My Services

Below you will find brief overviews of the services that I provide.  The descriptions below serve to give you an idea of how I approach strategy in business.  Contact me here so that we can get the ball rolling or call on +263773402526 (WhatsApp available)

In the words of Howard Schultz “Authentic brands do not emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies.  They emanate from everything that the company does”.  This quote summarises Plexis Strategy’s approach to Brand Management.  It is now the norm in Zimbabwe that most firms see branding as the designs on product packages, billboards and posters among other media.  This approach has various shortcomings the main one being that there are stages that will have been skipped prior to the creation of the poster (for example).  The approach which has become accepted ignores, to a larger extent, the various factors that surround the brand that we actually see.  The current approaches in the country ignore the firm, people, products and customers, among other factors, that make the brand what it is.  A brand in Zimbabwe has generally become the product of two processes, brain storming and a visit to an advertising agency.

A brand should be the sum of all of an organisation’s parts.  The workforce, the products, the ethos and the structure should all be created and organised in such a way that the brand that represents these factors stands out in the customers’ minds.  A brand should have mythical qualities that people associate with as these qualities are the ones that influence consumer decision making.  These qualities should not be stumbled upon by chance but should be created in such a way that they are perceived in a manner that is beneficial to the organisation.

The owners of a brand should know how the brand is performing at any time.  It’s value should increase or should be maintained in order to give a satisfactory return on investment for the shareholders.  Control measures need to be put in place to ensure that the brand stays on course in order to fulfill the firm’s vision.  A brand is like a child that should be taken care of and guided until it has reached its destination.

The most interesting aspect of brand management is that the end product has to appeal to human beings who come from different backgrounds, have different tastes and different beliefs.  This makes the discipline of branding a very dynamic and at times a complicated one.  One thing that is for sure is that an improvement in how you manage your brand will almost always lead to an improved financial standing.  Let’s talk about it and see whether or not this can be the case for you and your firm.

In an economy such as Zimbabwe’s it is important to gain as much ground as you can, get every profitable customer that you can get and gain as much customer loyalty as you can in a sustainable way.  The simple reasons include the fact that businesses exist to make profit and that the state of our economy has created a situation were the pie is now small if I can put it that way.  You need to get as much of that pie as possible in order to survive and give your stakeholders a satisfactory return on investment.  

One of the best ways to ensure that you will have a sustainable advantage is to have a sound strategy that you can use in the market place.  This will be the first step towards improving your business as most of your competition will (most likely) either have a strategy that is not doing the job fully or will have no strategy at all.  With a strategy you will know what to do and when to do it.  You will be able to plan ahead and be proactive as the competition reacts.  You will be able to put in place checks and balances to ensure that you are on the right track at all times.  Having a strategy will be akin to having a pair of binoculars in a situation where most of the competition will be partially or completely blind.

The fact that the economic pie is now smaller than before has led people to believe that opportunities no longer exist in Zimbabwe.  While, to a larger extent, this assertion holds water I am of the belief that opportunities still exist in most sectors of the Zimbabwean economy.  The simple reason is that most of the current players in industry are not doing business in the way that they should.  We are in a situation were the first movers or financially fortunate firms are occupying industry but are still not getting it right.  Let me ask you a few questions, are customers in your industry really satisfied with the products and services that you and your competition are offering?  Are customers in your industry really satisfied with the relationship that they have with you or with your competition?  Imagine a situation were you are the one that customers are satisfied with, imagine a situation were you are the best in the eyes of your customers, imagine the financial rewards that would come with that.  Write to me so we can explore the possibilities.

Information is power!  It enables you to analyse issues from various perspectives.  Good information enables you and your business to make decisions that can be the difference between good results, results and bad results.  How to get good information is the next question.  The difference between obtaining information from one source as opposed to the other is in the approach.  This difference in approach can be measured in monetary terms results wise.

To illustrate this difference I will talk about two employees who were given the task by their boss to go and buy some oranges.  The first employee was given money and went to the store.  He purchased some oranges and returned to the office with change and a receipt.  The boss was pleased and ate the oranges.  The next day the boss sent the second employee to go and buy some oranges.  Just before the employee left he asked the boss how many oranges he would like.  The boss, remembering that he had thrown away some oranges yesterday because they were too many opted for 5.  The employee then asked the boss whether or not he wanted Navel, Valencia, Moro or Cara Cara oranges.  The boss asked the employee to describe the various merits of the oranges and then chose the Navel oranges as they are the best for eating as a result of being seedless and easy to peel.  He then also opted for 5 Valencia oranges so as to crush them in the blender that was in the kitchen as they were the most juicy.  The boss was astonished at how the second employee paid attention to detail, he was more than pleased.  When the employee returned he had the Navel oranges wrapped up nicely for the boss to eat later and the Valencia oranges in the form of orange juice in a glass, since it was lunch time.  Who do you think got promoted when the next job opening came up?

While it is not necessary to pay attention to detail in every situation it is important to work with someone who is aware of the fact that detail is required at times.  The difference between these two employees could be the difference between working with one consultant as opposed to the another consultant.  Which of the two would you want to work with for the same money?

Let me conduct your marketing research for you be it consumer, product, competitor, exploratory research or any other type of marketing research that you might be interested in.  I believe that I am like the second employee and there will be a good chance that I will give you better information than most which will lead to you getting better results as far as your bottom line is concerned.  I can also assist you in executing your action plans.  Get into business with me for market insights.

Customer service is becoming one of the main frontiers on which companies are fighting on.  Firms have now realised that it is better to adapt to the paymaster then to ask the paymaster to adapt to you.  Excellent customer services is often strongly linked to very good financial results.  One of the main advantages of pursuing a customer focused strategy is its relatively low cost when compared to other strategies in general.  The fact that most of the resources that are required to pursue this strategy effectively are at the disposal of most firms makes it a good avenue.   The only issues that stand in the way of a Zimbabwean firm pursuing this strategy has been a lack of expertise on how to execute such a strategy and the failure to recognise that such an approach is necessary in the first place.  Take the time to go through the following facts about customer service in other countries:

  • 78% of customers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of poor service
  • A typical business only hears from 4% of its dissatisfied customers
  • On average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase
  • The probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20%, the rate for an existing customer is 60-70%
  • It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for 1 negative experience
  • News of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many ears as praise for a good service experience
  • It is 6-7 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep a current one
  • 60% of customers would try a new company or brand for a better service experience
  • According to consumers, customer agents failed to answer their questions 50% of the time

    • Source: http://www.helpscout.net/75-customer-service-facts-quotes-statistics/

    Take a look at your own firm and ask yourself these questions, ‘Are we operating in such a way that we do not fall into the group of firms with the characteristics that have been listed above?’  How much money do you think companies which fall into the above category leave on the table?  Are you leaving money on the table?  In relation to the above statistics, what are the exact figures for your firm?   Let us talk about it.

In all firms, whether you realise it or not, there is a process that you use in your operations.  In a firm were this is done deliberately there will be a blueprint of how ‘ABC’ is carried out.  In a firm where processes are not performed deliberately there will be a common understanding of how various activities are carried out.  How a firm conducts its ‘ABC’ contributes a lot the firm’s bottom line.  Making the right adjustments, additions or subtractions in the right areas can bring forth rewards.  The difference between two brands is not in the brands themselves but in the processes and networks that they represent.

I will go through the whole organisation identifying areas that need improvement.  The idea is that these improvements will assist in either cutting operating costs, increasing margins or improving efficiency among other benefits.  The reality is that most of the processes in Zimbabwean organisations today are carried out with little to no adherence to any particular science or model.  Many a time I hear phrases such as ‘He does not have the qualifications but he has the experience’.  People will be talking about someone occupying  a position of importance and this is now an accepted standard in Zimbabwe.  While this is the case it would help to bring in someone who installs a ‘method’ to the ‘experience’ into some operations.  Small tweaks like these will add value to the firm in the form of better results.

Focus will be put on the organisational structure, value delivery system, customer relations, quality management, managing the competition and retaining customers among other areas.  The idea will be to improve operations in these areas and to ensure that the whole organisation is operating as a single unit.  A well oiled machine always operates better than one which is made up of conflicting parts.  I will ensure that you are equipped in such a way that you will know what is going on in the organisation enabling you to make better decisions.

The first question you have to ask yourself is whether or not you have a system in place that ensures that you deliver the maximum value for yourself and the customers?  The second question you have to ask yourself is what having such a system could do for you, your employees, your stakeholders and your customers?  Will you be better off not having such a system or not?  You can email me in order for us to discuss the situation that your firm is in in order to determine the best way forward.  In the event that this service is not required in your firm you will still benefit from having peace of mind in the knowledge that you have covered another angle.

Plexis Strategy’s 5 As Approach

My approach to consultancy is based on the fact that a consultant should be involved in the client firm’s activities in one way or another.  It is only when the consultant is involved that he can make the right diagnosis and prescribe the right strategies.  Kindly go through Plexis Strategy’s 5 As approach below:

I will adjust so as to become accustomed to your organisation’s environment.  This will ensure a successful integration into the existing system enabling me to settle in.

It will be important to be involved in some work related activities.  The level at which this will be done will depend on the task at hand.  This exercise will ensure that a relevant diagnosis will be made.

Your work processes will be examined methodically and in detail in order to interpret and explain them.  This excercise will lead to the identification of pain points that will then be earmarked for improvement.

The next step would be to make the changes that will need to be made in order to achieve the desired results.  The scale of the changes will depend on the state of affairs and the desired results.

The benefits of the changes that will have been made will be realised over time and as such it is imperative that control measures be put in place to ensure continuity.  I will leave behind a system that will ensure that this will be done.

Why Choose Plexis Strategy

  • Relevant experience in a number of fields producing good results
  • A new approach to business in the Zimbabwean market
  • Incentive based pricing to ensure value for money
  • Practical solutions that address the real situation on the ground

Say Something About Plexis Strategy

Plexis Strategy’s business model is based on an ‘outside-in’ approach were the customer is seen as a king and your opinion is the most important.  So go ahead, tell me what you think about the service
Ruvimbo, Plexis Strategy