I am walking around the city, sort of undecided which street to take, and this Ghanaian man appears suddenly?
“Want to buy something brother? Need clothes, shoes, phones or bags? We go to my shop. You will be happy. Come let me take you… follow me.”
This guy is a pro. He has mastered the art of approaching strangers. Telling them words of wisdom as he walks calmly with them to his shop. He does it so masterfully that you cannot refuse to first check out his shop. And once you enter, it is difficult to just exit without buying something.
This is the sophistication we all need to sell.
You almost want to shout out ‘I am not your brother’ when he suddenly says: “Brother, which country are you from? Nigeria? Kenya? Or Ghana? Where?” Finally, your reply. ‘Why do you want to know?’
“You see, brother. God is good. When I know your country, I am able to know your religion. I know most Ugandans in Dubai want to show off a lot. They want to belong here. They will wear the Moslem cap all the time. If you don’t have it on, I will know you are probably Christian. And then once I know this, I take you to where many such clothes are. Even if not my shop, I will take. I want you to be happy.”
Leading me into a new building, he says:
“Here in my job, I meet all the people from all counties. All are the same in terms of behaviour and needs. They need good things. Best quality at a low price.
However, much money they appear to have based on their clothes, phones and sophisticated appearances, they need good things at a low price. And no one has ever bought everything in my shop. They buy some and go!
As a Christian, I have learnt to focus on improving each person I meet. If you make them better than they were when they met you, success comes. Simple. The money will come when you think beyond yourself. God is always good to a giving heart.
Now you may think, I am taking you to a shop, you are going to pay. That is not it! I am doing this for free! I want you to be happy and better.”
This man is engaging and brilliant. He took me to a shop on the fourth floor, so hidden. On reaching there, I found so many customers. Beehive of activities. The location of the shop makes it difficult for walk-ins. But they get customers.
What are you doing to win? Don’t complain about what you don’t have. Think about solutions. If your shop is not on the main road, have agents to invite the people into your shop.
Learn how to win most challenges and chaos.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved
