I chose to discuss the above subject in this issue of my newsletter because over the past seven years, I have come across too many web designers/developers and also software developers, who have the technical expertise, but are unable to get adequate remuneration from the clients who hire them.

Chance meetings with individuals claiming to be certified "graduates" of some popular computer programming training schools here in Lagos, have led me to discover most of them lack business marketing/project management skills or know-how.

By this I mean they (hopefully) have acquired the needed technical skills to develop software or websites from the schools they attended, but are often not equipped with crucial business marketing and selling skills, that would enable them make enough money to profit from using their skills to serve clients

I have seen, read or heard about people offering training to enthusiastic learners on "Web design, software development etc". What I have however discovered is that most of these training events never include teaching the attendees :

(a) How to find potential customers

(b) How to sell successfully to such potential customers

(c) How to negotiate to win profitable jobs with the right customer types

(d) How to plan and implement projects won to ensure completion to client satisfaction

(e) How to use completed projects and satisfied clients to win jobs from new clients - and repeat business from existing customers.

And those five (5) key concerns, are what this issue of my newsletter is about.

So many people who venture into business - whether product or service provision - fail to pay attention to LEARNING how to effectively market and sell themselves/their products or services to those who need them, in a way that earns them profitable NAIRA remuneration.

Here's what I think any person who has the above problem can do (based on my personal experiences/achievements):

A. Identify Your Ideal Customer: The first step for ANY business is to develop ways and meads of identifying people in the market place who fit the target audience profile for your product or service.

B. Decide How To Reach Him/Her: Many times, it is better to spend time THINKING and PLANNING before you jump on to the streets and start DOING. No matter how much money you have at your disposal, doing this will help you get better results, than if you did not do it.

Indeed, my experience has taught me that when you have "enough" money, it can sometimes make you less prepared to STOP and THINK about the most effective way to reach your target customer. You tend to get "itchy pockets/fingers" - ever so willing to spend and then "wait to see what happens".

I urge you to save your money for those more crucial situations when you will need it. In fact, it would be smarter for you to think and act like someone who does not have enough money. How does such a person behave? Well, s/he is more likely to stop and think before spending one kobo of available limited funds until s/he is sure it will yield reasonable dividends that will move the business forward.

A lot of people think if they throw money at their business marketing, it will eventually yield the results they want. Quite rarely does this "shooting in the dark" method work. A better approach, based on my tested and proven methods is to explore/experiment using a variety of ways to reach your intended customers, and objectively measuring which gives you the best results. Over time, you can build on what you learn from doing so, to win more customers - at less cost.

My philosophy is to aim to spend as close to ZERO naira as possible to win every new customer. You will have to develop and test your own ideas, till you find something that works.

C. Present (& Negotiate) Your Offering: For some people, the prospective customers eventually start coming as they market and/or advertise. But, due to this inadequacy I mentioned, that's when they struggle the most! These service/product providers typically have difficulty telling prospective clients what they can do, how long it will take and how much they will do it for.

As a result, they end up being arm-twisted by clients to accept to do jobs way beyond the scope agreed, working longer than they quoted for, and getting paid less than they negotiated. Actually, negotiation is one major area of weakness for a lot of these guys.

They let clients "fool" them with "I want everything and more that you can do, but I don't have enough money to pay you profitably, so please help me" propositions. Which is why they go from job to job barely able to make ends meet.

My advice: Tell them what you can do for them - use simple English, not technical jargon. Most times they will be non-techies. It is important that you help them SEE the end you aim to deliver to them in their minds' eyes.

For instance, say "would you not like to have potential customers discover your website on their own, without YOU having to give them your website address by yourself?" Once they buy into your "offer", they will ask how much - most serious prospects will ask this question at some point, before your discussion ends.

You should respond by telling them your price and giving reasons for your fee if they ask - making sure to add that a reduction in price below a certain point will mean delivery of LESS product/service. To be able to work in this manner, you must have spent good quality time THINKING of how to cost your products/services(including your time), so that your explanations will be convincing.

For instance I use my hourly rate of N3,000 as a basis/reference for costing most of the work I have to do. And I actually did some calculations to arrive at that figure. This makes it quite easy for me to defend my fees to prospects and clients.

One more thing: Some clients will tell you to do work for them at a loss, so that you can then use them to win new clients that would give you a profitable project to do. Very rarely will this be a smart thing to do. I say this from personal experience. KNOW THIS: If the client truly values your expertise, s/he will have no difficulty letting you make a profit in serving him/her.

D. Do Your Job - And DO IT WELL: If/when you eventually get hired, one would hope (for your sake) that you actually have the competence to complete it to the agreed standard that would satisfy the client.

If not, one would hope (again for your sake) that you actually have one or more resource persons you can call on to HELP you get the work done on time, and to the desired standard. Success at this point would result in a happy customer, and a completed job you can use to win over more customers. Failure here would make you look very bad.

There's quite a lot more I can tell you, but the above provide a useful starting point, that you can build on.

Summary: If you are not making money PROFITABLY from serving your clients as a web designer, developer or software developer, then it could be that you have not properly developed the business side of your operations.

But correcting this problem will NOT require you to go attend an MBA class. You just need to develop the right methods, and processes. I developed mine by learning from (hard, painful) experience, and also by studying what others have written about their own experiences, and achievements.

For instance, my best lessons on marketing myself PROFITABLY as a self-employed professional, were learnt from reading articles/newsletters written by Jeffery Meyer owner of http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com and  http://www.sitepoint.com's Brent Sinclair.  Do a search on the web - there are many more proven experts like them offering excellent insight on how to do business better in this regard.

You can connect with me on facebook, to ask me questions about how you can develop your business marketing systems as a web designer, developer or software developer here in Nigeria.

There is quite a lot I can share with you - from practical negotiating techniques tested to work with Nigerian clients, to special paper based formats and documents that make getting paid so much easier. Isn't this (i.e. getting paid profitably) why we work for clients? Except you operate as an "NGO", you should be keen to learn what you can do better!

Go to http://facebook.com/tayo.solagbade and add me as a friend today, to get started.

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Yours in Self-Development!

Tayo K. Solagbade
Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist