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Hello and welcome to the show. This is one of those late night recordings, so let's expect to hear some interruptions in the background. I apologize in advance if anything happens to interrupt today's recording. Now today I want us to look at more interesting ways of doing WhatsApp outreach and then we're going to dissect and you know, come through with a couple of revisions that will make this WhatsApp much more workable.
Now, some of you might be saying another WhatsApp episode, and my answer is yes, this is another WhatsApp episode. And I'm going to keep doing WhatsApp WhatsApp episodes because lots of people are still trying to do outreach on WhatsApp. I receive these things on a weekly basis and some ideas are good, some ideas are not. But either way, I know that if I'm receiving 2345 of these messages, then you know, there's a bunch of you on the podcast listening right now.
We're definitely trying out these sorts of things. And it would be a shame if I'm aware that stuff like this is going on. And I'm not telling you guys that, look, this is bad, stop it or this is good, continue. So that's why these tear down episodes when I take a WhatsApp message, WhatsApp outreach, e-mail outreach, phone call outreach, whatever it is and dissect it over here. So I'm going to read the message below. Read the message right after this.
I mean, let me see. Sorry, scrolling through. So the message went like this. This Instagram will highlight and then frowning emoji. So so this Instagram wahala frowny emoji. Most photographers and videographers spend hours responding to inquiries, negotiating prices and following up, yet clients still ghost them. A website helps you attract high paying clients and contracts, showcase your work professionally and secure bookings. 247 without the endless back and forth.
At XYZ we help photographers and videographers set up an online booking system. Clients can book and pay hassle free. Attract corporate and premium clients, get discovered by brands, agencies and high budget clients. Rank on Google so clients find you first, not your competitors. More contracts, bigger deals, less stress. Ready to level up? Reply yes and I'll show you how. So that's the message. Of course, the typical thing that I say about this thing being too long, because remember, most people are reading these things on their mobile phones.
If somebody has to flick two or three times, you've made this thing too long. So craft this thing, let it just be one flick tops, maybe 2. But let's not give people work because I suspect, I don't know if there's any research done in Nigeria, but in the West, it's terrible. It looks like the average person. In fact, it looks like most people if it's e-mail are just reading the subject line and deciding to delete based on subject line alone.
So I'm surprised if the actual practice in Nigeria is close to the same thing or bottom line, you know, keep it short. Let people not be flicking 2-3 times. In fact, this kind of message that somebody's flicking 3 or 4 times, I think you've really, you've really lost the game. However, there are some good things about this message. The opener isn't typical. When I saw it, it got me curious to see what the message was about, even though I didn't have the number stored on my phone.
And I think that what this guy did was a good way to achieve pattern interruption. Now, pattern interruption is a all, I put it like a technique, OK, not really a technique. It's a state of mind. It's a principle that we're trying to achieve where we're trying to break people out of their typical behaviours, break people from the usual patterns and that gives us a chance to now just quickly drop our message in. So that is what, OK, let me not go too far, but basically pattern interruption is another way of getting people's attention so that you can now drop your message.
So the way that the guy started the message by saying this Instagram will holler and then frowning emoji or crying emoji or sad emoji, whatever that emoji is called. So starting it off that way, I actually assumed that, OK, this is somebody I've been having a conversation with prior and then the person has replied. So that was my offering of mine. And then I clicked and of course, it turned out to be outreach. So let's give the guy props for that.
He didn't use a typical opener and he achieved pattern interruption. So I was broken out of my typical behavior. I was broken out of my usual pattern. And that is the reason why I gave this message a chance. And it's the same sort of thing that could have worked on anyone, let's say like my wife or my mom or my brother. I mean, somebody responds and says somebody sends a message like, oh, this is so let me check again.
This Instagram will have and it could be anybody, it could be 1 of mumsy's classmates because my mumsy, she's on a WhatsApp group with a couple of her classmates. You know, they, that's how they keep in touch. You know, people make it seem as if old people don't adopt technology, but they actually do. In fact, they even adopted much better than some of us who are young. So yeah, it could be somebody from the group just replying,
you know, anything. So part of interruption, that is something that we can try to use. And I think that this is one thing that the guy did well. Now the problem with the message, for those of you who've been listening to the podcast, you know the other problem, there are too many embedded conversations and questions within it and too many sections. So we're better off separating this thing into individual interactions so that one message will carry one point of view.
If we keep writing these messages where, you know, you send your message and your message is talking about four things and each thing has, you know, 2 calls to action next to it. I mean, at the end of the day, like, what is the person going to respond to really? But if you send one message and one is 1 and that message has one point of view and the message has one question or one call to action, then the chances that people respond are higher.
So a much more effective strategy, let me repeat again in case you guys are not getting it, The much more effective strategy is we should be sending these messages and trying to entice people into a conversation. So this guy did a good job. Pattern interruption broke me from my usual pattern. And then what did he do? He wasted it on his sales speech. It's not about how much you can talk at people. The goal is to try and have a conversation with someone.
It's not about talking at someone and telling and telling and telling and pitching and pitching and pitching. It's about trying to lure somebody into a conversation. When we entice someone into a conversation, then we can do qualification and discovery. If you're new listening to this podcast, if it's your first episode, when you're done, go and listen to the episode that came prior to this one. I spoke about qualification and discovery.
That is where you're finding out about people who are you? What are you about, What's the problem? What's the vision? Then you can now give them a tailored solution. So now you stop this little rubbish where you send this message and then you tell them we can do this, we can do this, we can do this. In fact, let me give you the same test I give everybody in each episode. As you're listening to this podcast episode right now, just stop, give yourself like 2
seconds. Try and remember what exactly is this guy selling? You don't know. You would have to pause this thing, rewind back, listen again for you to remember what this guy is selling. I'm asking you now, be honest with yourself. What is this guy selling? You don't know because it's a bit much. A funny thing is some of you are sending messages like this guy and you know, you wake up, you send you blast it to 2000 people on your phone and you, you pat yourself on the back.
You say, oh self, I've done work today which can't work. You send a message to 4000 people and out of that 4000 people, 3999 of them ignored only one person read. What kind of work is that? What kind of progress is that? So try and entice people into a conversation, figure out what they're about, figure out what the problem is. Then you'll now be able to make a tailored solution that oh, for this problem that you're solving.
We can now, so you know what, let me just scroll up, I'll see again. What is it that this guy is offering? OK, so he's selling websites basically so they can say we can set up online booking system, attract corporate and premium clients, rank on Google, blah, blah, blah, blah, and the usual. But this is what I'm trying to say. If you entice somebody into a conversation, there's somebody that the problem that they need to solve right now is that you don't have online booking system.
You will now be able to make a sales pitch for online booking system only and ignore that whole thing of attracting corporate and premium ranking on Google and blah, blah, blah. That is how you make an impression on someone. That is how somebody will know that oh, OK, this is what it is that this person is selling. So where was I? I lost my train of thought and in some Risha, we're trying to entice people into a conversation.
It's not about talking at people. Then when we're in the conversation with them, it's about qualification and discovery. Who is this person? What are they about? Do they have a business? Don't they have a business? What business problems are they solve, trying to solve, blah, blah, blah? Was the vision OK based on what it is that I have for sale? This is the tailored solution I can give them. Now, when you also engage people like this, it makes them feel like they are not being mass,
mass marketed to or being spammed to. Nobody likes being spammed to. Nobody does. Because we were in the business space, we've gotten into the habit of sending spam messages every day. You broadcast to 4000 people every day. So for us, it's become a nasty habit. But The thing is, the people on the receiving end, they don't like it. If you don't believe me, next time you go home, go and check your home CS phone. You'll see now all these spam messages there.
Suddenly your mum see. Your mum sees no iPhone reading it. Pop sees no iPhone reading it. Your baby is not reading it, your boyfriend is not reading it. Even the people who love you, they're tired of being spammed with all these messages. Nobody likes being spammed, but if there's an individual one-on-one conversation, you know most people dig that kind of thing. So my recommendation is the same one I gave when talking about the other guy.
Let's use a problem based opener. Now, based on what this guy said, this message, let's let's use the original text in the message. I'm not saying I agree with the words, but I'm just trying to show you how even if I'm going to use his his words, let's just see how we can reframe this thing. So problem based opener. So it is what the guy should have done. My recommendation? The first blast that you sent to everybody is are you a photographer or videographer who spends hours responding to inquiries, negotiating prices and following up, but clients are still ghosting you?
Question mark send. Can you see that this message is short? You don't even have to flick once you open it, everything will just be on the screen like that. Bam. And people get the point, people who somebody now who is a hairstylist or whatever, the person will just ignore. So now it's not a problem. But The thing is, it's short, straight to the point. It's targeted. Those people who are photographers or videographers,
they will read on, especially those who have a problem with ghosting. Now, like I mentioned in previous episodes, some people will ignore, some people respond. The people that ignore, no problem, ignore them. We will get to that problem later, but for those that respond, that is where the gold is and that is what we're going to make progress. So for those people now, you are now going to be involved in an individual conversation and is the reason why people prefer to spam because they think, man,
this is work. Of course this thing is work. Where do you think the money comes from? Yes, now Zuckerberg, them and all these people are spamming people up. And now by the beginning, do you think Zuckerberg was spamming everybody in the beginning when Facebook was fresh, wasn't a matter of talking to people one-on-one. Hey boy, how far now I have this website, blah, blah, blah, blah. The hottest chicks on Harvard are on it.
So, you know, just Join Now, come and see what's up. In the beginning is a one-on-one something. Later on things get traction and you can now do automating and everything. But too many of you guys want to rush and start automating from beginning. Like what are you automating? Take your time do this thing on a one-on-one basis. First figure out exactly what it is is going on. Establish the workbook, establish the playbook,
establish the framework. After that you can use AI chat bot, whatever and now be automating automating automating. Too many of you are rushing to automation in the beginning. What are you automating anyway? So that's the first message IA photographer or videographer who spends hours responding to inquiries, negotiating black prices are following up, yet clients are ghosting. You send some people will respond and then you will now build your future messages around that whole thing of using websites.
You can attract high paying clients and you can show your work and you can secure bookings. So all that extra things that is, that's the subject of future, future, future conversations when you now know who they are, what stage of business they're at, the kind of clients that they want to attract, all those sorts of things. But you know what? There's one issue. And hey, I remember, that's the reason why I wanted to make this episode.
There's one issue that I think we should consider. The thing is, this guy that is sending this message, he has this mistaken belief that a website can sell for you without you doing anything. Yeah, that's even the main reason why I wanted to make this episode. There's some of you that think you set up a website and the website is going to sell for you without you doing anything. It's not possible that if you set up a website, all your problems will be solved.
The answer is it depends. There are some people that, yes, if you set up a website, the website will solve all your problems because it will sell for you. Now this is the bad news. It does not apply to people who are professional service providers. Let me repeat, there are some people that if you set up a website, the website will sell for you and you don't have to do a thing and the business will work well. However, it does not apply to people who are professional service providers.
An example, Amazon is good for selling anything and everything. So if you set up your website right, like Amazon, yeah, you might be able to go to sleep and not have to talk to a single customer and the website will sell fine for you and you'll be rich. But have you noticed that you can sell anything on Amazon, but you can't sell professional services on Amazon? Painters cannot sell their services on Amazon. Wedding photographers cannot sell their services on Amazon.
Lawyer, accountant, architect, those people cannot sell their services on Amazon. In fact, service providers, where do they sell their services in the West? It's not on that, is it? Upwork, Abbey, Upwork, what is on the website now? Upwork 5, you know them them all these places and what happens on the website? A client has a look at your profile and then they send you Adm. You guys now start to be DM ING back and forth because when it comes to selling professional services, there is no automating nothing.
You have to talk to someone if you're a professional service provider. So perish the thought. If you're a service provider that you set up a website and your problems are solved, it is not going to happen. Now let us look at the criteria for products that sell easily, that sell well online without human interaction. Remember what I said, can a website solve all your problems? You just set up the website and go to sleep.
The website will be selling for you. The answer is it depends. There are some products that yes, you can do that. If you're a service provider is not going to work. So for easy online sales where no human is involved, the thing has to be standardised and easy to describe. So the product should be clear and have consistent specifications. Let's go back to this wedding photographer and videographer thing. So wedding photography services,
you can't standardise it, you can't. But to sell the camera, the camera can be standardised, which is the reason why we have websites like B&H. That's for those of you who buy video equipment or photo equipment, you know, we all know B&H. You go to B&H, you see the thing there, You see the specifications there. This is the size of the lens, this is the aperture for the body, is it full frame or not? This is the size of the sensor.
These are the megapixels. This is the aspect ratio. You see it everything there because it is standardized and it is easy to describe. You can just do bullet point, describe it, bullet point, describe it. Customers will easily understand what it is that they're buying based on the detailed description, based on the images, based on the videos. In these sorts of case, some people say there's no need for personalized explanation,
although my opinion, sure it would help, it would help. So you want to be in the kind of business where you set up your website and the website does everything for you. My brother, my sister, go and look for a business or go and look for a product that is standardized. Sorry, standardized and easy to describe. Don't go and sell services. A website cannot sell services for you then. It also has to be goods that have high visual appeal and clear presentation.
That's why I keep going back to our sisters who sell human hair, you know, 57 inches, 100 inches or however long the human hair is going to be. You know, you get a nice model. You put the thing on her head. She does that shaking thing so they can see that the human hair has a body and bounce. She walk back. She walk front, so you see that all 56 inches. The hair goes from the top of our head all the way to the middle of our calf.
You can see it. The lighting is good. The light is bouncing off of the human hair, so you can see the waves reflecting and everything. So that kind of thing, yes, you can set up your website, set up your Instagram and then go and sleep. And then people will look at the visual appeal, They will see the clear presentation, they'll see the sharp video and they'll be like this human hair is off the chain. Then they will now start pinging you that we like this one though, but I don't have money for 57 inches, 32 inches.
How much will it cost? Or we saw the one that comes from Mogadishu, but we don't have money. So the one that the human hair that comes from Benin Republic, how much is it? You can see that that sort of thing. You can set up your website, set up your whatever, and then go and sleep for services. Then let's see what else. OK, low risk, low complexity. So basically you just want the product that the chances of it being damaged is very, very small, or the chances of returns are very, very small.
So simple products that straightforward functionality basically like my earphones. I bought the earphones from Amazon. I mean, it's really serious straightforward. That's my Bluetooth, my wireless headphones with microphone. I'm sorry about that noise. Never just took light. So that's the inverter just kicking off. Where was I? Oh, OK, that's my alarm. OK, 11:00 I should be going to beds off because of how school runs in the morning.
There's a problem with waiting when you're old to have kids. So I'm telling you guys, I mean the earlier you have your children the better. If you can start when you're 2530, it helps so you don't end up being my own age and then you're now worrying that tomorrow morning I have school runs. So what is enough otherwise, if I actually make a podcast episode because so many young men are afraid of marriage these days, I don't know what's going on.
It's like a pandemic of marriage. Anyway, that's another podcast episode then let's see, OK. We also want something with established market demand. Those kind of things you can sell easily on the website, something that you can ship it easily or do digital delivery. Those things, they sell well on websites. Something that has clear pricing or clear payment options, you can sell that thing on the website. I see. This is the problem with selling services.
If you want to book an accountant to come and do forensic accounting for your firm, it's not something you can put on the website that for one accountant pay this, for two accountants pay that, for five accountants pay this. That's not how it works. It's going to depend what are you trying to do? How many documents is the person going to look at? How many years worth of documents is the person going to look at to try and figure out who is stealing your money?
Those are the things that the forensic accountant will have to have a conversation with you. What kind of business are you doing? How long have you been doing the business? How many employees do you have? How many records have you been keeping? OK, you've been in business for 12 years. You only have records for 8:00. What kind of records do you have? You know, all these sorts of things, all these back and forth. So your question is necessary.
So you can't just set up a website as an accountant and say you go and sleep. The website will sell for you. It's not going to work then let's see. So those are the factors. That's the reason why I say the things that sell easily online. You don't need human interaction, digital products, ebooks, set up your website to sell your ebook. Go and sleep website will sell your ebook for you software. You can do that music videos,
online courses, stock photos, your website will sell it for you. Set up the website go and sleep your market to be moving if you did a good job, physical products, so books, DVD camera, video game, what else you get the whole idea shot content that you can download yeah your website can sell for you templates, digital arts, all these kind of things. So excuse me so the reason why some of these things you can sell them very easily online is because basically customer knows what to expect and they can make an informed decision without talking to someone.
So excuse me also because the process is more or less is streamlined and then delivery is easy. You can easily search the product and then you can compare. So like for my headphones that I bought, I opened it, I put it in one tab, I opened another one. I put in another tab. I was now checking back and forth. OK, this one is so, so, so and so pounds. This one is so, so, so and so pounds. Which one is more cheaper, easy pounds or dollars?
OK, dollars. Let me close this tab. Open this one. This one is so, so, so, so dollar. Open this one. This one is so, so, so dollar. OK, this one, it lasts for 100 hours. This one, it lasts for 200 hours. This one, the impedance is this. The resistance is this. This one the color is black. This one, the color is this, the microphone is in noise cancelling. This one is not noise cancelling. You see you open and just be doing it back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
But for services, you can't open one tab and then start comparing 2 accountants that way. Doesn't work that way. So basically, if you're a service professional, you're a photographer, you're a video person, you're a lawyer, accounting medicine. Don't believe what this guy is telling you. And just in case this guy sent you this message that he sent me and you call him to go and do website for you, the website will not do all the setting for you.
At some point you will have to pick up the phone. You will have to e-mail somebody, you have to SMS somebody, you have to visit somebody, you have to get somebody to visit you, you have to book an appointment. You will have to do something to close this deal. So if somebody's sending you this kind of WhatsApp message, don't believe them. There's no website that is going to solve all your problems. None. If you sell human hair.
Yes, with the right website, with the right promotional copy, with the right video, with the right lighting, with the right everything, you can set this thing up and then go and sleep and your market will move. But if you're a service provider, no way at all. Maybe when we get to heaven. But on earth, the way earth is no way. Because if you're a service provider, the things that you sell are not standardized. You can't open up two websites and then be comparing business consultants like that.
Eventually you want to talk to one or two business consultants and decide from among them because your solutions. That's from the point of view of the service provider. The solutions have to be customized to the individual, so it even makes sense for you to even pick up the phone and talk to them or ping them back and forth. For service providers, customers don't really know what it is that they're buying back. This whole thing of a forensic accountant or an architect, the customer doesn't really know what they're buying.
It's until they talk to you and you people talk back and forth. They now start to understand exactly what it is that they're buying. Then on this thing of risk and complexity, when it comes to service providers, the level of risk is high because nobody wants to pay 1M for a wedding photography and video. Only if you discover that this photograph himself is an idiot. I don't like him. Nobody wants to do that. It's high risk.
That's the reason why they would like to talk to someone and that's the reason why you should talk to someone. Because imagine collecting somebody's money, 1M, you want to provide photography and video for them. You mobilize the boys and then they squirrel. But you know, school fees was due this and this and that and that. So to be honest, you collected the one M, you've already spent 800 K, So you know that refund is out of the question because of course you've already mobilized boys.
Anyway, on the talk of spending half the money, more than half the money, you can see that these kind of things is high risk and high complexity. That is why no website is going to sell for you. If you're a service provider. The only thing of pricing and payment options, you can't price your photography service or your accounting service the way that you price. You price fish in the market. You can't work that way or that you buy a price human hair that if it's Bangladeshi human hair,
57 inches, you know, 700K. But then if you buy 2, we give you 25% on the second one. I mean, that's not how it works. People need to sit down. OK, back to the wedding videography thing or AK track. The price would depend on other factors. How many people, how large is the crowd? What kind of dishes is it? Is it continental dish or local dish? How many servings, what else You know, those of you who are caterers, you know the kind of things that you you have to consider.
And then if it's a destination wedding, where is the destination? You have to figure in your costs because if they get you to cater to the wedding, it's an Abuja wedding. You're based in Abuja, No problem. What do they call you? The wedding is in is a destination wedding maybe on a fancy beach in Ghana. I want to have Ghana has beaches. I mean Ghana landlocked. We have Niger here then next is Benny OK No, Cameroon is on one side then Benny Republic, then Ghana and in my geography teacher, I know if you're listening to this podcast now you'd be crying that I didn't learn anything.
I'm really sorry I passed the exam, you know, back when I was in school, but I haven't read geography since, so I've forgotten a few things. Any but what online is you have to be considering all these things. So summary of what I'm trying to say is if you're a service provider and somebody send you this kind of message saying that come with us, let us make your website, your website will solve all your problems. Please ignore that message.
It's not going to work for you. But if you sell diapers and if you sell human hair or if you sell palm slippers or you sell things like that, we are then fine. Call this guy back. I said, oh, I saw your message. So this is your miracle website. How's this thing going to work? And then continue the conversation with the person. So for the rest of us who are service providers, you're better off learning how to sell. You're better off learning how to have conversations with people so that people ghost you less.
After all, that's where this guy was coming from that if you come up with this magic website, people will stop ghosting you. If you sell diapers on human hair, yes, can lead to less ghosting. But if you sell, if you're a professional service provider, no. Learn how to have better conversations and then people will ghost you less. Learn how to get better at conversions. Conversions just means you're getting people to take the next step with you.
If you're better at conversions, then people ghost you less. So that's the challenge for service providers for some reason. If you must do WhatsApp outreach like this guy, I've already given you the pointers about how you should shrink down the message, how you should use a problem based opener, and how you should think of engaging people in the conversation instead of sending 1 long message that requires plenty scrolling.
And you think that that is going to close the deal for you? Sales is a conversation. Let us learn to start talking to people instead of broadcasting at them. Please. I'm begging you guys, sales is a conversation. Let us learn to start talking to people instead of broadcasting app. Even when we send the broadcast, the goal is to get somebody to reply so that we can start a conversation. So that's all for today. If you'd love to connect for a strategy session, a business audit, or you have some questions you want me to answer,
the number to call on WhatsApp is 0806466 2140. The country code is +234. For those of you who are not Nigerian, then can connect with me on LinkedIn, the name to look for is Tavishima Taede. I have a YouTube channel the same name as well. Thank you very much for your time and attention. I'll catch you guys at the next recording. But a warning though, Spotify sent me a message that their service is going to be undergoing maintenance on March 11th.
So March 11th, you guys might not hear from me, but apart from that, I'll catch you guys in the next episode.