Trying out relationships with successful telecommunications companies in form of dealership and sub-dealership venturing has become a major source of making huge income for many Nigerians. Many unemployed youths have been able to put paid to job hunting by creating jobs for themselves through dealership.According to experts, enterprising people become dealers or sub-dealers with major firms, leveraging on the popularity of their top brands and products. Business experts say there are several robust industries in Nigeria through which enterprising people could explore dealership opportunities. The list, according to them, seems endless.A dealer with some telecom firms, Mr. Oluyemi Adediji, tells a good story of how his venturing into dealership in the promising sector of telecoms has improved his fortune.Several entrepreneurs look at sales of recharge cards as the only viable means of benefiting from the flourishing telecoms industry. However, Adediji reveals that dealership with GSM or CDMA companies in the country is a more lucrative venture for interested small and medium scale entrepreneurs, if well explored.Adediji, who is the Managing Director of Dolamos Global Resource Limited, has obviously carved a niche for himself in the business.He says, As one of the dealers and sub-dealers to some of the major GSM operators in Nigeria, we help people to make telephone calls at lower tariff, or sometimes, at zero tariff.He adds, As a dealer, I sell lots of telephone lines that I obtain on contract from the GSM operators. Our target is to reduce the amount people spend on recharge cards. We buy what we call contract lines at fixed prices from the GSM and CDMA operators. These lines are later sold to the public at relatively higher prices. But because of the contract/dealership agreement we have with the telecoms firms, those who buy the lines are able to make calls at reduced tariffs.Adediji says his dealership with the GSM and CDMA operators also offers him the privilege to offer zero tariffs to group clients. This, he says, is a system whereby a group of people come together for a particular purpose of making GSM calls at lower tariffs, and also, at zero tariff.As a result, it enables each member to save huge sums of money on his/her telephone bills.He explains further that there are about three classes of group calling tariffs.Our product is for organisations, clubs, associations, families and business associates. This allows free group calls at anytime of the day, and this helps callers save huge amount of money on telephone calls, he addsHe now organises regular seminars in major cities, like Lagos, for prospective clients and dealers.Mr. Azeez Ajibade is another sub-dealer, who has a dealership agreement with one of the major GSM operators. He says his contract with the company offers him a lucrative source of income.Ajibades kind of sub-dealership is one in which some telephone lines are bought from the GSM operator at special rates.The lines, according to him, are placed on special calling rates. Ajibade, who is the Managing Director of Zeze Ventures, explains that his team moves around to market the lines to prospective clients.He says, The lines are basically for group calling, and they are free for those within the group. The lines are actually beneficial for business associates, who often call one another. They are also good for two or more people, who often call one another. A married couple could also benefit from it. We started selling those lines over a year ago.We actually started with another company in 2005. Then we sold special lines to call centres, which made use of the lines for paid calls. The lines had good tariffs from which they could make good profit. We made good profit also by selling several hundreds of the special lines. Then we bought the commercial lines for N5,000. As a sub-dealer, I sold them for N10,000. The lines were usually loaded with N5,000 air time every month.Ajibade says he got into the business a few years ago through another dealer.According to him, the contract lines are bought from the dealer for N5000. Every month, he says, the line holders are expected to load N1,000, after which calls can be made at zero tariff.Meanwhile, Adediji says he is planning to expand his business further noting that dealership with some of the major companies costs about N2.5m. However, he says some of the telecom firms have reviewed their rates downwards, sometimes to N500,000.For interested entrepreneurs, who cannot afford the dealership fee, the Dolamos boss advises that they can start as sub-dealers with existing dealers. According to him, the requirements of this line of business include a fair knowledge of telecoms operation; an outlet; and other structures needed for business operations.
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