W e received your letter dated 2 nd July, expressing your dissatisfaction with the present level of our sales in Nigeria. W e shall try to explain as briefly as possible how it is that our competitors are doing so well so that you may see why it is that we are not. W e shall also suggest ways of improving the present situation. O ur difficulties may be summarized as follows: O ur competitors pay for extensive advertising in newspapers and magazines that reach every corner of Nigeria. W e receive no financial help for advertising and do not receive sufficient commission to pay for it ourselves. T he company referred to in your letter sent a two-man team on a tour of six provinces in a specially equipped lorry containing the models they wished to publicize. T heir agent had arranged displays in the towns they were due to visit and had announced them in the local press. W ith such backing from the manufacturer, high sales are inevitable! W hat sells well in Europe does not necessarily sell well elsewhere. O ur competitors know this and plan accordingly. T hey give maximum publicity to three or four models that are sure to sell well here. W e would suggest that you do the same and concentrate on the 98cc Speedy, the 250cc Hunter and the 350cc Hawk. I n spite of the excellent containership service between England and West Africa, we still have to wait far too long for orders to be shipped. O nce they have placed an order, customers are impatient to receive it. O ur present commission of 10% does not allow us to undertake sales tours in other regions. Nigeria covers an area of over 350,000 square miles and our present commission will not cover the expense of such trips.