Aerial Connect for Digital Service Businesses
Helping businesses grow across Africa.
For agencies, studios, consultancies and other firms that sell digital services and want to win clients in new African markets. Services and prices below, so you can plan before you call us.
Start with a callWho this is for
You sell your people, your thinking and your delivery. Not a product off a shelf.
What we do for you
We are your business development team on the ground. We find the clients and partners who fit what you do, get you the meetings, represent you in meetings too, and tell you the truth about the market while you test it. You do not need to open an office or hire anyone to start.
Why it's hard
Why selling services in a new market is hard
Six things get in the way. Everything we sell is built to deal with them.
Nobody knows your name
Services are bought on trust. A buyer who has never heard of you will not hand you a budget, no matter how good the deck is.
Your work has to be seen
Case studies from your home market help, but only if the buyer recognises the brands in them. Local proof matters more than a long portfolio.
They already have someone
Almost every large client already works with someone. A firm that is known three months before that contract opens up gets invited to pitch. A cold email in month four of a three year contract does not.
Big clients buy through procurement
Banks, telecoms companies, government and NGOs buy from an approved list. If you are not on the list, your pitch never gets read.
Rates are different here
Your day rate may not survive contact with local budgets. Usually the fix is a different way of packaging the work, not a discount.
You need someone here
Clients want to know who they call when something goes wrong. A named local contact often decides whether you make the shortlist.
Who we talk to for you
Marketing and brand teams in banks, telecoms companies, retail and consumer brands
Heads of digital and IT in large local companies and regional groups
Government agencies and ministries running digital programmes
NGOs, development organisations and donor funded programmes
Other agencies and firms who need a partner for work they cannot deliver alone
Business associations and chambers of commerce
Our markets
Where we work
Four markets where we work most. We also work well beyond these. Ask us about yours, and we will tell you honestly what we know.
Kenya
What sells well
Brand and campaign work, digital transformation, IT services, research and data work. Many regional head offices sit here.
What to know
The most competitive of the four. Local agencies are strong, so you need a clear reason why you and not them.
Nigeria
What sells well
Campaign and social work, content and production, app and platform build, work for banks and telecoms companies.
What to know
The biggest budgets and the longest payment terms. Agree payment terms before you start, not after.
Rwanda
What sells well
Government and institutional programmes, training, systems work, research and evaluation.
What to know
Smaller market, faster access. Relationships open doors quickly, but public sector work runs on procurement timelines.
Ghana
What sells well
Brand and content work, outsourced services, digital work for banks and public sector.
What to know
A good first market for a smaller firm. Less crowded than Lagos or Nairobi.
“Local proof matters more than a long portfolio.”
Services
What we sell
Six ways we help you win clients, from testing a market to being fully present in it. Full price list further down the page.
Understanding the market
4 services
Understanding the market
4 services
Before you spend money on a market, find out if it is worth it. Fixed price, fixed delivery date.
Market Read
Is this market worth it? Who buys, what they pay, who they already use, and ten organisations worth meeting.
3 weeks
Full Market Plan
Everything in the Market Read, plus positioning, 25 named targets, a 12 month plan, and a trip to test it in person.
5 weeks
Two to four markets
The same research across several markets, compared side by side, with our view on where to start.
6 to 8 weeks
Rate and Pricing Check
What local buyers actually pay, who you'll be quoted against, and how to package your rate to fit their budget.
3 weeks
You get the money back. Sign a retainer within 90 days and the Market Read or Full Market Plan is free. We take the full amount off your first invoices.
Finding you clients
4 services
Finding you clients
4 services
Our main service. We work as your business development team in the market, month by month. Minimum three months, because nothing worth having closes faster than that.
Starter
One market. A target list, 8 to 10 approaches a month, and 4 to 6 first meetings arranged.
3 to 6 months
Core
One market. 15 to 20 approaches a month, 8 to 12 meetings, and we sit in with you where it helps.
6 to 9 months
Full
One or two markets. Everything in Core, plus pitch support, pricing help and a senior lead on your account.
9 to 12 months
Extra market
Add a second or third market to any level.
Same as above
Pay ahead and pay less. Six months paid up front takes 5% off. Twelve months paid up front takes 10% off. You can pause once for up to 60 days and keep your rate.
Getting on the list
4 services
Getting on the list
4 services
Large clients do not buy from whoever calls. They buy from an approved list. This is how you get on it.
Vendor and Roster Registration
Get registered as an approved supplier with up to five organisations in one market.
Tender and Bid Support
We find tenders you can actually win, check you're eligible, and manage the bid with your team.
Per bid
Tender Watch
Every month, the tenders and calls for proposals that fit your work, with a note on whether you qualify.
One or two markets
Pitch Support
Prep for a specific pitch: what the client cares about, who's in the room, the competition, and your price.
Finding you partners
4 services
Finding you partners
4 services
Most service firms grow faster with a local partner than alone. A partner gives you delivery capacity, local credibility and work you did not have to chase.
Local Partner Search
We shortlist five agencies or studios who could work with you, checked and introduced.
Consortium Building
Find the local partner your bid needs to qualify, and agree how the work and money split.
Institutional Introductions
Introductions to the trade body, chamber of commerce and two industry associations.
One market
One Introduction
One named company. A warm introduction, followed through until the meeting happens.
Being present without hiring
3 services
Being present without hiring
3 services
Clients want to know there is someone here. We can be that person while you decide whether the market is worth a hire.
Presence
A named local contact who takes enquiries, attends meetings when asked, and reports monthly.
6 months
Active
Everything in Presence, plus building relationships, industry events, and managing your local partners.
6 to 12 months
Added to a retainer
Presence added on top of a monthly client development retainer.
Same as retainer
Getting you in front of people
3 services
Getting you in front of people
3 services
Sometimes the fastest way in is a room full of the right people.
Private Client Roundtable
Eight to twelve real buyers in a room: invited, briefed, and followed up with after.
Trade Mission Place
A trip to one market with meetings arranged, someone with you on the ground, and a written follow up. You book your own flight and hotel.
Per person
Second person on the mission
Bring a colleague from the same company to the same meetings.
What we will not do. We do not sign contracts for you, hold your money, or act as your legal agent. Company registration, tax and any legal filing is handled by the local firms we work with, and they bill you directly.
Price list
What it costs
Prices are in US dollars and do not include local taxes or bank charges. Where a price is a range, we agree the exact figure in writing before we start.
Understanding the market
- Market Read
- $3,500
- Full Market Plan
- $6,500
- Two to four markets
- $8,000 – $12,000
- Rate and Pricing Check
- $3,800
Finding you clients
- Starter
- $1,800 / mo
- Core
- $3,000 / mo
- Full
- $4,500 / mo
- Extra market
- +$1,200 / mo
Getting on the list
- Vendor and Roster Registration
- $2,500
- Tender and Bid Support
- $3,000 / bid
- Tender Watch
- $2,000 / mo
- Pitch Support
- $2,500 – $3,000
Finding you partners
- Local Partner Search
- $4,500
- Consortium Building
- $4,500
- Institutional Introductions
- $4,500
- One Introduction
- $1,050
Being present without hiring
- Presence
- $2,000 / mo
- Active
- $3,500 / mo
- Added to a retainer
- +$1,200 / mo
Getting you in front of people
- Private Client Roundtable
- $5,500
- Trade Mission Place
- $1,500 / person
- Second person on the mission
- $950
Three ways to start
Most firms pick one of these
Each package costs less than buying the pieces separately.
Test the Market
90 days
For the firm that does not know yet whether a market is worth it.
A Market Read, three months of Starter work, and a closing session where we tell you what we found and what we would do.
Bought separately $8,900
$7,400
Win the First Client
6 months
For the firm that has chosen a market and needs one good client to build on.
A Full Market Plan, six months of Core work, Pitch Support, and monthly reporting.
Bought separately $27,000
$22,500
Build a Base
12 months
For the firm ready to be properly present in one market.
Twelve months of Core work, a named local presence, a Local Partner Search and Vendor and Roster Registration.
Bought separately $57,400
$49,000
Not sure yet? Start with Test the Market. If the answer is no, you have spent $7,400 instead of a year of fees and a local hire.
What we do not do
We do not sell reports.
What you should end up with is a meeting, an introduction, a client or an honest no. If all you have at the end is a document, we did not do our job.
We do not sell contact lists.
Anyone can buy those. We build relationships that still stand after the introduction.
We do not replace your sales team.
We build the relationships that make one worth hiring later.
We do not do your work for you.
We do not design, build, write or run campaigns. That is your job. We find you the people who need it.
We are not lawyers or accountants.
Registration, tax and compliance go to the local firms we work with. We coordinate. Nothing here is legal advice.
We do not promise revenue.
We promise access, relationships and honest information. Whether a client says yes depends on your work and your price.
How we work
Monthly retainers are invoiced at the start of the month, payable within 14 days. Fixed price work is half on signing and half on delivery.
Retainers run for at least three months, then either side can stop with 30 days notice. Presence runs for at least six months with 60 days notice.
You can pause a retainer once for up to 60 days and keep the same rate.
We sign a mutual non disclosure agreement, before the first call if you prefer, and we do not work with two direct competitors in the same market at the same time.
Your client list, your pricing and your work stay yours. We never use them for anyone else.
Travel inside our main markets is included. International flights, other travel and event costs are charged at cost, with your approval first.
Start with a call
Tell us what you sell and where you want to sell it, and we will tell you which of these services you need.