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Diaspora Matters

Diaspora Matters

Creating Solid Relationships with Your Suppliers

supplier

We feel we have made enough noise about building strong relationships in business on the forum. All of our recent books have been anchored on opportunities plus solid relations.

Regai timboti dedemu nerurimi rwamai;

Business kuwirirana nevamwe zvakanyanya kuti ugadzire  uye kuchengetedza upfumi.

Wirirano –wirirano-wirirano-wirirano!

Business mubatira pamwe chuma chemuzukuru,

Business mukomberanwa,

Business harisi zano ndoga-unosiya jira mumasese!

We have done enough justice about client’s service. Who still remembers Customer Experience? Who has applied what we covered?

Of course recently we had the controversial topic of pricing….that will always be controversial but we believe you picked 1 or 2 tricks.

This evening we look at another critical stakeholder you need to be in very good books with;-your suppliers.

How do you develop strong relationships with your suppliers?

  1. Honouring promises. If you get goods on credit and are supposed to pay by x date, then do so without being reminded
  2. Being consistent…develop a strong credit record
  3. Constant communication and resolving issues before they become big
  4. Through review of your financial statements ( purchases and creditors)
  5. Ethical conduct

What are the advantages of solid relationships with suppliers?

  • Credit facilities- we can call it credit capital. Ability to sell goods and paying later
  • Discounts-regular and loyal clients are more likely to get discounts than others
  • New offers-Suppliers are likely to select regular and loyal clients first for new products or initiatives

There are tonnes of other benefits and you can add. In this hyperinflationary period-constant communication with suppliers is likely to keep you informed of price hikes or anticipated changes in the supply chain. This can be to your advantage if you get the information earlier than others.

How good are you with relationships? Are you aware of the benefits of acing your soft skills? Do you ever review your relationship skills with all stakehodlders? Do you have a solid plan to improve your skills? When last did you attend training or read books on soft skills?

Do not just read this article but pause, reflect and then take corrective action!

Business=vanhu, vanhu=business (provided you ace and practice advanced soft skills)

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Diaspora Matters

Growth of Digital Opportunities

booku

When it comes to future opportunities, for Zimbabweans the first name that comes to mind is the Billionaire Dr Strive Masiyiwa. He is the only officially recognised Zimbo although there could be more underground billionaires.

If we are to go with official records, what is it that enabled Masiyiwa to be on top of the totem pole?

  1. He embraced digital opportunities
  2. He was fortunate to be in the engineering field and appreciating engineering trends
  3. He knew the cascading of digital technology-developed world first and Africa last
  4. He knew technology adoption in Africa is slow as the continent is a laggard
  5. He was globally minded and saw opportunities beyond Zimbabwe

Latest stats do show that Mark Zuckerberg now has a worth of US$85 billion making the 36 year old the fourth richest person on earth-up from number 7. His net worth has been spurred by the lockdown which catapulted the use of social media.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the second largest gainer with his Amazon stock up 29% since Marc 23 with a net worth of US$146,9 billion.

We do not need to dig deeper, the trend is crystal clear….the future is digital. Those who are strategically placing themselves with tech opportunities will advance at the expense of those still stuck in the old business models.

The next billionaire to join Strive Masiyiwa in the billionaire’s club is obviously a tech-savvy person. It is unfortunate that The Fourth Industrialisation is not a buzz word in Zimbabwe. This shows that once more, Zimbabweans will be the last to grab the 4IR Opportunities like they did with 3IR Opportunities. South African company executives had been making a beeline to India before the lockdown. Companies there appreciated its importance and the benefits to accrue from it but our country’s top executives remain glued in the past.

Tech Opportunities Strategic Positioning

  1. Appreciate latest trends across the globe
  2. In Africa the first countries chosen for tech opportunities are usually South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt. Rwanda joins the list too.
  3. Read Engineering and ICT Journals
  4. Follow Strive Masiyiwa on social media
  5. Cultivate a keen interest in everything tech

Masiyiwa is good at future envisioning-he sees opportunities 25 years away! How far do you think about the future? Do you have the patience to discuss about this with others? How many tv shows, newspaper articles or radio shows talk about the future 10-20 years from now?

The good news is we will be creating a Whatsapp group with a focus to future tech opportunities. Do watch out for details.

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Diaspora Matters

Informal Sector Reopening and Decision Making

Madhara

At long last, the second biggest informal sector in the world is reopening!

This is good news although there is a catch….formalise your operations! Have you registered yet? Are you in compliance of local laws and regulations?

The costs of non compliance

  • Running battles with the police
  • Lost business when you engage on a temple run with authorities
  • The opportunity cost of fines
  • Little growth and being overtaken by those registered

So formal registration should be on top of your agenda and we will be promoting members involved in company registrations such as Kudzi Mafuta, Maxine and more…

Renting Premises or Online Businesses

You have to seriously consider whether to operate in the CBD or maximise on Online Businesses.

Bricks and Mortar Buildings: This is what has always worked in the past-proven business model. Most customers are used to experiences of seeing the goods they want to buy, who is selling them and the experience of seeing others buying too.

The drawback is getting into town is going to be a hustle for business owners and clients too. You should have witnessed it by now-long queues of passengers waiting for ZUPCO buses and kombis. The long winding queues of vehicles at most fuel stations should be a reminder that travelling in the current environment is a huge challenge. For big cities, transport is going to be a big headache but small cities where many can walk into town; they may not be adversely affected.

Online Businesses: Numbers do not lie, latest figures of internet activity shows an upsurge in online activity across the globe. Even on our forums, we added 10,000 members during the first 30days of the lockdown-a number we used to get in 12 months. Having no presence on online platforms is a literally a cardinal sin. The nation has moved online and being absent means a large chunk of lost business.

You will benefit from the transport inconveniences if you have an online business located in your suburb specific area. Take for example online businesses in Chitungwiza. Clients will have to calculate the transport inconveniences of travelling to the CBD versus buying local.

We compiled as easy to read book on Digital Marketing which we feel should be on the book shelf of every entrepreneur. The E-copy is available for US$1 or RTGS Equivalent of 60 Bond.

Mixture: I would not advise small businesses to totally abandon business premises and fully go online. You may still have clients who prefer buying from your premises-do not lose them!

Carry out an analysis of who they are, capture them and encourage them to join your online business platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp and Telegram. If you do not have a website, the time to invest in one is now!

In your financial statements, record brick and mortar revenues versus online revenues. Calculate profits too for each funnel. Use this evidence for decision making on whether to maintain business premises or close.

If online business is more profitable, then consider downscaling physical premises but you may still need small space for goods collection by clients.

We wish you all the best and do not forget to join our Social Media platforms especially Suburb Specific Whatsapp groups.

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Diaspora Matters

ZBIN TOP PRIORITIES JUNE-DECEMBER 2020

mh

Most of our top priorities for the first half of the year have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but we managed to achieve a few such as;

  1. Book Publications: We managed to publish our eagerly awaited 2020 Business Opportunities for Zimbabweans and launched it at Capitalk Gardens in Harare. We also got an opportunity to showcase the book on the national TV. The South Africa Business Opportunities Book also came with the Digital Marketing Book being the third one.
  2. ZBIN TV: We launched our small Youtube TV Network and managed to feature a couple of our members.
  3. Monthly meetings: We started holding monthly meetings with 2 in Harare and a similar number in South Africa. Well attended meetings attracting a total of 400 members in Harare and 26 in South Africa.
  4. Partnerships: We partnered with Capitalk Radio for the use of their premises for our meetings and feature of our members on radio.
  5. ZBIN RIDE: We launched the ZBIN Ride which helps our members to share rides and send parcels at preferable rates
  6. Digital Marketing Training:We conducted a Digital Marketing Training for 700 members during the Covid-19 lockdown

Top Priorities for the next 6 months

  1. Funding for members: We have been approached by a leading bank interested in funding  our members involved in agricultural activities and we are currently compiling a list
  2. Crowdfunding Initiatives: We will ramp up crowdfunding initiatives targeting at least 5 successful projects
  3. Women’s Forum: We were supposed to launch a women’s forum in April 2020 but due to Covid-19, we will push it to the later part of the year
  4. Forum Tours: We will be conducting at least 2 tours during the last quarter of the year with provisional destinations being Nyanga or Mtoko
  5. Telegram Account: As of 1 June 2020, our Zimbabwe forum has 70,000 members and our RSA forum 90,000. Our forum views per month up to 700,000. We have created a Telegram account with a target of 20,000 members by end of year
  6. Monthly Meetings: We created suburb specific groups for Bulawayo, Chinhoyi, Bindura, Marondera, Norton, Chitungwiza, Beitbridge, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and various Harare groups. The objective is to have these areas conducting monthly meetings and fairs after the lockdown with a target of a total of 10,000 of our members attending by end of the year
  7. More Virtual Classes: We will be conducting more online trainings and meetings online through platforms such as Zoom

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Diaspora Matters

List of Zimbabwe herbs and Start-up Opportunities

nuku

Just how did we survive as Africans before modern medicine was shipped to the continent? What were the local solutions to local problems? Were studies conducted to assess the strengths and weaknesses? Did we incorporate best practices or African practices were just condemned?

We have seen it with the Covid-19 pandemic, some Africans took the bull by its horns and also joined the bandwagon of finding a cure. Well done to Madagascar! We are still waiting for detailed researches to confirm the medicinal value of their traditional medicine though but so far so good.

Turning to the local scene, there are some medicines that are really helpful and we feature below what we found circulating on social media.

It is also interesting to note that some medicine such as Zumbani are being  sold in leading retail shops and being sold out.

Business Opportunities

Need for detailed market surveys,

Appreciation of local laws and regulations,

Need for good branding and packaging,

Development of a business plan and launch,

Available local herbs that can be commercialised

1) Shumha – the fruit is used to heal ringworms and skin diseases. Burn the extract and apply the affected part(s)

 2) Mukundanyoka– Extracted from the trunk, grind it so as to dry then crush it into powder. – Cures Malaria, Blood Pressure, Diabetes and Toothaches.

3) Mupfura/Amarula – treats diarrhoea, prevention of malaria. – Is drunk as a tonic for weakness and fatigue.

 4) Mutsine/Black jack – treats swelling of tissue due to fluid accumulation. – supports brain function. – cures ulcers. – treats diabetes. – is used as a vegetable.

5) Mutsambadzi – treats flue, – stomach ache, – treats eye problems, – cures wounds .

6) Moringa – cures all kinds of diseases, – it stimulates the appetite, – it reduces viral loads, – it boosts the immune system – Boil the plant extracts and drink the liquid.

7) Mutohwe – the root extracts are chopped and placed in the ear as medicine for earache. 3 | P a g e

8) Mubvamaropa – the bark is used to relieve stomach disorders, – It cures headaches – is also a cure for malaria

 9) Mutarara – cures toothache – strengthens the teeth and gums – Extracted from the tree bark, it is dried and ground into a powder. Soak in water for 30 minutes then it will be ready to drink.

 10) Tsangamidzi – heals stomach pains, – helps reduce high blood pressure – Boil the powder in water and drink the liquid. – Sprinkle onto your food as you eat.

11) Ndorani/Ndolwani – it cures Ngubhani – it heals hypertension and stomach upsets

 12) Mpangara – used to treat toothache

13) Dhorofiya – cures glaucoma – cures wounds – cures fatigue – cures ulcers – cures diabetes – cures herpes

 14) Mususu – reduces and cures stomach pains

15) Munyatera – reduces stomach pains – cure running upset stomach – reduces high body tempeurate – cures snake bites

 16) Gavakava – it heals stomach aches – it clears black spots and removes pimples – it heals wounds – it heals nyon’o in chickens

17) Mango leaves – cures boils – alleviate skin conditions – cures chest conditions – reduces and cancels asthma  – wash with cold water and chew thoroughly, swallow the juice and leaves, – drink the juice of boiled mango leaves to heal diarrhoea and incontinence(quick discharge of water/urine) – boosts blood quantities

18) Avocado leaves – boost the blood supply – cures Blood pressure – Boil the leaves and drink the liquid

19) Lemon leaves – boost the pulse rate – boil and drink the liquid

20) Zumbani Tea(Lippia Javanica) – Prevents on-set of degenerative diseases such as cancer, stroke and diabetes – Lowers pain such as abdominal pain, menstrual pain, backache and chest pain – Lowers swelling – Treats fevers, especially in the case of malaria, influenza and measles – Treats coughs, colds and bronchial problems

 – Helps prevent lung infections – Treats dysentery and diarrhoea – Is caffeine-free – Has vital minerals such as copper, zinc and iron – Low in tannin, much lower than Rooibos and far much lower than regular tea – Boosts the immune system – Has aphrodisiacs properties – Treats fertility problems – Is antibacterial – Is antiviral – Helps treat acne, eczema, dermatitis and hair loss – Treats seizures and heart rhythm disturbances – Fights prostate cancer and prostate enlargement

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Diaspora Matters

20 May 2020 Opportunities Newsletter

mariket

On a weekly basis, our forum compiles a newsletter for our members. The newsletter targets more than 10,000 of our members on our Whatsapp groups.

In this latest edition:

-Source of Opportunities

-Forum Hack and Recovery

-Welcome to Hydroponics

– Jah Prayzer and Digital Marketing

-Recipe of the week

-Mbira Video of the week

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Truck drivers have the most information when it comes to opportunities! They transport the most wanted goods within the country and what is more? Across the borders too including the region…

They know changes in goods being transported and also share stories of what they will be carrying with fellow drivers. What is Zimbabwe transporting to Beira and back? Durban to Kinshasa and back?

They have a wealth of information on opportunities which is unparalled! This is why we gave more time to our member based in Tanzania at the February meeting in Chitugwiza.

In future newsletter editions, we will include a *Gonyet Driver Opportunities Tracker* to monitor latest opportunities from the trucking sector

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Forum Hack and Recovery

What a scare yesterday, woke up  and got shocked to see our forum hacked with admin changes. Our Facebook is one of the key pillars of the forum as we have close to 70,000 members with the rate of growth of 300 new additions everyday.

Formed 6 years ago, the forum has a wealth of information which is a key asset to the nation. All opportunity discussions are there, we have covered every sector.

Of late we had also witnessed an upsurge in the number of views per month with numbers nearing 800,000 meaning a great market place for forum members.

We are glad we managed to get help and would also like to advise our members to use the two-factor authentification on Facebook. It allows you to log into Facebook using an sms key submitted to your phone.

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Hydroponics Opportunities

Climatic change is reality and this has serious repercussions on food security across the continent. How should farmers cope?

Welcome to hydroponics which is a method of growing plants in water based, nutrient rich  solution. It does not use soil, instead the root system is supported using an inert medium such as perlite, rockwool, clay pellets, peat moss or vermiculture.

Sounds Greek and Not Interesting? Yes in Zimbabwe we generally resist new things until a sufficient number of people have joined and making great profits.

Visit Hydroponics in Zimbabwe Facebook Page and be inspired by Accountant turned farmer, Venencia Mukarakati. Visit Youtube too for many case studies.

Opportunities to grow crops for exports too given that the EU is importing fruits and veges from Zimbabwe.

Capital? This is where Crowdfarming comes in. Once you set up a structure, its difficult for anyone to then say the structure was stolen. The good thing is farming can be conducted in urban areas allowing ease of monitoring and also access to markets.

Watch out for Hydroponic crowdfunding initiatives in the coming months.

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Jah Prayzer and Digital Marketing

He released an album  titled Hokoyo and it has been doing well on Youtube with record views. He also made history by releasing 7 great videos from the same album.

Did you notice this? He invited fans to post their videos dancing to their favourite songs. You will agree some of the videos are top quality. Some of the videos have gone viral…Zim has talent!

What should be of interest to Digital Marketing Students is the involvement of *users* in the video marketing experience. Those who produces great videos benefit too as their videos also go viral and exposing their talents to millions of viewers.

In your marketing initiatives, are you just uploading videos on Youtube and folding your hands? Food for thought.

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Recipe of the week

🥮 *Rich Chocolate Cake* 🥧

*Author: Runyararo Bake-It*
*0772 906 271*

*COURSE: Special Occasion or Dessert.*

Ingredients
#2 cups of flour
#1/2 cup of unsweetened Cocoa Powder.
#2 cups of sugar.
#1cups of buttermilk.
#1cup of warm strong black coffee.
#2 teaspoons of vanilla essence.
#2 teaspoons of baking powder.
#1 tablespoons of baking soda.
#1/2 cup of oil.
#1 teaspoon of salt.
#4 eggs.

Method
1. Mix and sift all your dry ingredients together.
2. Mix all the wet ingredients together except the black coffee.
3. Add all your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and start mixing.
4. Gradually add the warm black coffee till your cake batter is well mixed.
5. Bake at 180degrees fan oven for about 30mins.
6. Us a cocktail stick to poke on the middle of the cake to see whether it’s ready.

**Bake-It*
*Taste the difference**
https://www.facebook.com/bakeIt88/


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Mbira Video of the week

 Moyo Yavo Yakaoma: African Mbira Drums

The video of a truckdriver with his truck on auto-drive whilst he was busy dancing to mbira music went viral on social media around February. We searched for the song on Youtube and found it. It is magical, if you want a jiti experience then this is the video for you. Immense talent from youngsters featured in the video. How about the drums? Zimbabwe has had great drummers from the late Jethro Shasha, former Black Spirits drummer, Sam Mataure, Obert Gomba from Mberikwazvo but those who appreciate drums will give the drummers in the video a world cup!

Great song but do not get addicted!

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Telegram Account

We opened a Telegram Account which is similar to Whatsapp in functions and the good news is unlike Whatsapp, Telegram allows us to add up to 200,000 members. This means one big market for the forum. Do look out for the forum link and join hundreds of others.

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Zim Business Ideas and Network

No 34 Quendon Rd, Monavale, Harare

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Diaspora Matters

Disruptive ways to teach Accounting

acca

Tutors will have to play catch up with a number of subjects due to the disturbances from the Covid-19 pandemic. We look at one subject which can assist tutors to help students catch up quickly and the subject is accounting. For beginners, the subject is introduced the same way be it at form 1, form 3, A level, undergraduate or post graduate level.

Traditional Approach

The most common way to teach accounting is to start from the bottom and build upwards. Debit/Credits, T Accounts, Journals and ledgers, Trial balances, Profit and Loss then Balance sheet and cashflows. Key accounting concepts are also introduced during the course including accounting standards.

For starters, the bottom up approach can be confusing and may take ages for students  to appreciate what exactly they are doing and why.

Disruptive Approach

You start with the end product (financial reports)

Showcase the set of final financial statements. The Profit and Loss, Cashflow, Balancesheet and accompanying notes used for external reporting .

Showcase the set of management accounts used for decision making and the various components.

Print hard copies and bound them in book formats. Students will constantly refer to the books throughout their studies.

Computerised Final Accounts

Students should appreciate how the accounts are prepared and tutors can utilise simple accounting softwares such as Pastel and demonstrate source document inputs and running reports.

Accounting visualised

A visit to the stock exchange will help students to appreciate how companies raise funds. How the stock exchange  works, getting a feel of stock share certificates and interviewing investors and stock brokers. An important output is where do equity on balance sheet emanates from?

Balance sheet visualised

Help students appreciate components of a balance sheet such as:

Assets: Physical buildings, equipment, vehicles, inventory examination. Take photos of assets and let students create own balance sheets.

Liabilities: Take students through liabilities reviewing a sample of reports, conducting interviews and referring to published financial statements.

Profit and loss account Visualised

A visit to a local retail shop, tuckshop and others and observe operations, how they are recording transactions and creating records will help. How the Profit and Loss links up with Balance sheet etc

They should have a set of a trial balance and appreciate its importance, how it’s linked to other ledgers and accounts.

They can be asked to create own personal financial statements, or help  family members running businesses.

Linking Financial Reports with Source Documents

The last stage is an exercise of linking the final accounts with the source documents.

This is back to Debit and Credit concepts  linking it with the final accounts.

T accounts preparations and appreciating the big picture. By referring to accounting system financial reports print outs.

Journal and Ledger entries with students linking them to their copies of the big picture of final accounts.

Advantages

The accounting course can be completed in record time and this can even be slicing 70% off the traditional approach.

Students will complete the course with practical skills and for those interested in pursuing the course further, they would have got a great foundation.

The traditional approach wastes a lot of time with too much theory which may make it difficult for students to appreciate why they will be doing the course and what exactly they will be doing.

Tours can help reduce study time by a considerable amount. Images of a balance sheet likely to stay longer in the minds of students than having a tutor standing in front of a class and delivering lectures.

In future we will look at more subjects such as Mathematics, Economics, Business Management and others.

We hope you find this useful.

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Diaspora Matters

The dawn of formalised opportunities

khu

What clear message is coming from the ban of kombis? Covid-19 has ushered in formal opportunities. Those with big buses will benefit at the expense of kombis. Those with registered bus companies have no worries about opportunities.

How about the transportation of tobacco? The script is the same, organised transport companies have more to benefit than small scale transporters.

Vendors operating from illegal structures? We all witnessed what transpired.

Covid-19 has brought in the need for order in the biggest sector in the country (Zimbabwe has the second largest informal sector in the world). The sector is expected to be orderly and meaningfully contribute to economic growth through taxes, levies and formal economic participation.

What opportunities do we see on the horizon?

Transport: Kombis, mshikashikas and other transport players can pool resources andlobby the responsible authorities to be allowed to operate as groups of companies. If all kombis in Mabvuku register under one company, rebrand and have trained professional staff, then there might be leniency from policy makers. If the company can provide evidence of driver training, customer care skills, self regulating mechanisms and evidence of tax compliance, then they have improved chances of getting an ear from responsible ministries. This is better than operating your own kombi and hoping that the ban will be lifted.

Vendors: In countries such as Thailand, they have a selected vendors who use designated places and they operate from neat and professional vending carts. An opportunity for registered vendors to engage city officials with proposals.

Online Tutors: E-Education is the new norm but there is the issue of many scattered tutors and it is difficult to assess quality or conduct reference checks. Great opportunity for a registered body of online tutors with impeccable credentials.

There are many more opportunities coming but the key word is formalisation! It is also being organised and working as teams.

Working as teams is a huge challenge in Zimbabwe and the late Prof Masipula Sithole aptly captured it when he said ‘If you take 2 Zimbabweans to the moon, the following day they would have formed 3 political parties’

Having worked with thousands of entrepreneurs across SADC, the most difficult ones are found in Zimbabwe. As soon as  progress starts showing signs, intense jostling of positions commences-many fights break out. Even people who had not shown interest suddenly join in the scramble for power and resources. This is the curse that has destroyed many group initiatives.

If the informal sector has to succeed, then there is need for a paradigm shift. Keep fighting or pulling each other down and the train of opportunities will keep moving in full speed!

Home work for you-are you helping to build formal and organised groups of businesses or you prefer flying solo? Calculate the opportunity cost of solo and informal businesses…..

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Diaspora Matters

Mastering customer experience for competitive advantage

boatata

Customer experience is one area the forum is very passionate about. It goes hand in glove with Digital Marketing. If you read our 20018 debut book then you should be aware of Chapter 5 dedicated to the topic. In our latest Digital Marketing Book, we opened the book with staging experiences.

Let’s look at a few case studies of practical customer experiences:

Case Study 1

In 2017 the author attended a funeral in Tandi Rusape.  Upon arrival in the evening took a few relatives to a shopping centre across Mhezi River. A sleepy place with little going on and we identified a butchery where we bough meat, tomatoes and cucumbers. We purchased a few drinks from shops across the road and did set up our own braai.

What started as a small event soon snowballed into a massive experience as passing motorists upon seeing the braai going on stopped and joined in. Kombi drivers heading to the last stop in Chitsva joined us and within 2 hours we had a large gathering of us, passing motorists and villagers.

Villagers selling rabbit meat also joined in the braai experience sharing village stories of farming, hunting and other social issues. Our team had urban stories including entrepreneurship.

The butchery owner was surprised to learn of the massive potential she possessed as she ran out of meat. Bottle store owners across the road could not believe that all action had diverted to the small butchery which had never run out of meat in ages.

Case Study 2

When we toured Beira in October, we decided to save on accommodation by looking for cheap accommodation in Dondo about 40km from Beira. Accomodation was US$8/room and it was not really bad as it had basics.

If you have ever travelled along the Machipanda-Beira Road, you should be aware of the Tongaat Hullet turnoff and at the turnoff there is a restaurant pub or banca. The 3 of us did light up the place in the 3 days we were in Mozambique.

Frelimo supporters coming from a rally in Beira ended up congregating at the place and on the last day, they closed at 4:00am instead of the usual 9:00pm. We staged memorable experiences and resulted in a lot of contacts with  some promising us access to land!

Case Study 3

Our meeting in February at Leisure Centre in Chitungwiza had the biggest gathering of entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe. We did not have one place presenting but a diverse team tackling various topics such as bus transport, crowdfarming, real estate, regional opportunities and more.  The presenters staged experiences and it paid off. The after meeting had more memorable experiences and networking.

We repeated the concept with the March Meeting at Capitalk Gardens were an even greater number of forum members attended. Sadly the Covid-19 shutdown affected our plans but one thing is apparent…the forum can attract thousands of members through staging memorable experiences!

Incorporating experiences in your business

-Have you been to National Tyres in Harare recently? Their headquarters situated in Graniteside now has a fabulous fitting centre where clients rest whilst watching television whilst their vehicles have tyres fitted.

– Have you witnessed Mambos Chicken Ads? How do they factor in experiences?

-Did you read our feature of Thailand customer experiences?

-Did you know the doctor’s waiting room ensures you do not get bored whilst the doctor is busy with other clients?

-Why does Mai Chisamba show include audience participation?

-Why does Millinier Properties include videos in their adverts?

One for the road

There is customer service which we are all aware of but this is elementary. The advanced series include customer experiences and this is still an alien concept in Zimbabwe. Those who master it will have a headway and this explains why we are passionate about it. It is a little known concept and yet creates and sustains your business.

One can just start a business today-stage experiences and carve out a niche market for themselves. The good thing is customer experiences do not cost an arm and a leg….its just a mindset, its is a culture done on a consistent basis. Clients keep coming and they also refer others when they experience exceptional experiences.

To those who got a Digital Marketing Book, the good news is we are compiling a book on Customer Experiences and its coming free of charge. Add customer experiences on top of the digital marketing skills and we will be confident of having created winners.

We have started compiling the easy to read and apply book and will share the good news in 2 weeks time.

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