IIPM - Live: March 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011

MD PRABHU S HAS TAKEN ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED BY TAKING ON THE LOW MARGIN SEGMENT OF IT SERVICES TO SMES/MSMES YET IN A CANDID

How do you cope up with the challenges faced in a competitive environment?
When we are confident of adding value to customers, the question of competition does not arise. In this context, we haven’t still got exposed to a competitive environment yet.

Would you like to share any anecdotes from your learning of business in the industry?
I would like to narrate an incident which occurred recently. When we approached a firm for selling our product, the IT manager politely declined stating that “I am unable to provide all reports that the management needs”. Although we were initially setback, we persisted and somehow managed to get an appointment with the MD. When we asked him, “What information do you get today? And what do you don’t get today?”. We were taken aback when he replied – “I don’t even know the company’s turnover! The Accounts department gives one figure while the sales and IT gives another’. That’s when we realized the true state of the top management. Overall, the company is making profit, but certain brands/regions/area are not profitable and they are not noticing it because of data. Even though it may be strategic, they need to have control over that which can be monitored using our product/solution.

What is it according to you that takes to make a great brand?
When customers see value in the solutions offered, the brand gets established automatically. However, a great brand should have an well-established ecosystem of partners who can provide quality and timely service.

From a business point of view, what is your ultimate objective?
My ultimate objective is to provide game-changing solutions that can enhance the turnover and profits of Indian SME businesses.

What do you think is the best way you could market your brand?
We approach the market through consultative selling. We believe that our customers are our best marketers.

How would you describe your and your company’s success story?
Success is a journey, not a destination. We are so far happy with the progress made. And we are confident of seeing more successes in our way.

How do you manage your personal and family priorities?
My first family is Cindrel. I am enjoying each and every moment I spend for Cindrel and I am sure it will take care of my other family.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again....

Friday, March 18, 2011

GHOUISE MOHIUDDIN TALKS TO 4PS B&M ABOUT HIS DREAMS TO BECOME THE NEW BEVERAGE KING

So what is the USP that separates Cafe Desire from the pack?
There is not one, but many. But most importantly, the message which I regularly drive across to my team is that we have to adopt a “customer-centric” approach, both when it comes to our growth strategies and thought processes. All our meetings and interactions start and ends with two subjects – customer and competitor. Thankfully, we have always managed to deliver more than what our customers expect. A clear differentiator in our industry would be that we operate and deliver on Marketing 3.0 platform, unlike all our competitors who deliver on Marketing 1.0 or Marketing 2.0 levels.

Cafe Desire is known for its high-quality 100% natural hot beverages. Do you use market research before devising that perfect blend?
We have always conducted in-depth researches, geography-wise, into what a customer really expects in that region, when he takes a sip of coffee or tea. As a result, our regional blends have helped us gain and retain larger chunk of market share. For example, our coffee is which is served in Hyderabad is different from what we serve in Delhi.

But just an honest thought – doesn’t competition bother you at times?
Actually, no. Instead, it excites me to the hilt. One thing which keeps me pepped-up is the thought that we are competing with brands which are giants with history of 90 to 200 years. It’s exciting to imagine how despite being a young company, you can give them sleepless nights. But having said that, I have to agree, our team burns gallons of midnight oil to compete strongly. I would just say one line on competition – I love competing with Nestle (smiles).

People – how important is that P to your company’s success?
I am surrounded by people who share my passion and excitement. We work for the long run. I believe that I have one of the most dynamic management team, which shares the dream of making it big before we all touch 40 years of age. All my boys are bubbling with lot of energy to make a mark. Our average age of employees is just 30 years, and we invest a lot on T&D.

Any learning that you would want to share with the readers?
Start small, think big and build from your strengths – you can build a national brand even if you lack the bucks for massive ad campaign. Think logically. At Cafe Desire, we understood the logical difference between scale and growth.

So what is your ultimate aim?
We want to be an integral part of everyone’s daily life by offering a minimum of five brands out of 42 brands that every human being touches every day. We plan to only grow organically, reach the no.1 spot and stay there.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

RAHUL JINDAL REALLY BEEN WEAVING AT LOOM CRAFT

You infused new life into an ancient weaving technique, whose origins can be traced back to ancient Egyptian civilisation. It is fast becoming a fashion now. But do you think you are betting on a sustainable future demand as well?
We have been in the furniture business for decades now and Loom Crafts was born just five years back. The demand for wicker furniture is surely on a rise and the trend is sustainable and in complete sync with our targets. Today, we are catering to some niches like 5-star hotels, farm house owners et al. But given the fact that demand for wicker furniture is rising amongst the masses, we are also coming up with a special product line to fill the supply-demand gap. We want to give great value products to our consumers, and outperform our Chinese industry peers by miles in terms of quality!

What are the marketing and advertising initiatives that you are undertaking at present?
We have been heavily advertising in hospitality magazines and other print vehicles. On one hand, while we keep launching new marketing and advertising campaigns with a high frequency, on the other, we also keep innovating our products, once every two months. That further gives us an opportunity to advertise more. We also participate in exhibitions where we can directly interact with our customers.

What is the USP of your brand?
We provide outdoor furniture that lasts for years in a 100% eco-friendly manner. Plus, we provide a lifetime guarantee with great after-sales services.

What are your expansion plans?
We want to expand globally and increase our exports. Five years from now we want to make the name Loom Crafts a synonym for “outdoor furniture”, and grow manyfolds!

Monday, March 14, 2011

NARESH GUPTA, DIRECTOR – STRATEGIC PLANNING, DENTSU MARCOM

In fact, this version 2.0 of Internet may spark off four dominant trends, here’s a look at all four of them

Go out often: Technology has made finding interesting places around the cities easier than ever. Places can not only be discovered, but also commented upon. This will encourage people to explore their world more.

Get bitten by wanderlust: The constant feed of holiday pictures from a variety of locations will encourage people to pack their bags and discover their world more often. The normal holiday hotspots will make way for newer, more exotic destinations. Maybe tourism boards need to revisit the very motivations of travel.

Niche will get powered by mainstream: The niche performers, products, brands will increasingly get access to mainstream audiences as customers will become patrons and interest groups will broadcast their approval to a wider set of audience.

The world will become large: The world instead of becoming a global village will actually become a very large thriving vibrant mega polis. This will mean more people to meet, more things to do, more smells to savour, more connections to be made.

This is a very interesting transformation that we will see all around us. A generation that was supposed to be socially challenged will challenge the norms of social connectivity.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again....

Thursday, March 03, 2011

PLAYING IT ON CELEBRITIES

Gone are the days when only Nokia, Samsung or Motorola had celebrities talking for them. The new age Indian handset makers too now have celebrities on their side to announce their arrival. But will the strategy help them to move on to the next level?

Neither Nokia, nor Samsung would have ever thought this. But as noticed over the past couple of years, the global handset giants are being challenged massively in India by a flurry of numerous affordable indigenous handset makers. Their strategy of offering look-alike models of existing popular handsets, at one third the price, has allowed them to eat into market shares of their established counterparts. In the process they [the new brands] have also established themselves as the ones that offer maximum value for money. And with their latest initiatives, they have entered into an arena where only the big guys were seen earlier – having high profile celebrity brand ambassadors.

So far, Indian consumers had only seen Shahrukh Khan flaunting a Nokia handset, Abhishek Bachchan going gaga over a Motorola, Aamir Khan adding a little of his perfectionist touch to Samsung and John Abraham portraying LG handsets as peppy as youth with Abhay Deol and Genilia D’Souza. Over the past few months, the new indigenous handset players too have joined the bandwagon giving these stalwarts some dose of their own medicine.

Micromax was the first one to follow the formula bringing Akshay Kumar on board, followed by Maxx Mobiles getting Dhoni to talk about their latest offerings. Later, SAR Group’s Wynn Telecom launched its handsets with Saif Ali Khan and Bipasha Basu doing the honours. And Zen Mobile became the latest brand to join the league when it roped in none other than Amitabh Bachchan to be the face of the company. But how will the brand ambassadors help these handset makers in their venture? Answers Deepesh Gupta, MD, Zen Mobile, “India is a critical market and the competition in mobile handset technologies is growing fast. Mr. Bachchan will help render sheen to our brand with his grandeur. Nothing compares with the legendary Big B, a style icon, who is admired as an aspirational figure and Zen Mobiles is placing its bet exactly on that.”

Another critical aspect where these celebrities are proving handy for the Indian handset makers is building the trust factor. Most of these new players are viewed skeptically by the consumers. The general perception is that they are just fly-by-the-night operators. In such a scenario, association of a big celebrity with the brand helps it in bringing in the assurance that the company is in for a long term play.

Nevertheless, benefits of using a celebrity brand ambassador certainly depends on where the brand stands it in its life cycle and what are their needs. For example, the need for Micromax – which has been around for about two years now and after building its brand in rural India is now getting aggressive in the metros – is very different from the players like Zen or Wynn who are just starting. For Micromax, the idea behind having Akshay on board is to be able to connect with their target customers and take the brand to the next level. Vikas Jain, Business Director, Micromax shares, “People may forget the name of the brand, but they would come to the shop asking yaar woh Akshaywala phone dikhana.” And one would have to admit that the company has so far managed to create the noise it intended to. As a result, today Micromax is the number three handset player in the country surpassing MNCs like Motorola, LG and Sony Ericsson.