CROSSFIRE
Locate To Be Found
By Herman Githinji
Mary is a brilliant young girl . She is small in body size as well . Being small and petite , she is denied entry into most nightspots despite her age unless accompanied by an adult . She is 23 years old . She is currently studying Strategic Management degree at one of the local Universities . Unlike todays ' most young men and women , she is determined to do something ; a side hustle that can get her some income .
I was introduced to Mary by a friend because she needed help in figuring out her side hustle . She sells some homemade remedies to help women ease their period cramps . And then she was thinking of another idea of selling some headgear for women while going to bed . Something more decent than stockings or shower caps . She had figured out the target customers , price , costs , and profitability side . What she had not figured out was how to get to her various customers .
Mary is not alone . I have met many business persons with brilliant ideas but have not figured out how to create awareness and reach their customers with whatever they want to sell . Knowing your target market and their location is one thing ; knowing how to get them is another . There are two location-related but important marketing aspects we need to figure out - how to make my customers aware of my existence and what I sell , and how they can access my products or services .
While creating awareness or reaching your target market with relevant information is under Promotion , it ' s Placement that gives promotion legs . So , these two have a lot in common in the 4P ’ s of Marketing . And whether you are selling products or services , determining suitable location ( s ) where your customers can reach you or you get them is very important . The critical question is : are my products located where my target customers can access them conveniently ? Do my target customers conveniently access my services or information ?
While selling products , we always look for distributors and retailers in a strategic location who can avail our customers '
Supermarkets offer the best placement platforms for most household products but at a huge cost . Supermarkets will require long credit periods and credit limits enough to suffocate a medium start-up . Unless you have millions of shillings to lock in debtors , then supermarkets quickly become very unattractive . services or products . When selling services , we must also decide places where our customers can conveniently access information and help . Safaricom , for example , has centres where their customers can access information and assistance . I know many aspects are important to consider when starting a business , but determining where to locate your products , services , or business is crucial . Look at it this way , until customers and products or services connect , no business happens .
We all know the 4P ’ s are essential to consider , but it is vital to ponder the relativity of their importance in every situation . How much more is distribution important than the Product , Price , and Promotion regarding the business we are figuring out ? Place is the most silent P , hence often ignored , and yet this is where the rubber meets the road !
Besides Mary , I know many people with great products but can ' t figure out how to reach the broader target markets . Supermarkets offer the best placement platforms for most household products but at a huge cost . Supermarkets will require long credit periods and credit limits enough to suffocate a medium start-up . Unless you have millions of shillings to lock in debtors , then supermarkets quickly become very unattractive .
Looking for strategic distributors to place your products is also not an easy assignment . When I worked for Bidco Land O ' Lakes , I remember walking the whole of Nyahururu town , pleading with key Animal Feeds Distributors to place my Animal Feeds . No big distributor
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