Q1. Sir, can you tell us about your journey as a senior sales, marketing, and business development professional? How did you get started in this field, and what led you to specialize in strategic planning, business planning, and brand management?

Year 1986, turned my life from Family Business into becoming a budding entrepreneur. Offering small time print solutions to customers involving quality products at very cost-effective rates. Within 18 months, this professional spectrum started seeing its stiff competition with cut throat price offers and lesser margins. It was then, I started focusing on customized solutions to ensure customer retention, with value addition and support services. Print orders extended to custom quantity and specialized material usage on one side and last mile delivery on the other side. Customers with different locales as their staff needs of print services were provided with collaborative vendor resources. This took my skills and knowledge to broaden my business opportunities and market penetration. All these in my age of 24, calling for multi-linguistic collaboration and multi-skilling initiatives. When I entered the situation of professional stress out of business, slow-down (thanks to mechanized print solutions for low quantity and lesser margins) put me on to employment in advertising and brand management. It was a journey of close to 26 years since then, the year 1989, started living in the fascinating world of advertising, servicing few of the most reputed brands in the medium capital equipment sector to personal care products to textiles and financial product offerings. Yesteryears to the Millenium dawn, my life in Brand Management was within a circle of small geography. Opening nationwide roles in advertising and nationally leading brands communication and business building initiatives started in 2000. Also extending to wider perspectives of digital and tech-driven industry sectors. Building local brands like Sharp Pumps to Global Brands like Intel, Broadcom, Mitsubishi, Hannover Fairs, etc. were resultant factors of my learning in Strategic Planning and Business Broadening tasks and responsibilities. A period of close to 13 years in the new millennium, drove my career into a multi-faceted world of talent. However, I still believe I need to and I am still learning, every day, every moment.  

Q2. With 40+ years of experience in various roles and industries, what are the most significant changes you’ve witnessed in the fields of sales, marketing, and business development over the years?

It’s always said and believed that experience is the best source of learning and acquiring the best knowledge. I do believe this. Having started my work life as early as 1980, with a manufacturing industry shop floor supervising function, wherein the skills of understanding people and managing them was the key, it need not be explained that the same people management skill is what is crucial in the fields of sales & marketing, business development across industries and offering of product / services. Would certainly attribute my learnings in all these years, especially in these functional domains.

Significant changes that I witnessed in these domains over these years are:

1. Quality conscious buying behaviour shifting to purchasing power buying behaviour
2. Ease of buying with lended money power plays a sizeable yet impulsive decision-making impact amongst the buyers
3. Trends out of digital disruptive measures and information proliferation has led to serious disturbance in human buying behaviour remaining rational and need-based.
4. Evolution of technology and gadget world has driven consumer attitude and behaviour to become push-oriented than pull oriented
5. Brand Loyalty (exceptions prevailing though) has seen its drastic decline during the past four decades
6. While many products and services enjoyed seller-driven offering, many of them have now become buyer-driven
7. Impact of Pandemic Crisis have partially hit the traditional commerce, but largely enabled and empowered ecommerce industry as well as decline in manufacturing sector with increased services sector consumption

While these are only the tip of the ice-berg, the actual scenario is that, sales, marketing and business development will never find a dearth in reality. As long as businesses need to exist, these functional domains will have to co-exist. Only difference it might face is the challenges posed by the business atmosphere and stakeholder preferences.

Q3. As a business solutions specialist, you’ve worked on entry strategies, brand management, marketing communication, and more. Could you share a specific project or experience that was particularly challenging but rewarding?

Reference is taken to a product segment called Farm Machinery, especially the Tractor, used in agriculture for land preparation to harvesting. A segment completely comprised of the consumer fraternity of dominantly least / nil qualified in formal education and knowledge acquisition. Not only that, every penny spent will need to be realizable to its core value, the single most criteria of their buying. A factor of serious concern while making a product or service to make them buy it for the business / brand owners. So was the situation for a tractor brand I managed handling their product promotion and advertising initiatives. It was a situation when they announced a brand management project for a new product, with a premium branding, specifically priced at 2.25 times the prevalent range. Though an advantage of being their family sister concern (the advertising agency I was working for) there was a four-corner competition involving three other agencies too. The Management of the Brand Product, threw open a challenge that the winner would be purely on a meritorious basis. A challenge that me and my team of brand value development took very seriously. It was out of strenuous research amongst the user segment, communication impact amongst them, feature benefit analysis etc. But, to a sudden and turnaround surprise, one of the brand positioning, created by our team (though feel delicate to boast, the contribution was from me) emerged to be a game changer. This turned the reward in favour of us, with the award of the brand campaign for the most premium product in the particular segment. That too, which turned out to be a five-year communication and branding contract worth a few crores in early 2000s.

Q4. Your expertise includes training and manpower development. How has training and upskilling played a role in your career, and what advice do you have for professionals looking to enhance their skills in the industry?

Training, the art and science of enabling and empowering skills in humans, actually happened to be the 360-degree turnaround for me as an individual. Though delicate, it’s important to state here that I was a complete and comprehensive introvert until 1984. All that I knew was my home – school – home, home – office – home and very occasional times of friendship (that too highly limited). Brought up in a very stringent family atmosphere, my beliefs were largely individualistic and confined to my room in the house, surrounded by four walls and my own thought force. Came a change with the dawn of 1985, when I entered the auspices of an organisation, dominantly dedicated to individual development (called Junior Chamber International – Jaycees as it was popularly known). There three inspiring mentors in the form of an Academic Scholar, Independent Mentor and a Funny Friend together turning around my total aptitude, attitude, behaviour and outlook. From a person who was hesitant to talk in front of a single to few people thereof to making an inspiring speech in front of a few hundred people. Not only that, this art and science of empowerment became a passion inside me, turning around my role as a Trainer for others who would need to develop their skills. From then, i.e., 1986 to date, I have been involved in creating opportunities, curriculum design to content creation to delivering training programs for development of Social and Life Skills, Trait empowering core skills, business and modern tech-driven applicative skills, and so on. Would have developed over 1500 skill empowering training projects, contributing to 150000 plus fellow humans in about 300000 plus training hours across 12 states & 32 cities in India physically and over five countries with 10000 plus multi-lingual participants (of course my delivery would only be limited to English the global language) virtually. I wouldn’t say that I have achieved this career role. I have to achieve it in the days to come. Because, there’s a serious dearth for fellow humans in this world to get themselves skilled and equipped for a desirable living. Would only pray that I be blessed with as many opportunities to empower as many fellow citizens of the universe, who might need knowledge that little I know and can share with.

Q5. In your role as the Head of Marketing Services, you handled the brand and communication needs of various clients. How do you approach brand development and communication strategies to create impactful campaigns?

This role was with an organisation which handled one of the arenas of brand management and mass communication industry, called Events and Exhibition. More specifically, Industrial Trade Fairs. It was with a passionate learning attitude I took this responsibility. This industry dominantly survives with one single largest demand called “visitors to the trade fair” who are the end users for all those brand and product owners who exhibit. Challenges include, data acquisition, cleaning and targeted communication, customized to map the potential offerings of the exhibiting industry brands with that of the consuming buying brands. A serious and herculean task to make ends meet between the two business owners. It was my 20+ years of advertising and brand communication and management experience that gave me the foothold towards developing and delivering the right solutions that made the trade fairs organized / handled by the company, not only successfully, but a consistent and growth-oriented outcome for all stakeholders. Efforts put in ended up with –

1. Handling the concept to delivery and conduct of almost 18+ International Level Trade Fairs for –

• Woodworking Machinery sector
• Marine Industry inclusive of Ship Building, Ship Repairs, Marine Engine and Marine Services involving Logistics Segment
• Airport Infrastructure, Security and Aircraft Industry
• Industrial Automation Sector
• Motion Drive Automation Sector
• Logistics and Material Handling Equipment Sector
• Machine Tool Industry Sector
• Tourism Sector
• Plastic Components Manufacturing Sector
• Electrical and Electronics Manufacturing Sector
• Defence Equipments and Solutions Sector
• Dairy Products Manufacturing Sector
• Chemical Processing Sector
• Petroleum Sector
• Renewable Energy Sector

2. Comprising of not less than 800+ to 1600 exhibitors in each of the trade fairs organized
3. Attracting not less than captive business customers of as low as 3000 to as high as 160000 for a given trade fair
4. Contributing to the industry revenue of Rs.400+ crores at the least and more than Rs.3000 plus crores in certain expos

Sheer process orientation, planned timelines and schedules, targeted communication and untiring follow-up with focus and relationship building have been the key strategies across all these initiatives.

Q6. Your achievements in winning new brand communication assignments and managing client businesses are impressive. What key factors do you attribute to your success in client acquisition and retention?

Key factors of success in client acquisition and retention are very clear and specific in me:

1. Put myself in the shoes of my client before even starting their requirement analysis to completely rationalistic approach for every moment and rupee that I cost them to spend for their communication exercises
2. Test within myself, if the proposed ideas would work in my client favour through self-introspection to every act that me and my team proposed to the client
3. Comprehensive preparedness and scheduled process of delivery to client needs
4. Dedicated and strong objective analysis and research of end users’ behaviour, nature, tastes and preferences, that will make my client’s offering consumed by them
5. Presenting my client’s communication, as much as possible, in the manner and language, received by the consuming audience duly appreciated and convinced to buy and use the offerings
6. Being true to every single penny of expenditure by my client, notwithstanding the ethical earnings for my agency/company
7. Building and maintaining a bonded relationship with client stakeholder segment, as if it was my own family

Q7. As the Deputy Director of Sri Siddhanta Foundation, what are your primary responsibilities, and how do you apply your extensive experience in strategic planning and CSR management in your current role?

I handle the overall administrative function including the HR domain, mentoring and motivating the stakeholders contributing to the organisation’s output across all its initiatives. With these as my inputs into the organisation, enable and empower quality outcomes that ensure the right and best reputation for the organisation’s existence and contribution in the society as a responsible NGO group across its iniatives. Through this, be accountable for every single rupee acquired as CSR funding and ensure its value of delivery, without any compromise. My experience of people management, process orientation, training and skill empowerment have been the major factors of my successful role contribution to the organisation.

Q8. Throughout your career, you’ve worked in different regions and industries. How do you adapt your strategies and approaches to cater to diverse markets and customer needs?

Very simple. It’s my aptitude and attitude to adapt myself in the role, functional needs and sheer dedication with commitment to every moment of professional contribution. Of course, knowledge acquired and experience gained from different regions and industries, roles and needs from such roles, help me deliver.

Q9. Can you share a particular challenge you encountered in your career and how you overcame it? What lessons did you learn from that experience?

Challenges are inevitable in life. Sometimes they pose happy moments, while on many occasions they go on a learning spree with pains as well as hurt. One such situation happened in my life, that too, when I was to face the birth of my second child. Left with no penny in hand, wife in the labour ward about to deliver, hospital demanding the cost to be paid in advance to timely handle the procedure, a situation which left me clueless. All that became a result of me losing the job three days prior to the given situation. Family members too were helpless in view of their own commitments and friends were unreachable at the moment I was put into. All these put my mind totally exhausted and feeling lost in all forms. One single thing that made me bold enough to face was, confidence in the divine power, while we believe that the one who planted me in this world, will certainly not leave me without drops of water at least. It’s this belief and a ray of hope on the new job that I had approached the previous day, paved roads to overcome, though a few hours of pain and loss of mind prevailed. The lesson that I learnt is, never lose hope, as long as you have lived truthfully, to all possible extent and by doing all possible good deeds.

Q10. Finally, what excites you the most about the future of sales, marketing, and business development? Are there any emerging trends or technologies that you believe will have a significant impact on the industry?

The excitement in the future of the sales, marketing and business development arena, started in me, since the year 2012/2013. With the slow penetration of technology disruptions, communication and information industry advancements, newer innovations falling in place and around the year 2018, the dawn of Data Science and its impactful spread, told me, that the day when a human will be monitored, measured, made impulsive and driven to consume what the technological disruptive information reaches him / her. And today, it’s there in the marketplace, with the advent of complex data science and analysis driven artificial intelligence and deep learning.

My fear is that, would humans be driven to even wish to live or die by such disruptions, in the days to come.