Marketing eSeminar 

Guest lecturer: *Mr Opeyemi Ogungbire (B.Pharm, M.Sc)

Module 3:  Packaging Your Products & Services  

'Image they say, is everything'.
After turning your ideas into products/services. An important aspect to consider as you strive to get your products into the market is packaging. 
We shall be taking a brief look at packaging. 

A number of new products often fail, all because much thought and care was not put into the final packaging of such products. 

As you prepare to package your products, put the following into consideration:
- The nature of the product.
- Your target customers.
- How will your product be different from those already in the market?
- What can you learn from your competitors? Their success and failures.
- What improvement can be made on your present packaging. 

Take note of these 4 rules of packaging:

1. Cost effective.
It should be low in cost but not at the expense of quality. Look for the best quality at an affordable price. Never compromise on quality. 

2. Protective.
There must be adequate protection and preservation of your product in the chosen pack. It must keep moisture (wetness), dust, insects, etc. out of the product. There must be no leaks, gaps or holes.

3. Attractive. 
Don't forget 'Image is everything'. The best product that is poorly packaged, won't do well. You don't have a second chance to make a first impression. Your first impression is your packaging, make the best use of it. Use attractive colour combinations depending on your target customers, children respond to very colourful packaging, some colours appeal strongly to females more than to males etc. 

4. Comply with regulations.
There are laws that spell out how certain products should be packaged. If your products fall into these category, it is important that you keep to these laws and regulations. 

Other tips on Packaging.
* Where possible, get a designer to help in creating the package concept you want. However you must give your designer a clear idea of what you want. 

* Branding is key.
This is your umbrella under which your various product line will come. Keep it simple and easy to remember. Get a brand colour for which you will be known. We see this example with our GSM telecom operators, each have a colour it is known for.

* Select a printer.
Get a printer that specializes in printing on your chosen type of packaging. Prints must be clear, easy to read.

Wishing you, the very best as you package your products for EXCELLENCE.  

THANK YOU.


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*Mr Opeyemi Ogungbire has extensive work experience in sales and marketing and has worked in couple of international organizations in that capacity.

Reference

Marketing Techniques for New Products and Services. DLES, Aug. 2017

Excerpts from DHIO's eSeminar series, EARnpreneurs project.

The EARnpreneurs or Project EARn is DHIO's project that addresses Empowerment, Acquisition of skills and Resource linking for deaf entrepreneurs. 

To join DHIO's EARnpreneurs, you must be deaf  and already an entrepreneur or aspiring to be one;

Must NOT be younger than 18 years old. 

To apply, please send your CV or a short biography (note) about yourself to: earnpreneurs@gmail.com

Marketing eSeminar 

Guest lecturer: *Mr Opeyemi Ogungbire (B.Pharm, M.Sc)

Module 2:  Turning Your Ideas into Products and Services 

Let's start by asking, "What is an idea? Why is it important? Are ideas enough? How do these ideas become products and services?

* An idea is "a mental image that reflects reality". 
* It is a concept existing in the mind. 
* It is a thought about a future possibility or event.
* It can also be said to be a brief outline or summary of a plan or project.

Why ideas are important? 
- Ideas are the basis of progress, no ideas, no progress, no profit, no better life. - - All that we see around us were ideas before becoming tangible and physical. 
- Ideas will help you do old things in new ways. 

IDEAS RULE THE WORLD. 

* Ideas are not enough. Ideas are useless if not properly executed and implemented. 
* Please note, ideas don't have a permanent home, they go to wherever they will be used. They don't stay with just one person. Whatever your ideas, someone, somewhere has a similar idea. So prompt execution is key.

What makes a business idea promising? 

Your ideas should:

Fill a need or solve a problem. 
Look around you for a problem to solve, that might be your gold mine, your secret to wealth. 
Be Innovative. 
Find a new and creative way of doing things. Be uncommon. 
Be Unique. 
Let your ideas be special, different from those around you.
Be Clear. 

Your ideas must be easily understood. You need to be distinct, sharp and focused with your ideas. There must be no confusion.
Be profitable in the long-term. Ensure your ideas are not just for short term profits alone. Think sustainability. Think expansion. Think growth.

How do I Turn my Ideas into Products and Services? 

The following steps will be helpful:

Write it down: Put your vision and strategy on paper. What exactly do you want.

Share your ideas only with trusted mentors and friends: Look for people who have gone through the same path. Be selective in choosing who to share your ideas with.

Define the problem your idea will solve: Ask yourself, what problem is my idea going to solve, what need will it satisfy?

Understand your market: Define your target customers by age, gender, location, income level, peculiarities etc. It is important to be clear on who your customers are, so you don't waste time, energy and resources on the wrong people. 

Develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and test for Customer acceptance: Design a model of your product and take it out to sell to some of your potential customers, to test if they would pay for it. For a service business, offer a  small part of the service you want to provide, to see if they will pay for it.

Get Feedback: Use your MVP and the test period to get feedback from your potential customers, make adjustments and corrections where necessary. Remember the customer is king

Develop your product or service: Use the information from the feedback to make your product better. Package and brand your product in a unique way
Get to Market with your product or service: Launch your product into the market. Extensively and aggressively promote your product or services to your target customers.

Wishing you the very best in your businesses 😊
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*Mr Opeyemi Ogungbire has extensive work experience in sales and marketing and has worked in couple of international organizations in that capacity.

Excerpts from DHIO's eSeminar series, EARnpreneurs project.

The EARnpreneurs or Project EARn is DHIO's project that addresses Empowerment, Acquisition of skills and Resource linking for deaf entrepreneurs. 

To join DHIO's EARnpreneurs, you must be deaf  and already an entrepreneur or aspiring to be one;

Must NOT be younger than 18 years old. 

To apply, please send your CV or a short biography (note) about yourself to: earnpreneurs@gmail.com

DRIVING SALES AND MARKETING

Guest lecturer: Mr Opeyemi Ogungbire (B.Pharm, M.Sc)

Module 1 : Introduction to Marketing 

Meaning of Marketing 

Marketing is a broad concept with various definitions.

- It is "the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers' requirements profitably".

- It can also be said to be "all the processes involved in getting a product or service from the manufacturer or seller to the ultimate consumer".

- "Marketing informs, interests and gets people to make purchase".

Take note that marketing involves GETTING PEOPLE TO MAKE PURCHASES, and this purchase should be done OVER AND OVER AGAIN. It is not enough to make a sale once, the customer should buy again and again and bring others to buy, marketing helps to make this happen.

What then are the components, elements or ingredients of marketing?

 Components of Marketing 

The components of marketing includes but not limited to:

- Market research
- Community   involvement
- Sales strategy
- Product pricing
- Distribution
- Customer support
- Promotion
- Advertising

Why should we market our products and services? 

 Purpose of Marketing 

- To catch the attention of a target group or market 
- To make it easy for  the customer to make a buying decision
- To provide the customer with a specific, low-risk and easy-to-take action

Why is marketing important? Why spend time and resources on marketing? 

 Importance of Marketing

The importance of marketing includes the but not limited to the following:

- Creates awareness for your brand
- Increases your reputation.
- Better sales and more income.
- Allows for healthy competition.
- Helps to make the business grow bigger.
- It helps to keep the business alive and well.

This will be our first module next week we will examine other aspects of marketing. Happy training and discussions.

Excerpts from DHIO's eSeminar series, EARnpreneurs project.

The EARnpreneurs or Project EARn is DHIO's project that addresses Empowerment, Acquisition of skills and Resource linking for deaf entrepreneurs. 

To join DHIO's EARnpreneurs, you must be deaf  and already an entrepreneur or aspiring to be one;

Must NOT be younger than 18 years old. 

To apply, please send your CV or a short biography (note) about yourself to: earnpreneurs@gmail.com