Two grown men sat across a polished boardroom table. Laptops open. Files neatly arranged. Ties tight. English very correct.
“Thank you for making time for this meeting,” one said. “We appreciate the opportunity,” the other replied.
Forty-five minutes later, they shook hands.
“No problem, we’ll revert,” one said.
And that was the end of the deal. Not postponed. Not delayed. Dead. Buried. Funeral done.
THE AFRICAN TRUTH ABOUT MEETINGS (THAT NO ONE TAUGHT YOU)
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Africans don’t do business first we do relationships first.
You can bring:
- A beautiful PowerPoint
- A solid proposal
- Competitive pricing
- Even a Harvard accent
But if you skip connection, your meeting becomes a TED Talk… not a transaction.
In Africa, people don’t sign deals with documents. They sign deals with people they like.
WHERE MOST MEETINGS GO WRONG
Most people walk into meetings like it’s a court case.
Straight to:
- “Let me take you through the proposal”
- “On slide number 3…”
- “Our pricing structure is as follows…”
No warm-up. No context. No human connection.
Meanwhile, the person across from you is thinking:
“This one doesn’t even know who I am.”
THE MEETING THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
I once watched a man do the opposite.
He walked into a meeting and said nothing about business for the first 30 minutes.
Instead, he said:
- “I hear you’re a Liverpool fan how are you surviving this season?”
- “Ah, you’re from Gweru? Then you know Cold Storage buses very well.”
- “That marathon you ran last year… respect. I can’t even jog to the gate.”
They laughed. They relaxed. The room softened.
Only in the last 10 minutes did he say:
“By the way… there’s something I think we can do together.”
Deal closed. No slides. No pressure. No begging.
RESEARCH IS THE NEW RESPECT
In Africa, researching someone is not stalking it’s honour.
Know:
- Their favourite football team
- Their hometown
- Their background
- What they care about outside money
When you talk about them before you talk about your product, something magical happens:
They stop seeing you as a salesperson… And start seeing you as one of us.
BUSINESS IS EMOTIONAL BEFORE IT’S LOGICAL
Let’s be honest.
People don’t reject proposals They reject people they don’t connect with.
That’s why:
- The better proposal loses
- The cheaper quote is ignored
- The loudest presenter goes home confused
Because meetings are not interviews. They are relationship auditions.
THE 80–20 RULE OF AFRICAN MEETINGS
Spend:
- 80% of the time building rapport
- 20% of the time talking business
Do it the other way round and you’ll hear:
“We’ll get back to you.”
Which is African for:
“This thing is not going anywhere.”
FINAL TAKEAWAY (DON’T SKIP THIS)
If you want better meeting results:
- Stop rushing to the deal
- Start warming the human
- Talk life before you talk invoices
Because in Africa: People buy from people they feel comfortable with.
Close hearts first. The contracts will follow.
If your proposals are strong but deals keep dying in the boardroom, the gap is not strategy it’s connection. We assist organisations and professionals with **sales training, relationship-based selling, negotiation skills, customer engagement, and practical communication strategies **that turn meetings into signed deals. +263 77 961 9739 | +260 972 936 033
By The Chartered Vendor
