Like many of you, I ventured down the entrepreneurial path a few years ago with really high hopes and an almost guaranteed conviction that everything would fall into place. Sooner did you realize that all those amazing projections was but one side of the coin. After several months you just couldn’t figure out why potential customers just couldn’t figure out the need you were filling for them nor even cared.
I have been there many times.
I have had multiple reasons to explain this in the past ranging from poor marketing, little or no ad budget, bad copy, insufficient market share, etcetera…
But today, something else clicked.
Interestingly, this is not the first time my mind has brushed over this reality. It just didn’t seem like enough reason until today.
One main reason why you are unable to get the attention of the audience you seek is because majority of them don’t read and don’t care either.
Let that sink in a bit.
Let me explain…
Digression ***
A common statement in Nigeria is that if you want to hide anything from the black man, put in in a book. Many people have challenged that claim citing the many graduates we have here and the great feats a lot of them are achieving. That is true.
However, we still have a whole lot of Africans and indeed Nigerians who will drop any piece of textual content that is more than a few paragraphs long just because it’s ‘too long’.
end of Digression****
To this day many business owners are trooping to Lagos and Abuja from within Nigeria and beyond to launch their businesses. Isn’t it curious that in these states where great deals are closed everyday, we still have extremely broke people there? Why?
The gap, is knowledge.
The people who break new grounds in business and make monumental impact are avid readers. These folks read everyday. They are in tune with current trends that matter to and help them achieve their goals and aspirations.
At the other end of the table are those who believe that they do not need to learn anything new. So they have zero interest in books or in increasing their knowledge. As a result they are ignorant about the opportunities you are bringing to the table. Worse yet, they are scared to even check it out.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin
Think about this… Why else do only few people grow in your area?
We can therefore make the safe argument that the easiest way to truly grow your business is to run it in an environment with the larger population of individuals and businesses that are educated enough to buy into your products and services.
If the people you are trying to sell your product or service are uneducated about how your offering can help them and are unwilling to read so as to learn, you are backing the wrong horse.
So, which part of Nigeria or Africa are you right now? Is your product or service getting the attention of the right crowd?
Or
Are you making noise in the minds of the wrong crowd?
You might realize that your current location is your main hindrance to scaling your business or to landing that job/ client you need to get to your next level.
Remember, if they are not educated enough and clearly don’t care about knowing more, you probably will be wasting away trying to convince them.
MOVE!!!
Let’s discuss…
Did the above make sense to you?
Can we fix it?
What recommendations would you offer?
Comment below.
PS: Feel free to email me if you would like to have a session with me to chart a Digital Marketing cause for your business.
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