How I Embraced a New MiFi Brand: The Secret to Rapid Business Growth

The Problem

Frustrated and depressed, I walked into a printer’s shop for another service. Prior to that, I had experienced two gut-wrenching problems: my phone crash and purchasing an incredibly slow broadband connection.

My phone crashed in the middle of a transaction, forcing me to opt for a mobile MiFi.

I had come from Nigeria to Rwanda, and back home in Nigeria, I used a certain network provider. Based on my Nigerian experience with that brand, I assumed they would deliver here as well. So, without conducting any research, I decided to buy from them.

With hope and trust, I headed to their office. The staff greeted me with amiable customer service, I made my purchase and went back home eager to put the MiFi to use.

But there it was, lagging and slowing me down. I literally screamed and cried out in my sitting room. I googled for a reliable network provider that could stop my pain. Yes, that was what it was--pain. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I googled tirelessly but the results were unrelated to my present need.

This problem persisted throughout that day into the next. By the next morning, I was overwhelmed with frustration. So I decided to head over to a printer’s shop to carry out other personal tasks that needed my attention.

The Turning Point

Right there, at the printer’s shop where I was sitting, I remembered walking past an orange-branded emblem, just next door. Feeling desperate, I decided to try my luck– even though I was fed up at this point.

I excused myself from the printer’s shop and walked into the other. Three employees were seated, each in front of their respective work desk, arranged in an L-shape. They were two ladies and a gentleman.

I greeted and began my inquiries with the gentleman, who sat closest to the door.

Unknown to me, I immediately launched into a rant about my struggles in finding a reliable mobile MiFi with fast network speed. When I realised I was off track, I switched to asking if they had one available, what the price was and if I could bank on his words about the speed.

“I know you’re a salesperson”, I said “...but please, don’t lie to me.”

I had hit the end of the road and had to appeal to his human, not sales conscience.

To my surprise, the first thing he did was show empathy. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said. 

This was a trait I had already assumed most Rwandese government and corporate workers lacked, due to my recent experience with some of them.

The Selling Point

Before revealing the price, he asked me to connect my laptop to his phone’s hotspot, and then went on to prove the speed rate of his company’s broadband network on the Speedtest by Ookla site.

The result was impeccable. I was impressed but still skeptical. 

“Is it not because I’m in your office?” I asked. 

With a smile he replied, “We offer a 12-month warranty. You can have my number and call me anytime any issues arise.” 

Boy, was I sold in completely at the mention of that. Doubt fled with all its cohorts.

“I’ll have it.” I said.

Now, look how interesting this gets.

He engaged me with chatty but meaningful conversation throughout the registration process. From conversations about Nigerian comedy skits to my profession and then my experience as an MBA Project Management student. 

Being a conversationalist myself, we exchanged interests and I got to know his aspirations to further his Master’s sometime in the near future.

As I sat there, I glanced to my left and noticed a display of phones in a showglass. The lady seated nearby seemed to be in charge.

“What brand are these phones and what are their prices?” I asked.

She explained the features of each phone and recommended a model with 128GB and 8GB RAM. She particularly said that it would suit me best as a student.

As a student? I was impressed.

She was paying attention all along---another commendable trait from a businessperson.

She gestured towards the phone for my purchase till I stopped her, saying “not today, some other time.”

The attentive gentleman attending to me chipped in that the phone was a great choice, especially since I didn't have a smartphone.

You’ve got to acknowledge these workers' attention to details.

I teased that they were so good, they might make a customer go bankrupt buying all the products in their shop. 

My registration was complete and I stood to leave after a closing thank you.

“You should come back soon for the phone.” he added as he and his female colleague bid me goodbye.

What a soothing experience that was. I felt like a patient who went into the hospital groaning in pain only to be saved by the caring hands of the medical experts.

After Sales

I was now comfortably performing my online tasks, thanks to the racing speed of my newly loved broadband provider. But one would think it ends after sale. 

Wrong. 

I received a follow-up call from a customer care agent. Another polite Rwandese. 

After asking politely for some minutes of my time, she proceeded to ask about my purchase experience, if I received proper guidance on how to use the MiFi, and even gave me a speed-dial number to call whenever I needed to renew my monthly data.

Now, you tell me how you’d feel about that?

The Point

Every day, people keep camping out of different brands for different reasons. 

What are you doing to make them pitch their tent in yours? 

What policies have you put in place to make them feel safe? 

What mandatory training have you upheld to exude an aura of warmth and service? 

Do you have a welcoming manner of approach? 

In a nutshell, is your company’s culture customer-centric?

 

You see, you keep leaving money on the table because of the complacency to level up. 

But you must understand that one customer is linked to a network of people. One customer experience always has a ripple effect to either accelerate or decelerate your business. 

As the popular marketing quote goes: the oldest, most reliable marketing strategy is word of mouth. 

This means that losing one customer can be likened to losing thousands, millions or billions of revenue growth. 

This also implies bad business for you if you are the kind of person who treats clients based on how they look, dress or speak.

Get this. Growth in Business is all about one thing: GENUINE INTEREST IN PEOPLE. 

Interest in their happiness 

Interest to relieve their pain 

Interest to make them feel good

Interest to make them look better 

Interest to upgrade their life.

Life is a game of interests and the outcome of your business is directly proportional to the level of your interest in people.

Money, for sure, is needed but remember: to get the golden eggs, you've got to take care of the goose that lays them.

While there exist multiple business strategies, this is an invitation for you to strengthen the root for your business growth and expansion: GENUINE INTEREST IN YOUR CUSTOMERS

PS: If you found this valuable, please share this to any business owner you know and let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.