DEALING WITH POTENTIAL AND Existing Nigeria Customers
One day, I made a post on Twitter about my Small Business Big Money,
The tweet was basically interested in buying my business and
matketing. Small Business Big Money.
1. Nigerians Are Impatient And Do Not Like To Pay Attention To Details
When you are selling to Nigerians, you must understand that we are an impatient set of people and we do not pay attention to details. If you have ever been to Nigeria, you would have noticed how impatient we are. From the driver on the roads to the
customer at the bank. We know what we want and the end results but we are very impatient to look at the details involved. The driver on the road knows where he is going but
ignores the road signs and other road users on his way to his destination. The customer at the bank wants an
issue sorted and does not care whether there are 100 Customers before him or her. We just look at the end goal and act.
Be preparcd so you don’t get unnecessarily upset. In
fact, be prepared for the laziest and dumbest request,
ever. You will sell more that way. Don’t try to poin out this obvious flaw Do go around telling customers
“but I already mentioned that to you”. No.Just repeat the information if you have to. Be patient. That is the way to go about it.
A lot of times, business owners tend to assume that
every potential customer is an A Student. Most
people fall into the “C Student” category. Even after
explaining with every information available, a lot of
people still wouldn’t understand you. Do not worry.
Those are often the best customers. Treat them well.
Educate them. Be patient. Thank them for their
question even when they ask the dumbest questions
Smile even when you are burninginside.
What usually happens is that a lot of vendors cannot
tolerate their dumbness and it shows. Either they are
rude or just dismiss the potential customer as a time
waster Those customers will feel the difference when you treat them vith sweetness and they will stick with
you.
Many Of Your Potential Customers Are Rude and Aggressive
Nigerians Are Rude And Aggressive
Nigerians are extremely nice people. We are very
caring. We can give our last savings to a hungry
stranger. A Nigerian can borrow money from
someone to lend someone else. We take other
people’s problems as ours. We often leave our own
bills unpaid to sort other people’s bills. We are an
awesome specie.
But the ugly part. A lot of us can be rude, uncouth
and aggressive. To say thank you and please (the two
most common polite gestures) is hard for many
Nigerians. We bark instructions to those expected to
serve us like they are slaves. I remember a day I tolda
taxi driver thank you for taking me to my destination,
my friend wondered why I would say that to the
person I paid for the service.
That’s me. I say thank you to everyone am paying But not everyone is like that. The truth is
when they do something for me. It doesn’t matter if I that your potential
prepared to hear things like..
I sent you an email but you have not replied. You people are useless”.
Note: The customer probably misspelled the email
address.
“Another business should come and take the market
from you. I paid but I’m yet to receive my order”,
Note: He paid 3 hours ago but instruction says
delivery will be within 24 hours.
I paid with my card on your website, it said failed but
I was debited. You people are scam”.
Note: We all know this is a banking issue.
Guys, do not patronize ABC Company, my friend
Said they are scam”.
Note: No proof. Nothing. He joined the bandwagon.
You are going to get a lot of rude and aggressive Customers. Some of them are ready to come to your office or shop to cause a fight, even when you not wrong. The normal thing here is to be angry and give
it back to them hot. Do not do that. lt is not personal, Under that aggression are some of the nicest
loyal customers you would ever have.
A lot of people will not take their nonsense. Be the
one to take it. When a customer saysI paid with my
card on your website, it said failed but I was debited.
You people are scam” you should say “sir, I’m sorry
sorry about that. We just contacted our bank but they
said the money did not come in. Can you do us a
favour please? Can you contact your bank for a
reversal? I’m sure they will sort it for you”.
Let me take it a bit further. Let us assume you are
selling a product, your cost
product you can give away. After the explanation
above you can say “sir, meanwhile, we can send you
the product, when your bank refunds the money to
you, kindly send it to us”.
ce is not heavy, a
Wow! That customer would be wowed and all the
aggression would go. They will become very loyal
The truth is that a lot of customers are only aggressive online, they are usually meek in real life. Be patient. You will win them over.
3 A Lot of Your Potential Customers Are Lazy
One of my business teachers, John Carlton would tell
you to inmagine all your potental customers are lazy
people sitting all day on their couch watching TV with
the remote control in one hand and a can of beer in
the other hand. I know it’s not a nice way to think
about your potential customers but the truth is that
we are all like that.
You probably want to eat Suya or Shawarma right
now but you need someone to pick you up and take
you there or you want someone to go and pick it up
for you. Even though you have the money to buy the
Suya or Sharwama, you will end up NOT buying it
because you are just a lazy human being. Because of
this..
Suya or Shawarma Sellers Around Would Not know They Just Lost A Potential Sale.
you want to sell to the typical Nigerian, you have to
think about this deeply. Many pcople need and want
your products and services but
procrastinators to get up to order. Knowing however what you should
try to do is to take your products to them. Here are some ideas,
Take it to them: Do not wait for them to come to business location. Tell them you will deliver to them
Home delivery and service should be an important part of your business. Today, a lot of people prefer to
have their pedicure, massage and other services in the
comfort of their homaes.
This is why cab hailing services like Uber got accepted immediately in Nigeria. skeptical whether this tech service would be accepted
in a country like Nigeria but we all saw the results. The driver will come to where you are to pick you up
rather than going to the main road to hail a taxi.
Pay on delivery: When I put out the offer to deliver those interested before they pay, we got
more sales. They do not have anything to lose. That is
what made e-commerce platforms popular in Nigeria.
Minimize Buying Layers: Make buying as simple as
possible. Click here, sign up here then call this
number. Arrrghhhh Buying should not be hard work. Make it extremely easy.
Many Customers Are Entitled And Want To Bully You. Allow Them
Your potential customers like to ask for the impossible. Rather than get upset, find a way to keep them happy. This set.of people for example, I can give them two free chapters. Some of them will end
up buying the full copy. Another interesting angle is
that if you indulge them, many of them, even if they do not buy from you, they will make great comments
about you and I’m sure you know by now that what
people say about you to others is crucial.
Nigerian Customers Love To Deal With Individuals Not The Company
Let me ask you a question. It you, are looking for
maybe a phone seller or a plumber or a real estate
agent and you go online or buy a related magazine for
options and see two different adverts. One with a
landline like 016 and one with a GSM line like
080, which one would you call?
I’ve asked over 1,000 people this question and eight
out of ten times people tell me they prefer to call
GSM lines. The truth of the matter is that the average
Nigerian prefers to call mobile phones because it has
a personal touch. People want to talk to other human
beings. like them. They do not want to deal with
companies. They do not trust businesses but can trust
individuals in the business. It is weird.
A few years ago, I was at a bank and was waiting for
my turn to be attended to by the customer service
personnel on duty. The man in front of me had just
been attended to. He wanted to activate his Internet
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