Business link magazine july 2014 issue

BusinessLink Magazine July 2014 ||Pg 1

A great attitudeattitudeattitudeattitude
becomes a great daydaydayday
which becomes a
great monthmonthmonthmonth which
becomes a great
yearyearyearyear which becomes
a great lifelifelifelife. [Mandy
Hale]
ALWAYS DO CAREFUL RESEARCH
BusinessLink magazine is designed to
educate and provide general
information as well as to stimulate
readers’ thinking. While every care is
taken to ensure that information in this
magazine is correct, we advise readers
to consult their professional advisors
when making business decisions. The
magazine is distributed on the
understanding that the publisher is not
rendering legal or financial advice and
readers use the information herein at
their own risk.
BUSINESSLINK
MAGAZINE
BusinessLink, the magazine for
growing companies, delivers real
solutions for today’s innovative
business builders. It gives advice,
tools and resources to CEOs and
owners of small-to-midsize
companies as well as new
entrepreneurs that help accelerate
their growth.

Publisher: Phillip Chichoni, email chichonip@smebusinesslink.com
Marketing : Christine Mangwanya, email marketing@smebusinesslink.com
Design and graphics: Nzwisisai Gonese, email nzwisi@gmail.com
Distribution: PCL Marketing and Distribution
BusinessLink Magazine is published by
Admiral Business Systems (Pvt) Ltd
Suite 308, 3rd
Floor Merchant House,
43 Robson Manyika / 2nd
Street, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Phone 0772 854 301
http://smebusinesslink.com
© Admiral Business Systems 2014. All rights reserved
Get BusinessLink magazine delivered to your
email inbox every month. Subscribe for only
$10 for a year.
Please visit http://smebusinesslink.com/magazine

Table of Contents
Publisher’s note: Proper Management and Innovation Will Drive Agro-
Entrepreneurship Success..................................................................................................7
Readers Have Your Say ..................................................................................................8
The Trap of Inaction.......................................................................................................8
Fear Robbery .....................................................................................................................9
4 Power Lines to Ignite your Purpose...............................................................................10
Lesson in Effective Guerilla Marketing from the World Cup.............................................11
Entrepreneur on Fire: Meet financial markets and ICT genius Samuelle Dimairho ..........14
Facebook Quiz: Win lunch with a CEO .............................................................................15
In an economic crunch the Client is King..........................................................................16
Digital Marketing: The Advent of a New Era in Marketing ...............................................18
Brand it like James Bond..................................................................................................20
Networking: How to Start and Hold Productive Conversations........................................22
How to make money online in Zimbabwe: 6 Local Case-studies ......................................25
12 Excel Tricks to Expedite Common Chores....................................................................29
The Best Snacks To Eat At Your Desk...............................................................................32
Breakfast with Chomi Makina: Relationships are crucial to business success ..................35
Winning Ways: Don’t undervalue yourself.......................................................................36
Join the BusinessLink Network and Start Accelerating Your Growth............................37

Manufacturers of: Office Safes, Strongroom Doors, Filing Cabinets &
a wide range of Industrial Catering Equipment.
You will find us at No.10, Isafil Industrial Complex, 667 Seke Road, Hatfield, Harare
Phone: Tel 04-2933391/ 2 Cell: 0772 403 827, 0712 400 534, 0733 377 915
Email: safesequip@yahoo.com
Thinking of starting aThinking of starting aThinking of starting aThinking of starting a business? Or do youbusiness? Or do youbusiness? Or do youbusiness? Or do you
wanwanwanwantttt to write a professional business planto write a professional business planto write a professional business planto write a professional business plan
acceptable to investors and financiers?acceptable to investors and financiers?acceptable to investors and financiers?acceptable to investors and financiers?
Get all the insights you need from the Business Planning Simplified eBook, available
on CD or via email, for $5.00, or $12 for the printed edition.
Also available: Business Starter Pack eBooks, @ $2.50, or $6 for the printed edition.
Visit http://smebusinesslink.com/businesslink-resources or come to 3rd Floor
Merchant House, Robson Manyika/ 2nd
Street, Harare, or call/ Whatsapp Christine on
0772 854 301.

Publisher’s note:
Proper Management
and Innovation Will
Drive Agro-
Entrepreneurship
Success
In last month’s issue, we looked
at the three cogs necessary for
success in the business of farming,
which are: running it like a business,
going for value and always being
innovating.
To validate the points we raised,
a local newspaper recently featured
the story of Manicaland farmers
whose lives are being changed as a
result of commercial banana
cultivation.
The farmers, working with the
Zimbabwe Agricultural Income and
Employment Development (Zim-
AIED) programme funded by the
United States Agency for
International Development (USAID),
have witnessed an increase in their
yield through improved agricultural
practices and new technologies,
such as irrigation systems, better
fertilizers and improved post–
harvest handling.
Chipinge district, characterised by
a hot climate and high rainfall
patterns, is well suited for
agriculture. It is traditionally
reputed for its abundant tea, coffee
and macadamia nuts. The hot, dry
Save Valley is home to many small–
scale and subsistence farmers who
traditionally scraped a living from
cultivating the staple maize crop.
Farmers’ incomes have been on
the rise in response to the increase
in banana yields, with farmers
realizing sales incomes ranging
between $5 000 and $6 000 per
0,25 hectare plot. This has been
complemented by prices soaring to
as much as $0,31 per kg.
The project, in which banana
marketing company Matanuska
poured in 20% of the funding in
partnership with Zim-AIED, has 128
women participating along with 110
men at Mutema irrigation scheme
alone.
Zimbabweans have the potential
to move out of poverty into self-
sustenance through implementing
the three cogs in their farming
businesses.
Please email me your feedback,
or get on Twitter: #BizLinkMagazine.

Readers Have Your Say
The Trap of Inaction
By Milton Kamwendo
Dear BusinessLink Readers
This is your page. Please feel free to share your thoughts. Your feedback and
suggestions help us improve our content and quality.
Please email them to chichonip@smebusinesslink.com.
You can also post at our Facebook page, search for the SME BusinessLink page

Fear Robbery
“Do one thing every day that
scares you” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
By Milton Kamwendo
Robbery is
never good.
Vandalism is
never heroism.
To rob
yourself of a
future because
of fear is to
punch too low and live
irresponsibly. When things are really
tough and fearful it is difficult to
imagine that there will be a future.
When you are just eking through
each day and living from hand to
mouth, it is difficult to think
strategically, plan thoughtfully and
act boldly. Even when all around
you are fearful and scampering for
comfortable cover, you must shake
off the mantle of fear and let faith
be your life's narrative.
The past is past, today is the
product of yesterday and it is up to
you to name the future you want
rather than let fear dictate your
faith. The name you give the future
has nothing much to do with your
environment or circumstances; it
has all to do with your state of mind
and vision.
Refuse to be a fearful soul that
thinks that everyone owes you a
living and you are a victim. Life is for
the bold and courageous. Fear
flattens your tyres.
To the fearful the future is called
"The Falling off the Edge." The
fearful feel that the future must be
approached with fearful caution as
though stepping on the edge of the
Victoria Falls.
Fear imprisons dreams and kills
initiative. Many people cannot step
boldly into the future with a
magnificent vision because they
imagine fear breaking their bones
and serving their brains as lunch.
Refuse to let fear stop you from
trying, moving forward and
attempting something worthwhile.
Most of your fears have not
happened and will never happen
anywhere except in your mind.
The biggest fear that haunts
people is the fear of death.
Whenever I conduct a presentation
skills workshops one of my opening
lines is always that people have
three major fears. The first one is
the fear of death, the second is the
fear of speaking in public. The third
is the fear of dying while speaking in
public!
Never let the fear of death
reduce you into a shadow of death
yourself. It is better to die while
pursuing something worthwhile,
than to live a life which is nothing
more than a daily rehearsal of
death. To die while you are living is
to expire too soon.

Do what you fear and see if will
still be alive. Some people will never
travel far, because they are afraid
they will be lost and will lose
relevance and cultural touch. Some
people will never attempt
something big because they fear
they will fail and everyone will
congregate at their house for a
laughter party.
It is better to fail having
attempted something big, than to
succeed at allowing fear to be your
master. Some people will never
dream big because they are afraid
they will just be frustrated and their
dreams will never happen. Refuse to
be a slave of fear, a cousin of fear or
its sibling.
What would you do if you were
not afraid? There is no heroism in
cowardice and there is no pride in
doing nothing. There is no growth
that comes to those hiding their
talents, ideas and dreams in the
shroud of fear.
You may feel justified in your
fears, but rest assured posterity will
not absolve your of your
irresponsibility. The fear of falling
off and being embarrassed or
injured may look real. Twenty years
from now will you be so proud that
you were such a fearful wimp that
could not dare anything, believe
anything or attempt anything?
Come to the edge and you will learn
how to fly. Come to the edge and
you will do what you have never
done. You can never be anything
you have never been before if you
are always doing what you have
done. You will never fly if you are so
obsessed with walking on firm
ground.
Committed to your greatness.
Milton Kamwendo
4 Power Lines to
Ignite your Purpose
• The fact that other people may
have failed in one area does not
mean you will too. Count
yourself fortunate to have access
to how others failed because you
now know how not to fail.
• The fact that you are unique
does not mean you are inferior.
It is not possible that everyone
will have the same purpose
otherwise others will lack
relevance.
• The gap between challenges and
solutions is one's willingness and
resolution to work towards the
solution.
• When it is your time, no one can
stand in your way and prevail.
Even your enemies will propel
you to the top.
By Rabison Shumba

Lesson in Effective
Guerilla Marketing from
the World Cup
Picture Credit: Frank Augstein /AP
By Phillip Chichoni
FOOTBALL PLAYERS ARE not the only ones fighting for supremacy on the
World Cup pitch: Shoe brands are fighting for glory too. For the most part, it’s
the fluorescent Nike Vapors versus the Adidas Adizera Battle Pack clears. But
while those brands dominate the soccer market, one smaller competitor has a
counterattack. This is in the form of mismatched pink and blue soccer boots
called Tricks, says Kyle Stock of Bloomberg Businessweek.
“You see a lot of yellows out there and oranges and reds, but in the blur of
the feet, you notice the Tricks,” said Stock.
Some of the biggest stars in soccer wore the blue and pink shoes, like Italy’s
superstar Mario Balotelli and Ivorian Yaya Toure.

Puma has cleverly sneaked in the game without incurring heavy advertising
expenditure. The giants, Nike and Adidas, are officially advertising as they are
FIFA World Cup partners. This comes at a cost of $75 million for each of the six
official partners, according to Advertising Age. Well, they can afford the bill, as
between them they have a 70 percent share of the soccer market. Nike makes
about $25 billion in annual revenue, Adidas $19 billion, while Puma makes only
$4 billion.
Puma has said publicly it cannot afford to advertise at the World Cup.
However, they are advertising indirectly. By having some soccer stars putting
on the mismatched boots before they are available on the market, their
product is already validated. Kids will be bugging their parents for these soccer
boots as soon as they are available in stores.
That is a very effective guerilla marketing tactic.
What can underdog entrepreneurs learn from these tricks of the trade? A
lot.
1. Target a narrow market segment. Your brand can't be all things to all
people. Guerilla marketing is the strategy that works for small and medium
sized businesses that do not have big marketing budgets. In our current
environment that is true for most businesses. The reason the strategy works is
because one uses creativity, rather than money, to create a buzz and draw
attention to one’s products.
For guerilla marketing to be effective, the small business will have to reduce
the field of play. Instead of targeting the mass market served by big companies,
the guerilla marketer targets a small niche. In other words, it tries to become a

big fish in a small pond. You can become a guerilla marketer by targeting a
small geographical area. This could be a certain suburb of a city or certain types
of customers across the country.
2. You don't need the spotlight of TV commercials or megabrand tie-ins. In
bypassing World Cup commercials Puma is preferring to let the product's
performance do the talking. The product experience is where you build a
performance brand. You can't get there with advertising. Advertising is a
turbocharger, but the product is where you really create authenticity and
credibility.
3. A differentiated image can help you. Puma's latest cleats are visibly
different from Nike's and Adidas's. While Nike and Adidas focused on fins,
ultra-light synthetic materials, and intricate knitting that fused the boot with
the sock, Puma kept its strategy simple: “really bright shoes in different colors,"
writes Stock. You read that right: Each shoe is a different color. The right boot is
pink. The left boot is blue.
As for Puma, its pink-and-blue shoes are an illustrative reminder of
how image can become a significant point of differentiation for an underdog
brand. Perhaps most importantly, the differentiated look allows Puma's
endorsers to cast themselves as difference-makers, too. For example, Mario
Balotelli, a standout player on Italy's team, said: "In the end, it is exactly the
reason why I chose to be with Puma. They dare to be different, and everyone
knows that I do as well."
Here are the main principles of guerilla marketing that you can start using
today and accelerate your growth without a big advertising budget:
a) Presence: you have to find ways to make yourself known by your target
market at all times. These may include email; forums; discussion boards;
radio; magazines; websites; social media; blogs; yellow pages.
b) Activity: you should always be on the lookout for opportunities to make
your products known at all times and work on them.
c) Energy: you must be marketing all the time, “360 degree” marketing!
Your creativity and hard work is what will produce positive results.
d) Networks: you must always be looking to make contacts and develop
networks. Relationships are very important in guerilla marketing.
e) Smart: your marketing activities must be smart; do not offend
customers or turn them off; e.g. by sending spam emails or irritating text
messages, or being overly pushy.
You will find more guerilla marketing tips in my book “High Impact Low cost
Marketing Strategies for SMEs”, available from the BusinessLink bookstore.

BusinessLink Magazine Ju
Entrepreneur on
Fire: Meet financial
markets and ICT
genius Samuelle
Dimairho
Photo: www.auragrp.com
By Phillip Chichoni
When he was 17 years old he
started working on a project to
simplify trading on the Zimbabwe
Stock Exchange. At that age he was
an upcoming stock investor, having
started buying shares at fifteen
BusinessLink Magazine July 2014
Entrepreneur on
: Meet financial
markets and ICT
genius Samuelle
auragrp.com
When he was 17 years old he
started working on a project to
simplify trading on the Zimbabwe
Stock Exchange. At that age he was
an upcoming stock investor, having
started buying shares at fifteen
while still attending high school at
Prince Edward. No he wa
young kid; in fact his parents, father
a headmaster and an entrepreneur,
mother an accountant, were
struggling to provide for their five
children during those hyperinflation
days. Samuelle did part
accounting jobs during school
holidays and started the habit of
saving and investing.
A great influence to his interest in
financial markets was the books and
journals his father gave him
regularly to read. He started
attending Annual General Meetings
of companies, as well going to see
trading sessions at the ZSE. That is
when he noticed that the local
exchange’s manual trading system
was way behind international
standards.
The idea of an automated share
trading system fascinated him then
and he could see that it would bring
transparency and co
traders.
In 2008, after his ordinary levels,
Samuelle began to seriously work on
making the automated trading
system a reality. He worked hard to
develop partnerships, look for
finance and present a proposal to
the Securities and Exchange
Commission of Zimbabwe, which
had been tasked to set up a Central
Securities Depository.
His team bid and won the tender
in 2010 and Chengetedzai
Depository Company was given the
2014 ||Pg 14
while still attending high school at
Prince Edward. No he was not a rich
young kid; in fact his parents, father
a headmaster and an entrepreneur,
mother an accountant, were
struggling to provide for their five
children during those hyperinflation
days. Samuelle did part-time
accounting jobs during school
nd started the habit of
saving and investing.
A great influence to his interest in
financial markets was the books and
journals his father gave him
regularly to read. He started
attending Annual General Meetings
of companies, as well going to see
sessions at the ZSE. That is
when he noticed that the local
exchange’s manual trading system
was way behind international
The idea of an automated share
trading system fascinated him then
and he could see that it would bring
transparency and convenience to
In 2008, after his ordinary levels,
Samuelle began to seriously work on
automated trading
system a reality. He worked hard to
develop partnerships, look for
finance and present a proposal to
the Securities and Exchange
mission of Zimbabwe, which
had been tasked to set up a Central
Securities Depository.
and won the tender
in 2010 and Chengetedzai
Depository Company was given the

mandate to automate the share
trading system at the Zimbabwe
Stock Exchange.
What drove him? His father
provided him with financial reading
materials and his mother motivated
him and prayed with him to pursue
his dreams.
Hardworking and results driven,
Samuelle demonstrated the
potential to grow and become a
global corporate leader from a
young age.
Apart from founding
Chengetedzai Depository Company,
where he is still a shareholder with a
seat on the board, Samuelle also
worked at Chartered Systems
Integration as business
development director since 2009,
helping the firm to win 5 prestigious
awards from Microsoft as well as
from the Zimbabwean Ministry of
ICT. For 5 years at CSI, Samuelle
oversaw implementation of 30 IT
projects in Southern Africa.
Samuelle then co-founded Aura
Group in 2013. This is a pan-African
ICT services and solutions company,
where he remains as business
development director to date.
Samuelle is a holder of the ACCA
Advanced Diploma in Accounting
and Business, and is in the final
stages of completing a BSc. (Hon) in
Applied Accounting as well as the
professional stage of ACCA.
Facebook Quiz:
Win lunch with a
CEO
Join our Facebook
Competition and you could win
a lunch with a CEO who could
teach you a few lessons in
Business.
Simply go to the SME
BusinessLink page on
Facebook, Like it and then
answer these three questions:
1. What do you enjoy most
about BusinessLink
magazine?
2. What type of articles would
you want to see more of?
3. What can we improve on to
make it a better magazine?
First Draw will be on
Wednesday 16 July, at 12pm.
Don’t miss it on Facebook as
you could be a winner.

In an economic
crunch the Client is
King
By Takudzwa Madzikanda
I remember a time when Agency
was King. We had the prerogative to
determine our fees and to dictate
our work to the consumer. In those
times, the most adventurous and
daring work came to light.
Those times are under threat and
this is not just the case in my
country, but it is being witnessed
throughout the world as Clients
continually reduce marketing
budgets to remain in business,
assuming that the one area they can
cut is marketing because more often
than not its effects are not
immediately appreciated.
What this has meant is that we
are all continuously in a battle
against our own competitors (Other
agencies; both brick & mortar and
briefcase) for the same ever-
reducing client pool. This has
allowed the locus of control to
switch to the Client who suddenly
has option B – Z to choose from, as
opposed to simply using our
services.
The biggest question is, how do
we usurp the King?
Let us look at the problem from
the source. There is a battle within
the halls of our clients’ offices
between Marketing and Finance,
where marketing (which is not a
revenue generating department) is
constantly asking for money and
trying their best to insist that they
are actually part of Sales (a revenue
generating department).
I strongly believe that this is the
core of the problem; connecting
marketing and sales to the extent
that the failure of the one is directly
attributed to the other. What this
means is that a reduction in sales,
leads to a reduction in the
marketing budget of many
organisations.
What I am constantly trying to
explain to my Clients is that
something worth doing is worth
doing well. There is a point where
you begin to simply waste money,
because you are not reaching the
requisite communications
thresholds. Unfortunately, finance
will not see this and will instead
simply say that Marketing is not
generating results.
What they fail to take into
consideration is the fact that many
consumer products companies
spend 50% or more of their net
revenue on launching new offerings
for instance.
This means that both marketing
and their finance departments need
to determine by how much and how
quickly they want their brands to
grow.
Typically, a company should
spend around 5% of their total

revenue on marketing to maintain
their current position.
Companies looking to grow or
gain greater market share should
budget a higher percentage—
usually around 10 percent.
However, during economic
crunches, marketing costs will
always be high, around 20-50%.
So how do we usurp the King? Is
it by improved creativity? Improved
costing? Or is the situation so dire
that we need to improve our own
agency business models in order to
remain viable and profitable under
the rule of the King. From my
experience, it is a combination of all
three.
The work that we produce needs
to be more creative, our media
plans need to be more targeted and
relevant and at a lower fee.
However, we cannot mass
produce creativity like a Model T
Ford conveyor belt; instead we need
to answer the call for more nuanced
communications solutions by
increasing the total amount of
income that accedes to agency in
every job that we do.
We need to get out of our ATL
comfort zones and start looking at
ourselves as Communications
specialists and not Mad-Men, and
begin to offer holistic services that
transcend all areas of marketing….
Then, and only then can we, at the
very least, be in line to the throne.
Takudzwa
Madzikanda
Account
Manager at
Adrenalin
Advertising &
Design
Consultants

Digital Marketing:
The Advent of a
Era in Marketing
By Trust Gumise
ago the word
INTERNET
was
considered
as a first
but now with over 4 million people
having access to internet via mobile
networks in Zimbabwe, the truth is
the internet is HERE to STAY.
With the advent of the internet
many entrepreneurs have come to
realise the power the INTERNET has
in successfully growing bus
There are a number of tools that
are being incorporated into the day
to-day running of businesses but
one that stands out is DIGITAL
MARKETING.
DIGITAL MARKETING is the
promotion of products or brands via
one or more forms of electronic
media. Digital marketing differs
from traditional marketing in that it
involves the use of channels and
methods that enable an
organization to analyze marketing
arketing:
dvent of a New
arketing
Ten years
ago the word
INTERNET
was
considered
as a first
world tool
not to
ever be
embraced
by our
society,
million people
having access to internet via mobile
networks in Zimbabwe, the truth is
the internet is HERE to STAY.
With the advent of the internet
many entrepreneurs have come to
realise the power the INTERNET has
in successfully growing businesses.
There are a number of tools that
are being incorporated into the day-
day running of businesses but
one that stands out is DIGITAL
DIGITAL MARKETING is the
promotion of products or brands via
one or more forms of electronic
media. Digital marketing differs
from traditional marketing in that it
involves the use of channels and
organization to analyze marketing
campaigns and understand what is
working and what isn’t
real time.
Digital marketing is often referred
to as 'online marketing' or 'internet
marketing'. The term 'digital
marketing' has grown in popularity
over time, particularly in certain
countries.
The new in-thing in marketing is
digital marketing. With digital
marketing it is easier to reach a
crowd of potential clients as the
internet is not defined by
geographical borders. Amongst the
media used in this form of
marketing, the most
FACEBOOK.
Most big brands have adopted
the use of Facebook pages to grow
their client base and
their brands. It is with th
realization that the internet and all
the various media that are a part of
it are being consumed on a daily
basis by a clientele that is slowly
getting addicted to using the
internet for minimal tasks.
Another advantage of e
Marketing is the significant cost
cutting it brings. Traditional
marketing required the use of
significant chunks of
whole lot of material had to be
printed and distributors paid to
distribute it. We are in a stage, in
our economy, where companies are
trying by all means to cut costs
while at the same time maximising
2014 ||Pg 18
mpaigns and understand what is
working and what isn’t – typically in
Digital marketing is often referred
to as 'online marketing' or 'internet
marketing'. The term 'digital
marketing' has grown in popularity
over time, particularly in certain
thing in marketing is
digital marketing. With digital
marketing it is easier to reach a
crowd of potential clients as the
internet is not defined by
geographical borders. Amongst the
media used in this form of
marketing, the most popular is
Most big brands have adopted
the use of Facebook pages to grow
their client base and strengthen
s with this
ation that the internet and all
the various media that are a part of
it are being consumed on a daily
s by a clientele that is slowly
getting addicted to using the
internet for minimal tasks.
Another advantage of e-
Marketing is the significant cost
cutting it brings. Traditional
marketing required the use of
of money as a
aterial had to be
printed and distributors paid to
distribute it. We are in a stage, in
our economy, where companies are
trying by all means to cut costs
while at the same time maximising

on sales, and e-Marketing is proving
the perfect tool to achieve that end.
Other media used are websites,
emails, twitter, LinkedIn. A safer bet
for any company will be to invest on
a good website and then use social
networking sites to drive traffic to
their website (where meaningful
business transactions can occur) via
the use of links
Two different forms of digital
marketing exist:
In pull digital marketing, the
consumer actively seeks the
marketing content, often via web
searches or opening an email, text
message or feed. Websites, blogs
and streaming media (audio and
video) are examples of pull digital
marketing. In each of these, users
have to navigate to the website to
view the content. Only current web
browser technology is required to
maintain static content. Search
engine optimization is one tactic
used to increase activity. In 2003,
Martin et al. found that consumers
prefer special sales and new product
information, whereas "interesting"
content was not useful.
In push digital marketing the
marketer sends a message without
the recipient actively seeking the
content, such as display advertising
on websites and news blogs. Email,
text messaging and web feeds can
also be classified as push digital
marketing when the recipient has
not actively sought the marketing
message.
Some of the latest developments
include:
1. Segmentation: more focus has
been placed on segmentation within
digital marketing, in order to target
specific markets in both business to
business and business to consumer
sectors.
2. Influencer marketing:
Important nodes are identified
within related communities, known
as influencers. This is becoming an
important concept in digital
targeting. It is possible to reach
influencers via paid advertising,
such as Facebook or Google Ad
sense campaigns, or through
sophisticated sCRM (social customer
relationship management) software,
such as Microsoft Dynamics and
Sales force CRM.
In a nutshell, Pull digital
marketing is characterized by
consumers actively seeking
marketing content while Push digital
marketing occurs when marketers
send messages without that content
being actively sought by the
recipients.
Trust Gumise holds a BSc (Hon)
degree in Computer Science from
the National University of Science
and Technology and is the founder
of Gift Creative Technologies, a
Digital Business Solutions provider
based in Bulawayo. His email is
giftscreativetech@gmail.com, and
phone +263 773 248 583

Brand it like James
Bond
By Chipo Mapungwana
I am an action film addict and I
confess that like millions of fans out
there, I await for every new James
Bond movie with anticipation.
James Bond has fascinated and
annoyed many millions of film
viewers in almost like measure, but
love him or hate him, the makers of
this iconic film have managed to
create a brand with millions of loyal
followers.
Why then has James Bond
become a world- wide brand,
commanding a following second
only to Harry Potter? Can marketers
learn anything at all from this movie
brand?
Bond makes us feel good about
ourselves
James Bond never loses his charm
and whether he is talking to the
scheming and conniving bad Bond
girl or elderly ladies, he is his
attentive and disarming self. A great
brand is one that fights for justice
and defeats evil in the eyes of its
consumers and in the case of
consumer brands, one that
effectively resolves problems that
consumers have.
In the end it makes us feel good
about us by enhancing our self-
concept. We love brands that are
able to make us feel special, brands
that make us feel that we are the
reason that their executives and
managers wake up and go to work
every morning and not their huge
profits or their huge salaries.
Bond knows his enemies well
James Bond is seemingly
invincible because he knows his
enemy and he intuitively figures out
his enemy’s plans. He therefore
never goes into battle unprepared,
down to the gadgets hidden all over
his person.
And so in the corporate battle
field great brands know who their
competitors are, what their
strengths and weaknesses are and
they use this information to create
for themselves, core competencies
that their competitors cannot copy,
including products and services that
appeal to the hearts and minds of
their customers.
Bond has a great image
Many of my male friends hate
James Bond. And I can understand

why. Bond looks great in …well
almost anything.. from his custom
make clothes to the occasional
wetsuit. There is no evidence of flab
and middle spread on him. And he
always gets the girl.
Some of the world’s most
valuable brands have created great
images over time and brand
identities that we have come to
connect with , to know well and
love. Even as the brands have
evolved, we continue to use them
because we identify with their
brand image.
Bond is consistent
“Martini, shaken, not stirred”.
Throughout 50 years of Bond
movies, we have heard James Bond
say this line. While the years have
rolled by, the cars and the gadgets
have changed, the leading men and
women have changed, but the
image of the ruggedly handsome,
charming, manly and deadly spy has
not changed, the story line is almost
predictable and the villain is never
likable.
Great brands that have remained
consistent over time while keeping
up to date with their customers’
changing expectations and needs,
continue to command patronage.
Those brands that have tried to
change so drastically that customers
could no longer identify with them
and or have not been able to keep
up to date with their customers,
have unfortunately fallen along the
way or lost their customer base.
Bond is a great communicator
Bond always knows what to say,
even when he is in a near death
situation. He never loses his cool.
Great brands know how to engage
their customers and communicate
with them at their point of need.
They inform, probe, question,
entertain and keep their customers
informed about their products and
services.
Bond makes mistakes but we
forgive him
To err is human and Bond
sometimes makes choices that we
question. He has frequently found
himself in situations where he has
been thoroughly overpowered. Even
great brands miss the mark many
times , but because of the
reputational bank account of good
will they have built over years, we
forgive them and support them to
get back on track.
To the utter dismay of some of
my friends, I shall join the millions of
fans who will go and watch the next
James Bond movie when it lands on
our screens, if only to experience
the James Bond brand of movie
magic. Love him, hate him, James
Bond can teach marketers a thing or
two about branding.
Chipo
Mapungwana
Founder and
Editor in Chief at
The CEO Magazine,
Zimbabwe

Networking: How to Start and Hold
Productive Conversations
I remember it clearly because it was in the month of July. A group of us from
an all boys school had been invited to attend the Bastille Day (French
Independence day- 14th
July) celebrations at a neighbouring all girls school. We
were all jovial and sharing exciting stories while in our group; until a teacher
ordered us to separate and mix up with the girls.
Trying to be brave, I went to one young lady and said hello.
“Hie,” she replied. I kept on looking at her trying to quickly think of
something interesting to say, but nothing came out from my mouth. After what
seemed like an hour, the young lady asked, “So, what’s your name?”
I replied, but I was already embarrassed to be the one being asked. The
arrival of my mates saved the day, but it was one of those occasions where you
wonder what happened to your normally high confidence.
Later on, as I started attending and hosting networking events (through the
BusinessLink Networking Club) I noticed many people acting awkwardly whilst
trying to start conversations with strangers. It is common for one to struggle to
think of something to say to a new person and we sometimes miss an
opportunity to soar professionally, socially or even romantically as we grapple
through with poor conversation starting skills.

Here are some tips I have learned
from experience and from other
people over the years to help all
those struggling with starting and
keeping a conversation going
entertainingly.
Small Talk
People dismiss small talk as
superficial and boring. People are
wrong. Small talk is an essential part
of the social contract. It allows us to
engage and identify common
ground with safe, low-risk topics.
One way to make conversation?
Ask open-ended questions that
invite people to tell stories, rather
than give bland, one-word answers:
Instead of these...
"How was your day?"
"Where are you from?"
"What do you do?"
"What's your name?"
"How was your weekend?"
"How are you?"
"What's up?"
Try these...
"Tell me three unlikely things you
did today."
"What's the strangest thing about
where you grew up?"
"What does your name mean?" (If
they say, "I don't know," reply,
"What would you like it to mean?")
"What are you looking forward to
this week?"
"Who do you think is the luckiest
person in this room?"
"What does this house remind
you of?"
"If you could fly, where would
you go right now?"
"Hi, I don't know too many
people here, so I wanted to
introduce myself. I'm [name] and I
work at [company]." And bam—you
got it.
“So, what do you do?" gets them
talking first and you can think about
how to approach the conversation
or how you could possibly work
together.
Location, Location, Location
No matter what, you've got at
least a couple things in common
with every person in the room: the
event you're attending, the place it's
being held at, and the food and
drink you're consuming. Use that to
your advantage by striking up
conversation about what's going on
around you.
Great for Introverts
If you're an introvert, walking into
a room full of unknown people can
feel extra intimidating.
One great approach is to look
toward the outskirts of the room
and find someone who looks a little
lonely. Maybe that woman sitting by
herself at the table doesn’t know
anyone and is just hoping that
someone will come talk to her. Be
that person, and try one of these
lines.
“Man, these networking events
can be so crazy. Mind if I join you

over here where it’s a little
quieter?”
Information Quest
Ask a group of people how many
cars are in this country. No one will
know, so insist that they guess. Ten
thousand? Alex, what do you think?
Eight thousand? Tanya, you say one
million? Any other guesses?
Pause dramatically before you
reveal the answer, and then say,
"Actually, I have no idea." Then
discuss how you might construct an
answer based on only the things you
do know. No Googling.
No more talk
Like too many bowls of ice cream,
too much of a good conversation
can ruin the initial delight and cause
you to vomit ice cream. Having
mastered the art of starting the
chat, you must now learn to stop
once the time has come. Spoken
with confidence, these words will
get you out of any exchange: It's
been so nice talking with you. Then
fake-faint until the other person
walks away.

How to make money online in Zimbabwe: 6
Local Case-studies
By Tinashe Nyaruwanga
Last year I wrote an article, “Predicting
an Ecommerce Boom in Zimbabwe” and
fortunately the events and firsts such as
the launching of locally based and home
grown payment gateways such as
Pay4App, Zimswitch’s VPayments, as well
as the many ecommerce websites being
launched gave credence to my thoughts
and expectations. Now I am more than
convinced that 2014 will be a tipping
point and watershed moment for Ecom-
merce in Zimbabwe and that you need to
be part of the equation and make some money from the boom as well.
When the internet craze hit in Zimbabwe in the early 2000, most techies or
as there were then referred to as then geeks in Zimbabwe started creating
websites and monetized them by placing banner ads. That was as far as it
went, however, there are now quite a number of models available. Let’s
explore how some enterprising Zimbabweans are making their money online.
#1 Consultancy – Max Soutter
One of the not so difficult ways to make money using the web is to use your
website to get consultancy gigs. One person doing a great job at this and has
managed to carve a niche for himself is Max Soutter.
Max Soutter’s Web-
site Screenshot
With his BizSet Blog
Max has acquired more
than 6000 email sub-
scribers for his mailing
list and has built a large
following on social
media which he uses to promote the consultancy side of his business.

#2 Subscription – Zimbabwe Classifieds
Webdev’s Zimbabwe online classifieds have built a large and popular online
market place in Zimbabwe.
Classifieds.co.zw website screenshot
The website is so popular that it is Zimbabwe’s most visited website accord-
ing to an article done by Creative Loop which quoted Alexa.com. Webdev’s
strategy is simple they charge companies and individuals to set up personalised
Store Fronts to sell their goods and services.
#3 Speaking and EBooks – Rabison Shumba
Rabison Shumba selling books from his website
Many motivational speakers and trainers have used the traditional media to
write articles and generate publicity for themselves, however, there is now a
new breed that has incorporated new media such as social networking sites
and websites to promote themselves. One such is Rabison Shumba a Keynote
and Motivational Speaker who uses his website to promote his personal brand
and sell his books. He sells his books on his website via a link from Amazon.

#4 Content – Zimbokitchen
Similarly to Rabison Shumba, Zimbokitchen uses their website as a platform
to promote their content which is mainly Zimbabwean traditional recipes,
online shop as well as Ebooks.
Zimbokitchen’s website screenshot
#5 Advertising – Front Row Zim
This is one of the most common monetisation models in Zimbabwe, and one
that most international websites such as Huffingtonpost, Mashable rely on.
The strategy is simple you focus on attracting tons of traffic which makes your
blog or website an attractive platform for advertising.
Front Row Zim’s website screenshot
FrontRowZim is one of the many Zimbabwean websites that are using
this model.

#6 Sell Products – Zimbogini
If there is any good thing to come out of the current Economic meltdown in
Zimbabwe is that everyone has been turned into a seller and most people have
added selling as an additional revenue stream. The internet offers a viable and
profitable way to do that.
Zimbogini Ecommerce Website’s Screenshot
Zimbogini is one such websites and it has to be one of the most exciting E-
commerce retail shops to come out of Zimbabwe. Zimbogini sells groceries and
delivers door to door in urban areas and post offices in rural areas. They use
Ecocash, VPayments and as well as Mastercards and prepaid cards for
accepting payments.
Take Home Points
As you have seen making money online is not rocket science and with the
many online tools available it has even become easier. The ball is now firmly in
your court, for some it might be starting from scratch, for others maybe its
simply looking for adverts for your already popular blog or even packaging con-
tent that is on your blog into an E-book.
Tinashe
Nyaruwanga is a
marketing and
social blogger at
tinashenyaruwanga.com.

12 Excel Tricks to Expedite Common
Chores
From TechRepublic magazine
The business world is full of users who have neither the opportunity nor the
inclination to figure out Excel's shortcuts. They end up wasting a lot of time
because they just don't know the smartest ways to work with spreadsheet
data. Here are some highly u
boost productivity.
Excel Tip No. 1: Automatically SUM() with ALT + =
Quickly add an entire column or row by clicking in the first empty cell in the
column. Then enter ALT + ‘=' (equals key) to add up
above.
Excel Tip No. 2: Logic for Number Formatting Keyboard Shortcuts
At times keyboard shortcuts seem random, but there is logic behind them.
Let's break an example down. To format a number as a currency the shortcut is
CRTL + SHIFT + 4.
Both the SHIFT and 4 keys seem random, but they're intentionally used
because SHIFT + 4 is the dollar sign ($). Therefore if we want to format as a
currency, it's simply: CTRL + ‘$' (where the dollar sign is SHIFT + 4). The same is
true for formatting a number as a percent.
Excel Tip No. 3: Display Formulas with CTRL + `
When you're troubleshooting misbehaving numbers first look at the
formulas. Display the formula used in a cell by hitting just two keys: Ctrl + `
(known as the acute accent
with the number keys. When shifted it is the tilde (~).
cks to Expedite Common
From TechRepublic magazine
data. Here are some highly useful tips that can streamline typical tasks and
Excel Tip No. 1: Automatically SUM() with ALT + =
column. Then enter ALT + ‘=' (equals key) to add up the numbers in every cell
formatting a number as a percent.
Excel Tip No. 3: Display Formulas with CTRL + `
(known as the acute accent key) – this key is furthest to the left on the row
with the number keys. When shifted it is the tilde (~).
2014 ||Pg 29
cks to Expedite Common
seful tips that can streamline typical tasks and
the numbers in every cell
this key is furthest to the left on the row

Excel Tip No. 4: Jump to the Start or End of a Column Keyboard Shortcut
You are thousands of rows deep into your data set and need to get to the
first or last cell. Scrolling is OK but the quickest way is to use the keyboard
shortcut CTRL + ↑ to jump to the top cell, or CTRL + ↓ to drop to the last cell
before an empty cell.
When you combine this shortcut with the SHIFT key, you'll select a
continuous block of cells from your original starting point.
Excel Tip No. 5: Repeat a Formula to Multiple Cells
Never type out the same formula over and over in new cells again. This trick
populates all of the cells in a column with the same formula, but adjusts to use
the data specific to each row.
Create the formula you need in the first cell. Then move your cursor to the
lower right corner of that cell and, when it turns into a plus sign, double click to
copy that formula into the rest of the cells in that column. Each cell in the
column will show the results of the formula using the data in that row.
Excel Tip No. 6: Add or Delete Columns Keyboard Shortcut
Managing columns and rows in your spreadsheet is an all-day task. Whether
adding or deleting, you can save a little time when you use this keyboard
shortcut. CTRL + ‘-‘ (minus key) will delete the column your cursor is in and
CTRL + SHIFT + ‘=' (equal key) will add a new column. From an earlier tip, think
about CTRL + ‘+' (plus sign).
Excel Tip No. 7: Adjust Width of One or Multiple Columns
It's easy to adjust a column to the width of its content and get rid of those
useless ##### entries. Click on the column's header, move your cursor to the
right side of the header and double click when it turns into a plus sign.
Excel Tip No. 8: Copy a Pattern of Numbers or Even Dates
Another amazing feature built into Excel is its ability to recognize a pattern
in your data, and allow you to automatically copy it to other cells. Simply enter
information in two rows which establish the pattern, highlight those rows and
drag down for as many cells as you want to populate. This works with
numbers, days of the week or months!
Excel Tip No. 9: Tab Between Worksheets
Jumping from worksheet to worksheet doesn't mean you have to move your
hand off the keyboard with this cool shortcut. To change to the next worksheet

to the right enter CTRL + PGDN. And conversely change to the worksheet to
the left by entering CTRL + PGUP.
Excel Tip No. 10: Double Click Format Painter
Format Painter is a great tool which lets you duplicate a format in other cells
with no more effort than a mouse click. Many Excel users (Outlook, Word and
PowerPoint too) use this handy feature, but did you know you can double-click
Format Painter to copy the format into multiple cells? It's quite a time-saver.
Excel Tip No.11: Transpose data from a row to a column, or vice-versa
Here's a tip that eliminates the need to rekey data. Suppose you've entered
your data in a row but now want it in a column.
You'll find the best solution under the Paste Special menu. Start by selecting
and copying your entire data range. Click on a new location in your sheet, then
go to Edit | Paste Special and select the Transpose check box. Click OK, and
Excel will transpose the column and row labels and data.
Excel Tip No.12: Fast navigation.
When you press [Ctrl] and any arrow key (north, east, south, or west), you
jump to the last populated cell in that direction. Think of using the [Ctrl]-arrow
key shortcut as an alternative to pressing [Page Down] to find the bottom row
of a data set or pressing [Tab] to find the last column. Bonus tip: Hold down
the [Shift] key while you press any [Ctrl]-arrow key shortcut to select all the
cells between where you are and where you jump with the [Ctrl] key.
Any tricks you know of that we have left out? Please share by emailing
chichonip@smebusinesslink.com.
Before you are a leader,
success is all about growing
yourself. When you become a
leader, success is all about
growing others. — Jack Welch

The Best Snacks To Eat At Your Desk
By Jacquelyn Smith, Business Insider
These snacks will give you a boost of energy and help you stay productive all
day long.
What you eat all day doesn't just impact your health and weight; it affects
your productivity, too.
"If you eat high fat, high sugar meals and snacks you will be sleepy and have
low energy overall," says Lisa De Fazio, a healthy lifestyle expert and registered
dietitian. "High fat foods take more work to digest. Candy causes sugar to spike
in your blood stream then crash, and you also may have an upset stomach.
Who can be productive with all of this going on?"
But, unfortunately, she says, many people tend to make bad eating
decisions during the workday.
"Boredom and stress often lead to mindless snacking on things like sweets
and chips," De Fazio explains.
Time--or lack thereof--also plays a part. "One of the reasons people don't
stick to their healthy eating resolutions of bringing their own homemade
prepared food, rather than ordering or eating out, is because of a lack of time,"
explains Nicole Maftoum, a Lebanese clinical dietitian. "In a fast-paced world,
fast food comes as the optimum solution."
Maftoum says sleep deprivation also affects appetite and pushes one to eat
twice the amount of calories that they'd typically consume in a day.
The experts say all of these factors make it easy for us to develop bad eating
habits at work--but they're terrible excuses. Luckily, there are plenty of quick,
easy, and inexpensive healthy snack options.
Almonds: Almonds are a great source
of protein and healthy fat that is
satisfying. "They contain nine essential
nutrients; have the highest rate of
proteins when compared to other nuts;
have the highest rate of fiber (3.5g per
23 pieces) when compared to other nuts;
are rich in Vitamin E (23 pieces provide
35% of the daily value of Vitamin E); and
contain monounsaturated fats that help
increase HDL levels," Maftoum says.

Low-fat Popcorn: This low-calorie snack
will satisfy your craving for something
salty and crunchy, and it’s also a good
source of fiber, De Fazio says.
Fresh Fruit: Fruits are packed with
vitamins and minerals, and are full of great
natural sweetness, Maftoum says. "They
are also a great source of antioxidants
needed for a stronger immune system and
a better performance at work."
Dried Fruit: Fresh fruit is always a great
snack option — but if you want to mix
things up, try dried apricots, raisins, apples,
or bananas. These snacks are sweet, chewy,
high in fiber, and high in potassium.
Dry Cereal: The brain draws nearly all its
energy from glucose, which is the most
important simple sugar in human
metabolism, Maftoum explains.
"Consumption of low glycemic index foods
like bran flakes will release glucose at a slow
rate in the bloodstream, which will
minimize blood sugar swings and optimize
brainpower and mental focus."
Frozen Banana: This is a great substitute
to ice cream, which is rich in sugar and fat.
A medium-sized banana contains the
needed amount of glucose by the brain to
perform at its best.

Hard-boiled Egg: This is an excellent
source of protein, which will satisfy
hunger and stabilize blood sugars. But be
aware of the offensive smell! Eat your
hard-boiled egg in the office kitchen.
Tomato Juice: Sometimes when you
think you are hungry or crave sugar, you
are actually thirsty, De Fazio explains.
Next time this happens, try drinking a
can of low sodium tomato or vegetable
juice.
Yogurt: Many yogurts are made
using "good bacteria," which is great
for your digestive tract. Yogurt also
contains probiotics, and offers
protein, calcium, vitamins, potassium,
and magnesium.
Apples and Peanut Butter: The
apple provides fiber and
carbohydrates for energy, while the
peanut butter (you can also use
almond butter) provides healthy
monounsaturated fat and protein,
which stabilizes blood sugar ups and
downs. "This snack is so tasty and
satisfying and will hold you over for a
few hours," De Fazio says.
IMAGES: socialeurope/Flickr, Flickr

Breakfast with
Chomi Makina:
Relationships are
crucial to business
success
Excerpts from Mr.Makina’
presentation
“There is no one formula for
success. Each person has his own
journey and his own way of doing
things. Don’t just follow others
without looking at your own
strengths and talents.
In the past ten years I have been
in business, I have found that
people do business with people
they know and people they like. I
attended a training workshop by an
organization called 95% Market
Share Inc. They have excellent
training methods which build upon
this principle. If people don’t like
you, don’t like your business, they
will not buy your products.
According to Jim Niekamp of 95%
Market Share, you will succeed if
you build customers for a lifetime to
buy all your products, and tell their
friends.
If someone approaches me and
says Mr. Makina, I have this
business proposal, if it is someone I
know and like, I will listen. That is
why it is important to network,
meet people and build
relationships. When I started
working at Zimnat Insurance, during
my induction, I was taught that the
first cut is the deepest. The first
contact with the customer makes or
breaks a lifelong relationship. If the
customer is impressed, they will tell
their friends, and word of mouth is
the most powerful marketing
method.
Do you know your customers by
name? The best marketing
companies do some intelligence to
find out information about their
new clients. When you arrive at the
reception, you will be surprised
when you are greeted by name.
Who will not be impressed by that?
Once customers come, make sure
your products are reliable. It is
better to under promise and over
deliver. Relationship customers will
stay for a lifetime, if your products
are reliable. The best part, they will

tell their friends who will also
become lifetime customers. “
Download the full presentation at
http://smebusinesslink.com; send us
an email to get the download link.
You can also get the presentation on
CD from our office, free for Silver
Club members.
Winning Ways:
Don’t undervalue
yourself
In last month’s issue we had an
article about Chuck Wepner entitled
“What if he had surrendered?”
Well, Wepner was a boxer who
fought bravely. He became know as
the “Bayone bleeder” because he
never gave up no matter how much
bashing he took. After his match
with Heavy Weight Champion
Muhammad Ali in 1975, which he
lost after almost knocking out Ali in
the ninth round, Wepner received
$100,000, a lot more money than
he had ever touched in his life.
When his story was turned into a
movie, the academy award winning
Rocky, Wepner was hired as a
consultant. He was offered a choice
of either one percent of the movie’s
takings or a once off $70,000 fee.
Wepner accepted the cash offer.
However he lost out on $8 million
dollars, as the movie went on to
gross $800 million. Today, Chuck
Wepner lives in Bayone and works
as a liquor salesman. This is what
happens when you sell yourself
short.
To win with people, you must be
a winner yourself, or at least be on
your way to becoming one. You
cannot give others what you don’t
have. You cannot take people
further than you have travelled
yourself.
Being a winner comes down to
one thing, your value. Winners are
valuable, ask any star athlete who
has just signed a multimillion dollar
deal. However, true winning has
nothing to do with your
performance, salary or earning
capacity. It has all to do with your
value, whether or not you have
owned it. When you embrace your
personal value, when you are
secure in who you are, then you are
a winner.
Act to increase your value so that
you can be useful to others. Identify
your insecurities and bad habits to
break and make a plan for self
improvement. Maximize your value
by changing those things that you
can. Each of us can improve
ourselves once we decide to.
To be continued in next month’s
issue.
Extracted from John Maxwell’s
“21 Ways to Win with People”, a
Nielsen Business audio book.

Join the BusinessLink Network and Start
Accelerating Your Growth
Why join the BusinessLink Community:
• You receive the monthly BusinessLink magazine through your
email
• You get access to the members pages online, with exclusive
content in the form of text, video and audio interviews with
experts, successful entrepreneurs and business leaders
• Discounts: up to 50% at BusinessLink networking events,
workshops, books, CDs and DVDs
• Advertising marketplace: you get a free classified
advertisement of up to 20 words in the BusinessLink
magazine, as well as 50% discount on other advertisements
Subscription fee is only $10.00 for one year.
You can pay via EcoCash and SMS or Whatsapp your email address
and we will dispatch your copy. Use the number 0772 854 301
(Christine).
You can also pay in cash at our office, 3rd
Floor Merchant House,
Robson Manyika.2nd
Street, Harare.
Visit http://smebusinesslink.com/magazine for more details.

Business link magazine july 2014 issue

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (15)

Similar to Business link magazine july 2014 issue

Similar to Business link magazine july 2014 issue (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Business link magazine july 2014 issue