Management Mantras

Tolerating the High Performers in Organisation

2011-12-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

We all know that high performers are the no nonsense guys in the organization. They frequently resent the wrong decisions and practices. in the organization. Hence they are a sort of org. purifiers.

There are hardly people in this world who have initiative and there are hardly a few who have a voice. So these people are handy to keep around for the purpose of creating new neural pathways in the org and destroying dysfunctional attitudes and practices.

The high performers also stimulate the work environment with mirroring effects which means that people learn from them on job, winning attitudes and wining styles and overall company training costs may also be reduced and result and achievement orientation may also improve.

So don't junk that man with the achievement drive. He may not be very friendly but he may add the value of five regular team members to your team. Also you may use correction methods for some deficiencies which they may show. Correction always works wonders with adults and children. So why have flabby yes men around you who slowly cause the org bones to weaken.Have a strong backbone.

The Human Relation Synergy

2011-12-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

Its never under stressed how important is harmony at work place.
Why only at work place even at home or in a country situation.

The role of the leader in this aspect is hardly underwritten. The leader is the in charge of the organisational mood. How the employees traet their customers is very well also determined by how employees are treated themselves at the work place. So it is imperative to respefct the employee as a franchisee of the business.

Employees are the most nearer to the customers and their voice matters the most. Hence it is also important to meet the frontline employees of the org. and take their valuable feedback and finetune processes, products, and strategies from time to time.

If you keep your employees happy they will keep the organisation healthy.
So its the duty of all leaders to be cheerful and enthused at all times. They should keep at least one day for any employee to walk in and share their views on the day to day happenings in the org.

You can differntiate your org. very easily on the caring aspect. It is important to remember that in this age of Social Networks you can easily get good or bad word of mouth based on these parameters.

So you could include a employee bash for every achivement so that their winning streak is reinforced. The more people have fun the more they are likely to enjoy the work and work with passion, which will surely increase the productivity and profitability of the organisation.

Risking / derisking Business Model by Globalising

2011-03-23T00:15:00.001-07:00

Recent Japan earth quake gives us all a lesson. The companies which have their businesses spread across the globe have inherently derisked their business against natural disasters. Also it tells us the importance of Insuring and Re-insuring by the Insurance companies.

Many US comapnies have exposure from 10% to 75% in their Japan ventures and hense stand to loose by their strategy of concentrating to much on a geography. Area's like Japan and Gujarat in India are famous to be Earthquake prone but are also very akin to business ventures. This shows what PR can do, it can make a person invest in a inherently risky area, but suitable to business growth and entrepreneurism.

So planning a business think of it, not more than 20% of the business in One country esp. if it is disaster prone. Similarly with the markets, better to have more diverse customers to de risk the revenues and marketing function of the Company. Always think of de risking your company. If only the US businessmen thought they would have avoided the great second depression in Global economy.

Living with Honor

2011-01-26T19:01:00.002-08:00

Man has a nature of Group Dynamism and Black Mail minorities in organisatin with overload and insulting advances. This reduces the self esteem of those not subscribed to groups. Many organisation thrive on office romance like many Training institutes and call centres. There are many call centres exclusively for women why?

So are you a team or a ethical group? How to know?

How do you deal when someone is inferior to the post to which they join. By training them or by humilating them.

How do you respond to a star in a average organisation, by Double Promotion, or shattering her confidence by spoiled ACR. Or giving the feedback that they are really better and some thing good is waiting for them.

People of Honor form a team ready to gel and not forcefully ensconse people into their cellular lives.

Living with Honor

2011-01-26T19:01:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you are better than average at the job you are doing . Sometimes you are below average at the job which you are doing. If you have a good appraisal for your job although U are average or below average then your boss is living with honor and you are not. If you have a bad appraisal for a good job done, you are living with honor but your boss is not. It is important to live by honor. The old Mother India Song Says," Zinda hai jo Izzat se vo izzat se marega". So honor lies in earning ones wages. Honor lies in teaching others to live by Honor. Moral of the story : If one keeps improving ones purse and social graph will improve.

When there are too many leaders

2010-12-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am a old author of Management through Blogs.

When people used to talk about change as a management fad, I proposed that only positive change should happen and working practices should not be abandoned.

Today I have another proposition. Too much emphasis is given on leadership development at all levels. But one must be cautious not to allow this to become a leader managers situation. A leader manager situation is when all the leaders join the managers and no body is left to manage or work.

Such situation is likely to happen in government office when they adopt new management principles. Similar trends are sen when succession planning is being done and more than two to four candidates are being trained for the top post and the disgruntled leave the organisation along with their team. There should be a management strategy for such a situation and the problem could be viewed as a challenge, by setting up new small sunrise sector small companies with ESOPs for the rejected candidates. Or as a measure of corporate CSR they should be allowed to set up their own companies with angel funding and stake by their owners.

All management terms and axioms are fads till practiced and understood insight fully. Just like all problems are essentially challenges for those who have the grit. So India's and US's large swathes of Unemployed could also be a advantage, are you the leader who can make it?

How a Failure in Exam could be a Winner in Life : By Indian Jack Welch

2010-12-14T21:42:00.001-08:00

Well when I was at AU college of Engineering. I could not topped. Those who topped copied in all exams and were successful earlier in life.

But I got success later on in life as a successful social blogger and a clear conscience.

How a person who fails the Exam with out writing a single word is a winner in life. If the student refuses to copy he is likely to have the quality of integrity which even big Industry Tycoons lack. So this person can be a cashier at a hotel, as he is unlikely to steal. An accountant who cleared his exam cheating is likely to become a partner at a big firm which fudges and commits fiduciary crimes.

So integrity matters and is found in few. These few are the diamonds in the genetic junk of deceptive people who are sporadically spreading like epidemic in society.

My Leadership Lessons

2010-12-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

It was when I used to teach at a School. There was a paucity of Text Books of the subject I used to teach. One girl lent me a book of hers which was used throughout the academic session by me. The girl coped well and was a fine grader. After reflecting on the incident I realized that she was also a good leader even while at school. She had shown the quality of making a sacrifice for making the goal of the group.

How often do we see even matured people making a sacrifice for the group. A true leader. I was also reading an article in newspaper on how a woman fired herself being the CEO to keep her team mates in job. That is the crescendo of leadership. Sacrifice.

Most people are self centered and selfish and hardly understand the group goals. In this scenario the above two examples stand out in explaining leaders how they can be better at their jobs and even managers can develop some accommodating behavior and learn leadership.

Decision Making and Revisionism

2009-04-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

many a times many ministers have been branded as Roll Back ministers if they roll back a previous tenant of their Financial Budget or policy.
Yesterday I was going through the Jack Welch Column in 4p where he stressed that Revisionism is decision making is not bad.
Many a times the leader has to take decision under uncertainty and may lead to wrong decision at such times not correcting the decision in the face of possibility that people may brand the leader as Flip Flop leader is even more damaging.
Its better to revise than to continue with a wrong decision.
Many a times strategic insights are upended to previous insights and make it imperative to change the course of previous decisions. At such times Jack stresses that it is a leadership quality to make changes without clinging to the wrong decision.
Mr. Jack Welch I completely agree with you.

Corporate Governance

2009-03-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

There is this corporate governance question rasied all the time if CEO and Chairman position should be held by the same person or different persons.

Different posts can hinder decisionmaking speed but gives the much needed perspectives to decision making.

But then how do actual people handle these processes. According to a survey about 80% of all organisations have only 1 person handling the same post and they also have 5% higher sales figure.

So if you want better performance better have one person as Chairman and CEO.

Importance of Succession Planning

2009-03-20T02:18:00.001-07:00

Succession Planning is important in politics as well in Business. WE come across so many public spats in Business and politics alike about rebellions.

Well to avoid that there are various strategies that can be used by leaders. Delegation of authority and sharing of power and decision making can keep the squabbles at bay.

In a conglomerate it becomes easy to share power between generations by making each son in charge of a separate division or companies or group of companies.

So if you don't want your son or daughter to make a public disgrace of the family business make plan as soon as your son is 25 or daughter is 21.

How To Save Your Job in a Recession

2009-03-20T01:23:00.000-07:00

Just like companies have their strategies for recession beating individuals should themselves come up with their own strategies to beat the recession blues.

Strategies have to be adopted to keep one self alluring enough in Job scenario's.

1. Multi Skill your self : Add new skill's to your resume through e-learning or self learning using computer and internet at home or through self help books or friends.

2. Accept More Responsibility : Don't shirk responsibility in recession as it may even cost you your job.

3. Be Team Oriented : Individualistic achievements may do in the normal times but hard times require networking and aligning individual goals to organizational goals and team play to synergise and increase effective goal achievement.

4. Don't spread rumors : Spreading rumors at such times may invite flak from management.

New Age Media Vehicles

2009-03-18T03:36:00.000-07:00

With coming of a new era , comes the opportunities of new Advertising Vehicles.
1. Malls : Malls are used increasingly to target hip and young crowds who are out there to hang out or watch a movie in a multiplex.

2. Cyber Cafes : A survey shows that 50% of Cyber Cafe goers are students and rest 50% are grad's and PG's , these profiles are decision makers and hence can be targetted by advertising solutions used by Cyber Cafes. Using geo tagging you can create tactical advt.s instead of just generic ads.

3. Road Shows : Road shows can be used to create a hype around the product.

4. Mobiles : Mobile advt can be used to reach your potential customer in a cost effective way.

5. Painting Trains and Buses : Painting trains and buses could also get you requisite mind share and high brand recall.

So what are you waiting for go for that new media.

Used Car Market Downfalls due to Nano

2009-03-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

How categories of products are intertwined is displayed aptly by the Nano Car launch. The prices of used car is down up to 15-20%. And so is demand. If one can get a new car in around 1.25 lakhs then why go for a expensive car without guarantee.

So here you are with a car competing with the used car market. But then a car for common man at last, with security for the pillion riders as endorsed by the Tata himself.

Even the rates of entry level small car markets are down by 40,000 to 50,000. Now this is some car creating ripples in the Car Market.

Bravo Tata you did some thing commendable.

9XM and Innovative Programming

2009-03-13T01:52:00.000-07:00

9XM is a new channel but in its relatively short sting of operation it has seen undue success. That is all due to clutter breaking programming model.

All channels play the same videos. So how can you distinguish your content. 9XM did so by animated propriety content of its own.

Its jocular mascot "Bheegi Billi" and "Chote Bade" jokes are now very much popular with the audiences.

So its up to the programming department to go about menial tasks or think out of the box and make disruptive programming content around its core business.

Who knows some day they may come up with a cartoon channel leveraging the equity created in the core channel.

Now that is some business Acumen, what do you say?

Getting a Job in Recession

2009-03-13T01:14:00.000-07:00

IIM Indore records a 15-20% decrease in salary offered to student placements, although more number of companies participate in recruitment.

This shows the job scene in recession. So if you are thinking of getting a job, you are likely to get that job by quoting a lower than expected salary figure. The demand of people is there , more so of multi skilled people.

So the best strategy to have for getting a job at this time is to hop on to the company and wait for the recession to pass sway and then demand your worth.

Now , why wait for your dream job.

Growing Business Through Joint Ventures and Partnerships

2009-03-12T01:22:00.001-07:00

Recently Naukri created a application for GTalk customers to add naukri as Friend and search for jobs from GTalk without leaving GTalk.

So millions of GTalk users become potential customers for Naukri.

No referrals, no leads, no followups,

Just pure marketing Nirvana.

If you think out of the box, ready made businesses of the type mentioned above await you. So in this age of recession its more important to Co-opt than compete.

Joint ventures and partnerships are tools to achieve the above.

In joint ventures you have the advantages of market knowledge and insights , plus ready made customer bouquet. One can easily cross sell products to each others customers in a Partnership, or charge a small amount for every business conversion for one way partnerships.

Organisational Replenishment - 20%-70%-10%

2009-03-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

Keep you organization vital at all the times, and how can you do that.

For the above purpose you need to understand that there are three classes of workers in any organization

1. Top Performers ( 20%)
2. Mediocre Performers ( 70%)
3. Non -Performers (10 %)

So you need a performance appraisal or measurement system which can measure and classify employees into the above three classes. It is very important for you to be transparent in this process as any attempt to include a sycophant in a above category than deserved will certainly not get unnoticed.

After classifying the people according to their capabilities you have to take necessary action to increase the vitality of the organization.

The above percentages are average. So it should be your endeavor to increase the percentage of performers, reduce the percentage of non-performers and take necessary measures to send the mediocre performers into the performers category by training and motivational techniques.

You know that performers can be ticked off by equity treatment and need differentiated treatment. That's where you need to be bold and carve out a strategy to retain the best at the cost of non-performers.

But non-performers and mediocre may take this to be inequity at workplace so you need to device ways of retaining top performers, like offering secret joining bonus to a top-performer joiner and ask him to keep shut about the whole affair.

So it is totally up to you how you use HR to invigorate your organisations DNA to a performance oriented from a clunky mediocre performence based.

Trust and the Workplace

2009-03-09T00:42:00.001-07:00

Trust is very important in workplace. Trust results in a cohesive team at work place which results in enhanced productivity and performance. All these lead to greater degree of goal attainment by a team.

Trust results in better cohesion and better workplace relationships with lesser degree of workplace dysfunctional politics. This will result in lesser lost productive man hours.

Trust at workplace results in better employee retention as employees have greater satisfaction working in such places. They are also likely to recommend the work place to other friends and relatives resulting in better employer branding.

Trust between management and workers result in better Industrial Climate and more peace between labor and management.

Traps in Decision Making

2009-03-09T00:36:00.000-07:00

There are various traps which one needs to avoid while making decisions. These are likely to make you take wrong decisions.

1. Misleading experiences

2. Misleading prejudgments

3. Inappropriate self interests

4. Inappropriate attachments

5. Hurrying through a decision

Finding One's Voice

2009-03-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Speaking about motivation. Maslow defined five levels of motivators, self actualization being the top most. Stephan R. Covey went a step further to define a meaningful way in which you can obtain self actualization.

In his book the Eighth habit, Stephan stresses on the idea of finding ones voice, finding ones voice is knowing ones purpose and speaking and expressing about self. The Man always had a voice in the Global Society, in west women found voice, In India women are still struggling to find voice.

This voice should be guided by your values and beliefs. Stephan further adds that after finding your voice you need to help others to find their voice. That is the best existence.

I would say that your voice should be such that it creates harmony in the world. It should create friendliness and peace in the world.

What say guys?

Reverse Migration

2009-03-06T01:34:00.000-08:00

With recession hitting Europe and US many Chinese and Indians are thinking of returning to their nations. Tens of thousands of employees already left, and in next 6- 12 months about 1 lakh people are likely to return back.
So the domestic markets of China and India are likely to see improvement, and US market is likely to suffer.
Asian market has 33% dependence on US and Europe for GDP, hence it is likely that a prolonged recession in US and Europe would hurt the Asian Economies.
Indonesia has already received 35 billion dollars from World bank. The IMF and the World bank are likely to gain in this period with increased loan disbursals.
India has already seen its Public Debt of upto 80% of GDP and lowerred GDP growth of 5.3 % this fiscal.
The coming months would reveal how chronic is going to be the global recession.

Focus Areas In Recession

2009-03-04T01:08:00.001-08:00

There are four areas in which you can concentrate at the time of Recession. They are

1. New Product development and Innovation : You are likely to capture more mind space if you create a new product or add on feature during recession. Customers are likely to feel that you are a sound company unaffected by the Business Cycles.

2. Competition : Focus on Competition, this is the time when you can twist the arms of weak businesses and send them out of business or gain a competitive edge over them.

3. Consumers : Start new programs for consumers, focus on retaining the more capable of consumer with deeper pockets. Cross sell and up sell to these consumers.

4. Communication : This is perhaps as important as all the other facets of focus areas. Communicate warm messages which are likely to be reassuring to the customers and make them spend whatever money is at disposal to them on your products when given a choice to spend.

Leadership Through Innovation

2009-03-02T23:04:00.001-08:00

This is recession time, even if its not recession time, Innovation helps. Innovation helps in staying ahead of people in Businesses. The more you innovate the more you are different from the me-too products. The more the differentiation the more the Brand following. You can be shaped by the market or you could shape the market, leaders are the later category.

Let me give you two examples.

1. Sony has started a smile shutter. A multi smile detection shutter which shuts automatically when all smile. So a step ahead of multi face detection and focus. Now that is some innovation for the consumers to talk about.

2. Motortola uses funky names for its cell phone models, ROKR was a huge hit, the latest model they have is Aura. How about that for some innovation.

Leadership Through Replenishment

2009-02-27T02:20:00.001-08:00

Recent defeats of Australia in Cricket set me thinking what were the management lessons to be learn from the same. Well I got at least two ideas. Being at the top creates complacency in cricket as well as in companies. Complacency leads to sub optimal performance and loss of leadership advantage.

Also the second thought which emerged in my mind was that there are no young performers in Australia. ie since there world cup triumph Australia was not able to groom future leadership in the team. Ditto with companies all fortune 500 companies are doom to failure once the main leadership retires or dies. So that accentuates the importance of Leadership grooming and talent management in a company or team.

Hope you will learn from these two lessons and take your company to great heights.

High Stress Abusive Work Environments

2009-02-21T23:49:00.000-08:00

All occupations have Hazards, Some have more so.

Referring to work environments where you are likely to encounter verbal abuse which is the more malicious of all abuses. Well police force according to newspaper reports have high degree of associated verbal abuse. many a time reports of a subordinate shooting a senior is reported in newspapers. that is the extreme for of reaction to verbal abuse manifested.

Other work environments having high stress are Sales and Defense force. Sales people have their targets and firing on every morning on not reaching the targets. Also defense personnel are also reported to lot of verbal abuse and stress.

With the above information in mind you should make a proactive choice to join such work places and at your own risk and knowledge.

Also the decision relating to career is a long lasting effect on life so all care should be taken to choose the best employer for along lasting and fulfilling career.

Groups,Teams and Gangs

2009-02-20T23:31:00.000-08:00

Yes employees could be classified in the above three terms.

Teams are groups that perform and work constructively for the well being of the company. More often such teams are diverse in nature. The members are committed to the organisational goals and indiavidual goals are aligned to the goals of the organisation creating that synergy for performance.

Groups are employees which have some common critera of formation and join togther to form work norms and cliques to the detriment of the company. These groups would not allow individual committed workers to work for the best of the company and may craete hurdles in their path.

Gangs are the most deliterious of criminals operating in a company. These groups are totally criminal bent of mind and may steal company info or property and sell for a decent profit. So beware of these employees. That is why it is important to invest a few thousand of Rs. to run background check on employees to see if you are hiring the right line.

Renting Your Mindspace

2009-02-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

A workplace should be clean and free of Dysfunctional politics, but many a time that does not happen and we see lot of dysfunctional politics in the office. This mat result in strained inter personnel relationships and lost man hours of productivity, apart from loss of goodwill from customers in customer facing departments. Thus it is important that employees do not create problems for each other. Such employees should be identified and positive and negative steps should be taken to warn them to abstain from dysfunctional behavior. One of the employee party to the dispute could be transferred to other department, or if things are worse could be fired. As one bad apple spoils the whole lot.

Attributes of High Performing Teams

2009-02-18T23:22:00.000-08:00

1. Composition : A high performing team should be diverse with regard to cultures, races and gender so as to include all the perspectives and consumer insights.

2. Motivation : A high performing team has a very high motivation due to individual motivation levels, hygiene factors and leadership.

3. Leadership : A capable team has a capable leader who performs in all trying conditions by setting direction and morale of the team.

4. Cohesion : A high performing team show high degree of cohesion and low degree clique formation.

5. Team-Work : The employees are motivated to team work and their efforts always result in a team synergy of 2+2 = 5 or 1 = 1 =11.

6. Attitude : Most of the members have infectious positive attitude and zeal, which gets rubbed off on other members of the team.

7. Commitment : Most members show high degree of commitment towards their individual and team goals.

8. Communication and Trust : There is high level of trust in the team which is the result of open communication which is present in the team.

Participative Change and Employee Commitment

2009-02-16T23:50:00.000-08:00

Participative change is when the employee's are taken into confidence and are involved in Decision Making process. In these times of turmoil taking a black box decision on the course of action to avoid problems may be autocratic and swift and may appeal to intuition but may be totally counter productive. So it may be well advised to take decisions by involving the employees.

Take input from the employees that this is the situation of market and cash flows and that certain tough decisions need to be taken. Ask them that what they would have done if they were at the helm. In this way you could very well reduce some rancor and bitterness from the process of change which could be painful for some of the employees.

Communication and compassionate communication at the times of distress could in itself be a hidden boon and could reduce many of the problems hounding the management at such times.

Be Humane to the employees to be laid off as you would feel for some one of your own family. Talking is always great , but walking the talk is always difficult. So go for it, provide crash retraining to those being laid off so that they are multi skilled and less prone to failure after leaving your organization. This is also likely to improve the overall morale of all the employees post tough decisions and help in productively bouncing back once the flab is cut.

Working At Small Vs. Large Company

2009-02-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

many people say that working in small companies is more beneficial as you are likely to get more responsibilities and a steep learning curve. you also have a better identity compared to the anonymity of working at a large company.

But I think it depends on what your ultimate aims are when you decide to work for a large or a small company. A small company may offer you limited scope of growth. Also in a small team the chances of getting involved in Group Dynamics and being a victim of tactics like isolation et al is more strong.

In a large company you are likely to gain acceptance from one group or the other and in the process have a better work life.

Also if you want to become an entrepreneur you could consider working for both a small and a large company to learn the tricks of the trade and best practices of both to gain when you set up your own company. The implementation of the systems and processes are smooth if you have the experience of being a part of the same for a couple of years.

So these are some of the pros and cons of working in small and big comapanies. Go for it, make your own decision.

New Marketing Techniques

2009-02-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Many software companies use online distribution of files which results in piracy and cracks and lost business. But it is imperative to use online and offline ATL and BTL marketing to promote your business through troughs and crusts.

I was experiencing the power of net when I came across some techniques of marketing by some companies. Limiting the time utility is one method. Zapak gives a game for download which is valid for 1 hour 1 month. It means if you play 2 minutes daily the trial period gets exhausted in 30 days. If you play 1 hour then it exhausts in one day itself. Cool isnt it. Also the word game of Readers Digest is valid only for 1 hour from the beginning of trial. Now thats another way of giving short bursts of product experience to your customers.

Another way if marketing many software companies use is free limited edition of product to spread viral Word of Mouth and premium paid edition with enhanced features.

So thats all on marketing for now. Chow?

Agression and Jobs

2009-02-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

Aggression is a quality, certainly positive aggression is. many jobs like marketing and sales require positive and even negative aggression on the employees part. All jobs would certainly reward the quality of positive aggression.

Jobs like marketing where there is less market and more marketing personnel through DSA's would require cut throat aggression. Only the aggressive survive in marketing.

So if you are thinking of a sales and marketing job you must be aggressive and aggressive to survive, prosper and grow in your job.

Employees Owning The Business

2009-02-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

A lot has been written about the professional management vs. family owned business and how many family oriented firms have gained by using professional management. But the latest Satyam fiasco and the various US accounting scams prove otherwise. I have a small story which depicts how employees can be subservient to the cause of business freedom through hired managers.

I used to go to this Cyber Cafe in Dombivli and these had some employees hired in addition to the regular management. These employees would act like owners in absence of owners and would not allow the customers to sit.

They would start chatting on 2-3 PC's and deny service to the legitimate customers. As I was a regular customer I recognised them and alerted the owner to the potential problem who promptly took action by firing some of the errant employees and increasing their supervisory time and surprise checks

So now what you have to say about the professional management vs. owner debate.

Franchisee and Brand Building

2009-01-31T21:39:00.000-08:00

There are various doubts about the Franchisee Route to Brand Building. Certainly aggressive growth can be obtained by using this route but there are some precautions to be taken as the path is fraught with risk.

First and foremost the path is taken to increase the brand presence and visibility but it may lead to brand dilution if the Franchisee management and employees do not understand the importance of the parent brand. So make sure you have proper guidelines and incentives and disincentives to induce the right behavior patterns in the Franchisee work force.

Encourage positive behavior by being fair in profit sharing and profit remittance dates et al as these are likely to create grouse in the Franchisee management. Also make sure that the termination conditions are set in the contract level only as also the SLA's expected off the Franchisees. But keep in mind that every failure would lead to a brand dilution.

So keep your fingers crossed and go for that aggressive expansion drive.

Tackling Recession With Comraderie

2009-01-29T23:27:00.000-08:00

Every problem is a hidden opportunity. Recession is a challenge in itself. One could fume and fret over it or get into proactive action depending upon the DNA of the person heading the company or the board of advisers who flank the top management team.

Alacrity in business could lead to certain business advantage for the company. The company is equipped with skilled staff who are a potential repertoire in themselves. And the truth is evident that Human Potential has no bounds, so all the things get skimmed to the mindset of the leader. To accept defeat from the situation or take it as a challenge to hone the disaster management prowess of the company.

If you take any case study of successful business conglomerate you find one thing in common, they dont wait for disasters to happen and they continuously churn their businesses by exiting non-profitable businesses and entering sunrise sectors on the go so they diversify their risk to the effects of business recession. Similarly having geographically dispersed global business is another hedge to the ills of recession. This could be called the self renewal of the organization. GE,Kingfisher,Reliance all exhibit self renewal.

But take heart, there is no age for learning and nothing lost by being the second mover. One needs to constantly be on the learning mode while transacting business.

Use your team to your advantage, instead of firing them make them your assets in distress. Set up crack teams to access geographies and business conditions of various countries and set up a list of potential business venture sites. Set up Center of Excellence teams to do research in the identified sectors about the best practices and the key Success factors. Take the entrepreneurial risk and go for it with the zeal of a high school project intern. You are likely to succeed.

Strategy To Boost Sales in Recession

2009-01-29T22:56:00.000-08:00

It is recession time and from Business Standard to moderately priced Economic Times are discussing about reducing sales turnover. Economy is likely to grow at 7% for 09-10 years, so what is the repercussions and what should be the company's strategies.

I didn't give a thought to FMCG sectors strategies which are relatively insulated from the effects of recession, but certainly I think that the Durables Sector can gain through taking a hit on the margins by reducing prices those with net disposable savings can go for that discretionary or opportunity buy or impulse durable buy.

I think this would also give a boost to the economy which is showing a sign of slight slump at the present times.

HR Strategies to be Adopted during Recession

2009-01-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

1. There may be painstaking layoffs to be done. At that time it is required that the management keeps its communication open to avoid the effect of grapevine on the morale of the employees.

2. After painful layoffs the Morale of the employees may be at historical lows, so plans should be made to keep the morale of the residual team on a high. One solution which may work here is to go in for temporary layoffs with a promise to hire as soon as the good times return.

3. Days off ( Like 4 days week ) may also help to tide the recessionary months or years.

4. Pay and perks cut and performance based variable pay may help to a large extent.

Viral Advertisements For Free

2009-01-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

Youtube is a huge medium. You can leverage this medium to generate free advertising eyeballs for your product. Create your awesome advert and upload it on youtube.

You are sure to get some lakhs or thousands of ad views.

This is free computer air time without paying a single penny for the same. Hence it can be safely called viral marketing on the net where you can create word of mouth for your product.

Also you could give your contact details and web site address and generate valid leads and business conversion for free.

So try out this channel today. Make sure you create a unique advert. You could also test your adverts copies on the internet and the ones which pick up on the net could then be aired on the television.

Downsizing and Rightsizing

2009-01-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

Rightsizing is an ongoing process. The maladjusted and non performing bottom 10% of the employees should be removed on a regular basis , a number of Indian companies like the Infosys follow this practice.

Also downsizing is required at the time company is going through decreased profitability or recession has hit the economy. When the question is of survival at that time tough decisions have to be made.

Some times temporary layoffs and reduced pay can do the trick.At such times it is important for the company to do communication properly with employees and also motivate the employees to perform for companies survival.

Mahindra Xylo Advert

2009-01-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

Mahindra XYLO advertisement is truly outrageous. It speaks against the traditional wisdom that Sedans are mark of luxury.

In the advt. they show a Container and compares a sedan to a container. Some consumers may get disturbed by such advt's some others may be attracted by the advt. if instead of irrationally rubbishing sedan , they stress on the fact that cosmopolitans are congested and it may be difficult to drive a sedan on the roads.

So what do you think is Human species a rational one. Would you buy a sedan or a car?

Repositioning Conundrum

2009-01-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Is Repositioning Successful always?

Should repositioning be sudden or incremental?

Is repositioning costly or cheap?

These are some of the questions which haunt CEO's and Boards of large companies. WEll I thought about it and came to the following conclusion,

A Number of brands reinvented using various strategies.

1. Bata is now not a value player and you find Bata Showrooms in swank malls. Bata did it gradually without big bang ad noise.
2. Ditto with Cambridge who from mass player are now a middle level player
3. Big Bazaar is doing it incrementally in their garments business with fashion@big bazaar.
4. LG and Samsung are trying to reposition as premium brands

As the demographics and income disposition of a market segment or nation changes you need to sync your products with the public expectations and you get your strategy right or wrong you are surely going to meet a degree of success if you at least try.

Also as your org matures you may have the technology and R&D also the capital to dabble in premium products and create separate brand or subsidiary to cater the upper echelons of consumers.

Also one reason for repositioning is that the Brand Freshness is maintained, so to keep a brand alive and relevant go for kaizan repositioning where you keep refining the brand positioning so that it is nearer to the customer expectations and doesnt loose its consistency of Brand Character.

What say.

Employer Branding

2009-01-07T10:42:00.002-08:00

Employer branding was known as early as 1996. But now it is a full fledged concept and is being utilized with zeal and enthusiasm by all and sundry organizations because of its various advantages enlisted below

So lets first see what is Employer Branding?

It is the process of Marketing the company to existing and prospective employees. It is placing the organization in a good stead with the employees.

1. Attrition can be reduced because existing Employees are more satisfied
2. Right candidates can be hired for the right jobs as there is great Job Clarity in the minds of both the Employer and the Employees
3. Stress of Employee and Employer reduces with less number of Maladjustment employees in the companies.

All employees of an organization are brand ambassadors of their organization. But some who exhibits all the values , behaviors and culture of the organization are said to be the Brand Champions and are showcased by the organization’s as successful employees of the organization.

It is important to have a Employer Brand Equity ( through Employer Branding) which leads to increased Brand Equity of the company as Customer Facing Employees show maximum satisfaction and are more adept at handling clients with empathy and compassion.

On Why PSU’s Wont Perform

2009-01-07T10:42:00.001-08:00

This is with due respect to the Navratna’s and the other healthy PSU’s. But still things move with disgusting drudging ness even at these places. Especially when you move to the fringes of the city the offices are just like you could have expected them to be at the time of British Raj in the Eighteenth Century.

Forlorn looks and dark alleys. Old faces with people hardly visible. Rural markets are now emerging as getting the lion’s share of market share of a company in various verticals. So is this the time to overhaul the offices of PSU’s in tier II and tier III cities now.

Also what about the mindset of the officers and workers which spell doom for these companies. With assured pays these officers are at their inefficient best with all the bag , baggage and unlearnings of a Graduating College which teaches no professionalism which may be elicited even by a Distance MBA student.

So I thought about it and came up with at least two recommendations to the powers at the helm of India, to create profit center oriented culture at these non – motivated unprofessional workforce.

1. Have a performance oriented bonus and a variable pay package
2. Have regional and national performance competitions highlighting and awarding and rewarding the winners in Company website and Annual Function and Reports
3. Send the key officers to Executive MBA programs which are only one year and also available part time.
4. If point 3 is not possible then conduct seminars by industry experts so that they can gain the expertise to propel PSU’s to be able to compete with the professional private ENTERPRISES.( Indicating Entrepreneurism ).

Iconic Brands

2009-01-07T10:40:00.002-08:00

There are great brands and there are iconic brands. What are this iconic brands and can you try to think of some iconic brands that come to your mind?

Well here is a list of what I think is a Iconic Brand.

1. A brand that lives up to the brand promise. Is the brand promise well envisioned and documented. Do all employees have a knowledge of the brand promise.
2. A brand that generates trust. Customers don’t ask about any aspect as they are sure they will be delivered what has been promised.
3. Consumer Loyalty : There is exceptional Consumer Loyalty to the extent that customer becomes a brand champion for the brand and generates goodwill through blogs and word of mouth.
4. Unparalleled Customer Engagement : Consumers give valuable info and insights on their experience with the brand.
5. Continuous Customer Delight : Customer is delighted every time and comes back more often ( Sticky ) and buys more, recommends and up scales and cross scales.
6. Mind space Invasion and Customer Talk point : Magazines, Newspapers, Journals talk about the product giving free PR and the product becomes the talk of the globe.
7. Viral : All this gives rise to viral marketing effect and associated gains.

Some Iconic Brands and lessons they teach, which come to my mind are

1. Google : How one product can create an empire
2. Microsoft: How marketing prowess and capital are more important than innovation to marketing
3. Harry potter: A story worth told is worth a Billion
4. IPCL : How a unique concept can make a brand iconic overnight. (Entertainment marries Cricket and Diversity)

Kaizen Through Attrition

2009-01-07T10:40:00.001-08:00

Come on. Am I nuts?

No but its true. A secure job with no competition what so ever takes you to your worst state of efficiency. So if you want that all should be nimble in your organization try attrition. Yes sometimes wear and tear can lead you to the ultimate HR nirvana and what that could be?

Fire bottom 10% of non performers every 6 months. Then what would be the result. Top performers will feel the zest and be motivated to deliver. Counsel the non performers that in this job there is no career and growth for both them and the company. If possible place them in other jobs in the same company or a subsidiary.

Else counsel them to find a better job and give them 3 months or so to displace so that no bad blood is developed within the organization.

More better managers or workers hired in place of these non performers will breed success in your organization.

Differentiation and Enterprises

2009-01-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

Is there any relationship between the type of enterprise and the execution of differentiation policy. Well I thought about it and did some research and this is what I found.

Implementing new policies like differentiation and other Change Management interventions is easier in Private Enterprises and easier said than done in PSU’s and govt. depts..

There is a tendency in PSU’s to resist differentiation between top performing and under performers. With the concept of Unions and job security in PSU’s and govt. organizations it is hardly possible to fire the bottom 10% performers before they start spreading the inefficiency syndrome and party culture in an organization.

In private organizations with hardly any concept of Life Time Employment the above problems are not encountered and differentiation can be exercised easily. Thjs also creates continuos improvement even in the best with best being recruited all the time leading to a multiplier effect and a gain of immense employee productivity and effectiveness.

The Global Manager Conundrum

2007-03-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

There is a urgent need to revamp the management education system of India. Today with 15-16 years of liberalisation behind us, India is on the vanguard of becoming a global hub for talented manpower. Already about 25% of US engineers and Doctors are of Indian origin. And believe me friend that is very old figures. But in recent times a problem being faced by India i s that of manpower crunch. One reason of it is better avenues abroad, where all the Indian Educational cost are getting subsidized to the developed countries. Another reason is non-alignment of Educational Curriculam to the needs of the Industry. It is required that the curriculum be updated every 2 years at least and also Industry people are hired or invited to deliver quality lectures to students. Also b,c,d,e,f grade Institutes who have just come into the business just to mint money should be made to offer quality education to students.
With globalisation the need of the hour is to generate quality managers who are adept at handling global challenges and also manage a increasingly culturally diverse workforce which is an opportunity if you look at it that way.
It is also imperative to have a large supply of Middle level and top level management candidates, where the real crunch is. Fresh talent is available in abundance and just need to be groomed.

Temping : Indian Perspective

2006-11-21T03:55:00.000-08:00

In India there are 40 crore organised class workers, upto 3.5 - 5% of them are on temping. These employees somestimes even earn better than their permanent worker counterparts. Sometimes upto 20 % premium in salary. But the disadvantage is that they don't get perks like pension, paid vacation et al. But these temp workers get flexible working hours. Most of these people are in their 40's looking for flexible working hours, as they may be house wives or people with stagnating careers.

In the last 3-4 years the average salary of these people have almost doubled from the previously 5-8,000 Rs to 11-16,000 currently.

So, what do you think of temping.

The Importance of Delegation

2006-11-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Are you a person who thinks that I am the best person. I can do a task best. If I do it myself then I can expect that the task gets completed properly. That a wrong thinking. If you are a manager learn to delegate. A team is always better than a one man army. Learn to delegate the task to your subordinates. That way you free your self up for more important tasks. You are a manager and are expected to do strategic thinking and get the big picture right for the company. If you do all the small things like attending all telephones et al then you are doing nothing but micromanaging and burning your-self out.

If you want your subordinates to do the task well, there are two thing which you can do. Let s take a look at what these things are. Communicate well with your subordinate. Make sure you made him understand exactly what you want to achieve through them. This can be achieved by regularly communicating with your subordinates so that you know what is their wavelength. Also give them theie space. Yes , space is something which even a close relationship like spouse demands. Give space, set goals and make them accountable. I bet you will see result. Use the least force or co-ercion which can have a negative impact.

CSR or GSR

2006-11-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

Recently I was reading the editorial of 4P's which said that Corporate Social REsponsibility is sheer non-sense and that its actually Govt. Shirking REsponsibility (GSR ). They feel that a corporation earns profit and pays tax.Thats all about it. Social welfare is the work of Govt. which its trying to impose on the corporations. They seem to have a point. Is the government only for the sole purpose of propagating hatred among communities and corruption in the country. If they delegate their core tasks then what is the purpose of their enjoying the office? Govt. can not impose CSR on corporates. It is totally voluntary and an opportunity to earn profit and contribute to the society in a positive manner.

Lateral Movements

2006-11-09T04:16:00.000-08:00

The role of Board doesn't end at placing people in the right slots. Especially the top management ones. The performance of the businesses under the leadership has to be tracked constantly. There are some leaders who are more charismatic than others. Some are turn-around champions. Such leaders have to be moved into slots which require more apt handling of the situation. Where business is stable a normal calibre leader would do. Some leaders who have the track record of delivering in difficult conditions should be placed in top slots of such companies which are faced with declining fortunes. Hense there is a need for constant lateral movements in the Group Companies. Also there are some leaders who want challenging jobs, they perform at all cylinders firing only in challenging circumstances. To retain such top managers also need lateral movements. Have you hired one lately?

Advertising and Creativity

2006-11-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

I was recently reading the latest issues of 4P's in which they were discussing the role of ceativity in Advertisements. My take is customer is no fool. See compare the situation with the Indian election scenario. People inthe 70's and 80's gave majority vote to congress or BJP and mandated them to form a government. Since they learnt that all and sundry are corrupt and there is no other choice but to choose between them, they voted in a pttern that for more than a decade now is the norm rather than an exception. The existence of coalition governments. Want power, enjoy sharing? Similarly consumers know all the time that Advertisers are lying and fooling them. The catch is that they allow them to do that. And why? Because they need to buy one product or other, even if it is from the stable of liars who are trying to emotionally manipulate them. Doesn't a husband and wife keep manipulating each other? But there is an iota of love which keeps them together.

Corporate Blogs : New Marketing Techniques

2006-11-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

Corporate blogs are being used for Marketing, PR and CRM. A corporate blog can be used to publish the products of a company, for the users to comment on. Prior to launching and post launching of the product, feedback can be collected from users regarding the product. People can post their experiences on the net and suggest improvements or shortcomings of the product. So in short corporate blog can be used for showcasing the products to the consumers.

PR or public relations and Customer Relationship Management CRM functions can also be effectively be carried out by the corporate blog, you may ask how? Feedback of consumers and customer complaints and greivance section can be created. This will be giving credibility to the general public that the company is transparent in its dealings. Also PR can be maintained by posting relevant details about various CSR and other programmes being carried out by the companies. Company can post its mission and vision for the benefit of the public.

Some companies allow their employees to freely blog while some consider it as a sensitive matter as to what information is leaked by the employees to the consumer.

But Rajeev recommends a corporate blog.

Recruitment by Performance

2006-11-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Indians want everything assured. Assured returns from MF, assured returns from relationships. But without proper inputs, entropy soon takes up the healyh. Infosys now has no assured placements for campus recruits. They have to clear Merit tests which were reduced in Number from six to two attempts or else you have to quit the company. This emphasis on performance is creating a lot of flutter among the recruited people. In one sample 200 out of 600 failed in the first atempt creating a lot of anxiety in recruits. A sure shot attempt by Infosys to promote meritocracy and unshackle inertia among youth.
Rajeev recommends the process to other corporates, sure it will add to productivity and an increase in bottomline in the long run.

Innovative Marketing

2006-11-02T03:56:00.000-08:00

Sunsilk from the stable of HLL faced stiff competition from Garnier. It reverted back with style . They launched an online website sunsilkgangofgirls.com. They have two lakh members and crossed 150 hits recently. They offer tips to girls on beautification and enjoying the girlly life better. They suggest makeover of the girl online if a photo is posted. It i slike a all girls online community. They enjoy a clear first mover advantage in Innovative Marketing, by creating a Buzz around the product. Full marks for comprehensive marketing.

Of Sexual Harassment

2006-11-01T03:21:00.000-08:00

It happens everywhere, in all the offices and at all the times. This all pervasive, ubiquitous phenomenon. The girls in offices have to behave as surrogate wives of their supervisors to continue to solicit employment. This is not direct harassment, but it is tacit. If you don't co-operate then there are other ways of causing mental harassment to females. So most consent to some form sexual advances of males. Guys world is changing for the better. In my own experince of a small software firm where all collegues were male ( probably homosexuals ), I was troubled and fired in two months when I didn't concede to their advances ( I am a Male). Same goes with girl-to-girl relationship and all other permutations and combinations.
Be wise, if working, be the boss.

Critical Appraisal

2006-11-01T03:14:00.000-08:00

Performance Appraisals are pertinent to org. performance. Employees should be continuously made aware of what is expected of them and provided the requisite future direction. The employee should take the feed back as a learning experience and hone his strengths while oovercoming his/her weaknesses. To avoid the unpleasant consequences of PA, it should be done in an informal atmosphere in a friendly manner as a positive affirmative action by th esupervisor or the immediate manager. In organisation of any size this could be done in an ongoing fashion instead of being quarterly or annual ritual, a stitch in time saves nine and a lot of ill will.

Unorganised Crime

2006-10-31T03:01:00.000-08:00

They slog while we celebrate. Even labourers are better off. Ever thought about these sales people at the mall or other high street stores. Adorning an Inviting smile, always at your service. Why defame only FW Taylor for scintific management or Jack Welch for the massive Layoffs during his tenure at GE. The whole nation stays comfortably unaware of the plight of the unorganised sector in India. With 1-2 % working comfortably in Govt. sector with good pay and perks, I am referring to a large chunk of unorganised Indian Sector population. Are they not human? Are we Human? Crores are spent on charity for the poor. But nobody thinks about these educated exploited who are not even aware of their rights. What happens after they age? What if they develop debilitating back ache or other problem. The problem is not of Third World countries alone. Walmart recently decided to cut health related and other benefits extended to long standing employees so that expenditure can be kept under check. They would fire employees after two years. Is this not inhuman. Is this the new world order of the globalised world. How can politicians and intellectuals tacitly agree to such atrocious arrangements. Is India shining heartlessly?

Customer Loyalty Cushion

2006-10-31T03:00:00.000-08:00

Build relationships with customers. It helps in the long run. They would want to deal with you. It gives you time to react to the competitors moves. A good product may hit the market which may be technologically more advanced than yours. If you did not have the foresight of anticipating, but you had proper relationship with the customers, they will wait for you to develop the product and sell them. Or they may buy both the products. So Mr. Marketer, do you remember your top ten customer contact persons names and preferences. Talk to your customer, understand their needs, continuously delight them with new products and innovations, and you have a loyal customer base and repeat business. Did you know that the best companies like Infosys has 95% repeat business.
So keep that relationship going.

Customer Loyalty Cushion

2006-10-31T02:53:00.000-08:00

Indian Brands rule the Roost

2006-10-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

In 1996 34% of Indians expressed confidence in Indian companies, today 56% do. Of the top 20 brands in India , 8 are Indians, the likes of Tata, Godrej and Bajaj. The foreign brands which succeed in India are the ones which are involved in Indianisation of their brands, ie catering to the local tastes and preferences and also appealing to the low cost - high value for money inclination of Indians. India is a complex market with 23 official languages and 1000 dialects. This makes even communicating a major challenge to the marketers. Clearly Indian companies have an advantage as they understand Indian sensibilities better. But Indian attitudes are more open today. They embrace modernity within tradition.

Pros and Cons of Cross-Border M & A's

2006-10-24T04:19:00.000-07:00

If you don't have a presence in the acquired company's nation you get a ready market. You can take advantage of the good business conditions and infrastructure readily available in another country by investing in that market. You could take the advantage of flexible labour laws or high economic growth trajectory. You could be gaining advantage of customers who are more tech-savvy and form a more compelling audience. You can take advantage of libral tax regime. You can gain by a better work culture. On the flip side there may be a cultural misfit with the acquired company. There may be legacy jealousy lik ebetween UK and its erstwhile commonwealth countries. So don't just jump into the bandwagon of M & A'a. Hire a consultant to make a proper acessment of the complimentarity and fits and misfits between theh merging entities. Remember a whopping 70 % of mergers fail.

Line HRD

2006-10-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

There is a school of thought which believes that routine tasks of the HR should be outsourced but HRD dept. should concentrate on more strategic issues like profitability of the organisation in the long run and growth issues. This according to them can be achieved by making HR more accountable to key results. Proper care should be taken to annoint a proper achievement oriented line personlaity with Aura and charisma into the head HR position. But what are the issues involved. How does the performance appraisal gets takes care of? Who sets the goals? There would clearly be a conflict between th eline and HR depts. There is also a duality of command and its inherent accompaniments.
"Does some one disagree".

Woman good at Relationships

2006-10-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

A IIM-A study shows that women are more polite and compliant to Authority compared to men. People react to criticisms by embrassments, mild irritation, open hostility to physical assault. Stress at workplace, Work-life-balance, inter-gender interplay and workplace violence are some other areas where research would be elucidating.

Management Research Update

2006-10-21T04:36:00.000-07:00

India ranks 5th among countries surveyed for discriminating work practices. Age, Gender and Disability and Educational Qualifications werer cited in that order as impediments to ones career in a equitable manner. More research should be undertaken in order to understand the new and intricate subject of group dynamics and team play. Crores of Rs. in India and Globally is lost due to dysfunctional office politics and lack of synergytic teamwork, not to mention the training and recruitment cost. Managers in India need some theoretical knowledge of management to avoid reinventing the wheel.
"India sounds bullish".

Did I hear the Word Alacrity

2006-10-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

Apples I-Pod has enjoyed a monopoly for over 4 years since its launch in '02 capturing over 75% market share. Recently Microsoft has announced the launch of a substitute portable music player " Zune". Zune to be launched in NOv'06 is supposed to have multiple functions and priced lower to I-Pod. Apple nimbly responded by announcing price cuts and better design I-Pods to capture and defend its market share. Thats Alacrity. More value-for-money proposition in effect. So they are probably skimming the market. What makes me wonder is that why no on could give competition to Apple for so long.
"Laziness only means lost opportunisties and losses".

Ad Glitz : O & M

2006-10-19T05:09:00.000-07:00

Oglivy & Mather is the leading ad agency of India. It handles accounts like Fevicol, Perfetti, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Close-Up et al. According to Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman of ( O&M), the USP of the company is its respect for customers. You need to connec to the Customer, he avers. He emphasises on teamwork and understanding that complimentarity of the members of the team results in Synergistic goal attainment for the organisation. He says, "Today even management is a part of the team, and has to contribute".
"Are you bedazzled by the Glitz".

Commendable Ad.

2006-10-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Heard the latest Radio Commercial ( RC ) of Radio Mirchi. It exudes humour which can be extolled. The ad begins with the keynote speaker saying the company sales is down, followed by an applause, there are losses quarter after quarter, applause, units are shutting down, applause, all the staff is being retrenched, applause, the company is bankrupt, applause. A series of morose announcements followed by constant applause.
The Tagline , " Mirchi Sunne Wale, Always Khush".
Those who listen to mirchi are always khush.
Highly innovative and use of good humour in am Audio Media.

Experiential Marketing : XM

2006-10-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Enter into a Planet M Store and there is a Jockey playing some cool contemporory albums hits. There are Kiosks where you can listen to your new album releases before buying a CD. Welcome to the world of Experiential Marketing. Occasionally Melas or Exhibitions are organised by various industries like digital products where people can go and experience the product before buying the product. Remember the bad experience of Shr Amitabh Bachchan in Baghban where salman khan comes to his rescue from a bullying salesman pushing car sales. XM is to overcome such experinces in a congenial manner. Google promotes its Adwords program by occasionally coming up with free vouchers ( with denominations of Rs1000 and so on ) in India. Experience more visits to your web site before actually buying the service. The only difficulty I faced was I didn't have a credit card.
" Welcome to the X-World".

Marketing through the Internet : Social Networks

2006-10-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Marketing is changing with the advent of computers. Ever heard of social networking. I am talking about groups like myspace. With millions of subscribers. It makes for better targeted marketing todays generation which is more tech-savvy. They don't watch more of TV and the associated commercials. So the corporates are innovetively using this medium to advertise their products. For example music albums could be successively launched by creating a hype around the product by creating a fan club and calling the pop stars to chat and so on promoting the product. The advantage of internet as a marketing medium is that you can customise the advertisement. Also internet marketing is cheapest medium of advertisement compared to TVC's and print medium.

Overcoming that Ego

2006-10-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

In Japan there are self-managing teams in some orgs. who have completely done away with managers. Should India go that way? Managers are good or bad? Even legendry Jack Welch entered the debate that there is a breed of boss haters. The problem is identifiable. There is a manifest conflict. But then what is the solution. People need to be compatible. They should understand that organisational goals are supreme to individual egos. And synergy is better than divergence of views and efforts. A team is 100 times better than an individual.
" Umm, Are there any boss - lovers around ..eh".

HRD Concepts : Temping

2006-10-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Temping is the process of hiring temporary employees as and when need arises to keep the annual salary budget down. Disadvantages arising may be a lack of proper teamwork because of new people entering the group, dysfunctional group dynamics due to changed relationship patterns, temp could be a corporate spy. The advantage is that fresh ideas and technical expertise can be brought into the company.

Skimming Price Strategy

2006-10-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

Skimming price strategy is operated by first placing the product at the premium end ( i.e. high price) targeted at status conscious audience. After that segment is exhausted the price is progressively reduced to target the middle class and finally the lower class.A drawback of this strategy is that the brand value may be destroyed because what is offered to the lower and middle class high class people would not touch. But the advantage for the company is that profit and revenue are maximized.

" While skimming, tread with caution".

How to Build a Motivated Sales Force

2006-10-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

To build a motivated workforce the company should be clear about their values and constantly reward and recognise the contributions of those employees who exhibit these values. Those who do not exhibit these values have to either be coached and brought into line or let go.There should be reward and recognition for employees who exhibit excellent team work, best customer relation, execution excellence, accountability and good leadership values. Leadership awards and other awards should be declared and some cash prize would do wonders.Also look at the employee welfare activities like club membership, parties, outings, games and other competitions where people get together and enjoy and at the same time getting to know each other better. Performance related payment is also a great motivator.

What is Six Sigma?

2006-10-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

Six Sigma is a Quality program comprising of four steps to be applied to processes and transactions.

1. Measure : Analyse the process to find out what are the critical variables effecting quality. Find out the number of defects based on this variable. For example a quality measure could be 10x hardness. Any hardness measured to be greater than 10x would then amount to be a defect.

2. Analyze : Using techniques like brainstorming and statistical tools find out the cause of defects. Find out the variable whose variation is leading to the defect.

3. Improve the Process : Improve the process to keep the identified variable's variation to acceptable limits.

4. Control : Make sure that improved process is being executed properly.

How to monitor the progress of Six Sigma Program?

1. Customer Feedback : Ask the user to grade your quality in a point scale.
2. Measure the cost of Quality : Inspecting the products, scrap and rework and warranties to be executed due to defects all contribute to the cost of the quality.
3. Monitor Supplier Quality : The supplier should be made to correct any defects arising in your process because of supplier error.
4. Internal Performance of the Company: It is the ratio of defects to all possible defect opportunities.
5. Design for Manufacturability : At design stage see if drawings and specifications conform to quality variables and percentage of these quality variables which are designed to Six Sigma.

"Quality has a cost of conformance and a pay-off of compliance".

How to Grow Sales

2006-10-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

Sales can be grown not by selling more products but only through marketing and branding your products. Growth of sales is not an activity it's a strategy. It encompasses consistently communicating to your customer not through advertisements but through honest intent that you care for the customer. Its not just sending a sales representative to meet somebody and closing a sale and then harping about it in the annual report.

It's a lot more than that especially in this global world.You need to educate the customers about the product. Some industries even though in nascent stages have taken up this task. Mutual funds for example are even ready to offer you customized investment advice if you drop in ; also they try to educate you through brochures and reports. Other mature companies in industries should take a lesson. If you don't respect your customers you got no business doing business with them. Employees should be trusted in being courteous to customers. Word about bad service or rude behavior spread fast. Your employees should be your brand ambassador no doubt, add to it the fact that good behavior can make a customer your brand ambassador free of cost.Its not just about closing a sale and forgetting about the whole episode. It is providing good after sale service and maintenance. Its about trust and relationship. Its about the promise of quality and of product value or style whatever the customer desires. It entails understanding the customer needs and expectations and delivering the same again and again with constant improvements in process and continuous innovation.

There are two types of customers one existing other potential or prospective customers. The customer experience of your handling can make or mar the growth through any of these two types of customers. This is the age of freedom of expression, one wrong act on your part may invoke bad business press and spoil your growth party. You may argue what if I buy the silence of press? But friend, there are other ways like blogging and word of mouth. How would you stop these? Induce existing customers for repeat business and also keep adding new ones. All these measures are not sufficient but necessary to do business even in a third world country.

" Stop selling, start understanding and MARKETING".