Standard Style 25 May 2014 - 31 May 2014

May 25 to 31 2014 THE STANDARD STYLE / WOMAN / MOTIVATION 5
PART 2 CONTINUED
WHEN I kick-started my own business,
I was so excited that I was embracing
my passion — I was finally
going to be a full-time wedding and
events manager. In my excitement, I
must admit that I did not give much thought to
where exactly I would get clients from, or what I
would charge, how I would market my business,
how much I would make, or how I would work
on a daily basis. I am sure this makes one wonder
whether I was thinking at all! I believed that
the most important thing was to get my first
client as soon as possible. I began by advertising
my services on email to all my contacts in
the corporate world. I sent out flyers to friends,
and I visited some wedding venues to encourage
them to refer their clients to me.
I was very pleased with myself – even more
so when my first client came through within a
month of my mini-advertising effort, via the
emails I had been sending out. So I had my first
wedding planner “sales pitch” with two amazing,
motherly ladies, one of whom had a daughter
who was getting married. I cannot recall
what I said, but I know for a fact that my sales
pitch was a complete disaster. Fortunately for
me, they took an instant liking to me and hired
me immediately. I charged what I thought was
a very good rate, and I made a loss. They were
pleased with my work, so pleased, that they told
me my rates were ridiculous, and they paid me
more than I had charged them. I have been coordinating
all their family weddings since 2007.
The fact that I advertised and closed a sale
within a month of starting, gave me a false
sense of success and security. I was relaxed,
thinking that customers would come in abundance,
looking for my services. After all, there
are weddings in Harare every single weekend
in a given year, so it seemed impossible to fail! I
kept on using the same advertising channels as
I used when I first started out. Well, guess what?
Nobody wanted a wedding planner or an events
manager. In fact, several people I approached
looked down on my profession and said it was
a waste of money. “What does a wedding planner do
for me that I can’t do for myself ?” was a question I was
often faced with. Events management, in my opinion,
must be one of the most challenging services to sell in
Zimbabwe. I tried to push. I perfected my sales pitch,
listed all the reasons why I should be hired and why my
service is essential, to no avail. The dream I was supposed
to be living was starting to become a nightmare.
I was determined to make this work. I knew that I was
very good at my job, and I was convinced that there were
customers out there somewhere – people that would
have an appreciation of the value that I could bring to
their event. I decided to put together a plan of action for
ProEvents. I should have started with a plan. But I did
learn some more valuable lessons during this season of
frustration.
Make a Plan! So you’ve decided to pursue your passion.
If you want to make money out of it then take it
seriously, treat it as a business, and create a business
plan for it. If you are not sure where to start, there is
no harm in asking for help. Find a coach who has experience
in entrepreneurship to help you put together a
realistic plan.
Clearly identify your product or service, and make
sure it’s a product that people will actually want to buy.
We all want to be different, and think outside the box, or
these days think “without” the box, but we need to apply
our creative ideas appropriately. Make sure there is
demand for your product or service if you want to make
money. Then come up with creative ideas to market it.
In my case, I was offering a service that no one seemed
to want, but when I went back to the drawing board, I
realised that I was trying to sell to the wrong people,
and my sales pitch was far too aggressive.
Identify your target market, and tailor your advertising
effort to suit that particular market. I started to
network more with business people, and I discovered
that there is a market here in Zimbabwe that actually
appreciates the value in taking on a professional
events manager. The key to getting their business
was not to try and convince them that they needed
an events manager – it was to convince them
that they needed me and my company to manage
their event.
Sales and Marketing are essential for your
business to succeed. I continued to advertise
through the usual channels, but I realised that
the best way to grow ProEvents, was to ensure
that I offered my current clients world class, personalised
service. The kind of service that would
have them talking about me for a lifetime, and
have them refer their friends and family to me. In
addition to that, I also learnt that you do not necessarily
have to wait for referrals – you can actually
ask your clients for referrals. Nothing beats
a referral in any line of business. When someone
refers a client to you, they have already done the
selling for you, and statistics have shown that
92% of people trust the recommendations of
colleagues, friends and relatives, more than any
other form of advertising.
Charge the right price for your product or service,
stick to that price and avoid discounting.
Giving discounts will affect your bottom line.
I have discounted on my services to the point
where in some cases I may have used my own
cash to make an event a success, hence making
a loss. You are not in business if you are consistently
donating your services. I do believe that
sometimes you may need to offer your services
at a discount in order to gain exposure, or loyalty,
but I have learnt to make sure it’s strategic, not
accidental. Decide on the value of your product
and stick to it.
Take a step. I took a giant step by resigning from
formal employment to start living my dream.
And somewhere along the road I went back to
formal employment. And resigned again! That’s
how my journey started, and now I can honestly
say I am running a viable business. We all have
different circumstances. Your first step could
be activating that idea that you have had for the
past few years — without leaving your current
job. Draw up that business plan. Send that email.
Dreaming is good, but doing is better.
PURSUING my PASSION
Rufaro Mushonga