If you’re chasing success you must keep promises

 

King Kaka

NAIROBI, KENYA: Image is key in business, believe me. I’ve been a graphic designer for years now, and there is a way we create https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images for companies that are start-ups where the perception they form is greater than the business itself.

The question then becomes, can these companies live up to the image or perception that they have promised the customer?

I remember in my graphic design days, before music became my main source of income, I would get clients who’d describe what they do and I would transform that into a business card, catalogue, pamphlet or a portfolio. Most times, I didn’t set foot into their offices, so that meant that I had to Google https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images that represented their business.

If it was a hotel business, for instance, I would type into Google ‘well-cooked chicken https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images’, and use the best picture I’d find as the cover for, say, their menu.

That meant that if the business went ahead and did an online campaign and put up their menu, if I were a customer, I’d most definitely demand the chicken that I saw pictured. So it’s the duty of the hotel to uphold its image and deliver chicken similar to or better than what’s in the picture.

Curiosity

I got curious one day and decided to visit one of the hotels I had made a menu for, specifically the ‘well-cooked chicken’ one. And of course I ordered the chicken.

Before I tell you how the chicken tasted, let me mention that I have learnt a lot in this music business, especially around that popular primary school saying that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. I have applied it.

Have you ever seen those classifieds behind the newspaper that advertise dating services and products? Well, a friend of mine decided that he was lonely and called one of the numbers listed.

However, the image she advertised was nothing like the person who showed up at the dinner date, so my friend decided to ditch the whole thing. He pretended he hadn’t arrived. And that is how we lose customers – if we promise and don’t deliver.

The promise

We work hard to keep promises in our relationships, especially when we mess up, because we know the value that relationship adds to our lives.

You can extrapolate this to business. This makes every advertisement a promise, and when the client reaches out, s/he expects to get what was advertised.

I learnt this when I was launching my mixtape back in 2012. I had released promotional materials and was so determined. The launch was to be at Kenya Music Week, and I told my then fans that I would be there by midday.

By then, my social media presence had increased, and these platforms served as my main sources of advertisement. It had worked for two years.

Njoro, my printer, had promised me that all was well and I should collect the copies of the mixtapes the morning of the launch. At that time, I was a jack of all trades: I was the manager, the PR, the artiste and the graphic designer all rolled up into one Kaka Sungura.

I was at Njoro’s shop by 10am, but found it locked. I told myself that maybe he was out for lunch.

I tried to call Njoro, but his phone was off. I asked around and was told he left in the morning. I was in panic mode.

My number one worry was my fans, who were also my customers. The moment I logged into my social media pages, I discovered most of my fans were already at Nairobi’s Sarit Centre waiting for the mixtape.

I needed help, so I reached out to my producer and mentor, DJ Loop.

We had a 30-minute phone conversation. He explained the bigger picture to me, showing me that it goes beyond the physical disc and the lyrics that I had put in the mixtape. I had a business relationship with my fans, and he asked what I would do to protect this relationship, to reassure that one fan who’d come all the way from Kayole.

I understood that I needed to protect my image – and it’s a good thing that I learned this lesson early.

Bouncing back

I immediately designed a poster with a bold red band across it. On it, I explained the hiccup with the mixtape copies. I then announced I was on my way to Sarit Centre and would give a free performance.

I went with a friend and took down the names of all the fans that came for the tape. I gave them free delivery the following week, along with a free Kaka Sungura T-shirt.

I remembered this story because last week, I went for a presentation at some company and one of the bosses said he was a fan and is still one because of how I handled the release of my mixtape.

He mentioned that he has attended all my album launches and bought all my mixtapes and merchandise. I got the deal – but the bottom line is that every customer is important and image is everything.

Oh, and that chicken tasted real bad. I never went back to that restaurant. If you want your business to grow, you’ve got to keep your promises.

The writer is an award-winning artiste and entrepreneur.