Posts Tagged ‘bulk SMS’

Is Bulk SMS Business In Nigeria Crashing?

Saturday, June 4th, 2011

Bulk SMS entered the Nigerian market with a big bang. It became the newest make money online song and I wrote about it in my post  Bulk SMS Reseller In Nigeria. As competition in the market for bulk sms intensified, I was greatly amused and I wrote another article pointing out that using price as basis for competition is not a healthy thing. You can read the article, Bulk SMS Reseller Price War. As at today, it seems the story has changed. It seems the Bulk SMS market in Nigeria is collapsing. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Bulk Sms Reselling

Bulk Sms

I am not a Bulk SMS reseller. But I’m a heavy user of bulk SMS. I subscribed to one of the most reliable bulk SMS reseller and I have been enjoying their service until recently when I noticed that my sent messages were not getting delivered. I thought it was just a hitch in their system, so I went online and chatted with one of their representative.

Well, I was treated to a very good customer service and I thought that the situation will be rectified. Unfortunately, a week after, the same situation is still persisting. Over 60 percent of the messages I sent doesn’t get delivered and that was really embarrassing.

I was actually thinking of switching to another reseller because I was loosing money. Every time a message sent is not delivered, I loose the money spent on sending the message while at the same time I suffer the embarrassment of intended recipient of such message calling that they never got the message. That is not good for an entrepreneur like me. So I made up my mind to switch to another reseller. But the question on my mind was, which of the myriad of bulk sms reseller parading themselves as the best solution provider in the market should I subscribe to?

Should I join the bandwagon and become  a bulk sms reseller myself? After giving it a thought, I decided that I’m not ready for sms reseller business. I already have my hand full for now. I believe in giving my best in whatever I lay my hands on. Since I don’t have the time to commit to the business of reselling sms, then there is no point going into it for now. My good name is my greatest asset. So the option left is to subscribe to another bulk sms reseller.

Well, while searching for the best provider to subscribe to, I discovered that I’m not the only one complaining about undelivered messages. Some of my friends are complaining also. And funny enough, we subscribed to different bulk sms resellers. So that showed me that it wasn’t only my provider that was having hitches with their services, many more in the bulk sms business are experiencing the same.

Now, someone suggested that GSM operators in Nigeria are responsible for the undelivered messages! How true is that? Whenever, I send messages from my phone using the GSM operators (I have 3lines, MTN, Glo and Etisalat) the messages get delivered. However, when I send bulk SMS to the same operators some get delivered, while some don’t get delivered. A friend suggested that the GSM operators are sabotaging the business of bulk sms reseller. That sound ridiculous to me. But could it be true? There are too many questions and little comforting answers.

What has been your experience as a user of  Bulk SMS in the past one month? Do you have answer to the questions raised above? Kindly say in a comment. You might save a business by doing so. Thanks for reading. Cheers.

Bulk SMS Resellers Price War

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Nigerian Bulk SMS Reseller Price War

Bulk Sms Reselling

Bulk Sms

Buy Bulk SMS for as low as N1.xx…. I guess that is the latest catchy phrase in Nigeria. It is quite interesting that many Bulk SMS resellers are trying to woo Nigerian consumers via rock bottom pricing. There is a serious price war going on now as they try to outdo each other by offering rock bottom price for their bulk sms services. I guess if it were possible, some will even offer free SMS just to snatch customers from their competitors. Well, that strategy is not working for now. At least, it has not made me change from my present service provider. Honestly speaking, if someone somewhere think this is the way to do bulk sms reselling business, they better have a rethink. Nigerian consumers are not fools!

Price is Not Everything

Of what benefit is a service that is cheap but inefficient? It is economically unwise to spend money on a service simply because it appears cheap! If the service can’t produce the expected result, then it is money wasted irrespective of how cheap it is. Why should I buy SMS at the rate of N1.00 only to discover that messages sent are never delivered to the intended recipients or it gets delivered when it is no longer relevant. Someone sent an SMS that is meant to wish a loyal client happy birthday but delivery of the message was delayed until 2days after the birthday! I’ll say that is a crappy service, irrespective of how cheap the service was. I’ll rather pay double to get the message delivered at the right time.

So many Bulk SMS resellers are not getting their acts well. You must not be the cheapest in the market to be the most patronized. There are other qualities that can make you stand out in the crowd. My bulk sms service provider is not the cheapest, but they know how to deliver quality services. 😉

Rolls Royce Is Not Cheap

Just think about Rolls Royce. Rolls Royce manufacturing team are not trying to increase or maintain their market share by reducing their price to compete with the likes of Nissan. Instead, they strive to improve on the performance of their model and the luxury it affords the buyers. Irrespective of how low another car manufacturer may place their price, lovers of Rolls Royce won’t be wooed!

Rolls Royce High Quality

Rolls Royce High Quality

Nigerian Consumers are wise

As an entrepreneur, you need to do proper homework before using low price as a bait to increase your market share. If your service is poor and your customer support service  is non-existent or inefficient, then lowering your price will do no good. You should focus your attention first on improving your service before inviting more clients to try your service.

Bulk SMS resellers compete in an international market

Price war gimmick is a common strategy of the Nigerian  gsm telecom operators. Nigerian consumers no that the price war is just a gimmick because it is always accompanied by crappy services. The fact that the gsm operators seem to be getting away with this doesn’t mean the consumers are fools. So never conclude that the same trick will work for bulk sms resellers. Unlike gsm telecom operators who have the advantage of operating in a closed local market, bulk sms resellers are actually operating in a highly competitive international market.

So my advice to all those wannabe Bulk SMS resellers out there is that they go improve on their services . You will only be relevant in the market by offering quality service. Nigerians online won’t mind patronizing a bulk sms reseller who operates from the moon as long as the service is reliable. Even though I am proudly Nigerian, I don’t subscribe to crappy services. The bulk sms price war strategy is not working, think of something else. Cheers.

GSM Short Code Service or Fraud!

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

The GSM Short Code Service has suddenly become another platform for fraudster to rip-off gullible Nigerians.  It is a case of robbing several gullible Peters to pay one Paul, while pocketing the remaining  proceed.  Here is my personal observation. I noticed some months back that I kept receiving unsolicited SMS from strange five digit numbers. Each one requesting that I send SMS to the five digit number in other to win a million naira or some other fantastic gifts.

FIFA 2010 World Cup was used as a bait

The volume of such SMS increased as the FIFA 2010 world cup football competition started.  I started receiving as much as three such unsolicited SMS messages per day. I guess the euphoria provided by the world cup created a conducive atmosphere for those behind this new scheme to con unsuspecting Nigerians into parting with their money.

Some of my friends played the SMS Short Code Lottery

Some of my friends actually sent SMS to those five digit numbers, expecting that they will win a million naira or some other fantastic gift. One of them confessed that he didn’t realize when he sent as much as N1,000 in piece meal to such short codes. Yet he won nothing. I am yet to meet one person that has won anything from such.  Never mind adverts on Television and Radio stations, those are just part of the gimmicks to con unsuspecting Nigerians into responding to such SMS.

GSM Short Code Fraud!

Naturally, I don’t like lottery. I believe it is morally wrong to collect money from several individuals and then give a small percentage of it to one individual while the rest of the contributors go away empty handed.  I consider such an illegitimate way of making money since the odd is always in the favor of the one who organizes such lottery.

It is personal greed that makes people not to bother about the fact that for every one person that wins a lottery, there are thousands that have lost money into the organizers pocket. So the organizer can best be describe as a legalized con artist. He collects from all with fake promise but only part with a fraction of what he collects! I know this sounds controversial, but that is my humble opinion. Back to the topic, GSM Short Code Service.

Is Anybody Regulating the GSM Short Code Service?

To the best of my understanding, the GSM Short Code Service in Nigeria is presently being used for lottery  (the government agency responsible for licensing such activity however is in slumber, so every Tom, Dick and Harry are carrying out the activity without obtaining lottery license).

BlackBerry Bold Offered For Thirty Naira (20cents)!

You feel that is outrageous. Well, that is the kind of offer I received. I’ve reproduced verbatim the SMS I received. It offered me a BlackBerry Bold worth N63,000 for a token 20cents if only I agree to be greedy enough to part with 20cents.

From 33114

Get a chance to win a blackberry Bold this week as the World Cup Quiz comes to an end. Simply text START to 33114 and you could be the Ultimate Winner! N30/SMS

What do you think? An outrageous offer? Sounds too good to be true? Well, let’s keep the emotions out of this and be factural. If you analyse the SMS message above, you will notice the following facts:

1. The subscriber is being asked to acquire a Blackberry Bold for N30 (ordinarily, one will need about N63,000 to purchase one here in Nigeria)

2. The message stated clearly that the subscriber could be the Ultimate Winner! (at least the sender was fair enough to indicate that this is nothing but a gamble. Since the subscriber is greedy enough to want a Blackberry Bold that is worth sixty-three thousands naira for just thirty naira)

3.The bet is placed once the subscriber responds to the SMS.

Since I love maths, I quickly did a little calculation and discovered that it only takes 2,100 gullible or greedy people to pay for the Blackberry, then the rest of the fund realized will simply be counted as profit by the person who set up the GSM short code.

Unfortunately, it is not all that even part with a gift. Someone was bold enough to confess that he simply pocket the money without parting with anything of value to the subscribers. The claim was made in a forum, so it wasn’t possible to identify the fellow. But it goes a long way to reveal that responding to such SMS is foolish as you will be making someone rich at your own expense.

Are the Nigerian Telecoms Operators Collaborators?

It bothers me that the GSM operators in Nigeria are willingly or unconsciously collaborating with the con artist in this rip-off. The GSM Short Code Service has suddenly become the new way some fraudulent Nigerians are robbing others of their hard earned cash. They have become so successful that they are now making boast of their nefarious activities. One of them even claim it is a new way of making money online!

If you’ve been enriching others by responding to such stupid SMS messages, I advice you stop as you may never win a dime. Even if you indeed win something, your conscience will prick you that you are enjoying what was deceitfully stolen from others.  I might be sounding religious, but that is the truth, you can deny it all you like.

I will like to hear others opinion on the legitimacy or otherwise of the GSM Short Code Service. If it is not fraud, then what is it?

Bulk SMS Resellers in Nigeria

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Have you started your own bulk sms reseller business?

Have you started your own bulk SMS reseller business? A guy just asked me that question, and I was wondering what made him ask. He was all excited as he gave me a quick lecture on how I have been missing out in the  new multi-million dollar business of reselling bulk sms to fellow Nigerians.

At first I was a bit confused and I was wondering if anything spectacular had happened within the few days I went offline (I took a break from the virtual world to face some pressing issues). As much as I can recollect, bulk SMS has been available as an online business opportunity for more than two years. Well, it didn’t take quite 2minutes before I recovered from the initial shock from his question. He helped me without by unwittingly mentioning the phrase “multi-million”. Whenever I hear the phrase, “multi-million dollar” or “multi-million naira”, my security antenna gets fine tuned. Such phrase often accompany “get rich quick scheme”. This is naija you know. If you play the “mugu”(fool), you may not even live to  regret your action. Anyway, in this particular case, it wasn’t about 419 or Nigerian Scam as foreigners will term it. It is about an old business that some con artists are parading as a new discovery.

Online sale of bulk SMS is indeed the new business-craze in town. Not that it is new elsewhere, just that Naija brothers and sisters have decided to zero in on bulk SMS reselling as the new online business that will bring in the million fast.  In case you don’t understand, the politicians have made it a taboo to think on anything less than seven digit income.  Everyone talks about making a million (naira or better still dollar) as fast as possible. Gone are the days of working patiently for years to build a fortune.

So, whenever a naija brother or sister hits a jackpot with a business idea, be rest assured that within a few weeks, many wannabe entreprenuers will abandon whatever they’ve been working on and rush in to make theirs too (even though many business mentor has pointed out that this is not the way to do business, yet, the lure for quick cash won’t let them listen). It amuse me when I see such rush by newbie entreprenurs who fail to find out how the first guy went from raw idea to achive business success! It is not about duplicating a business, it is all about learning how it works and working SMART. Ok, enough of my personal view.

Bulk SMS is the new business idea rocking right now in naija. Online Forex Trading seems to have lost its appeal. At least those who want to be a millionaire overnight are no longer seeing forex trading as the way to get rich overnight. No thanks to those who have exposed the deceit behind those Forex Trading Seminars. David Ajao won’t be forgiven by many of the con artist. I learnt that the sale of automatic forext trading robots to naija newbie forex traders have dropped significantly.

What is bulk SMS by the way?

Ok, so what is Bulk SMS? First, SMS means Short Message Service .  Bulk SMS  is simply a way of sending simple text messages to numerous contacts at once using the internet instead of your cellphone and you need not go through your telecom service provider. Am not quite sure the Nigerian Telecom operators such as MTN, Glo, Celtel, Zain, Etisalat etc love this idea, because it robs them of the abnormal revenue they make from Nigerians for each SMS sent via their networks. The telecom providers charges for SMS is higher than that offered by bulk SMS resellers.

Why use Bulk SMS?

I just told you.

1. It is cheaper. Unlike your service provider who will charge a higher fee for delivering the same text to a contact on a different network, bulk SMS gateways will deliver all SMS messages at the same flat rate irrespective of the destination.

2. It is easier to send to numerous contacts. Actually toyou can send SMS to millions, within a short time, for example, you can send a message to a million contact in less than five minutes. Once you have purchased the required credit, you upload a list of the contacts and write out the SMS message. One click will send to 1 contact or 1million contact, it is simply your choice.

3. You can schedule the delivery. This is another great feature. You can actually write a message now and schedule it to be delivered at a later date.

Bulk SMS Reseller Business

Ok, so how do I make money online from bulk SMS reselling. Simple, get a reseller account, (I won’t provide any link here because I am not promoting any) you can Google for it by typing “Bulk SMS resellers in Nigeria” into any of the popular search engine. Once you get a reseller account, the next step is to get clients. Yes, you need people who will buy smaller packages of the bulk SMS from you . For example, if you buy 5,000 units of SMS at the rate of 3.5naira per message, you can offer to sell each packages of 200units at 800naira. That is far cheaper to the 5naira that Nigerian service providers charge per SMS, so be rest assured you have a ready market. Also, you can design a website and offer to send SMS on behalf of people. Once they pay you, you simply send the SMS on their behalf to the list of contact they provide at the point of sale. This is a cool business for youngsters. You can sell the service to those wanting to announce an event e.g. a wedding ceremony, burial ceremony or a corporate event. I guess you’ve received such an SMS in recent times.

Some bulk SMS gateway provide the facility of inputting the sender’s number, so that you can actually receive reply. However, some charge a fee for such.

Is Bulk SMS reselling for me?

Well, only you can tell wether bulk SMS reselling is for you. I never encourage anyone to engage in a business he or she does not have passion for. It is easier to succeed at a business you are passionate about than one that irritate you. Now you know what Bulk SMS reselling business is all about. It is not a new business, but for Nigerians, it is a new way of making money online.

Will Bulk SMS Reselling Make me a millionaire?

Well, it all depends on you. Several successful entrepreneurs started off with business ideas that didn’t look promising, and yet they became financial giants. If you get yourself equipped with the right knowledge, set a goal for yourself and work persistently on it, this may actually give you an opportunity to make your first million. However, I must warn you that it will not happen overnight.

Warning: Scam Artists use Bulk SMS as a tool

Some will not agree with that it is not possible to make a million from SMS reselling overnight. I understand, such must have been told the story of someone that started Bulk SMS reselling and hit the first million naira within 30days. Yes, that is “possible”. It is done by sending fraudulent messages to unsuspecting people telling them funny stuffs to get them to reveal their bank financial details or part with some cash. I have received several SMS congratulating me that I have just won a million naira from my telecom provider. The sender name reflects the name of my Telecom Service Provider or her code, however, I knew they were fake because my telecom provider will never inform you that you have won a gift via text message. Instead, a phone call will be made and there will be announcement on the electronic or print media. So when next you receive a text message claiming to be from any of the Nigerian Telecom service provider informing you that you have just won a million naira, remember, this post ;-). That is Bulk SMS being used by a con-artist to dupe you. If you’re greedy enough, you would have coughed out some cash before realizing that you’ve been defrauded.

Ok, enough of the gist. I guess it is high time I go get myself a Bulk SMS reseller account. Who doesn’t want to be a millionaire? For future updates to this post Bulk SMS resellers in Nigeria subscribe to my RSS free updates.