Sales Agent Training!

Today we completed our first training of the solar agents who will be selling the solar products in their villages. We had three men from Lokossa, a town in Southern Benin joining us, and we took them through a two day training. First, we explained the goals of Novi and SBE Gratos, and described solar power and its benefits as opposed to other sources of light. We then moved onto training them as sales agents, stressing that they were becoming social change agents, not just businessmen. Although selling solar home systems is important because if the demand for them, being an active member of the community, and forming relationships with clients, both before and after the sale of the product, or even if no sale takes place, is the most important thing. Nobody should be forcing solar energy on anyone, but instead responding to the stated needs of the people you meet. The trainees were very receptive, and training on such an intimate scale was very good, since we were able to make personal connections. Bryce, a sales agent in Lahotan, joined us and shared his experiences on the field. He described working with a microfinance organization to help people afford the product, fielding questions, and interacting with people. We demonstrated some of our products, Barefoot Power’s PowaPack Junior, which has so far been our most popular product (it has two lights and can charge cell phones and radios) and Barefoot Power’s Village Kit (7 lights). Hervé and Bryce took them apart and put them back together, showing all the different components along the way. Everyone got involved, and the trainees asked lots of questions. It was a very informal session, but there was a lot of information shared and it seemed like the trainees took it all in. Hervé wrote a lot down, and they received the outline of the training at the end.

Today they practiced installing the lights themselves, which went very well. They are taking two PowaPack Junior systems back to Lokossa, and signed discharge forms and got checklists and manuals for installation and use. It was a good training, and a good template for future ones. Below are some pictures

Spreading Solar Awareness in Lahotan

Last Thursday, Solar Benin Energy went to Lahotan, a village about an hour away from Savalou, where SBE and Novi are based. Lahotan does nor have electricity, and relies on kerosene lamps, or generators powered by motor oil. Hervé Binazon, Novi’s program coordinator; Sophia Cioccia, another intern; and I all went to spread awareness about the availability of solar-powered energy alternatives. We spoke first with the CA (Chef d’Arrondissement) of the village, who had a solar light in his home brought from Europe. He was very receptive, and saw the need in his village. Hervé did most of the talking, in Mahi, the local language of Lahotan. The next stop was meeting with a collection of important people in the village, who were having a meeting that evening. On the way, though, we stopped to talk to some men who were playing dominos, the name of a game that looks a little like mancala. They got really excited about it too. When we got to the meeting, we all introduced ourselves in French, but Hervé spoke to them in Mahi about the product. At the end, however, they turned to me and had someone tell me in French, “thank you so much for bringing this product to us.” They continued to thank me, although I had done nothing, said nothing, and was merely an intern tagging along. Just because I was American like the product, I must be the one bringing the product, instead of the Beninese NGO I’m working for. This happened a few more times, and each time I found it very strange. I was told that I was a bridge between the foreign product and the people in the village, since consumers are very conservative, and my presence led credence to the product. It was a strange reality to be faced with.

The visit was very successful. Reaching the important people in the village is an important first step to reaching the rest of the village, since they spread the word. Some of the men we spoke to are religious leaders, which is a powerful resource because of the very religious nature of Benin. Churches will also be helpful for recruiting young people to act as information agents. Some people we talked to already wanted lights, so we ended up installing two systems. Below are some pictures of our trip:

Author: Idun Klakegg