Been at it, getting an order has not been easy, especially in the segment, renewables, where everybody thinks its about getting some electrical wires together to fit.
The approaches have been many, and they fit in tightly into a model, that I call SCALA. New product development means the following :
1. Simplicity
2. Convenience
3. Accessibility
4. On the Ledge product
5. Affordability
People come to me and say, "Oh ! you still at it, what have you achieved in 6 months, no bank balance, what is the point of being in this field."
I have been often disturbed by these thoughts, enough to trash the whole idea of renewables, yet I have hung on, "I totally totally believe in this thought and will carry on.
I tell them, " My journey to renewables started in 2001, when my life went through the biggest turmoil ever, I was 32 then, I required all the help that I needed and yet I was too Khuddar to give in."
Mr Behl, touched his long beard and told me, " Khuddari chodd aur hamarey pass aa ja.":
#Leave your self respect behind and come with us, we will make money#
I had then seen the bees and the birds decide when it would rain and when the sun would shine, the trees would talk to me, and the moon would shine in the night if I ever got caught up in darkness during my walks through that forest, I still remember. The waters of Rishikesh had lifted this dead soul, who had no strength to walk, and the rapids had given me the courage to see the next few years. I would not and did not give in, to Mr Behl or his likes. Money earned without satisfaction gives, no pleasure nor hope.
After all these years of wait for a big break, it came today, a call from Saudi Arabia, suggesting that there was a need to install 2KW/3KW/5KW systems on the rooftops in Iraq. When Ranjan called, and I have known him for near 20 years, big shot in some telecom firm in Dubai, my first thought was, "Am I being pulled into something I don't want to get into ?"
My soul refused to believe that good things could finally happen, after all it had been 10 years of wilderness, but the thought was overpowering enough for me.
"Yes Ranjan, I am game."
I have known Ranjan for 20 years but he has really got to know me in the last 6 months, know me enough, to give me the first hand information about the order and suggesting that I meet him on Wednesday/Thursday the coming week to discuss this order when he lands from Dubai. I understand there will be cultural differences, but then we are nothing if we don't talk about it. I always talk nowadays and try and figure out whats going on, sales is about the ability to convince stakeholder, normally I listen for the first 5 minutes, before I begin to talk which is about 15 minutes or so, then take some questions and that is after I have reached a conclusion with the talk. Most of the questions are about discounts and leverages on the price, I don't bother too much about them, a 5 percent discount is as good as 10 percent to me, I am here to build a bond not talk money with a client which in any case the client will pay as long as I give him a SCALA product. We are trained to always think leads, while we should be thinking prospects. Hard work happens in trying to convert Suspects to Prospects, that is where the big game is, the smart work happens in converting Prospects to Leads.
Suspect -------> Prospect ---------> Leads -----------> Orders -----------> Paybacks
"Am I on the right track? " I asked myself today scratching my flowing hair, which I leave loose nowadays.
"Damn right," she said.
Life, she talks to me lately, and Mandy listens.
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