When I graduated in India and had to come back home, I was already used to having access to a lot things online and the transition wasn’t as easy because I expected everything to be at my fingertip (online) but a lot of things weren’t. knowing where to get things hassle-free is a good thing. Imagine this, you have your phone/tablet/laptop and you want to know where to find a nice evening gown for a wedding next weekend, you go to Directory.co.tz and you search for evening gowns or boutiques and VOILA! there’s a list of all the shops that will have the service and goods you are looking for.
You see, the reason I struggled is because I wanted to get internship at a law firm (I didn’t have any one specific in mind), so I went on Google and I only saw a few ’big’ law firms that had websites. But I also knew I would get more practice working for small to medium sized firms - unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found online. You can imagine my frustration. A friend then advised me to go to Posta, walk around various streets and see what I’ll find and drop my CV. I did this one time and gave up! Because I walked a lot that day, and some law firms were in buildings but had no signage outside so there was no way of finding out unless I asked around. That was very exhausting.
That was back in 2012, if you tell me now that I have to walk around and find places and things in 2019...you won’t be doing me justice! The same applies to anyone who has a job and a life. Where do you get the time to go around the city to search for offices that will give you the services you need? And how sure are you that you will not be walking into scam of an office? Don’t forget the money factor - you’ll need fuel to drive around looking for things.
Having an all in one service is what we need, everything at our fingertips. You might say there is social media and sure that’s another way to finding things - but I guarantee you, unless you know a genuine business and it’s social media handle - you stand a chance of finding scam businesses on social media and wasting your precious time. Have you ever tried searching for things on social media and you either get nothing? Then you use hashtags only to come across posts from all over the world? That happened to me!
When I wanted to buy my car, instead of taking bajajis to various car dealerships (coz it was expensive) I went on social media and searched for Toyota Rav4 - I found more than what I was looking for, it was a dead-end. So, I gave up, and bused around to the dealerships. Having access to a site that has a list of businesses - genuine if I may add, is like having our very own Google but for business and services that are within our limits. Let’s say you want to buy a car so you search for Toyota Crown for sale, you’ll find all possible results for sellers in TANZANIA, and that’s very important because it saves you time and money.
Sometimes people get lucky and come across exactly what they are looking for and it turn out to be a genuine business without going online or driving around searching. For instance, when my folks were about to buy their car - Mom came across EnhanceAuto Tanzania showroom in Mikocheni as she drove heading to town, and the car they wanted was right by the gate, and that worked out well for them. But we can’t always be that lucky. And scams are real!
I applaud businesses that think ahead and consider being listed on directory sites because they see the importance of being easily accessible to clients, but also they build trust. If you have your business listed, it first of all makes me think you really mean business, which means you’ll have a phone number that will allow me to call you and ask questions before I step into your office. Not only that, you can’t be listed if your business is a scam - so it helps me trust your business. I think the best thing about being listed on the Tanzania business directory, as a business, you stand a chance of getting international clientele! Most people from other parts of world search for things online, make calls etc. If a tourist is trying to find a safari company, unless he knows someone in Tanzania to inquire about things, he or she will first go online, look up for options, write emails or make calls and make a deal. So why limit your business on paper? Business cards or local ads are good and all, but you need more than that if you want to expand your business horizon. Personally, I’ve been tracking plots for sale on Directory.co.tz, once I find something within my price range - it’s a done deal!
You see, the reason I struggled is because I wanted to get internship at a law firm (I didn’t have any one specific in mind), so I went on Google and I only saw a few ’big’ law firms that had websites. But I also knew I would get more practice working for small to medium sized firms - unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found online. You can imagine my frustration. A friend then advised me to go to Posta, walk around various streets and see what I’ll find and drop my CV. I did this one time and gave up! Because I walked a lot that day, and some law firms were in buildings but had no signage outside so there was no way of finding out unless I asked around. That was very exhausting.
That was back in 2012, if you tell me now that I have to walk around and find places and things in 2019...you won’t be doing me justice! The same applies to anyone who has a job and a life. Where do you get the time to go around the city to search for offices that will give you the services you need? And how sure are you that you will not be walking into scam of an office? Don’t forget the money factor - you’ll need fuel to drive around looking for things.
Having an all in one service is what we need, everything at our fingertips. You might say there is social media and sure that’s another way to finding things - but I guarantee you, unless you know a genuine business and it’s social media handle - you stand a chance of finding scam businesses on social media and wasting your precious time. Have you ever tried searching for things on social media and you either get nothing? Then you use hashtags only to come across posts from all over the world? That happened to me!
When I wanted to buy my car, instead of taking bajajis to various car dealerships (coz it was expensive) I went on social media and searched for Toyota Rav4 - I found more than what I was looking for, it was a dead-end. So, I gave up, and bused around to the dealerships. Having access to a site that has a list of businesses - genuine if I may add, is like having our very own Google but for business and services that are within our limits. Let’s say you want to buy a car so you search for Toyota Crown for sale, you’ll find all possible results for sellers in TANZANIA, and that’s very important because it saves you time and money.
Sometimes people get lucky and come across exactly what they are looking for and it turn out to be a genuine business without going online or driving around searching. For instance, when my folks were about to buy their car - Mom came across EnhanceAuto Tanzania showroom in Mikocheni as she drove heading to town, and the car they wanted was right by the gate, and that worked out well for them. But we can’t always be that lucky. And scams are real!
I applaud businesses that think ahead and consider being listed on directory sites because they see the importance of being easily accessible to clients, but also they build trust. If you have your business listed, it first of all makes me think you really mean business, which means you’ll have a phone number that will allow me to call you and ask questions before I step into your office. Not only that, you can’t be listed if your business is a scam - so it helps me trust your business. I think the best thing about being listed on the Tanzania business directory, as a business, you stand a chance of getting international clientele! Most people from other parts of world search for things online, make calls etc. If a tourist is trying to find a safari company, unless he knows someone in Tanzania to inquire about things, he or she will first go online, look up for options, write emails or make calls and make a deal. So why limit your business on paper? Business cards or local ads are good and all, but you need more than that if you want to expand your business horizon. Personally, I’ve been tracking plots for sale on Directory.co.tz, once I find something within my price range - it’s a done deal!
No comments:
Post a Comment