What is your most memorable achievement in your professional career?
In the first few days after I was appointed by my company, Tigerta Propriety Limited, as its manager in South Africa, I decided to shift the company's operations away from Johannesburg, the South African capital, to other South African cities. The decision was considered risky at the time as it would take the company's business into uncharted waters. But the risk-taking paid off. As a result of the shift, my company secured a strong foothold in the South African market, where it has an ever expanding presence.
Our office, like those of most other foreign companies in South Africa, was situated in the business district of Johannesburg. But the market there was already saturated. Upon being appointed at the beginning of October 1996 the manager in charge of South African operations, I convinced my colleagues that we had to tap into markets in other areas of that country. The decision was implemented immediately. After my office established initial contact over the phone with some potential customers on the basis of the information we culled from the Yellow Pages, an assistant and I drove on October 6, 1996 to Durban, the country's largest port city on its east coast, 600 kilometers away from Johannesburg. We set out at 5:00 am only to be trapped in outpouring rain and bewitching fog. We spent eight instead of the usual four hours on the road.
We persisted and reached Durban right after the lunch hour, hungry and tired. With a few hamburgers quickly stuffed into our stomachs, we proceeded to meet our potential customers. In three hours, we visited seven of them, three of whom placed orders, which together valued at 23,000 US dollars. We spent seven hours on the way back. By the time we arrived home in Johannesburg after 1:00 am, we were totally exhausted. But it was with this rocky ride that my company's business in South Africa finally took off. The three customers all became long-term buyers of our products later on, but more importantly, we tasted the fruits of creative thinking.
