Accessing the African Market Through a Sales Partnership: The Local Importer Perspective

This chapter describes the sales and sales partnership experience of a local company in the pipe and plumbing industry in Nigeria. The main challenges of selling European quality products in Nigeria, i.e., high prices, limited market readiness, and the lack of reference projects are described. Also, the relationship—the good and the not-so-good sides—with European manufacturers in the sales partnership is addressed and openly described. Finally, the author discusses how the Nigerian company tries to deal with the issues at hand and concludes that the European manufacturer and the local partner company need each other and should work on improved and trust-based cooperation for mutual success.