MBOMBELA – According to Linda Grimbeek, chief operating officer of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT), no standard advice guide on how to do better business applies to the region.
Grimbeek gave the keynote address at the PMR Africa Awards held at Emnotweni Arena on December 4. In her presentation she shared the top 10 mistakes people made while doing business locally. According to her, one was underestimating the power of local culture.
“Don’t think you are going to get an appointment with someone on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon,” she joked. On a serious note, Grimbeek pointed out that you were likely to not even get an appointment with a Lowveld businessman if you did not know him.
“That is why networking is so important. People don’t do that enough, while they should be networking at every opportunity,” she said.
ALSO READ: Safe online shopping with your credit card
Grimbeek added that locals are unfriendly and tend not to greet one another. “We market ourselves as such a friendly place, but we are not at all.”
She added that people also failed to get the best use out of social media. Grimbeek shared that she has two Facebook profiles: one for her family and another for her professional persona.
“How are you going to get people to like your refrigerator company’s Facebook page? You are not. But if you seem like the most interesting person, people will like it, and every now and again you can tell them you have a special – and they will buy it. That works very well in the Lowveld.”
Other mistakes locals make are being dishonest or not delivering on their promises, a poor work ethic by owners, a lack of financial savvy, poor staff training and recruiting practices, a lack of a budget and marketing plan, no vision, no focus and not sharing a vision with staff and clients.
The COO added that renowned economists identified people’s negativity as the largest contributor to the flatlining economy. Grimbeek likened negativity to cowardice. “As a label, cowardice indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge,” she quoted.
Her symptoms of negative energy include excessive complaining, criticising, forced relationships, blaming others, no vision for the future and a feeling of things being cluttered.
“Is this a true description of your business frame of mind?” she asked. However, she offered a cure (see below). “Attach yourself to your passion, not your pain,” Grimbeek concluded.
The cure for negativity
• Declutter. Be prepared for everything.
• Create a sacred space and time for yourself.
• Surround yourself with positivity.
• Inspire others.
• Give more.
• Solve problems, or learn to live with them but, do not complain.
• Disregard things that are out of your control.
• Change the things that you can control. You have no excuse not to.
• Create a vision. Plan to succeed and then, succeed.
ALSO READ: Mpumalanga achieves 79 per cent pass rate for 2018
