THE GHANAIAN WAY OF DOING BUSINESS
Have you ever encountered a trader or any other sort of business man or woman who left you wondering why they were into selling or into any sort of sales business? Have you ever been badly treated or rudely addressed by any trader either in the market or at any particular shop or in the course of buying something or making an enquiry? Have you ever had to witness a trader mistreat a customer for no reason?
Quite sadly, that is the Ghanaian way of doing business!
Clearly in Ghana, the statement: “The customer is always right”, means nothing to most shop owners, market women and men including other business enterprises. Most of our business or market men and women lack the fundamentals of any business enterprise which is good customer care. There are some who are doing quite well in that field but I am addressing those doing otherwise.
It is sometimes really annoying( and I believe a lot of people share this sentiment) when you have to wait at a shop whiles the owner or sales person takes his or her time to attend to you especially when you have something urgent to attend to. Some of these people even go to the extent of behaving rudely, talk back or even attack customers both physically and verbally although the verbal abuse is quite common especially when you demand to be served.
Contrary to what we witness back home in Ghana, the story in the western or foreign and most developed countries is totally different. The way and manner in which customers are treated makes a product so attractive even when you have no need for it at that time. The kind of language and the behaviour of shop attendants in most developed countries will encourage you return to that shop after leaving and subsequently make recommendations to others. Back home, all you will feel is regret for ever stepping foot into a shop based on how you get treated and after wards swear never to step foot there ever again.
Most shop owners in the country especially our small businesses are so rude and lack basic communication and marketing skills. They all seem to have an inner pride that tells them they are in no need of anything from anyone. After all, they have enough to eat at home and have enough money on them and do not need your little purchase for no reason. Can a business exist without the patronage of humans? Even if that business is to serve animal needs, it is a human being who will come in to make a purchase.
For some shops, as soon as you make an inquiry or conduct window shopping, it is automatic that you make a purchase. Other shop owners do not even pay attention to customers. It is shocking to go into a shop with the aim of making a purchase only to meet the shop owner or attendant, busily talking on phone or even chatting with friends. This is really annoying! Sometimes you make an enquiry with the aim of purchasing afterwards and no one seems to care. Is that not shocking? How do we expect our businesses to grow if we exhibit nonchalance at work?
Others are also into classification. They look out for customers who look presentable and presumably well-to-do and channel all their energies towards treating such really well and persuading them to buy. You will marvel at the praises they will sing just to lure such people to buy from them although disappointing at times. For those whose appearance tells otherwise, forget it! The best you can get is to be ignored and the worse, a sack from the shop accompanied by insults. What most business owners fail to recognize is that, however insignificant a person may seem, they still count in the world of business especially if a sale is recorded at the end of the day.
Why should anyone operate any business which basically involves human interaction when they are not cut out for that?
As a country, we are all experiencing a hard economy and all these are linked to our attitudes towards work and life although we fail to recognize this. It may be that you are working for the government, a private individual or even for yourself. It is your attitude towards your work that makes the difference. Those who are most of the time guilty are the self employed. They often feel they are under no obligation to no one and can do whatever they like but they should bear in mind that although they are under obligation to none, they have an obligation to themselves. That obligation requires that they succeed in whatever endeavour they find themselves and that is ultimately dependent on the contribution of others however insignificant a person may be. We cannot do without each other. We all need one another to survive and to make it. One person’s irresponsibility today becomes the pain and suffering you experience tomorrow. That is the truth about life and about coexistence.
For today, it seems only to be an individual you mistreated but the testimonies of that individual may go a long way to destroy your business however insignificant he or she may be. I know a lot of people can attest to this statement. There are some businesses that have been in existence for years without making any progress. Consider some of the factors I have outlined above and you will find an answer to it- Customer Care!
Some people define business as the amount of commercial activity or patronage that exists at a particular time. Are you then in business of none of these exist however successful in terms of making sales or unsuccessful in terms of making none, it may be? Others also define business as a situation or event that is characterized by difficulty, fuss or unpleasantness and all these are normal human behaviours. The marks of a successful business man or woman is being able to rise above all that and this can only be achieved by guarding your emotions and personal attitudinal problems. Leave your bad attitude at home and put up a good one at the work place; at least we will find a better use of our pretenses.
We always want to compare ourselves to the developed countries but the little things we can do to rise up to such levels are always ignored or taken for granted. What do you think is the secret of the successes these countries have made? They started from the very little things we ignore. They put on their best attitudes at work and served with all their hearts. Please if you do not have the heart to tolerate people and also do not have the heart to accept and welcome people from all works of life, it will be better to step aside and allow those with the calling to do so. If you are thinking of opening up any business enterprise but also know of your poor interpersonal skills, it will be better to put a hold on that until you can get someone who can manage your business very well.
Published: Daily Graphic (12th. Oct. 2010).
Comments
Post a Comment