-MR. MOSES TAIWO (MD/CEO SORT AFTER PROJECTS AND SERVICES LTD. download full copy of the magazine https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FeBheoSgjpjm6mHTW7kJYkx2tabSVWj9/view?usp=sharing
Real estate business in Nigeria is one of the most profitable businesses in Nigeria, someone has jokingly said, “REAL ESTATE BUSINESS IS THE ONLY BUSINESS THAT IS REAL”. As a matter of fact, this remains one of the longest-standing industries in Nigeria. The industry has made many smart entrepreneurs super rich, as investment opportunities always present itself in one shade or another.
Real Estate Business is the most lucrative business niche in Nigeria aside oil and gas. The rapid population growth rates in Nigeria made the real estate sector remain very lucrative as daily people are looking for houses to rent or build a home of their own.
This explains why the real estate industry abounds with business opportunities and has been ranked as the 5th largest contributor to the GDP of Africa’s largest economy.
Just like any business endeavor that will stand the test of time, any serious minded real estate company need to project a positive brand that people will want to associate with.
Brand credibility is important and you’d find it very necessary. Branding is all about creating a positive experience and impression about your business in the hearts of people. Strategy is also very important if you must survive the very competitive business terrain.
In this edition of TalkBRAND Africa magazine, we paid a courtesy visit to the office of Mr. Moses Taiwo, the gentle and soft spoken MD of SORT AFTER PROJECTS& SERVICES LTD. (SPSL).
SPSL is a Lagos based company with wealth of experience in projects developments and management, travelling and real estate investments. Read the excerpts of the interview:
Can we have a brief idea of what your business is all about? :
We are a real estate company with interests in both investment and finance. We develop estate both within and outside Lagos and its environment. We have been developing estates since inception. Our vision is developing a business line that is centred on customer satisfaction and building a service line that is customer friendly for the purpose of being a household name in the property industry. Offering excellent services with premium interest on customer convenience and satisfaction at affordable rate is a major focus of our brand.
Talking about customer-centric business strategy; what does it entail and why have you chosen that model?:
Customer–centric (also known as client–centric) is a business strategy that’s based on putting your customer first and at the core of your business in order to provide a positive experience and build long-term relationships. Customer–centricity helps you to build trust and loyalty of your customers, but also a solid reputation. It increases the probability of positive word of mouth, but at the same time reduces all friction between customers and your employees.
it’s really been at the center of business operations for as long as there have been businesses! Customers should always be at the core of your business if you want to find long-term profits. That’s because those customers who you really care for and actually try to improve their experience are going to be the ones who stick with your company in the long-run.
It Shows How Much You Care
Those businesses that actually show how much they care about customers are more likely to see those customers return for more businesses. If a customer sees that you actually care about his or her experience, then that loyalty is going to stick around. They are going to keep coming back because you see them as more than just a number on a page. And this means that you will continue to see more and more profit from them over the years, helping out your bottom line.
We know you have been in the business for years, who are your major clients?
We have among our clientele corporate organizations such as:
- African Alliance Cooperative Society Ltd,
- Yoruba Progressive Club Italy Branch,
- Onyx Access Properties Ltd and many individuals etc.
We offer Real Estate Investment Services. We sell plots of land in our Estate We offer Real Estate Consultancy service We have real estate investment opportunity for individuals. We have been developing estates since inception among which we have developed are as follows:
New City Estate, Ibeju Lekki Elerangbe Town, Lagos State Mascourt Garden Estate, Ajegunle Town Atan Ota, Ogun State Apex Garden Estate, Alapoti Town Atan Ota, Ogun State New Garden City Estate, Oloparun Town Owode, Along Owode Idiroko Road Lekky Property Garden, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State Apex Garden Estate, Obada Oko behind Federal Housing Scheme, Abeokuta, Ogun State Apex Garden Estate, Rounda Alamala Opposite Army Barracks Along Aiyetoro Expressway, Abeokuta Ogun State.
For example, we presently have estates that are fast selling, let me give you description of some of them
Our Estate Description:
LEKKY PROPERTY GARDEN, OKE MOSAN ABEOKUTA:
It is located at NLEMO town Kobape Oke Mosan expressway. It is a minute drive away from PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ESTATE and 3minutes drive away from Governor’s office OKE MOSAN, ABEOKUTA OGUN STATE. This estate has a registered Survey.
MASCOURT GARDEN, AJEGUNLE TOWN ATAN OTA:
It is located at Atan Ajegunle Town which has many landmarks such has Covenant University, The Bell University, etc. It is close to Agbara town.
APEX GARDEN, OBADA ABEOKUTA:
It is located rightly behind Federal Housing Estate, Obada Oko. It is very close to town and there is lots of Development around.
APEX GARDEN ESTATE, ATAN OTA SOKOTO ROAD:
It is located off old Sokoto Road Atan Ota behind the flour mill plant. Atan Ota Town has landmarks such as Covenant University owned by WINNERS CHAPEL, The Bells University, Agbara Industrial area and many other notable landmarks.
NEW GARDEN CITY ESTATE, OWODE TOWN:
The Estate is located at Owode Idi Iroko Oloparun Town very close to the ever busy Owode market. Document available on this land is registered survey.
NEW GARDEN CITY ESTATE ATAN OTA TOWN:
The Estate is located at Atan Ota Town. Atan Ota is the next town immediately after Covenant University owned by Winners Chapel. Document available on this land is registered survey.
NEW GARDEN CITY ESTATE, IBEJU LEKKI:
The Estate is at Elerangbe Town along Lekki Epe expressway, Ibeju Lekki. Elerangbe is the next town immediately after Eleko junction. Document available is registered survey and Gazette.
What challenges do you see in the industry?
The challenges facing us a company is finance and marketing.
Finance: the industry is highly capital intensive and to access finance has been a lot of challenges. Government does not even look at this area of providing homes for the citizens and we that are helping them in achieving the feat have been left with struggling to get funds raised from other area and the cost of raising funds is very high so raising required funds has been challenging.
Marketing: Marketing is also another challenge because of the unscrupulous organizations that are out there deceiving people and this has affected our marketing because prospective clients don’t know those that genuine and so people tends to play safe with their hard earn money. The reason for this scammers to be able to achieve their feat is because there is free entry and free exit in this industry. Our governments have tried to regulate the industry most especially Lagos State Government but there’s more to it.
You just signed on a new brand ambassador, that seems to be a famous practice in the industry now, why the choice of the ambassador and why a brand ambassador?:
Brand ambassadors are an important part of the formula companies and organizations use in order to help build a solid brand identity and reach consumers on a consistent basis. This technique humanizes branding and establishes a relationship with consumers on a level that other strategies such as slogans or product placement cannot.
A brand ambassador, also known as a brand representative, brand influencer or corporate ambassador, is a person enlisted by a company to represent their products and create and maintain a brand identity.
Brand ambassadors often need an established following, usually on social media platforms, and a consistent brand through their outreach within your community of followers. However, it is not necessary to already have a following, as some companies will guide you in creating one after you’re hired.
What does a brand ambassador do
Brand ambassadors are the face commonly associated with the brand and they are responsible for establishing and maintaining their own image in accordance with the images and beliefs of their employer. Many brand ambassadors are expected to maintain a consistent presence on several social media platforms, write or blog about the brand or product and attend product launches or other events to represent the brand.
Brand ambassadors must be adept at communication and have the ability to network like a professional. Brand ambassadors must often work to maintain the relationship between the brand and customer, and brand and partners or associate brands. A brand ambassador’s primary goal is to increase brand awareness and sales through such things as:
- Positively representing the brand in a myriad of settings though action and demeanor
- Cooperating and assisting in content creation (blogs, posts, reviews, product promotion)
- Utilizing word of mouth marketing to help naturally generate brand awareness
- Promoting the brand on social media platforms
- Participating in product and event marketing such as launches and demonstrations
- Communicating with consumers on product feedback and listening for recommendations
- Being an opinion leader and expert on product
Yes we just signed on a brand ambassador, NOLLYWOOD ACTOR JIDE AWOBONA, he has lots of fan base, and we are more than convinced his brand has a lot in common with what we want to project as a business and also we have a lot of values in common.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you too.