A Harvest of Bounties with MTN Trutalk
Afew months back, MTN again delivered on its brand promise when it introduced a new tariff plan, which offers as low as 11 kobo per second for calls made on the revamped MTN TruTalk platform. The new offering allows customers to migrate to the TruTalk platform after which they register their first 11 numbers. The numbers can be replaced with new ones if so desired by the customer. In addition, customers have the privilege of registering three numbers from other networks, while enjoying the same tariff.
For a football-loving country with massive followership of various European leagues, including the UEFA Champions League, it is indeed a stroke of genius on the part of MTN to strategically align the passion for football to its new product offering. An allegory of some sorts, registering your best 11 numbers is like having your first 11 team members who are expected to win in every football match .
In football tournaments, there is a prize for the winning team, and so it is with the TruTalk first 11 team. In taking the 11-man game forward, MTN has made available mouth-watering prizes for lucky customers who migrate and make calls using the TruTalk platform. 11 houses have been set aside to be won every other week by customers who make calls on the MTN TruTalk and are lucky enough to be picked during the raffles draw.
Since its relaunch, the MTN TruTalk service has recorded massive migration of customers who are eager to enjoy the benefits derivable from using the new service. It is however not enough to offer reduced tariff in a market which has been saturated with a lot of price reduction incentives. It is also important to take the products to the customers and perhaps incentivise them in order to drive uptake. It takes a very dedicated and loyal team to push through the clutter and still meet and surpass set targets, especially given the highly competitive nature of the industry.
In every structured business, the sales force are the foot soldiers that are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the profit goal of the organisation is met and even exceeded. Analysts say this group of people should be the most motivated in an organisation’s trade and supply chain, without the right incentives, morale will dampen which will ultimately impact the bottom-line.
Typically in the telecommunication sector, recharge cards are pushed to the final consumers through trade partners made up of super dealers, dealers, sub-dealers, sub-sub-dealers and the very critical retailers or street vendors whose job it is to get the recharge cards to consumers.
According to Omatshola Barrow, the Sales and Distribution Executive of MTN Nigeria, for a company with over 60 million customers on its network, retailers are pivotal to achieving sales goals and having a cordial relationship with them is of utmost importance. That explains why from time to time the retailers are motivated through cash rewards or skills upgrades in form of training and mentoring.
Speaking at the launch of a promo aimed at rewarding retail vendors in the country in the Lagos/South-West axis, Barrow said: “From time to time, we provide training to educate them on our products and services, thereby building a value-added partnership. It is however not just about providing them education and awareness, it is also about providing them with the opportunity to win prizes in appreciation of their efforts in the last couple of years.”
Barrow also said that the promo is a scheme by the company to reward all the hard work of its retail partners, and this will be replicated in six other locations across the country to give every retail customer a chance to win the star prize, which is a house worth N15m in any location of their choice.
MTN TruTalk affinity with football may not be incidental. Football pundits have rightly postulated that the sport is one of the major events which unites Nigerians and heightens the patriotic spirit and love for country. It is therefore a strategic move by the company to associate the passion and affinity for the game of football to its brand, which is expected to translate to increased equity and goodwill for the brand.
Furthermore, the success of the TruTalk service since it was revamped is a testament to the business sense in aligning a game such as football with a company’s brand. Small wonder MTN was a major sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, which was hosted on the African continent for the first time in 2010.
For an industry leader, MTN must strive to always protect its customers and provide them with the best customer service experience in order to avoid brand apathy. The same goes for its sales force who have the responsibility of aggressively push its products into the market, and into the hands of end users. This is what the MTN Bizlift retailers have been able to do. The mouth-watering prizes are expected to motivate the last mile sales force to go beyond where they have reached.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Awobajo Olusegun, an MTN registered Bizlift retailer said it is always a good thing to be appreciated, incentivized and rewarded. Street vendors usually require constant push and support for the business so as not to operate at a disadvantage. According to Awobajo, retailers on a daily basis grapple with constant bullying and incessant levies from state-owned revenue agencies, which is often discouraging. However, MTN has gone ahead to provide its registered vendors with identity cards and other incentives like management and accounting training, which has placed them at a vantage position to carry out their business without fear. “Now with this TruTalk promo, I actually stand a chance of becoming a landlord in Lagos just by migrating and getting my customers to migrate,” Awojoja said.
In addition to the N15m house star prize, retailers also stand the chance of winning N11,000 every week by simply making a three-minute call or N2,000 bonus airtime. Suffice it to say that at every turn, there is a chance of winning something big.
MTN prides itself as a lifestyle brand and has continued to be an innovative and technology -driven leader in the industry. Its activities in the corporate social investment and business spaces have in no small measure added value to the lives of its customers as well as communities where it operates. Retailers are an integral part of the community and the rewards will no doubt further engender them to MTN. This win-win initiative will in the long run engender brand loyalty and advance equity.