BUSINESS ADVISORY
Akinyele Aluko
Positioning takes its root from the basic fact that there are too many products, persons and ideas competing against themselves. This is the reality of the world we are living in today that led to graduate unemployment in a country where many years back you are already employed before you graduate from the University.
The basic approach of positioning is not to create something new and different, but to manipulate the things that are there already, and reconnect the connections that already exist. It is simply another approach to advertising and marketing. Consider professionals like lawyers, dentists, accountants, optometrists and architects. To them advertising their services is like lowering the dignity of their career. But they cannot deny the fact that competition is heating up so much that they must look for ways of positioning themselves for success. In today’s world, we must all find a window in space. What a difficult assignment.
In the years gone by, you only need to be the first to create a position for yourself. If I ask who was the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria, Late Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti comes to mind. She had by that taken a position in the heart of Nigerians, even generations yet unborn. Let us look at the music industry in Nigeria. There were so many firsts. You have the first Highlife musician, first Juju Musician, first Afro Beat musician, first Fuji Musician, first Sakara Musician and many more. Finding a place in the already crowded music world is therefore not easy.
Many have had to reposition themselves through some weird combinations of beats and songs. However one musician stands out among the many emerging ones trying to find a space. He came out as a masquerade and an anonymous one indeed. Behind the mask called Lagbaja is a young, educated and affable man called Bisade Ologunde. He tells you that the character behind the mask is not Bisade Ologunde but the anonymous being that represents you and I. It is a positioning strategy.
How can you position yourself for an entrepreneurial career?
DEFINE YOURSELF
What are you? Positioning specialists say that people suffer from the same disease as products. They try to be all things to all people. Remember, or ever met the man or woman hawking drug in the ubiquitous Lagos Molue Bus? Their drug cures all disease. Finding one thing specific to hang on to is the key issue. We want to be so many things at the same time. The questions are: What are you? What is your position in life? How well can you run your own career to establish and exploit that position? Stop vacillating. Do not wait until others help to define you.
MAKE MISTAKES
Anything worth doing it is worth doing well they say. But that is already a cliché. It is now anything worth doing is worth doing lousy. Do it lousy, make mistakes and get corrected. Procrastinate until you can do it absolutely well is running the risk of never doing it at all. Remember that Serena and Venus Williams were not born with the Racket in their hands. They surely suffered losses before becoming world champions.
HAVE A NAME NOT INITIALS
Many young people wait eagerly to use initials. Wonder why we had Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Ladoke Akintola among others. What about, Dr. Yakubu Gowon, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, General Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo? The best way to burn your names in the hearts of the people you meet along the way is to have names and not initials. In those days in the media, pen names were the other of the day. Late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo was Aiyekoto. If you can change your name or adopt a name that will position your person, all well and good. But do not get involved in name dropping.
FIND A HORSE TO RIDE ON
Horses are super animals. One big horse I learnt has the strength of eighty strong men. Finding a horse to ride on therefore means a lot in this circumstance. You are not just to ride on a thing on which you can sit astride; otherwise an Okada would have been the choice.
A horse. It is said that some very ambitious, intelligent and hardworking young men and women find themselves trapped in situations where their future looked bleak. Do you know what they do? They continue to try harder by working long hours so as to be seen to be working harder than the next person. At the end of the day, retirement or retrenchment will creep in.
Trying harder is not the answer but trying smarter is the better way. Most management people are said to be like that. They naively think that ability and hard work are all that counts and they dig in waiting for the day that someone will tap them on the shoulders with the magic wand.
The truth is that the road to fame and fortune is rarely found within us. This is very difficult to accept because of our ego. Success in life is based more on what others can do for you than on what you can do for yourself. Therefore wherever you are, try to find a horse to ride on to do the job.
Akin Aluko was Consulting Manager(SMEs), Business Service Unit, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry. He can be reached via eyealuko2002@yahoo.co.uk
To be continued next week.