IMPORTANCE OF PROFILING

It is worrisome to lose a chance of clinching a business when you think the chance was yours to be. Mama Emeka is a neighbor at my work place. In fact, her office is next to mine and we often spent time together whenever we were less busy and have by so doing established a kind of close friendship. As usual she entered my office one afternoon; “You won’t believe it my friend” she started as she made to explain her worries to me. “I lost a huge business deal yesterday” She said. Not understanding exactly what she meant by that, I asked, what do you mean a business deal?

She said a friend of hers, whom she always thought might first have her in mind whenever she decides to seek for the type of business she does, have just returned from Kano yesterday, and when she inquired to know about her where about for some days, the friend confirmed to her that she traveled to Kano to meet with a woman who would be the event planner for her daughter’s wedding coming up by end of the month!”

“My dear, the painful thing is that she said she didn’t know the woman but only came a crossed the woman’s profile on the internet and love what she saw that’s why she traveled all the way to contract the event to the woman. After explaining to her that I also render the same services, she asked me to give her my company profile for future reference”.

“Oh! I can understand how you feel” I made to console her, so she meant to say she wasn’t aware of your business before? “Yes” replied Mama Emeka. “Exactly what she told me when I asked her why she couldn’t patronize me instead, according to her, she was totally unaware that I render wedding services. She thought I only work as an office secretary in a private firm, the very job I left three years ago to start my own business!” Oh no! I exclaimed. But where is your profile, I asked?

Profile, she asked back? Well, what is the need of a profile whereas customers can come to my place and see my work physically?

I began; a business profile is documented information put together by you or professionals on your behalf or your organization. The profile might be for an individual, a business, public or private entity, prepared with the purpose of giving a clear brief of an establishment. Important information about your business is given in the profile in such a way that, it will attract prospective customers and potential investors.

This means that your profile will give the necessary basic information about you or what you do for a business to able people to know about your products or services. If you print it, it comes handy for friends and family to help you in giving prospective customers information about your products or services.

At this point it also becomes clear to me that, I also did not do my job well, for all the times we stays together with Mama Emeka, I have never deem it necessary to talk to her about my organization and what we do, had it been I did so, she wouldn’t have found herself in the situation she found herself. So therefore, I pick up a booklet containing our company profile and handed it over to her, Mama Emeka, take this, it is our Company profile and part of the services we rendered here is profiling for individuals or organizations like yours. I think all you need now is a good company profile to avoid a repeat of what happened to you yesterday.

She gazes in relief after my long explanations and said “please just do my company profile now I wouldn’t want to lose another client for lack of profile again!”

I collected all the necessary information required for me to help in creating Mama Emeka’s business profile and before the end of the day’s works, her company profile was ready and she was so happy. “Now I have my business profile and ready for business” she said!

Now to readers of this article, hummmmm, don’t be like Mama Emeka and be caught unaware. Business profile is an important and even, a necessary part of requirement when starting a business regardless of the size. It helps you to focus and establish the direction of your business.

A well written profile will attract customers that you want to do business with, but a badly written one will not hold the interest of customers and might even drive them away.

BELOW ARE WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN WRITING A PROFILE FOR YOURSELF OR YOUR BUSINESS 

1. The profile should be concise and accurate report of what you are about or your company is, it includes your company structure, the management procedures, your policies, principles, business track record, and financial viability.

2. Your business profile should aim to convince an investor or a customer that your business is credible and financially buoyant. Prospective customers will also need to know that your products or services are assured, the quality is consistent, and possible risk is minimized.

3. Use the right templates to write an effective profile that will persuade the customers to know more, which will ultimately lead to business growth.

4. Present and showcase the qualities that are unique to your company or experiences of your employees that are characteristic of your organization these, will give readers an idea of the distinctiveness of your business from your rival companies.

Finally, it’s my wish that this article helps you to understand the important of a profile, if you can’t create one by yourself and needed help contacts us any day, anytime and anywhere by searching for our business names “Business Women Networking Ltd” through the followings: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and the website.

Cheersss!