On 27th September 2020, I attended a webinar organized By Mr Prakash Sharma Founder Director- Bija training under their Mask Leadership series. Under the series, accomplished leaders from the industry are invited to speak to an audience consisting of customers and invitees of Bija training, who are looking to enhance their leadership skills. The speaker of the day was Mr Kuldip Sharma, National head Sales and marketing of Amara Raja Batteries Ltd who gave insights on developing a result oriented marketing culture.
Mr Kuldip sharma started out by saying that after the disruption caused by the covid 19 pandemic, his organization was recovering rapidly. The auto industry has seen an upturn post Covid in view of people being reluctant to use public transport. Another aspect that went in the company's favour is an increase in demand for their batteries amongst those, (particularly employees in IT) who previously preferred to use imported brands. The company used the opportunity to win them over and convince them that the batteries made by them are equally good if not better.
Moving on to the subject of sales, the speaker conceded that it is a very demanding job. Those working in this area have to be constantly on the go and cannot afford to relax. Excuses are not acceptable. A sales person is required to model himself on the "Hunter" rather than the "Farmer". A farmer tends to wait for the opportunity and right circumstances such as timely rains. The hunter on the other hand has to relentlessly pursue his target or he would have to go hungry. Similarly placed is a sales executive who needs to be a result oriented hunter. Mr sharma said that there is a need for deep passion (He used the Hindi/ Urdu word "Junoon") peppered with discipline and effort. Halfhearted attempts simply won't do . " If you have the passion, opportunities will fall into place"
The key word here is the effort. If consistent efforts are put in, the results will come sooner or later. The speaker said that one has to ask oneself the question" Have I put in my 100%?" If the answer is yes, there is nothing to worry as results are bound to come. On the contrary if the answer is "No', suitable plan has to be devised and implemented giving your best shot consistently.
Another thing that is very crucial to success is "Team effort". Nobody can work by himself and hope to succeed in the long run. Contribution by everyone is important. The speaker gave an instance of an activity of picking up as much rice as possible from a bag that one hand can hold wherein a condition is stipulated that you cannot use the little finger . It is obvious that a lot more quantity can be held in the hand if the little finger is also available for use. Many companies talk about teamwork but when it comes to compensation, individual contributions are valued. Therefore I asked a question as to what is being done in the company to enhance teamwork which has been identified by them as a key factor for success?. It was heartening to receive Mr sharma's reply. He said " In Amara, all incentives are team based". Practicing what we preach is so very important.
The speaker concluded his talk with the declaration that "Self motivation is the key". He advised participants to keep investing in themselves for learning new skills, understanding new fields and constantly upgrading oneself. The discussion during the evening was matter of fact, yet insightful underscoring the basics for building a result oriented marketing culture in organizations. Indeed, it was a very rewarding experience!
NB: Readers working in marketing may like to also read my post on "Dhakad Marketing" at this link
https://hrdian.blogspot.com/2020/06/dhakad-marketing-how-to-build-brands.html
