So, you are technically aware of what constitutes a Solar Sale, you know the In's and outs of the technicality of a solar energy system and can design one as well, all well or seemingly so, this is where finance comes into play and stumps most professionals. Obviously, the cheaper the better, but a 30% advance is not going to cut too much ice with too many suppliers, most of them prefer 100% advance, which to an integrator and guarantee like me seems too much to shell out of ones pocket, which are already too lean. I have had clients who want the system, but here are they terms they will buy the system on :
1. 30-40% advance.
2. 60%-50% on delivery.
3. 10% on installation.
Tough terms and no mean feat that most integrators are trying to bring in innovative mechanisms of finance to beat the above system, which is almost akin to a law with most clients. In the effort to bring more urgency to my operations, I met up with a friend of mine, a guy with lot of Smart Brains and Goodwill around him, he has been around the business of Solar Energy Systems for as long as I have been and in Sales and Marketing much longer, an astute brain who knows how to rotate money, making sure not too much goes out of his own pocket.
I had worked with him for almost 2 years before we had parted ways in 2010 on a very unsavoury note, though knowing him, he wouldn't have said a bad word about me to anyone. We had had a disagreement on the way we were running the business, at that point in time we were both Directors with a small sized Solar Company in India. I had quit the company in disagreement over the issue of how funding had to be arranged for our projects, being the Technical Director, I had been sure that I knew what I was talking about. Friends for 20 years and enemies or mere acquaintances in a matter of a couple of hours of that meeting, that was us.
When I met him today, I wasn't sure what the agenda was going to be, I just knew that he had been right, Goodwill always gets us to places, he had always been the hard worker and the talker and me the brain and smartness, we had made a smart pair and I was sure, as he was, that we could do it again, accomplish what we had in 2010. Two large projects with Shapoorji Pallonji in Dehradun, and an even larger one with Rama Krishna Mission in Mathura, we had been well and truly on our way, success seemed to be touching us wherever we ventured. We had travelled the length and breadth of the country, even touched Middle East and Africa, garnered goodwill and trust from all clients and built a reputation for ourselves. This morning when I met him, we went to a client of mine and a very good networker, Mr. P.K. Bahl, who sought our expertise for a large Rs 3000 Crore Solar Project in Uttar Pradesh, India, the nodal of agency is in the state capital of Lucknow
P.K Bahl, is a shrewd brain with enough contacts to have you panting with your tongue wagging out, I have of course briefly mentioned him a previous post of mine, and I really admire him for his money spinning ways, not always pleasant, he is never rude and treats people with a calm tenor hard to find in today's fast life.
"Good morning sir," I spoke on the phone standing right at the doorstep to his office, hoping that it would be OK to come in 1/2 hour earlier than the 11:00 am we had decided to meet.
"Good morning," he replied.
"I am right at your office, would be OK to meet now."
"Come on right up," he said, though I had detected a nervous reluctance in his voice but jumped on his proposal.
We walked up the staircase, me and this friend of mine, Mr Bahl was waiting at the door, walked up in and we all sat down to talk. An hour of discussions and we decided that we wanted to work together, it happened, 3 years of being away from this guy, and here we were looking to work together and possibly would. It was decided that we would send the profile to this high profile government contact in Lucknow, would travel to Lucknow once the proposal had a look in, and then make our presentations. An order would come with hard work and networking, so I presume and they will come once we have our data in place, our skills on the plate and courage in heart. We had done this before and were willing to try it again, I am a happy man today.
Courage, Connections and Vulnerability, My Statement For Success.
1. 30-40% advance.
2. 60%-50% on delivery.
3. 10% on installation.
Tough terms and no mean feat that most integrators are trying to bring in innovative mechanisms of finance to beat the above system, which is almost akin to a law with most clients. In the effort to bring more urgency to my operations, I met up with a friend of mine, a guy with lot of Smart Brains and Goodwill around him, he has been around the business of Solar Energy Systems for as long as I have been and in Sales and Marketing much longer, an astute brain who knows how to rotate money, making sure not too much goes out of his own pocket.
I had worked with him for almost 2 years before we had parted ways in 2010 on a very unsavoury note, though knowing him, he wouldn't have said a bad word about me to anyone. We had had a disagreement on the way we were running the business, at that point in time we were both Directors with a small sized Solar Company in India. I had quit the company in disagreement over the issue of how funding had to be arranged for our projects, being the Technical Director, I had been sure that I knew what I was talking about. Friends for 20 years and enemies or mere acquaintances in a matter of a couple of hours of that meeting, that was us.
When I met him today, I wasn't sure what the agenda was going to be, I just knew that he had been right, Goodwill always gets us to places, he had always been the hard worker and the talker and me the brain and smartness, we had made a smart pair and I was sure, as he was, that we could do it again, accomplish what we had in 2010. Two large projects with Shapoorji Pallonji in Dehradun, and an even larger one with Rama Krishna Mission in Mathura, we had been well and truly on our way, success seemed to be touching us wherever we ventured. We had travelled the length and breadth of the country, even touched Middle East and Africa, garnered goodwill and trust from all clients and built a reputation for ourselves. This morning when I met him, we went to a client of mine and a very good networker, Mr. P.K. Bahl, who sought our expertise for a large Rs 3000 Crore Solar Project in Uttar Pradesh, India, the nodal of agency is in the state capital of Lucknow
P.K Bahl, is a shrewd brain with enough contacts to have you panting with your tongue wagging out, I have of course briefly mentioned him a previous post of mine, and I really admire him for his money spinning ways, not always pleasant, he is never rude and treats people with a calm tenor hard to find in today's fast life.
"Good morning sir," I spoke on the phone standing right at the doorstep to his office, hoping that it would be OK to come in 1/2 hour earlier than the 11:00 am we had decided to meet.
"Good morning," he replied.
"I am right at your office, would be OK to meet now."
"Come on right up," he said, though I had detected a nervous reluctance in his voice but jumped on his proposal.
We walked up the staircase, me and this friend of mine, Mr Bahl was waiting at the door, walked up in and we all sat down to talk. An hour of discussions and we decided that we wanted to work together, it happened, 3 years of being away from this guy, and here we were looking to work together and possibly would. It was decided that we would send the profile to this high profile government contact in Lucknow, would travel to Lucknow once the proposal had a look in, and then make our presentations. An order would come with hard work and networking, so I presume and they will come once we have our data in place, our skills on the plate and courage in heart. We had done this before and were willing to try it again, I am a happy man today.
Courage, Connections and Vulnerability, My Statement For Success.
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