It was a very beautiful morning, one of those not-so-rare days in Lagos, the perfect blend of great colourful weather and nice, breezy temperature.
As the saying goes ‘All good things must come to an end’ I knew that things were too good to be true and the day had been looking too rosy for comfort. It was at that moment I had the memory flash that turned the once wonderful-looking day into a nightmare.
I had just remembered it was the birthday of a dear cousin who would go and has gone above and beyond for me, his favours had become uncountable and the least I could do was to get him a cake if nothing else. First thought that popped into my head was to go the usual Cakes and Cream route but then I thought he is too dear to do the usual and I wanted to spice things up a bit.
Earlier in the year I had tasted cake from Rinsola Cakes and loved every bite so I was sure of what I wanted.
Cheerfully, I called thinking nothing could go wrong but alas, I jinxed myself. Rinsola nicely but firmly turned me down saying cakes had to be booked in advance.
Don’t you bake cakes customers can choose from? Did somebody not forget to pick up an order I can pay for? Is there a promo for first timers like me? Did somebody’s mother die and can’t celebrate a birthday anymore? All questions to which Rinsola answered negatively.
I was at a loss; I started calling friends to send me numbers of bakers they had patronized. The calls were to no avail as their main issue was that I hadn’t booked in advance and they didn’t go that far on short notice.
The internet was my last ditch effort. Before you roll your eyes, I had the same prejudices of buying a cake never tried and possibly without seeing it but I was desperate. I went online and saw a lot of options I tried but never gelled until I came across Candy Plus a division of Candy Patisserie.
I had seen them on a cake directory and tried to go to their website to see more of their works, but shockingly, they did not have one so I called. After a somewhat tiresome conversation what with network issues and all, I decided to carry the conversation to WhatsApp. I needed to see pictures and also get more information.
The sales representative told me he couldn’t do that because of some inexplicable reason. We had a little chat about the efficacy of using WhatsApp and he became a convert. I know, I know, my powers of persuasion are amazing.
It was time to pay so I asked for the account information to make a transfer and the rep was trying to convince me to pay on delivery. Then I explained that I was sending it to someone else and I of course did not want the person paying for his own cake, that would defeat the purpose. I didn’t understand his reluctance, it made me skeptical about paying the money at that point. Eventually he relinquished the account details and we proceeded.
All necessary details were finalized and I wanted the cake to go as soon as possible so my cousin could share the cake at work with his colleagues. After a little delay in payment – where a fortune was parted with – the cake was on its way to the mainland. With bated breath, I waited for the call to confirm delivery and in no time, it came. The delivery guy had found the place without qualms and I heaved a sigh of relief – finally, I could rest knowing that burden had been lifted.
The fact that all this business was done over the phone, albeit strenuously was amazing. I got a call from my cousin who was very appreciative and loved the taste and look of his cake.
Original Content: Sola Oyero
Learning Points:
Why oh why would a company in 2016 not have a website? It is one of the best methods to promote your business and build your brand worthiness.
Prospective customers like to know what a brand has been up to and from there they can decide to trust you or not.
This is where i would refer you to our free Social Media training Digify Bytes.
