NigerianGraduate.com

Saturday, 19 November 2011

Steps to Take to Achieve Your Aspirations

1. Set yourself high goals

2. Write down your goals

3. Pursue those goals which you have written down, with determination

4. Prioritise your goals - determine which ones must be achieved before others

5. Develop spefiic action plans to help you towards each goal

6. Set timetables for meeting specified targets and hold yourself accountable for working to the timetables

7. Approach your goals with determination, and with a positive attitude

8. When there are knockbacks, never give up - rather, be flexible with your action plans and find another way round it.

Keeping your Business Professional

Particularly when dealing with the Nigerian market, success in business has a lot to do with how professional you are. Sadly, certain Nigerians are not the easiest clients to have and therefore must be put in their place before they begin to get ideas about becoming a nuisance.

In this article, I will walk you through a number of things which you need to factor in, in order to run a professional and successful business.

1. Get a good business name. A good business name is one that can be easily remembered, sounds intelligent, is creative enough, might reflect the nature of the business that you do, and can be pronounced easily enough by both local and foreign customers (we add foreign because it is our hope that your business will grow well enough to be acknowledge on the international scene!)

2. Get a brand image. Your brand image includes your brand name (or your business name), and a logo. It may also include a slogan.

3. Dress professionally, particularly when meeting clients - even if they are known to you personally.

4. Standardise your prices, policies and processes: This means treating every cusomer the same.

It means having a set list of prices for your goods or servces, which ideally should be displayed somewhere. If you have a physical location, then you can have a printed 'Price List'. If you work via your website, then your price list should be listed there, or at least available to be sent to a customer who requests it.

It also means having a fixed policy for customers, which may be in the form of a terms of service, ideally all written down. I believe that most 'service' businesses should have a 'terms of service', or 'terms and conditions', as this deters customers from misbehaving and protects you legally, should things go wrong. Customers must be made to sign the terms of service before goods or services are delivered.

In terms of standardising your processes, it is simply a question of setting out the way in which certain things should be done. If, for example, you run a company that provides business consultancy services, then you must have a set way in which client requests are taken (e.g. via online form, via phone, or via email); where these requests are recorded (e.g. on an excel document or other software, or in a notepad); how soon you must get back to your clients (e.g. you can promise to get back to all clients within 3 business days). If you provide physical goods, then you must ensure that the quality of all units of the same product is uniform.

4. Document as much as you can. Make a record of each and everyone of your customers, as a customer list would be useful for marketing purposes. If you are having a promotion at some point, you should email your customers and let them know about it (of course, you must get their permission to send them marketing emails first.

5. Ensure that you have proper Bookkeeping in place. Keep a record of all sales and purchases. If you fail to do this, you might begin to wonder 'where your money is going', and you may find it difficult to plan for the future of your business. You may not be a book-keeping guru, but there is a lot of information online abpou how to go about this. Run a 'Google' search using the keywords 'Bookkeeping basics'.

6. Set your business hours. The majority of Western businesses are open from 9am - 5pm. You should set your business hours and ensure that you stick to them. You should also list the opening hours in your communication material, such as your fliers, business cards, or website.

7. Communicate with professionalism.
There are certain phrases which should be used before, during and after delivering a product / service . These include the basics, such as: 'Thank you for doing business with us', 'How may we be of service?'.

Low Cost Business Start-Up Ideas for Graduates

Below are some business ideas that require relatively low investment, but which can yield high profits, if managed well.

1. Tutoring Services
As a top graduate, you have skills and knowledge which you can pass on to others. A high number of pupils at various levels are in need of help in various subjects, some of which you may be an expert in.

To begin with, you might be the only employee - the sole tutor, but your aim is to grow into a tutoring agency - a company that employs tutors who provide tuition services to clients.

If you haven't got a location for your tutoring business, you could start by tutoring pupils in their homes and as your business expands, you could conduct tuition at your own tutoring school. If you have a few friends / colleagues who share a similar passion for imparting knowedge, you could team up with them and put finances together to rent a small location and start your tuition services from there, expanding as you go.

To advertise a tutoring business, the first thing you need is goodwill. You need to impress your first few students such that they tell others about you. Word of mouth is one of the strongest forms of advertising, and only works if you provide a top-class service. You should also advertise by printing inexpensive leaflets and business cards, which you can hand to friends, church members of even pupils as they leave their schools in the afternoon. Thanks to social media and the emergence of Facebook, you can create a 'Page' for your tutoring business on facebook, giving your business an online presence.

Speaking of business cards, you might be able to win some through NigerianGraduate.com. Click here for more details.

2. Cake Baking / Decorating Services
This may appeal more to the female audience, although some of the best known Nigerian cake decorators are male. To start a cake business, the most important thing you need is knowledge - yes, knowledge of how to bake. I know the majority of Nigerians can 'bake', but if you are serious about baking cakes to a high standard, then I suggest learning this the proper way by investing some money in cake baking / decorating classes.

Next, you need to invest in materials such as cake tins, pallette knives, piping bags / tubes, cake boards, and of course, the ingredients for your cakes. Practice your recipes a few times until you are sure that you have your perfect recipe.

The beauty of this business is that it can be fully run from your home.

Considering that every other Nigerian female can 'bake', it is essenial that you stand out, and that you convince your potential clients that you have something different to offer. You MUST practice your recipes till they are next to perfect, and then get the decorating right - also by practising. Next, you should make your business professional and formalised.

*Points to consider:
-Get yourself a very lovely business name - your clients will be mostly women, and they are attracted to pretty names :)
-Get yourself business cards and a dedicated professional business email address (for more information on this, click here)
-Master your recipes. Invest some money in a cake school, or harness the power of the internet and learn various recipes online for free.
-Spend time practising your cake decoration.
-If you can afford one, get a website.

3. Web Design Services
If you studied IT or a computing related sbject, and have an interest in websies, then you may want to condider starting your own web design company. You could do this on your own, or team up with a few of your former school mates. Thousands of businesses are getting online, and need people to design and mantain websites for them - web design is one of the most lucrative businesses today. The beauty of this type of business is that you could easily operate from home, provided you have access to electricity for at least a set amount of time each week such that you could dedicate a solid number of hours weekly to building your customers' sites. In addition, because the www (world wide web), is truly worldwide, your clientele do not have to be limited to people or companies based in Nigeria. If you offer an excellent service, then you have the potential to become a global business.

Even with your IT / computing degree, you will need to take some courses to develop your knowledge of the different programming languages (web designers all over the world need to do this, as you cannot learn everything at University!). Invest some time on the internet, looking through the various sites that teach you about programming languages.

*Points to consider:
-You will need a website of your own, which will serve as your primary marketing tool - what your website looks like will determine wether or not people would like you to design their website.
-AS much as possible, choose a domain name that includes the words 'web design'. This will help you with search engine rankings
-Get yourself listed in as many online directories as possible

Professional Bodies / Associations in Nigeria

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Finance Officer - Lagos

The British Council in Nigeria is looking for a qualified individual to fill the post of an 'Finance Officer' based in Lagos.

Purpose of job:
To support the delivery of the financial and business processes and systems.
To contribute to the development of BC Nigeria as an innovative and high performing country operation.
To model the values and principles of an integrated operation and to ensure that we are aligned with the BC regional and global priorities. For more info regarding the job, please download and read through the ‘role profile’ document below.

How to apply?
Read through the role profile document. Download and complete the application form. To help you understand and complete the application form, read through the ‘How to complete the application’ document at the top of this page. Listed within the role profile document, you will find a number of listed ‘behaviours’ and ‘skills and knowledge’. Evidence against those criteria’s will need to be provided in your role application form. To help you understand those criterias, we have provided a ‘behaviours’ and ‘generic skills' dictionary at the top of this page.

Please read all the documents carefully before you fill in the job application form. Telephone applications or enquiries will not be considered. Completed applications should be sent via email to: Hposts@ng.britishcouncil.org Deadline: 08 November 2011.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Only candidates shortlisted for interview will be contacted. We do not accept CV's, handwritten applications or expressions of interest.

Click here to visit the British Council career site

Job Title: National Sales Distributor Manager - Spirits
Level: L4
Reports To: GM Nigeria Spirits

Context / Scope:

Nigeria Context

Diageo Brands Nigeria Limited (DBN) is a recently formed In market company, set up to represent Diageo Spirit interests within Nigeria. A wholly owned subsidiary of Diageo Plc and a sister company to Guinness Nigeria Plc (GN), which is a major player within the liquor market, primarily in the beer and malt beverage industry.

The Nigerian spirits market is polarised between top end premium, imported spirits and mainstream local spirits.

Dimensions:

a)     Financial

Accountability and Responsibility for:

·         National Sales Distributor Overhead budget

·         A&P budgets allocated from Marketing to Distributor sales.

·         Tactical operating budget

·         POS

b)    Market Complexity

The Nigerian Liquor landscape is complex with major challenges. High import tariffs on spirits and an immature retail market. The development of the route to market will be key to unlocking the potential of the Diageo spirits portfolio.

There is a developed formal On trade channel in the major urban areas whilst opportunities for spirits within the broader TBA business are as yet unrealised.

Cracking this will transform the Nigerian liquor landscape.

c)     Leadership and Functional Responsibilities

The role is responsible for the Spirits Distributor relationship and route to market within the Diageo Brands Nigeria business. Leadership and Sales Functional capabilities are expected to be at a level commensurate with the role.

The role will lead, implement and execute marketing strategic plans in field and be accountable for the execution of priority sales drivers. He or she will be primarily responsible for the relationship between Diageo Spirits and our key distributors.

·         Key member of the Spirits Leadership team.

·         Recruitment, development and management of the Spirits field sales teams.

·         Distributor and Customer management.

·         Ownership of the Performance outcomes the national Spirits field sales needs to deliver.

·         Drive the highest standards of execution excellence.

·         Managing 3 Regional Managers, Sales Support manager and a Key account manager, responsible for Wholesale/On-Trade and Off-trade.

Purpose of Role

To lead, motivate and develop the Spirits sales structure to deliver the annual operating plan in line with the long term strategy.

Top 3-5 Accountabilities

1.

Deliver Annual Operating Plan

1.     Lead trade & customer strategy to develop customised annual plan to deliver financial and volume targets for priority brands.

2.     Develop and activate annual customer account plans (JUBP) to support the delivery of business goals.

Attract, Develop and Retain Great Talent

1.     Build sales force functional and leadership capability via agreed training programmes, both classroom and In Field

2.     Ensure all team members have a clear understanding of their performance objectives and that processes are in place for development

Measurement

1.     Delivery of NSV, Vol and TP plan targets via AOP

2.     Deliver marketing plans via Market share data and Brand health scores

3.     Growth of strategic partnerships via JUBP

Qualifications and Experience Required

§ Graduate with 10-15 years commercial expertise gained across Consumer Marketing and / or Customer Management.

§ Experience of managing large, remote teams

§ A highly motivational coach and leader

§ Great People Skills

§ Strong communication skills –written and verbal

§ Ability to negotiate at a senior level with customers and distributors

Barriers to Success in Role

Inability to….

·         Work collaboratively across the broader organisation.

·         Develop partnerships with key stake holders in the business.

·        Translate business goals into specific national or regional territory objectives

Flexible working options

Based in HQ- expected to spend c 25 % time in Field

Click here to view details and to apply

Job Title: Strategic Account Executive
Location: Ikoyi, Lagos

Job Summary
The Strategic Account growth initiative is to leverage the growth of GE portfolio with an identified client in a specified industry, by improving the visibility & effectiveness of the GE businesses and its sales functions. Overall, the focus is to ensure and provide an effective coordination of metrics, dashboards, functional processes and cross-functional efforts.

Strategic Account Executive will own full responsibility for the management of a major account and / or client as well as the current relationship including growth targets. Leverage client input for feedback to marketing in new product development and industry trends. Responsible for managing plan execution to best serve identified target growth area with client.

• Provide leadership, advice, and counsel to GE senior management in support of business strategies.
• Lead with regional and headquarters sales & project teams to sell the breadth of the GE portfolio of products and services.
• Aggressively and creatively lead the development and implementation of customer GPB that would include strategies to develop and grow incremental business for the various GE Business Segments.
• Drive all aspects of account growth including strategy development, integrated account planning, opportunity identification, and value communication.
• Engaging with existing Business functional and P&L teams and leadership to achieve growth objectives.
• Establish and manage a strong relationship with high level, key decision makers.
• Develop strategic alliance agreements & technology programs that drive incremental and long-term business for GE.
• Utilize Market and Competitive insight, detailed understanding of the customer`s business model and how GE’s product and services portfolio develop and deliver added value.
• Ability to understand key deals Critical-To-Quality (CTQs) and ability to structure negotiate and close deals.
• Successfully interface with GE Businesses and GE Government team as required.
• Actively participate in community events with the customer.
• Act as the single point owner and interface throughout Inquiry-To-Order (ITO) process and as necessary throughout the Order-To-Remittance (OTR) process to drive a positive customer satisfaction (Net Promoter Score/NPS).
• Support GE efforts for Sessions I and II, and Strategic Thinking.
• Negotiate agreement to support GE strategies. Identify and develop new business opportunities consistent with GE’s business goals.
• Coordinate technology needs and programs with internal and external customers.

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