaker often gets set apart from the crowd. She can explore opportunities (or joint ventures for learning events) in markets where her preferred languages are spoken. Her rivals who lack similar skills would be locked out.

Final Words: To Get Better Results, Do Something Radically Different

More importantly, to stay ahead of rivals and copycats, choose something they cannot easily replicate. In my opinion a foreign language skill would be a perfect weapon.

As I earlier noted, I’m currently practicing what I’m preaching, by traveling slowly across West Africa, as a Location Independent Entrepreneur.

We have more French speaking countries in West Africa, than English speaking ones. To explore Francophone markets for business opportunities, it therefore goes without saying that a working knowledge of French will come in quite handy.

Having learnt to speak, read and write French back in 1999, I’ve found it easy to functionally integrate into business life here in Benin Republic. And my newly launched Quick & Dirty English-French language guide for career persons and business owners is helping me connect faster with my target audience, resulting in new alliances and clients.

TIP: Make yourself a helpful resource to clients and prospects with language needs. Indeed to anyone with such needs. Doing so has endeared me to many English loving French speakers since I arrived here in Benin Republic. And they’ve introduced me to their networks of friends and associates, earning me increased visibility and credibility.

Interestingly, I’m now looking to return to Nigeria intermittently to offer my new range or products and services with a twist, that competitors will find hard to match!

You can do the same thing in your country and continent – wherever you may be. Learn French, Italian, Spanish or Chinese etc – to achieve the outcomes described above.

Good luck!

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: Outsmart Competitors (& Earn More) Using Foreign Language Skills” in the subject line).

SD Nuggets Blog™ New posts from last week that may interest you! * Public Speaking[Monday]: 3 Reasons You Need to Learn Public Speaking Entrepreneurship [Tuesday]: Getting Potential Buyers to Do What You Want (5 Powerful Insights from my Study of Online Scam Artists Who Get Total Strangers to Send Them Big Money!) Self-Development [Wednesday]: FEATURE ARCHIVE ARTICLE: Hacker’s Exploitation of a CGI Script on My Website to Send Massive Spam Emails – Hard Lessons Learnt Career Development [Thursday]: Why You Need to Know a Little Bit About Every (or Many) Things Parenting [Friday]: To Understand What You Learn, Teach It (3 Tips) Writing/Blogging [Saturday]: Why Being Dis-Organized Can Make You a Better Writer 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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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!

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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.