Black Friday is a uniquely American tradition - the day after a major holiday we all go shopping. But not just any type of shopping, Black Friday has become a frenzy of consumerism. Every year people are trampled to death or shot over a sale item. Crazy.

Yet, I'd love to have the same enthusiasm for shopping come to Africa. Not the consumerism blood sport, but the ability of the majority of Africans to buy the goods and services they need in a quick and efficient manner. So that makes me wonder - can you buy online and ship to Africa?

Somewhat to my surprise, Amazon.com does ship to Africa and if you're lucky with customs, you can even get it by Christmas. TigerDirect.com also does international shipping, though you will need to call them directly to place an order. But alas, you'll need a valid US credit card or bank account to make a purchase with either company.

Yet Office Depot, Staples, and even NewEgg only ship to US addresses. To get around this, you could set up a mail forwarding service that sends on your packages. This is not usually a cheap option. Last but not least, you may void warranties and have a trouble getting your purchases services outside the USA.

Luckily for Inveneo's Certified ICT Partners, we offer an equipment purchasing service that allows our local partners to access all these sites and more at competitive rates. Our small part in bringing Black Friday to Africa.

By Keith Rosen, MCC 
The Executive Sales Coach™

If you're calling on a prospect with the intent to follow up with them rather than calling on them cold or for the first time (example: following up after sending them a brochure, press kit, product/service information, an initial conversation at a networking event, etc.), consider the following points:

1. Deliver Value in Every Call. When following up, don't simply call to "follow up." In other words, stay away from calling with the intention to see if they've received your information or to "check in" to ask if they have any immediate needs for your product/service. Take some extra time and weave in a compelling reason for your call. How can you deliver value to them? Is there something timely that you can share with them about your product/service or about their industry? Is there something newsworthy that you can discuss that applies to them? Perhaps a success story with a client you've worked with?

Below are some examples that you can use when making follow-up calls:
"After reflecting back upon our conversation, I have some new ideas that I'd like to share with you regarding how our [product/service] may actually complement and enhance what you're currently doing, especially when it comes to [state benefit/end result they could realize]."

"I was thinking about another client who was in a similar situation as yours and thought that you might be interested in hearing about how we were able to eliminate the challenges they had, such as [state some problems your product/service could eliminate]."

"We've made some interesting changes to our [product line/service/programs/packages] and thought of you and the results you were looking to achieve. There may be a great fit here worth exploring in more detail so that you can [state compelling benefit]."

2. Bridge Each Conversation. Bridge any previous conversation or contact with your follow-up call. Refer back to your initial conversation and remind the prospect why they need to continue that conversation with you. What initially piqued their interest? Use phrases like, "I'd like to continue the conversation we began about …"; "Let's continue our discussion about how we can …"; "As we discussed last week when we met, let's see if there's a way for us to …"; or "Based on our prior conversation, I'm calling to continue our discussion about …."  If you happen to send them literature, rather than asking if they received it, weave it into the intention of the call. For example: "Let's take a moment to discuss what I had sent you and see if it makes sense for us to proceed further/explore working together."

3. Keep the Fire Alive. If you let your dinner sit too long, it's bound to get cold. The same rule applies to your prospects. Even the warmest of prospects who initiate first contact can turn to ice. If you don't continually remind the prospect why they are investing their time in talking with you (WIIFM? — "What's in it for me?") and why this is a priority, something else will always take precedent.

This process must continue all the way up until the point when the prospect can finally realize the benefits on their own. This only occurs after the sale is made and the prospect (who has since become a client) is actually using your product or service. Now, they don't need any additional prompting, since they get to experience the benefits firsthand rather than hearing about them from you.

1. Attention: Get the attention of your prospect through advertising or promotions.  Remember the marketing section earlier?
2. Interest: Build interest through an emotional appeal such as how good they will look.
3. Desire: Build desire by starting with the OBJECTIVE and designing for the total project.  Desire is built when the end-user feels included and vested in the project.
4. Conviction: Increase the desire for your product by proving the worth of your product (compare to competitors, use testimonials from happy customers, show holistic long-term solution).
5. Action: Encourage the prospect to act. Ask for the sale; if they object, overcome the objections and ask for the sale again.

In my interview with Rachel Essendi, founder of the eCommerce marketplace, Rachel's Bargain Corner, she mentioned an interesting advantage that she felt differenced her site in Kenya.

None of the other shopping sites have an automated payment engine that integrates Zap and M-PESA. Our payment engine has set us apart from all the other shopping sites in the country.

This move towards mobile payment systems for web-based eCommerce sites is quite recent - previously they were all credit card driven. Which lead me to ask Rachel more questions, specifically around mobile payments. Her conclusion: both Zap and M-PESA give shoppers comfort and convenience unmatched by credit cards.

A new way to pay - online!

You take Zap and M-PESA, but not credit cards or Paypal. Why?

Rachel: This is a deliberate move and we have had some local publishers ask us the same question. Credit cards in Kenya are a preserve of the rich and we reckoned that this would turn off many Kenyans who don't have the same and usually associate the same with the rich.

Our target market is the majority of Kenyans and with the popularity of Zap and M-PESA in the country we wanted and continue to provide a solution that is relevant and one which the local market can identify with its all about our market.

Was it hard to get M-PESA or Zap? Do you feel they are enabling your site's growth?

M-PESA and Zap are the most popular money transfer modes in the country, this is because of their availability and ease of use, we are just riding on this technology that the mobile phone operators launched. What we did was to integrate the same into our web site. Most people identify with M-PESA and Zap and when they come to our site and see that we are supporting the same they find it easier to transact on our site.

Both Zap and M-PESA has enabled us to have our checkout system, without an efficient money transfer system we would not be able to offer a complete online shopping experience. The fees they charge are reasonable with Zap charges being lower than M-PESA, but the latter has more people on it.

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There's a new ecommerce site in Kenya, Rachel's Bargain Corner which claims to be the "complete online shopping experience in Kenya". With such a bold title, reminding me of Amazon.com's initial bravado, I've interviewed its founder Rachel Essendi, to find out more about its history and future:

Wizard of the Crow

How did the Rachel's Bargain Corner idea come about?

Rachel: Partly due to difficulty in getting employment and the thrill of trying out something new. I did a course in biomedical science and technology in university and completed the same in August 2007, I worked a bit in a laboratory before quitting but a job in the research agencies was not forthcoming and so i decided to start a business on my own, my husband who happens to be a partner in the business was for the idea also and he pledged to support me through out especially on the technical side of things.

What business capital (cash, connections, etc) did you need to get it started?

Rachel: In terms of cash we dint need much this was due to the fact that we are still based at home and all the technical work was done by my business partner Enock, while I worked to get and maintain the business connections and relations.

We started the business with the bare minimums including two laptops that Enock owned but decided to use in the business, one laptop started as the one hosting the payment engine and also served as our Internet proxy server and it was running on a Linux OS, and the other laptop we used to do our day to day work.

Was the Rachel's Bargain Corner site designed and coded in Kenya?

Rachel: The whole site and the associated support applications including the payment engine and the order management system were coded in Kenya by my business partner Enock. He has experience in system development having had short stints with two software development houses in the country. He hold a Bsc in Computer Science from Egerton University Kenya and he graduated in April 2007. He took some time off in April to work on the site and had it up and running beginning July this year. Enock is still doing the maintenance and further development of the site.

We choose to host our web site through a local hosting company that has very good terms and we started with a GPRS modem to provide for the internet connectivity.

After the Vote

How do you market an eCommerce site in a country that has low (5-10%?) Internet penetration?

Rachel: I've always believed that if you create a service that is useful to people, they will go all the way to try and access it. our target marketing avenues so far has been the print media and word of mouth - this is due to our limited budget when it comes to marketing and thus we are targeting any news outlets to create awareness about our presence and so far we have got the two leading media houses do our story.

Through the publishers that we started with we got some connections to media people and that enabled us to present our story to be put in one of the leading daily newspaper the Nation and has also enabled us to appear on a local Televison program called Zinduka aired on one of the leading broadcasters in the country Citizen TV.

During a recent Inveneo training of ICT professionals, I was amazed to hear that most everyone had a Facebook account. Not only that, the computer technicians were seeing a spike in bandwidth usage directly tied to Facebook. And absolutely everyone felt that too much work-time was spent updating Facebooks accounts.

Now you could see that as a negative - the countless lost man hours of work time spent socializing instead of producing goods and services for Africa's millions. Or you could look at it another way:

Facebook is driving ICT adoption in Africa

The consensus of group, marketing and technical experts at African ICT companies, was that Facebook was creating demand for their services.

Current clients wanted faster Internet connectivity to download all the images and video sent their way via Facebook, and more technology (cameras, video & image editing software) to create content for their Facebook pages.

All the chatter about Facebook accounts was also driving new customers to buy computers and invest in Internet connectivity. "I need to get Facebook," is becoming a common refrain at retail computer stores. This should not come as a surprise.

Facebook in Africa

Facebook has over 300,000 users in Kenya, is the most popular site in South Africa, and is growing by 20,000 new users per month in Nigeria and Ghana - 3x the US growth rate.

Facebook is encoraging this rapid growth with interfaces in Swahili and Afrikaans, with Zulu and Hausa on the way. Yes, even ICTworks is on Facebook.

Benefits Beyond Facebook

Now Facebook is not a personal favorite, but I am glad something is driving ICT adoption, and through that, an overall comfort with online activity. I expect that from Facebook usage will spring forth usage of other web services, like Twitter and blogging, and hopefully a blossoming of local African content that will make conferences like this one, seem quaint.

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With the eminent arrival of Seacom and Teams broadband infrastructure to Kenya, it's Minister for Finance, Uhuru Kenyatta, proposed three major investments in ICT to benefit university students, public servants and ordinary wananchi.

Minister Kenyatta & his budget

Minister Kenyatta announced commitments of over Ksh 16.3 billion to the Mobile Computer Laboratories, Digital Villages, and One Million Computers programs in his 2009-2010 Budget speech, as a way for Kenyans to take advantage of the cheaper broadband Internet.

Mobile Computer Labs (new)

Minister Kenyatta allocated Ksh1.3 billion ($16.6 million) to purchase Mobile Computer Laboratories - computer-filled buses - for each Parliamentary region of the country. These ICT buses will be for high-school students and follow Rwanda's ICT Bus initiative, where that country is poised to roll out mobile telecenters for rural communities under its eRwanda program.

Digital Villages (existing)

Similar to a small cybercafe, Kenya's Digital Villages are small ICT centers in each Parliamentary region that are designed to create business hubs and expand economic opportunities in rural areas. This project, in partnership with the World Bank, is already underway and has rolled out 16 centers so far.

One Million Computers (new)

Minister Kenyatta allocated Ksh 15 billion ($195 million) to the One Million Computer program, which like its name suggests, will try to disseminate a million laptops and desktops to university students and other Kenyans. This is both the most interesting and exciting program for ICT companies in Kenya.

Designed as a financing project, the government will guarantee money borrowed either by individuals or organizations to buy computers before next June, with the government paying the interest on the loans. The program s expected to work with broadband providers, who would also be interested in discounting computer prices to bring in new Internet service accounts.

This scheme is reminiscent of freebee marketing, where companies steeply discount or give away one product that creates an ongoing income stream for another. Its also an opportunity to gain up to 1 million new customers for computer companies, even if they are not ISPs.

Massive Market Opportunity

With a current computer penetration at less than 3% of the population, all these new computer users in Kenya will be looking for local training, content, and web-based services - a whole new market for local ICT vendors, software developers, and writers. Better yet, most of these new ICT consumers will be outside Nairobi, expanding the usage and market opportunity across the country. And just in time. As Information PS, Dr. Bitange Ndemo says

"The country now has a number of high speed connectivity and it would be a crime if we don’t utilise this because of lack of computers."

Not utilizing this investment as a massive market opportunity would be an equal crime as well.

Definition: “Project management is a methodical approach to planning and guiding project processes from start to finish. According to the Project Management Institute, the processes are guided through five stages: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. Project management can be applied to almost any type of project and is widely used to control the complex processes.”

Request for Proposals Process

Your response to a corporate request for proposal (RFP) can be an extremely time-consuming and anxiety-ridden process. The typical RFP is a significantly verbose document that looks more like a legal document than anything else, and has some very specific requirements. Here's how to examine the basic mechanics of the incoming corporate RFP and how you should respond.

Understand what the RFP is all about
The introduction or executive summary should give you a basic indication and description of what the project is all about. Toward the back of the RFP, you'll typically find a section called Project Deliverables, or something to that effect, which specifies what is expected of you. These two sections are the starting points to understanding what the RFP is all about.

The RFP will probably also contain a number of different titles and similar sections that, on the surface, may appear to mean the same thing. Many corporate RFPs are put together by disparate teams of individuals, so don't be surprised to see repetition in the body of the document. Nonetheless, it's extremely important to read the RFP from cover to cover. Be certain to highlight pages for items of note, including items that are not included in the project deliverables list. You'll probably also find various inconsistencies and unclear items. The timeline for response is of particular note. Managing an RFP response is the same as any other project, so you'll need to build a production schedule to properly manage production of the RFP response.

Review components and assess requirements
The first item on your timeline for the RFP response is a review of components and an assessment of requirements. You've already read the RFP and have broken out the project description and deliverables, and found various unclear items. List the components and requirements that you've found and start assembling content for a response. Depending on your situation, this strategy can begin with assembling an RFP response team and holding an initial kick-off meeting. You can delegate staff with expertise or knowledge about a specific component or requirement to assemble content for that particular section.

Your RFP response team should have a "whip," an individual who ensures that everyone is doing what they are supposed to, and an RFP lead/project champion, an individual tasked with putting it all together in its final form.

Or, if your situation is such that you don't have staff and it's just you (you're going to hire after you win), then make sure you clear enough time to properly assemble content on your own. It always takes longer than you expect.

Review the requirements
In the process of assembling content for the written response, you or your staff should engage in a critical review of the components and requirements. Consider the following questions:

• Do the specifications as requested by the RFP make sense?
• Is the project doable as specified by the RFP?
• Can you come up with additional items that would add value and increase ROI for the project?

Draft an Outline
The RFP that you've received most likely has a very specific structure. It's in your best interest to follow the exact structure of the RFP. Take the numbered heading structure of the RFP and use it as the basis for your outline. Your RFP response must deal with each section as required in the same order as the original RFP. The RFP evaluation committee on the client side will certainly try to match up the components and requirements of their RFP to your response. It's easier for all involved if you use the same nomenclature and outline structure. It also reduces the risk of information omissions.

Deal with Questions and Unclear Items
Many RFP processes will allow a period of time for questions. Ensure that you are aware of that window of opportunity and mark the date as a milestone on your RFP response project plan. If there is no such date indicated, then that's your first question.

Answers to Questions
Most likely, a number of companies were invited to tender a response to the RFP. In the interest of fairness, it is customary that answers to all questions are made available to all RFP respondents. Ensure that you are getting those answers and if not, find out why.

The answers to the questions can, in many cases, provide enlightening insight into "what they really want." It also serves as a benchmark on what the other companies are thinking.

The Presentation
An RFP presentation serves a number of purposes. On a very cynical level, it's rare that you win a project based on an RFP response alone. On the other hand, the process is certainly used to narrow down the list, and cut the slack. Your presentation may take multiple forms; it should always exist in print, but you may also be required to make a formal presentation.

Selection criteria
Your average RFP selection committee will evaluate your response based on a score sheet of criteria. Usually those criteria include:

• Demonstrated understanding of the RFP requirements
• Demonstrated ability to execute RFP requirements
• Approach to the RFP requirements
• Value-added benefits of approach
• Price

Next Time
Often RFPs request the same common things over and over again, Company History, Financials, Background, Staff, Cover Sheet, Executive Summary, etc. the list goes on.  These things are called boiler plate verbiage. These are documents and information that can literally be cut and paste into each successive RFP.  It is important to make sure you have your companies boiler plate prepared and up-to-date in order to make the process go as quickly as possible.

When done properly, responding to RFPs can be a methodical, organized process. My advice is, don't let the scope or length of the RFP intimidate you. Take it all in stride, answer all sections to the best of your abilities, and, in the end, you'll not only convince the client that yours is the best shop for the job, you'll also convince yourself.

Selling is defined in the dictionary as the exchange of goods/services for an agreed sum of money. We’ve all been involved in sales, either as a seller or a buyer. The success of your business depends on making sales. You can have the best products and marketing plan in the world, but without sales, you will not have a business. Many factors affect sales, including seasonal demand, current economic conditions, and the success of your marketing and promotional activities.

Basic Stages of Selling
Modern selling techniques are based on five basic stages or actions:

• Attention: Get the attention of your prospect through advertising or promotions.
• Interest: Build interest through an emotional appeal such as how good they will look.
• Desire: Build desire by showing features or letting them sample the product.
• Conviction: Increase the desire for your product by proving the worth of your product (compare to competitors, use testimonials from happy customers).
• Action: Encourage the prospect to act. Ask for the sale; if they object, overcome the objections and ask for the sale again.

‘Closing’ a sale is defined as completing a business deal, negotiation or agreement. There are many closing techniques that range from soft sell to hard sell. Some of these include:

Direct close: asking for the order when you are sure the prospect is ready to buy.

• Deal/concession close: letting the prospect feel as though they are making a smart choice and saving money or getting more value (phrases such as “order today and I can add this for only 10% more”).
• Time-driven close: using statements like “prices are going up next week, so you should place your order today.”
• Trial offer: letting the potential customer use the product at no risk for a trial period. This works well when selling products that make people’s lives easier; they aren’t likely to give it back if it saved them time or effort.

There are many sales techniques, but in this session we will concentrate on Relationship Selling, a successful technique for building a large and loyal customer base.

Relationship Selling
Did you know that it costs five times as much to get a new customer than to keep an existing one? That fact alone should help you understand the value of building relationships with customers and turning them into repeat buyers as well as spokespeople for your business.

As a buyer, think back to some of the most satisfying sales experiences you’ve had. Were they with people who honestly listened to you and showed an interest in your needs? Were they with people who took the time to make sure you were comfortable with their products or services? How would you feel doing business with a sales person who didn’t mind setting up an appointment to meet at your convenience, then came across as patient, low pressure, honest, and caring? What about a sales person that reacted quickly if you had an emergency? Would you be more loyal to this type of salesperson?

Relationship selling is about more than making one sale; it is about building long term relationships with your customers. The basis of relationship selling is that it is a win/win proposition. When a sale is made, both you and your customer walk away winners. Relationship selling is a way of conducting yourself that is professional, flexible, and cooperative. When selling while building healthy relationships you are living as an ethical, considerate, and helpful human being.

Knowing the needs and learning the fears of your potential customers can help you find solutions for them that will help you build a strong relationship. Once you have a relationship, working out the details is simple. But without a relationship, those details become obstacles to closing sales.

In relationship selling, high-pressure sales techniques are not appropriate After all, it’s hard to have a friendly relationship with someone who makes you feel pressured. In relationship selling, you become a support system for your customers. Your services or products become something they depend on. The more you can suit their needs and make their lives easier, the better they will respond when you make additional sales offers.

Relationship selling can also be your edge when you sell in a competitive market – especially if there isn’t much difference between your products or services and those of your competitors.

One of the best sources of new business are referrals from existing customers. This is another benefit of relationship selling; once you have a strong relationship with your customers, they will be comfortable sending their friends and acquaintances to you.

Mastering Relationship Selling
Here are some general concepts to remember about relationship selling:

• Retailers: Step out from behind the counter. This is one of the biggest mistakes retailers make. Staying safely hidden behind the counter greatly lessens your chances for developing a relationship with your customers. Let the customer know that you see them and care about them by getting out from behind the counter, greeting them warmly, and asking how you can help. If they want space (“I’m just looking”), give it to them, but remain available and accessible.
• Be honest and consistent. Deliver what you promised, when you promised it. Your word should be worth gold, to you and to everyone you deal with. If you say you will do something, do it. If you cannot follow through because of an unforeseen event, then contact the prospect, explain why you cannot, and find out what you can do to lessen the inconvenience.
• Get to know your prospects and let them to get to know you. Let them know why you started your business, and why you believe in your products or services. Other ways to build trust: Get involved in your community or neighborhood; let people meet and get to know you in a setting outside your business environment.
• Focus on your customer’s needs. When customers know you truly care about what they need and want, they will feel confident buying from you. By focusing on what your customer needs (not on what you want to sell), you will find the best fit between what you have to offer and their requirements.
• Lead prospects to what they really want if they don’t know or have trouble defining their needs. Sometimes the prospect isn’t sure what it is that they need or want; you may need to ‘talk it out’ before you discover what their true needs are. By explaining the benefits they can get from your products or services, you can show them how you can solve their problems. For example, say you own an electronics store and a prospect comes in to buy an MP3 player. In conversation, you learn that she hates watching television because of all the commercials. You show her how digital video recorders can eliminate the need to watch commercials. She was not in the market for a DVR before coming to your store because she didn’t know what a DVR was or how it could solve her problem until you led her to this solution.
• Be organized. In order to serve your customers well, you must have a system that allows you to follow up when you are supposed to, to deliver what you should when you said you would, and to be a resource for your customer. The best way to do this is to be well organized.
• Ask open-ended questions. A good way to learn the details about what your customer needs is to ask questions that cannot be answered with a simple, one word answer, such as yes or no. Ask questions that begin with Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Get your customer talking, and then listen to what they say.  Remember, your immediate goal is not to close a sale; it is to learn what your customers need and want and how you can meet those needs and wants.  
• Listen more than you talk. A powerful way to build rapport is to listen. Give customers your undivided attention and resist the urge to interrupt; hear what the prospect is saying and you may be surprised at how pleased and grateful the prospect will be to learn that you truly care.
• Be aware of body language. This applies to both your body language and theirs. If you don’t make eye contact, it will be hard for others to trust you. Likewise, if the prospect has ‘closed’ body language, something may be making them uncomfortable. Understanding body language will help you to express your concern and enthusiasm, as well as ‘read’ when the prospect is ready to be sold.
• Know when not to sell. There will be times when you absolutely won’t be able to meet your customer’s needs. When this happens, don’t be afraid to refer them to someone who can meet their needs. The prospect will respect your honesty and helpfulness, and so will the business you referred them to. You may not make a sale today, but you may establish some long term relationships that will pay off in the end.

These are some general concepts that will help relationship selling become second nature to you. However, you are running a business, and at the end of the day, you still need to make sales in order to stay in business.

The Sales Process
Understanding the sales process is critical to building a relationship with potential customers.  Below are steps in the sales process, whether you are selling a product or a service.

• Know your product or service. Know your products or services inside and out, so that you can honestly help your customer find the best fit. 
• Make the initial contact with your prospect. Whether they have just walked into your retail store or you are making a cold call on a prospect, the initial contact is where you begin the conversation to find out what your prospect’s needs are and how you might be able to meet them.
• Find out your clients’ priorities. Before you spend a lot of time selling a client on your product or service, find out if they are ready to make a purchase or a commitment, or if there are other priorities they have to meet before they are ready to buy from you. It may be wise to schedule a call back when they are ready to make a decision about what you are selling. On the other hand, if they are ready to commit, then the time is right to move on to the next step.
• Propose a solution. Once you know your prospect’s needs and wants, suggest the product or service that will best meet them.
• Focus on why they should buy. Emphasize the benefits of your products or services. Remember, people buy benefits, not features. Customers buy softer skin, not lotion made with imported lanolin; they buy a restful night’s sleep, not mattresses made of foam used by astronauts. Focus on the physical, emotional, or financial benefits the customer is looking for.
• Help your prospect see the bottom line. If you know your product or service will save the prospect money or time, or provide a better value than the competition, then point this out to the client, and support it with facts.
• Ask for the sale. Once you understand the customer’s needs and are confident that you can meet them, and you’ve presented all the benefits and reasons why the customer should buy, then ask for the sale.
• Deliver. Although you may not think of delivery as part of the sales process, it is actually the most important part of any sale; without delivery there is no sale. A delivery that is made as expected (or better yet, exceeds the customer’s expectations) will ensure that a trusting relationship continues to build.

Follow up. Find out if your customer is pleased with the product or service. If not, find out why and whether there is anything you can do to make them happy. The follow up stage is an excellent opportunity to create repeat business or get a referral.