Pay More Attention To Reputation Management, Pelican CEO Charges Real Estate Developers
ABEOKUTA – Nigeria’s real estate developers and its handlers have been charged to pay attention to the country’s reputation, especially the perception by the Nigerians abroad.
The Pelican Valley Chief Executive Officer who gave the charge on Friday while delivering lecture titled, “Reputation Management: The Experience In Real Estate,” at the monthly business meeting of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State chapter said poor reputation management is a major force driving the brain drain, foreign direct investment apathy and youths ‘Japa’ syndrome.
Adeyemo expressed concern that the nation’s army of youths appeared to have reached a junction where they no longer see or say anything good about their country, and with many of them in despair, the impression and opinions has been formed rightly or wrongly that it is only through sharp practice or brain drain,that a seemingly hopeless situation can be changed for the better.
Adeyemo who lamented inconsistencies in government lands policies and bureaucratic bottle necks as a major cluck in the wheels of progress for most developers, urged developers to concentrate on vavalue-addingnd always buy more time to get high returns on investment for both their clients and the developers.
“The situation in the country is not making things easier for an average developer but when you know that real estate is a long distance run, propelled by value adding, you will look like a magician.
“There are still opportunities in Nigeria for an average Nigerian youth to build a solid foundation and that is why I am here to show an average Nigerian youth that it is not over yet for them. There is hope, you can always grow in this challenging business environment.
“I will want to call on an average Nigerian youth to be patient, to persevere and build a solid foundation for growth. Definitely, things will get better with time and commitment to worthy and legitimate ventures,” he said.
The realtor described reputation management as the practice of influencing what people think of your business or brand and emphasized that its core elements entail how others see it, how the company operates or performs and what the brand communicates about itself.
According to him, building a strong brand reputation involves monitoring what people think and say about the organization, responding to misleading information, malicious allegations, negative reviews, and generally looking out for and acting on opportunities to boost the organization’s reputation.
He warned that reputation management isn’t just about taking charge of the story around your brand, saying ‘on the contrary, it’s also about tuning in to what people, customers, and audience are saying about it.
Adeyemo said the feedbacks from people should be taken to heart and responded to in a way that builds trust while showcasing one’s values even as he identified online review management, Google, Yelp, Glassdoor among others as critical tools to manage and monitor one’s or brand reputation.
He made case for both reactive and proactive ways to managing reputation, recommending that organisation needs to respond quickly to feedbacks and mentions to cultivate online reputation over time and avoid public missteps.
He, however, noted that even with best efforts and strategies, people make mistakes sometimes, and the best brands also do receive some not-so-great reviews, but submitted that a strong reputation management strategy will help an organization weather any storm that comes her way and position her brand in the best possible light.
The business meeting had in attendance, communication scholar and Olota of Ota, Oba (Prof) Adeyemi Obalanlege, state chapter chairman of NIPR, Mrs Seun Boye, Vice Chairman, Mr Waheed Ogunjobi, Secretary, Mr Kunle Olayeni, former chairman, Tope Adaramola, former Chief Press Secretary to Governor Gbenga Daniel, Pastor Dare Folarin, his counterpart, Mr Kunle Somorin who served as Chief Press Secretary during Governor Dapo Abiodun’s first term among others.
