Enhancing Local Business Growth in Mongolia

Sarah Sanders | VIP Assignment, May 2005

Thousands of residents have been living in urban plots without services, known as Ger areas, outside of Mongolia’s large cities. The population in these areas is rapidly increasing yet the transitioning economy has left many residents unemployed. CHF International’s Growing Entrepreneurship Rapidly (GER) Initiative sought to improve the quality of life for residents by increasing employment opportunities and supporting local business entrepreneurs. As part of this initiative, CHF encouraged the delivery of flexible and practical services to increase income for client businesses and provide training opportunities for advisors. Many of these businesses are just beginning and need additional support.

As an Associate Director for the Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C., Sarah Sanders was responsible for generating sales strategies for new products, accomplishing individual targets, analyzing contracts, and implementing strategies to make client businesses more efficient. Before working there, she had opportunities to travel to different parts of the world, complete an internship in Vietnam, work as a Market Manager for an Island Video Group in the Caribbean, and work as a Client Consultant for Pegasystems Inc. in Dallas, Texas. Traveling to Mongolia, as a Visiting International Professional (VIP™), she was going to use her expertise in helping local entrepreneurs of Ger Areas progress in their business endeavors.

For about a month, Sarah met with several GER Initiative advisors and clients to analyze current operations and future potential growth. She established an action plan for achieving marketing goals with a specific timeframe. During these meetings, she had the opportunity to observe the relationships between the advisor and client, to identify the needs of each business. Every client had a distinguished need. For example, one client wanted to understand why her shoe making business was decreasing in sales. Another client in the local food market was struggling to attract vendors and consumers. Sarah and the advisors were able to work together to provide relevant answers to their questions. The first client realized she did not have a diverse group of products. Sarah recommended the distribution of consumer surveys to identify any new products consumers may want. To increase sales, she encouraged the owner to consider producing consumers’ surveyed suggestions. The second client was advised to study the marketplace through a survey as well. Sarah then helped the client analyze the results to come up with helpful suggestions to attract consumers, such as using an empty lot of outdoor space as an area for games or car repairs.

Apart from meeting with advisors and clients, Sarah created a sales and marketing training to enhance advisor’s skills in business development. Because of her work, and through the support of CHF, many local businesses in the Ger areas will have increased knowledge of how to expand their business ventures. They also have seen the benefits of using advisor consultations. Sarah said she, “enjoyed working with the business advisors and learning about the unique challenges for the clients of the GER Initiative.”