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“Divine intervention!”
That is how the owner of Starlight Cellular in Kariega, Shaheen Soomar, referred to his most recent accomplishment, receiving the Vodacom Business Partner Award of Distinction in Gauteng.
“When I won this award last year, I said there is no possibility I am going to win it again, as Vodacom had dramatically increased my targets. They also raised my store in Corkwood Mall to the A category, causing it to compete against large stores in malls like Sandton, Menlyn, Brooklyn, V&A Waterfront, and Gateway,” said Soomar.
“I queried my upscale with Vodacom, explaining I have one store in this small dorpie with a small population. Our foot traffic, and having the lowest customer spend of all provinces, and being in a region with the highest unemployment rate in the country, cannot compare with the other stores in the A category.
“So, I continued with my mindset that it is virtually impossible to reach my targets. Supported by my dedicated staff, who are my backbone, we continued pushing and began focussing on customers outside of town. Suddenly, the numbers just started picking up. The only words to explain our achievement is divine intervention.
“Starlight Cellular stands out from its competitors primarily because we provide good customer service and meet our customers’ expectations.
“We often receive calls from customers across the country, saying ‘they hear there is this guy in Uitenhage who can sort out cellular issues’. So, we try to assist, even though they are not our customers. As a result of offering our service, business is coming our way.
“Word of mouth is powerful. Even in the absence of advertising, we have done phenomenal business out of town.”
According to Soomar, owing to the current economic situation in South Africa, business has become a bit of a gamble.
“You don’t know where it will come from. You don’t know who will be knocking on your door with a query and whether you should be helping. But you can’t turn it away. In our religion we talk about rizq, which means anything that brings benefits or goodness to us. Give and you shall receive. Keep your head down, be truthful, be honest. Don’t harm, hurt, put anybody down, cheat, or steal.”
Soomar was treated to all-expenses-paid trips to various countries as a result of winning Vodacom prizes over the past decade. His incentive trip last year took him to Greece and Paris.
“Portugal is where I will be heading to this year. The trip ends two days before Eid, so I want to extend my trip to Morocco. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Eid than in a Muslim country. So, from Portugal I will shoot off to Casablanca.”
