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BOOK LAUNCH: TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

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(Now available in both e-book and paperback in Amazon, Flipkart and onlinegatha)

    ‘Salesman’ is the living isthmus between the consumer and the distant plant. He is the ebullient performer between the two that brings about the market place happening. Therefore, it’ll only be right to say that, ‘a company is known by the salesman it keeps.’

    ‘Typical tale of an Indian Salesman’ is one such story of an Indian salesman Sooraj Chowdhary who hails from a small city. He has no coveted Ivy League qualification barring a B.A. degree. So, he struggles initially in life. But finally manages to join the Indian Corporate Inc as a salesman. Where, he works his way up, through countless uncertainties. To, finally come out victorious. During his long corporate journey, he works in several metros, state capitals, small towns and even rural belts. He also works for various industries and assignments and at various levels.

    The book takes you through the humongous markets of North, West and South of the Indian mainland, and even the island market of Andaman and Nicobar, located across the eastern shore of India. It starts with the modest beginning of the protagonist, but soon zooms into a success story. All along it tunnels through the customer, channel partner and the marketer. It also tussles between the front line sales offices and the head office. Where, you can almost feel a hands-on picturisation. 

    The book even showcases the juggernaut of the Indian Corporate vis-a-vis the complexities of India. It explains in great detail. What it takes for a salesman. To deliver, even, a packet of salt to the consumer, in his neighbourhood market.

    Written in fiction format it narrates in depth, the professional nuances of a salesman’s career. It explains in great detail, that apart from achieving billing, collection and market share—the magic numbers called targets. A salesman is also supposed to nurture new relationships with consumers to build long term customer base. 

    The book covers in great practicality, aspects that the protagonist-salesman, comes across, while functioning in his day-to-day job. So every lesson of marketing and sales is meticulously described in the book as a job function. To sensitise you. I’m giving below a few such points: 

-Direct selling, field work, learning from Chandni Chowk the wholesale market of Delhi.
-Fight for market leadership, Billing, collection, market share, outstanding, market forecasts, carpet bombing—marketing strategy
-Retail, wholesale, B2B, B2C
-Power of training, formal and informal learnings
-‘Process’ the 5th ‘P’ of marketing
-Customer meets
-Relocation, job changes
-Channel management, dealer development, dealer awards, rise and fall of dealerships, new generation in dealerships, franchisee appointments
-Product launches
-Boss subordinate relationship
-Executive versus entrepreneur in a salesman
-Building your own brand equity
-Sting of decision making
-Rare customer interface
-Encounter with market malady
-The power of TEVIIS—trust, ethics, value, integrity, innovation and value
-Avoid operating as a lone ranger
-Competition
-The power of initiative
-Team spirit
-The power of PAPs—Personal Audit points
-Strategy and tactics
-SCM challenges
-How to handle pressure
-Head Office vs front line sales
-Global challenges
-CRM, ERP
-Business communication
-Gift of the gab
-Career direction not always in your hands
-Projects and start-ups
-Manpower training
-Speak your mind
-Business opportunism
-Business diversification
-The rat race
-Learn to remember the salesman
-Political leader vs business leader
-Disconnect between education and employability 
The narration has chapters and within that sub-chapters to keep the focus of the reader in alignment.
The book is written by a salesman and is a tribute to his fraternity
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By Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(Archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)  

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. Book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

(CAN BE BOUGHT FROM ON LINE BOOK STORES OR WRITE TO US FOR COPIES)

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QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY-HALLMARK OF ANY BUSINESS

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business consistency quality

    By quality we generally mean. Standard of a product, when compared with other brands of the same product; and how good or bad something is. And, when we want to classify it, we call it poor, good or even excellent.

    Quality, to my mind is also deliverance of what you promise. For, quality is something that keeps evolving, and anything that evolves cannot become an ‘excellence’ overnight. So quality varies along the process of evolution of a product or service.

    Sporadic quality here and there has little meaning, unless it comes along with consistency. As that once-in-a-while approach to quality, appears as an insouciance dabble by any producer or marketer.

    Recently, when I was in my hometown. I visited ‘King of chaat’ (a street food joint) a couple of times in Hazratganj—an up market of Lucknow, that I used to visit some thirty years back. Since, then, this food joint has gone through a generation and has even grown exponentially.

    But that apart. I was more astonished at the very fact, that each dish tasted just the same as it used to taste some thirty years back. And, in all probabilities many of their employees also by now, must have changed hands. But the food joint has been able to maintain its foot fall only through its dictum of quality with consistency, I’m sure.

    And this is not an example in isolation. As in every city you will find similar street food joints that must have commenced with tasty quality. But those that have survived, and saw growth had the element of consistency in them and the rest packed off.

    That brings me to the moot point. That each business professional should also be like a street food joint that needs to consistently give quality output to grow in life. I am particularly comparing such professionals with street food joints, because they operate under the most difficult circumstances and are not as resourceful as big enterprises. And, apart from internal pressures they also take on fierce extraneous pressures to which they are often vulnerable.

    So, after having a good fill in ‘King of Chaat’ that day. Before leaving the place, I asked the current owner who happened to be the son of the founder. His key to success and this is what he had to say,

    ‘My father gave me three important business tips. One, never be in a hurry when you get a chance to understand your customers taste. Two, quality without consistency is flippancy. Three, consistency without quality is stagnancy.’

    Have a good day.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

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A MAGGI SALESMAN’S HEART IN CONVERSATION WITH HIS MIND

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

c3 maggi salesman

A MAGGI SALESMAN’S HEART IN CONVERSATION WITH HIS MIND

Heart:  I just don’t feel good these days.

Mind: But why, what happened?

Heart: Arrey yaar for the past five years I’ve been selling ‘Maggi Noodles’ thinking it is perfectly healthy and suddenly the lab tests by FSSAI reveal it has a high lead content which is extremely bad for health.

Mind: But that’s not your fault. As a loyal salesman you did what the company told you to do–sell. Plus, you have your wife and kids to look after. So you if won’t sell who will? And, as a matter of fact there are many salesmen who even sell cigarettes and liquor both being killer products, for the sake of their career, family and themselves; so how should they feel?

Heart: But there is a huge difference between the two situations; for a salesman selling liquor or cigarettes knows he is selling poison to his customer, and the customer too knows he is buying poison and that squares off. But in this case neither I, nor the customer, mostly children, knew they were consuming something poisonous, not good for health. And, considering it safe, I must fed thousands of Maggi packets to my own children, and today my wife and children question my wisdom and integrity when they see the product being banned on TV.

Mind: But you haven’t done it knowingly, so you shouldn’t feel guilty. And for all this while your company kept advertising it’s a quality product and perhaps the safest to consume. Am I right?

Heart: Yes you’re right. But I guess the company forgot the meaning of quality. Where, I always thought quality means, deliver what you promise, but in the case of Maggi it was not so. And the Food Safety and Standards authority of India also kept sleeping all this while, and they should also take the blame.

Mind: What is done is done, and can’t be undone, but what are you planning for your future.

Heart: Well, I haven’t thought about all that. But yes, I guess in the last five years I too could have taken a personal initiative, like that food inspector in Barabanki town, to get Maggi tested, but I didn’t. We often trust big names and brands for the simple reason that we believe they will deliver what they promise. But this was not the case here. And even brand ambassadors ditch the consumers.

Recently Nestle India had to destroy ‘Maggi noodle’ stocks worth three hundred and fifty crores as same was banned by Government of India, because tests revealed it had high lead content.

We have many dutiful salesmen in the food industry, putting their heart and soul together, in bringing about various delicious food products to customers across the world. And in this fraternity we also have Maggi salesmen. And there is no need for them to feel guilty, for, they have only done their duty in providing what the customer wanted and it was for Nestle to have ensured quality—deliver what you promise which they couldn’t. And so, I will not be surprised if this turns out to be one of the biggest cases of brand erosion under a big banner.