By Princewill Ekwujuru

When sales are good in a particular year, companies celebrate their trade partners, likewise when sales are bad. The  Customer Forum, a celebration instituted to keep tab on their trade partners performances, as well as giving them a sense of belonging, brings an emotional bonding between both parties.

In this scenario, companies give trade incentives to their partners to enable them continue in their businesses, at times, it is in cash, trucks, cars, refrigerators, generating sets, TV sets , Phones  etc. But today,  the   Customer Forum has become a tool in the hand of companies to  dig deep into the understanding of its partners, which in another way helps to  position the company in their minds and the market.

Other need for the Customer Forum is also to chart a new course for the development and growth  of the  company through the string line of the trade partners, which is an avenue to push sales for the company. Even though targets are given at times.

For this reason, the 2013 Unilever Nigeria Plc Customer Forum was not an exception, for  the  fact that the gathering of the trade partners saw the company reward  them with various gift items at the instance of the new Managing Director/CEO, Yaw Nsarkoh, who took over from Thabo Mabe.

Like  Nsarkoh said: “Customers are the essential part of any business model   that is serious about serving its consumers. They are our trade partners, we work with them in one ecosystem to create value for the consumer, so that we can build the brand preference we are looking for. We are into partnership, one of the things that lubricates it is recognition, it is an opportunity for us to appreciate all the work, that has been done across Nigeria.

In order to express our brand appropriately even in the remote part of Nigeria so that our brands can be appreciated and also to build the future growth of the business by extending the relation with our partners further that is what it’s all about.

On his expectations: “First of all the foundation that has been built by my predecessor is solid. What I tend to do is to erect an even more strong strategy on it. Nigeria is great in the global environment. What we want to do is to ensure that our brand is strengthened into the future so that we can participate in, and contribute to the growth of Nigeria within the global construct, and in that effort build the African business to become the business of our dream.”

On his  message to the consumers, he said that the consumers are the reason the company exist. “We will continue to listen to the consumer.  We will continue to try and anticipate their needs from the basis of the signals that we get and amplify them in other to build strong brands that provides solutions that improves their life, The main reason why we exist is to serve consumers. That is what Unilever has been about since its existence in Nigeria since the 1920s, I believe, as I told you, consumers life will improve.”