Business Lessons From Lagos
This past weekend I had the privilege of working in Lagos, Nigeria — Africa’s largest city. One of the joys of international travel is experiencing different and unique cultures & customs, and to get an insight into what you consider to be ‘normal’ back at home, particularly in how people do business.
Here are a few business lessons I learnt from Lagos:
“The Hustle”
In Lagos, informal transactions are two-thirds of the economy and salaried jobs are few and far between. If you want a job, chances are you’ll have to invent it yourself. It’s an entrepreneurial spirit known locally as “the Hustle”: people are constantly looking for opportunities to provide services, sell products and support customers. Certainly, there are a number of scammers around (the infamous ‘419 scams’ come to mind), but for the most part, I found the people to have a fantastic ‘can do’ attitude that ensured that they could make a good income. Virtually every person I met either has a small business or is busy planning to start one soon. This desire to create successful businesses, and the limited employment options for those who had service jobs, meant that when you are a customer you’ll find that you get quick responses and if you have a complaint, it’s handled very quickly. In short, in an environment where competition is fierce, you need to have a consistently good attitude and serve to the best of your abilities; if you don’t, someone else will take your customer from you.
Who’s your “boss”?
If I was chatting to my driver, a waiter or an employee of the conference centre I was working in, they’d invariably call me ‘boss’ as a sign of respect. It was delivered in an informal tone, but it still carried a recognition that the person saying it saw the opportunity I was a presenting him or her. This attitude of respect for me as a customer gave me the impression that I was important and that they were ready to serve me. Regardless of whether you are an owner, manager, or simply an employee, ultimately it is your customer who makes it possible for you to receive your pay cheque. Everyone likes to be made to feel special, and while you may not call your customers “boss”, when you treat your customers with that kind of attitude of respect, they’re certain to appreciate it.
Know how to get your customers’ attention
Lagos is a noisy place: there are millions of people talking loudly, cars constantly hooting, and indoors there’s the drone of air conditioners. There’s so much going on that your senses are almost overloaded. You need to understand your customers’ mindsets and circumstances to be able to get through all the noise. For example, in crowded areas, you’ll hear the occasional ’tsk tsk’ (a kind of hissing noise) or the sound of a long, drawn-out ‘air kiss’: this is what the locals use to get someone’s attention. In between the noise, these sounds work surprisingly well to call someone! From an advertising point-of-view, display advertising is big, bold and talks directly to the needs of the business’s target market. Since everyone is advertising everywhere, local business owner’s make a point of ensuring that they can be seen frequently, and in the right place. They realise that in their competitive market they can’t afford to be subtle, so they make an effort to get your attention and speak directly to you.
Network is net worth
During my visit it felt that everyone knew everyone else; of course, this couldn’t literally be true, but the successful business owners that I met had made a consistent effort to network. I got the impression that it didn’t matter what I was looking for, my contacts knew someone (who knew someone) who could organise it for me. Referrals and reciprocity are the ‘name of the game’, and although it may seem counter-intuitive, the way to achieve success in a highly competitive environment is to grow your network by sharing, supporting & helping more people.
Whether or not you get the opportunity to visit such a bustling place like Lagos, the principles here could apply anywhere in the World. Regardless of what business you’re in, your success will depend on your attitude towards prospects & customers, getting their attention and growing your network.
