Stanley Obi is the Managing Director/CEO of
Salescraft Properties Limited, one of the leading real estate companies in the
country. In this interview with Prestige International Magazine, the astute
entrepreneur opens up on various issues including giant strides of Salescraft
Properties, various products and services of the company, why people call him Apostle
Landlord and how the fast growing company is empowering Nigerian youths. According
to him his mission is
to make millions of Nigerians, home and abroad landlords. He also opens up on
how Salescraft Properties Limited became a mega brand in real estate industry.
Can we meet you sir?
My name is Stanley Obi, Managing Director/CEO of
Salescraft Properties Limited, popularly called Apostle
Landlord. We came into this industry four years ago and within four years we
have done exceptionally well. We started with prosperity garden estate in Atan
Ota phase 1, now we have phase 2. From there, we moved to Ibeju Lekki Phase 2,
there, we have Lekki premium estate. We also have estates in Ikorodu and Azagba-Ogwashi
in Delta State. Our mission is to make million of people home and abroad
landlords. We are consistently passionate about developing cutting edge
solutions in the real estate industry that meet the needs of the rich, the
average income earners and anyone who desires to own a landed property and
homes no matter their income level.
How did
you come about the name, Salescraft and what is your background that prepared
you for this venture?
That is the name of our parent company,
Salescraft Limited; we were initially into Human Resources (HR). In that
company we were training productive marketers for companies in various
industries. It was a motivational platform that encourages youths to think of
what they can do on their own instead of roaming the streets searching for
jobs. When i finished from Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka in 2005. After my
NYSC, I came to Lagos. I picked my first job as Sales executive, at corporate
mobile firm in Ijesha, Lagos. After a while I moved into Dana water also as
sales executive, from there I moved to where they sell UPS, Inverters. So over
time, I noticed I have flare for marketing, so I decided to stop but before I
stopped I said to myself what would I do, so I thought about entrepreneurship,
and I know that, the only thing I have love doing most is marketing, ‘I can
market anything marketable’, that was my resource and it was everything I
had. So I said, let me go into consulting. I recruit for companies and all I do
was to give them my bill and I recruit their workforce and that was where the
name Salescraft came from. I never knew it was a big industry then until I went
in and I noticed that every company were looking for Salescraft, looking for
somebody who could recruit marketers for them. So, I did that for a period
of 3 to 4 years before I set up my real estate firm.
Can you tell
us why people call you Apostle Landlord?
Apostle landlord is a man on a mission. And my
mission is to see millions of Nigerians home and abroad become landlords.
We are passionate about this. It’s a drive, it is a calling. What we want to
see is that, people who run helter skelter, from morning to night have somewhere
they can relax and they can have something or somewhere they can call a home.
And it starts by acquiring a land and that is where we come in. We can help you
to own a piece of land and also cross the second hurdle of building. So our
mission is to see millions of Nigerians own piece of land through affordable
land. Our lands are very affordable.
How do you
handle Omo Onile issues for your
customers?
Our customers do not have any problem with Omo
Onile because our company has settled whatever we need to settle with Omo
Onile. After payment and documentation, the next thing for our customers is to
move to site and start building with rest of mind. Our estates are covered with
Global Cof O.
Since you came on board, what is the
experience so far?
Since last four years it has not been a bad
experience. We started with just one estate and in four years we have over eight estates
and some of them are under constructions, like our Atan Ota phase 1, customers
are already building. We have been doing well so far but we want to do better. Our
priority is customers’ satisfactions.
Let’s talk about your various products?
We have different estates; we have very close to
the Lekki Free Trade Zone, very close to Dangote refinery and that Property
currently sells for 6 millions per plot but we have affordable payment plan,
where they can pay as low 4 hundred and twenty thousand naira only and it
comes with global C of O. Anybody who is buying should know is buy a genuine
property, we make sure every of our property in Ibeju Lekki has either C of O
or excision or gazette.
We have another one, very close to Eleko beach
junction, we call it Lekki Palace phase 2, it had an excision documents and
that Property goes for 4.5 million naira. We also have another one very close
to Pan Atlantic University, which is very close to the new airport, and we have
Precious estate. We also have Precious estate phase 2, very close to Adron
Homes at Imota and it goes for 9 hundred thousand naira, prototype goes for 7
hundred and fifty thousand naira only. We also have one in Atan Ota, very close
to Adron Homes, it goes for 4 thousand naira only and for our brothers, who
want to acquire landed Property in Asaba, close to the Delta State Polytechnic,
as I speak to you we are developing the site, we are doing the fencing
and we have graded the roads,this property goes for 1 million. Once you can pay
30 percent of the money, we will give/allocate your land to you and you can
spread the balance and pay up within six months. That is what we do in all our
estates. In all our estates we do 50 percent down payment, collect your land
and spread the balance under six months, which no other estate in Lagos does
and you pay the remaining under six months without interest. This has enabled
us to penetrate the market. Some people who have bulk money pay for 3
months, 5 months. So, once they pay 50 percent of the money we give them their
land. Some of them even bring their friends, we have a lot of them in our
Ikorodu and Atan Property, they have collected their properties and we are the
one reminding them with text messages to pay up their outstanding.
Let’s talk
about your radio programme?
Apostle
landlord has become a brand. We do radio programmes on Inspiration FM every
Wednesday and Thursday.
What are the various ways the company is
empowering youths and young school leavers?
When we started this company, we started with
less than 10 staff strength and now we have over 170 staff, and 170 staff have
families, some of them are mothers, fathers and sisters. So, it’s obvious we
have been able to engage this people and empowered them. We are out to create a
positive impact in the lives of people around the world by providing solutions
and products that enhances their quality of life.
What are
the areas you want government to assist real estate industry?
We want government to provide infrastructure to
ease investment and development. For instance, you know that by the time
government starts road construction in an area, properties in such areas start
to appreciate.
No comments:
Post a Comment