Entrepreneur in 2009: The Purpose

“2009 ends & 2010 has arrived”………..say it out loud a couple of times and it would feel like a truck just hit you, full speed.

A year that was exceptionally eventful……….events that were so extreme, very good events and very bad events.

And as the year ends, my life has changed so drastically.

At the banks of the Ganges, I participate in the Ganga Aarti furore. It feels good with so much of positive energy emanating from the holy Ganga and hundreds of devotees swaying to the “trance like” chanting of the Aarti.

Ganga Aarti

As the Aarti ends, a voice full of faith sings a devotional song. The song preaches a message, the message of “The Purpose”.

The Purpose? According to the Hindu philosophy, all beings are born with a Purpose. Each one of us has a purpose for our birth which ultimately forms the part of our destiny.

It not you who creates a Purpose, it is the Purpose for which you have been created. It is for us to realize our purpose in life and accomplish it.

This year was significant as it marked my transcendence from being just extra ordinary to entrepreneur.  I started my own company iLeadFarmers (www.ileadfarmers.com).

I realized the message at the banks of the Holy Ganga, maybe this is my Purpose, to start a company, to lead, to provide income to people, to contribute in any little way to the economy of this country.

As 2010 embraces me, I look back at 2009 with gratefulness for making me realize my Purpose and setting me on the right path for 2010.

Lesson learnt from 2009:

Attitude- it’s all about attitude

-          Build it, loads of it, believe in yourself…..learnt it in my MBA…..applying it now

If people don’t like you that means you are very good at your job

-          Just don’t let it get in your way, keep up the good work

Nobody really wants you to be successful…….. deep within they wish you failure

-          Remember your family, they pray & wish good for you everyday

You have to fight your own battles

-          Family again………will stand by you….always

Death is reality, can arrive without intimation

-          Don’t just exist………….LIVE

It is difficult to handle traitor friends than enemies

-          Teach them a befitting lesson, do not let them go easy.

What expectation do I have from 2010? NONE, because 2010 has a lot of expectations from me.

Will I be able to fulfil all the expectations that 2010 has from me? You will have to check this blog on Jan 1, 2011.

The next big thing in Offshore Outsourcing: Lead Farming & Sales Support

” Offshore Outsourcing of Sales Support” – the new buzz words buzzing around. Have you heard of this new trend?

After Offshore Outsourcing of software development, sales support is the next big thing in the industry, arrived and here to stay.

What is this trend all about?

As the economy comes out of recession companies are now gearing up to churn business. The requirement now is to get on board ace sales and marketing professional who will facilitate the growth of a company in terms of revenue and business.

The challenge being faced by most companies is the lack of strong budget to hire highly experienced resources or an entire team.

Companies are turning to the Outsourcing of their Sales & Marketing function as a solution.

What do you get? A readymade  budget team that can generate business, take care of your marketing activities and do end to end sales for you.

This ready made team comes with many advantages too:

- You do not need to hire an inhouse team which is much expensive. You can outsource your Marketing and Sales effort at one fourth of the cost of your in-house team.

- You do not have to worry about hiring, attrition rate, employee dissatisfaction, reviews, promotions. With your outsourced function you just have to focus on Business.

- Rapid acceleration of your Sales & Marketing activities.

What does a Offshore Marketing & Sales Support Team do:

You can customize your team activities to your requiremnet which can be:

• Marketing Intelligence building
• Company profiling
• Industry profiling & fact sheet
• Database building
• Email campaigns
• Telecalling
• Followups & Deal closure
• Building marketing collaterals & presentations
• Marketing &  Branding
• End to end Sales

Some things to consider in this model:

- Strong reporting system

- Great planning

- Clear Terms & Conditions in the contract

- The team members that you will be working with

- The reputation of the company

A lot of companies will be considering this model in 2010. If you need further details you can write to me at pranali@ileadfarmers.com

Case Study: ITES company – Sales Support

The Business case:

A Boston, USA Company in the ITES domain providing IT based financial solutions to target audience in USA required a Sales Support team in India to support its Sales professionals based out of Boston. The company offered Business Process Automation (BPA) to Finance companies in USA and had its own platform specialized for Finance processes that enabled BPA.

The requirement was to create a team of professionals in India that have expertise in gathering Marketing Intelligence, Buzz Marketing, Email Campaigns, Writing Marketing content and initial customer interaction.

The company was about to launch a financial portal for which they required the team to work with the Sales team in Boston and the Management team to support all the activities related to the launch & buzz marketing of the portal.

iLeadFarmers solution and result: http://ileadfarmers.com/Case_Study_Sales_Support_Lead_Generation.pdf

Enjoy the story!

Case Study on Software Product – Buzz Marketing & Branding

The Business Case:

An India based entrepreneur company developed its own product in the e-Learning domain. The product required to be launched and branded in the educational sector in USA.

The challenge was that the product idea or the technology concept was unique and the target audience required to be educated about the technology.

The requirement was to create a need for this product in the target audience.

Educating the masses and the marketing and branding effort was required to be done at the same time to aggressively penetrate the market before competition arrives.

The company did not have a team of professionals to take on this project which was another challenge i.e to set up a team for Marketing & Branding and Sales with a quick turnaround time.

What was the Challenge? What Solution was offered? How the Solution was implemented?

Find out at - http://ileadfarmers.com/Case_Study_Marketing_Software_Products.pdf

Once again  ”HAPPY READING”

Case Study: Buzz Marketing & Branding for Software Services Company

The Business Case:

An Europe based entrepreneur company required marketing & branding in its home town in Europe and India. The company, currently headquartered in Europe has a software development center in India and sells software development services to its target audience in Europe.

The company though known for its products did not have any recognition for its software development services neither in Europe nor in India.

The requirement was to create a brand for the company through buzz marketing & digital branding initiatives.

The ultimate goal was to publicize the company’s capabilities in software development in order to achieve long term software development partnerships from companies in Europe.

The company wanted to target big companies for partnerships and in order to approach them required to build a credible image.

The company had a telecalling team who was finding it difficult to pull sales due to lack of company recognition in the market. Also, Sales team did not have an insight into the right target audience and market due to lack of market intelligence and research.

The company did not have a team of professionals to take on this project which was another challenge i.e. to set up a team for Marketing & Branding with a quick turnaround time.

Solution and Result:

The entire casestudy is available at the link below- http://www.ileadfarmers.com/Case_Study_Marketing_Software_Services.pdf

HAPPY READING!

If dreams were for sale, what would you buy?

Today, I read a poem from school which is one of my favorites and still in my memory, hence this blog. Do not try to find meaning below, this is just what I feel

If there were dreams to sell,

What would you buy?

Some cost a passing bell;

Some a light sigh………..…..

The English teacher recited in ninth grade class. A poem by Thomas Lovell Beddoes sent an explosion of thought in my mind. What a wonderful thought “Dreams for Sale”, I could immediately imagine a dream vendor carrying a straw basket on his head which has colorful dreams for sale.

What would you buy? Really, if dreams were for sale, what would you buy?

The poet further writes…

A cottage lone and still,

With bowers nigh,

Shadowy, my woes to still,

Until I die.

Such pearl from Life’s fresh crown

Fain would I shake me down.

Were dreams to have at will,

This would best heal my ill,

This would I buy.

The poet seems to be content with this, a peaceful life, no battles to fight, quiet & nice.

On the first thought wouldn’t we all want this? Wow, a beautiful cottage in a quiet place that would shield from all the woes of the world, until death. A life of being content with what little we have.

On a second thought- would you like to fight and take up a dream where there is struggle for success and achievement?

I am trying to illustrate two paths that eventually we all have to choose at a point of time in our life:

One, a path of submission to what life has to give us. Quiet acceptance  with no struggle.

OR

The Path of struggle where if you can’t change what life has to give you – keep fighting. Struggle and strive for success and achievement. Dare to think differently, dream of crazy ideas and bring them to reality.

In the ninth grade, I agreed with the poet, but not anymore. I would buy a dream of success and struggle to live it and bring it to reality. So,

Such pearl from Life’s fresh crown

Fain would I shake me down.

Were dreams to have at will,

This would best heal my ill,

This would I buy.

The Popcorn Theory of Marketing

Heating sand in a fire and stirring kernels in the sand to pop them is  one of the methods of making popcorn- good for people who believe that patience is a virtue.  The method is to toss kernels into a big hot vessel placed on a fire filled with sand  and  catch the popcorn as it shoots off in all directions . What a fun thing to do!

The method took a longgggg time, the popcorn just wouldn’t pop, the right temperature was required, but hope prevailed and after a half en hour long wait when patience would start to give in one would suddenly pop, profound joy, cheers and hope is reinstated……………..but no ……….wait………..why aren’t the rest popping…….and just when disappointment start to creep in……………then another one……………..then another and then the whole pan would be full with a bunch of beaming popcorn to be devoured in a minute.

There is nothing like the tantalizing aroma of freshly popped  popcorn. “Mission Accomplished”.

During one of my product (software) launch assignments I had a realization that this popcorn popping process is very similar to launching and successfully marketing a product in the market.

Digital marketing, internet publicity, brand building, buzz marketing were part of the pan heating process. It took about 6 months to push these initiatives and these 6 months were a period of anxiety, hope, fear and when frustration started to take over the first pop corn popped…our first sale!………which was then followed by an enormous spike in the sales graph for the product.  In another 8 months the product was a great success and a brand name. A pan full of beaming sold products.

“Mission Accomplished” and the  tantalizing aroma of freshly popped  popcorn is actually the smell of success………and really there is nothing like it!

So, if you are a marketing person and the next time you decide to pop some corn @ home remember the good old “popcorn theory of marketing”

Lead Farming- this is the best time

“As you sow, so shall you reap “

I am busy sowing seeds. Looks like the Economic Recession is slowly turning around and the market has started to pick up, but no deals being signed yet.

But, this is not the time to close deals anyways, this is the best time to sow seeds for a good harvest in the future. My team and I are busy establishing contacts, publicizing, networking and spreading the buzz. The focus is more on getting onto vendor lists and establishing identity- getting more & more people to know you.

If you are thinking of targetting new industries (especially non-IT), new geographic regions- it will be a good idea to start now. People are ready to listen and take advantage of the opportunities and innovate ideas that you may have.

There has been an upsurge of demand for Social Networking, Digital Marketing and establishing internet presence. Since direct sales at a time when companies are recovering from recession may not be a good idea, making oneself known now may prove advantageous in the future. This is an ideal time to take time off and think of ways to bridge the gap between Sales and Marketing. This a good time to start Lead Farming and nurture prospects to create a solid sales pipeline.

Are you a good Manager or a good Leader? Where have all the good leaders gone?

Are you a good Manager or a good Leader? Where have all the good leaders gone?

Once I went for an interview and I was asked ” Are you a good Manager or a good Leader?” Initially I made a diplomatic attempt by saying ” I am a mix of both” which was met with heavy criticism and was rejected immediately. After reflecting for a few minutes I realized that I am a good leader and in modern roles & responsibilities of a manager you
need to be one.

In one of the companies I worked for, I was told that my team works for me and not for the company. It was quite surprising, I neither pay my team their salaries nor do i provide them with incentives. Why would they work for me? My, counter question is- Why has the company not been able to gain the loyalty of the team? Why has the leader of the
company not been able to influence the team to follow him? Does this mean I have better leadership qualities and influential personality that the team is ready to follow me?

That brings me to a question – Are you a good manager or a good leader?

In the classic model companies, the manager is a part of the management and not a part of the team. This becomes extremely difficult for a person on a Manager’s post leading the team to establish connection with team members.

The Manager in order to lead has to first gain confidence of the team members, make them believe in him and walk one step ahead of them towards a common vision.

One step ahead, WHY?- to guide them through the obstructions on the way, to tackle any force heading towards them and to take the first impact of any catastrophe that might me lurching in the corner and overcome it.

I remember the story “The fort is won, but the lion is lost“. This is one of the best leadership stories from the history of Chatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhonslé (one of the greatest leaders of India).

In the story Tanaji Malusare, renowned warrior and military leader in the army of Chatrapati Shivaji Raje, pledged to recapture the fortress of Kondana near Pune.

According to many accounts, he received the summons at his son’s wedding, and immediately left the festivities. Tanaji Malusare and his troops scaled the fort with the help of monitor lizards (ghorpad in Marathi). He and his men valiantly recaptured the fort from Udaybhan Rathod, fortkeeper of Jai Singh I.  A fierce combat took place between Tanaji and Udaybhan. Udaybhan managed to rid Tanaji of his shield, still Tanaji fought Udaybhan by tying a cloth over one of his hands and using it to ward off Udaybhan’s sword attacks. Tanaji managed to overcome Udaybhan and kill him. However, Tanaji also lost his life in the battle, and Shivaji renamed the fort from Kondana to Sinhagad (Lion fort) in his honor.

Tanaji Malusare did not just manage the team, he got down in the battle field to  fight with his team and to lead them to glory.  He lost his life, but his team achieved the vision.

In Marketing & Sales it is the same situation. The target market is a battle field and your enemy is the tough competituion. It is not enough for the Manager to sit on the fence, make startegies, dictate them to the team and send them to the battle field.

We need a leader here, a hero, who can evangelize and brain wash the team, pump them with confidence and strength and lead them into the battle field, fight with them and gain glory or otherwise.

Without the fire one cannot lead and make people follow.

Isn’t, Sales & Marketing all about sweat, blood and tears! I don’t think it is in the capacity & calibre on a Manager to do so without leadership qualities.

Sadly,  today I do not see many Tanaji Malsures & Shivaji Maharajs.

Managers are sacrificing team members to remain in the good books of the management personnel.

Hence my question – Where have all the good leaders gone?

Anyways, what happened to the interview I attended? did I get that job? noooooooooooooooo, the company just needed a manager

Connecting Marketing & Sales/BD- Why? & How?

Connecting Marketing & Sales/BD- Why? & How?

Why? Most people reading this blog would wrinkle their forehead and ask why? My question to them would be: Why not? and if not, how else?

I have worked in companies where the two departments – Marketing & Sales/BD are pitched against each other to become Marketing v/s Sales/BD.

The outcome – unhealthy competition,  no focus,  no one gains neither the marketing team nor the sales team and the biggest loser is the company.

Why? Is the connection really needed?

Marketing can support Sales with the most updated  market intelligence, bring focus, bring right direction to sales initiatives, evaluate the best market opportunities and bring image & brand recognition for a company/product. Sales gets a lead & head start and eventually can close more business.

Why cant sales personnel themselves do the above mentioned activities?

Firstly, where is the time?  For people who don’t know and take these activities lightly,  doing the above mentioned activities requires skill & expertise, specific marketing tools, research, and a lot of thinking.

Sales people work at break neck speed for target accomplishment, and have their focus on closing deals or on higher stages of the sales  cycle.

It makes sense to have an expert on the job for these activities. Marketing professionals are experts at researching this information and in the right way. They can give you the best and the most accurate  information on target audience, industry trends and demands, market potential, market analysis, best value propositions, best pitches for your company,  where to target,  how to target,  how to sell and what you really need to sell.

Marketing can help Sales/BD to arrive at conclusions such as: what are the strenghts & weaknesses of a company/product, what are the competitive advantages of a company/product………….

Marketing can help with competitor analysis and find an USP for the company to buzz about and beat competition.

Marketing can support sales with collaterals, presentations, case studies that help in convincing propects and go a long way in converting leads into real deals.

Marketing can help build a brand, image, market presence and internet presence to make it easy for sales to penetrate the assigned market.

Marketing campaigns can bring leads which can be taken up by sales people for deal closure.

Marketing can help in post sales analysis- to improvise on approaches for better market penetration and improving the value proposition based on the customer feedback as received by sales.

Marketing can help is deciding where to expand, how to expand, which technology areas to enter & exit, which domains to take up, which market is most profitable and how to achieve all this.

The symbiosis of these two divisions can help create a powerful army for a company to churn record revenues.

After all Why are we all in this business?…… To earn money right!

How? How is the connection possible.

A major role in establishing this connection is played by the top management. The management has to decide clearly on roles & responsibilities and the processes to gel the two.

Processes: Sales processes can be made consequent to marketing processes. Marketing activities that generate leads such as email campaigns, internet advertising campaign, publicity campaigns need to be seamlessly collaborated with the sales processes so that these leads can be further pursued by sales.

Communication: Continuous communication through meetings between sales and marketing is extremely essential to create a cooperative environment, clear vision and common objective & goals.

Reporting: a strong reporting system that keeps both divisions updated of each others activities- for example if there is an advertising campaign being run by marketing for a particular sector it makes sense for the sales guys to hit out at the same sector to catch as many opportunities being generated through the hype.

It is like marketing is driving a pool of fish in one direction in a large lake and the sales guys are ready with the fishing nets to grab them all.

Right management comes from wisdom & common sense,  it comes neither from knowledge nor experience nor learning.

Combining Marketing & Sales/ BD is possible through a wise management team or leadership that sees the benefits and the potential in creating  a powerful army that eventually works as one body towards a common vison.

I am sure all the CEOs and other CXXs will agree.