Page 10 - Journal of Strategic Marketing Magazine - January 2019
P. 10
STRATEGY
Context is king for Africa’s
business consultants
Africa needs consultants who support scalable and inclusive business solutions, who think
rural before urban, and who will play a significant role in turning around our fortunes,
doubling our worth and having our countries trading more and more with each other, writes
James Maposa.
A frica doesn’t need another Why don’t they leverage their expertise country to country, but their context
consultant… says the career
is limited to the urban centres of the
to set up their own enterprises?
respective countries they’ve visited.
There are, of course, those who have
consultant.
But this statement is true for various
This suggests their contextual
reasons. been responsible for the development understanding of Africa and its
of viable businesses over the last
The African consulting landscape couple of years, such as Deloitte’s people is limited to urban settings. Yet
comprises global and local consultants Innovation Centre. I give them their most of the continent’s population is
who position themselves as experts dues. rural based. Too much time is spent
in subject matter, innovative thinkers, My concern is that the rate of understanding a smaller portion of
corporate entrepreneurs and so much turnover of ideas into businesses from the population and how better to serve
more. centres of innovative excellence is them, while we should be studying
They sit in client ofices/businesses, exceedingly slow. Africa’s problems the needs and aspirations of so-called
professing they have what it takes to are nowhere near being solved. We’ve ‘unbanked’ and ‘bottom-of-the-
turn your business around ad nauseum. made some great strides, but we’ve pyramid’ type customers a lot more.
only scratched This would open new and lucrative
the surface. markets for home-grown businesses
It’s for this because they would supply them with
reason that products they need, and the scale
I’m beginning would ensure most business models
to believe a are volume instead of margin driven.
new type of I saw an FNB advert a few years ago in
consultant is which a inance consultant spent time
needed, giving at a farm in an effort to understand
an opportunity to what was important for small-sized
with clients face-to-face and have a proven bring a new type farmers from a inancing perspective.
increase in lead conversion by 40%, compared of support to Based on this ‘lived experience’, FNB
to standard marketing and sales activities. emerging market was then better able to serve this
businesses. customer segment.
Exhibit with us in 2019 to boost your bottom line. Africa’s consultants should stop
Context is king bringing solutions to the table based
Too many on “shared experiences” but should
consultants rather live the rural African experience
express their to come up with products, services and
knowledge of solutions that would make a difference
the continent and contribute to the GDP per capita
gleaned from doubling over the next ive to 10 years.
their travels. There is no point in limiting your
Many have transport solutions to luxury sedans
hopped from when most of your market wants to get
p8 - Strategic Marketing
Context is king for Africa’s
business consultants
Africa needs consultants who support scalable and inclusive business solutions, who think
rural before urban, and who will play a significant role in turning around our fortunes,
doubling our worth and having our countries trading more and more with each other, writes
James Maposa.
A frica doesn’t need another Why don’t they leverage their expertise country to country, but their context
consultant… says the career
is limited to the urban centres of the
to set up their own enterprises?
respective countries they’ve visited.
There are, of course, those who have
consultant.
But this statement is true for various
This suggests their contextual
reasons. been responsible for the development understanding of Africa and its
of viable businesses over the last
The African consulting landscape couple of years, such as Deloitte’s people is limited to urban settings. Yet
comprises global and local consultants Innovation Centre. I give them their most of the continent’s population is
who position themselves as experts dues. rural based. Too much time is spent
in subject matter, innovative thinkers, My concern is that the rate of understanding a smaller portion of
corporate entrepreneurs and so much turnover of ideas into businesses from the population and how better to serve
more. centres of innovative excellence is them, while we should be studying
They sit in client ofices/businesses, exceedingly slow. Africa’s problems the needs and aspirations of so-called
professing they have what it takes to are nowhere near being solved. We’ve ‘unbanked’ and ‘bottom-of-the-
turn your business around ad nauseum. made some great strides, but we’ve pyramid’ type customers a lot more.
only scratched This would open new and lucrative
the surface. markets for home-grown businesses
It’s for this because they would supply them with
reason that products they need, and the scale
I’m beginning would ensure most business models
to believe a are volume instead of margin driven.
new type of I saw an FNB advert a few years ago in
consultant is which a inance consultant spent time
needed, giving at a farm in an effort to understand
an opportunity to what was important for small-sized
with clients face-to-face and have a proven bring a new type farmers from a inancing perspective.
increase in lead conversion by 40%, compared of support to Based on this ‘lived experience’, FNB
to standard marketing and sales activities. emerging market was then better able to serve this
businesses. customer segment.
Exhibit with us in 2019 to boost your bottom line. Africa’s consultants should stop
Context is king bringing solutions to the table based
Too many on “shared experiences” but should
consultants rather live the rural African experience
express their to come up with products, services and
knowledge of solutions that would make a difference
the continent and contribute to the GDP per capita
gleaned from doubling over the next ive to 10 years.
their travels. There is no point in limiting your
Many have transport solutions to luxury sedans
hopped from when most of your market wants to get
p8 - Strategic Marketing
