Self-Devpt. Nuggets™

When serious potential buyers show great interest in a solution, you don’t want to keep them waiting. Yesterday, I launched a new product i.e. my Sales and Marketing Coaching Service for Farm CEOs. And I’ve not been surprised by the serious enquiries I’m getting about it from old clients.

My interactions with them had told me they needed it…

Sometimes you need to listen to what people are NOT saying, just as much as you listen to what they do say to you.

What they leave unsaid may be a useful indication of where they need help.

The thing is you will not detect such needs unless you train yourself to be alert to their presence.

Years of experience has taught me to devote a good amount of time and effort to diagnosing the unstated needs of those I serve as clients.

And it’s turned out to be a very reliable way to boost the remuneration I get from my work.

Basically, I have now gotten to a point, in which solutions I offer are so value adding, that a growing number of my clients call me to ask that I do more for them.

Just yesterday, a recent Farm CEO who bought my Feed Formulation Handbook and Ration Formulator software, called me to ask for enhancements to the app.

Among other requests he asked if I could include an interface to generate the Phosphorous content of the derived ration.

He also asked if I could develop a version of the app that would enable ration formulation for cattle and other ruminants using concentrates.

We also discussed about having it generate Least Cost Ration Formulas, and also cater for more elaborate amino acids balancing.

I told him that apart from the aspect of catering for use of concentrates for ruminants, I had already commenced work on a much enhanced version of the app.

This superior version is to deliver all the features mentioned above.

But my work is always market driven i.e. I let the demands from my target audience determine what“solution” I accord priority attention, and effort.

Basically, I check for “popularity of” or “interest in” the new feature requested.

If low or poor, I let it go or wait.

If high, I put in the needed investment of time, effort and/or money to make it happen.

In the case of what the Farm CEO wanted, I noted that no other client had ever asked for it. Not one…even though I also felt it was something that would be useful to have…

And this was what made me adopt the currently leisurely pace I employ in working on it.

No matter how much I want to, I have to remind myself that I need to get paid for what I do – and profitably too (Otherwise, I might as well be running an NGO!)

So my efforts will be focussed on projects most likely to yield such rewards

With regard to the above, the Sales and Marketing Coaching service assured of ready interest, by potential buyers.

First of all there was the Akure based Farm CEO who’d contacted me via Facebook 2 years ago, and who I spoke with a few days back….

He’d expressed ready interest in purchasing such a solution if I came up with it.

In addition I had past experiences from working with clients who’d suffered at the hands of market women/other buyers.

The latter were often in the habit of holding the Farm Owners to ransom with regard to buying their eggs and catfish during glut periods.

That told me my new service would fill a gaping market place need.

Furthermore, when I told another Farm CEO client in Jos, who had bought my Poultry Farm Manager software, he promptly expressed interest.

And he even called back to remind me he was ready to call me to find out how to get it, if I so desired.

Compared to the “silence” that has greeted the many references I’ve made to my clients about the advanced Ration Formulator I’m working on, this new service is one that interests many.

And so, I put in the needed work to create and launch it.

Within hours of notifying the Akure based CEO, he responded as follows via phone SMS (see below)

Creatively presenting my offers using multiple presentation formats

Uploading the introductory video for the service, like I anticipated due to the periodically erratic connectivity we have out here, is taking a while.

I also recognise that this may affect the ability of many interested persons to watch the video as well.

It is for this reason that I’ve created the PowerPoint Slideshow version, which can be downloaded from HERE, and is now also published on Slideshare.net.

It is also why I’ve created an MP3 audio version of the introductory video – which you can request download links to via tayo at tksola dot com.

This will enable as many people as possible gain access to my offer message, and learn what they stand to benefit, as well as how to signup for the service.

As for the enhanced Ration Formulator, I’ll most likely be offering the Farm CEO asking for the customization, a paid service option to have it delivered to him…