Mr. Kayode Folorunso, Managing Director of Lordsgate Courier Services Ltd, came to JCtrans' head office during his business trip to China. He had a pleasant conversation with Mr. Richard Zhang, General Manager of jctrans.net. They exchanged views about their own business environments, and Mr. Zhang explained JCtrans' services in detail to Mr. Folorunso.
Business Environment of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria
Mr. Folorunso gave a brief introduction of his company and country and stated, "Business in Nigeria was previously concentrated in Lagos, the Capital. As the city developed, the traffic started to become a problem, so the business centre has moved to Abuja now. I have offices in both Lagos and Abuja. In Lagos there are two main ports, Apapa and Tin Can, and an overflow port called Ikorodu. When there is too much traffic in Apapa and Tin Can, ships will go through Ikorodu to ease the congestion. You can see how busy the city is. During the first 2 years we focused our business within Nigeria. Then we started thinking about developing a business network in China."
Traditional Vs Online Model of Business Networking for Freight Forwarders
Mr Folorunso's reason for coming to China was to attend the Dalian International Freight Forwarders & Logistics Cooperation Forum in Dalian. His intention was to find business partners in China in order to expand his business network. He believed that the best way to meet potential partners and develop his business was to attend forums such as this one, and meet people face to face. While attending this event he met a representative from JCtrans who informed him of the services they provide. During the interview with Mr Zhang he commented on his previous experience of attending these types of forum through logistics organizations: "Our intention for joining logistics organizations was to expand our business scope and to find business. But you realize one thing, our aim and intention of joining was not realized, in the sense that, since we joined these logistics organizations no single business has come from membership." Mr. Folorunso said this with a joking laugh, meaning the traditional way of networking between freight forwarders can't meet his expectations.
To alleviate Mr. Folorunso's sense of frustration on not acquiring any new business, Mr. Zhang showed him a copy of a Credit Report, explained it, and informed him of the online services offered by JCtrans. "We are not like traditional logistics organizations. They invited you to conferences to network, meet people, and exchanging business cards once or twice a year. With us, you can do this kind of activity 24/7. Currently, we have 1,500 premium members, mostly from China. Also, there are some members from India, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries. We launched our business in 2001, and we have been independently ranked the number one logistics website in China for the last 4 years."
