At the Sunset of 2008

2008 ends on a sad note. The world has plunged into recession . Maybe we can venture a bit further and say - Depression. But then world economy is at the end of the day nothing but money and employment. That is OK. As a rule, whatever goes up has to come down. So we will be back to normal in no time.

what is sad is the massacre of Gaza. I was reading an article in The Hindu today on how a father of age 47 was preparing the funeral of his 2 sons aged 18 and 25. And I think. What is the kind of grief should he be going through? what will happen to his New Year ? What about his plans, dreams, wishes he would have had for his family?

How can you pacify a father who would have spent the best part of his life raising his children filled with dreams and aspirations , only to be taken away by a missile ? what happens to the hard work he would have put for the past 30-40 years where he would have sacrificed a lot to see his kids happy? Why should the world be so cruel to a man who had nothing to do with geo-politics or militancy or terrorism ?

As a fellow human being , what answers do I have for him ? This tragedy was not by nature. If it was of nature's doing then there is no need for any justification. It was nature doing its work to bring balance. But then this monstrosity is man-made. I am as responsible for his sons death as the people sitting in Israel war cabinet deciding when and where to launch the next strike.

Can the US govt explain to me , why is Israel using bunker busting bombs ( the most non-nuclear bomb) in a city filled with civilians? It is not a battleground . Can the US govt tell me How can they call Iran, North Korea, Iraq as Axis of Evil when the nations who are indulged in the killing are the Us and its Allies? What logic and justification is there in killing innocents ? How can they snuff out the future of a child and yet call themselves victims of terrorism? Haven't you guys avenged enough for Sept 11?

I haven't come up with any resolutions yet. But I ask myself today. How can I devote my life so completely to someone and make that person happy no matter what happens around me ? To what extent can I go to sacrifice my happiness to keep others happy? How should I define such a life ?

Big Retail Store Vs Mom-Pop store - who wins?

Here is a reason why mom and pop stores are here to stay for a long time to come in India.

Was getting back home around 10 pm today.

There is a Heritage Fresh retail store near to my house. I always stop by to pick a Tropicana juice pack before i head home . Usually i get there before or by 10 pm . Today, I got late and reached there around 10.10 pm. The shop was not yet closed. But they were putting out the lights. I stop there and explain , " Sorry I got late. Can i just pick up the juice ?" .

The guy at the store says , " Sorry we are closed. Billing is closed" .

I was like , " what the hell are you talking about ? the shop is not yet closed. the shutters are not down( This guys knows me.I have been coming here everyday for the past 6-8 months to pick up juice pack) Why cant you just go in there and get me the Rs 18 juice pack ."

But he wouldn't budge. He put his foot down and refused to get me the juice pack.

I was determined to get my juice today. I went in search of another retail store. I found most the big retail stores closed. Spencer Daily was closed. Daily Life was closed. But ...

But, the small shops were open. I zeroed in on a shop named " Anna Stores" . Not a sophisticated shop at all. He sells stuff across the counter. And guess what ? He has almost everything you would need for day to day household purposes.

He was about to shut the store. It was already close to 10.25 pm. The shutters were down halfway and he was checking if lights were all switched off.

He saw me approaching his shop, gave me a nice smile and asked , " enna vennum , sir?" ( what do you want sir?)

I dint get my Tropicana juice pack. He dint have stock. I got Appy Fizz drink instead. Not exactly the juice I would like to drink before I hit bet. It cost me Rs 25. Why did I buy it ? Because , this guy took the time out to re open the shop , just for me, and offered to sell the stuff I wanted. Even before he reopened the shop I told him that I needed the Tropicana. He knew he dint have stock and yet he said , " I will check and see if I can give you something else" .

He apologetically added , " I usually keep 2-4 juice packs for my regular customers. But today i don't have stock. Come tomorrow I will keep one extra for you."

I beamed .....

See .. The Big Deal is - I was not his regular customer. Rs 25 was not going to set his cash register ringing to a bounty. He could have as well said no to my face and got back home to see his family after a hard day at work. Instead, he knew more about customer service than a professionally managed "hi-funda" retail store like - Fresh.

Now, why did that mom and pop shop owner go about his way to help me out ?

Where do you think I would go tomorrow to get my juice pack, my next soap,Gillette,Maggi noodle purchase?

amir khan gymn ...(contd...)

Amir Khan gymn workouts

We almost missed the Health Care : KPMG -CII report

We did .. dint we ?

So here is Big Question - How many of you guys read the India Health Care marketing report released by KPMG ?

No , I am not talking about the press article on the release of such a report . I am talking about reading the actual report. I bet , you haven .. All busy with your own life - job, family, gf, bf .. all that stuff..

But you should have ..

Why ?

First check if you have a good health care insurance. If you don't , then may i suggest you get it immediately .. ASAP .. check Star Health Life Insurance or Apollo DKV, LIC or better still, pick Outlook Money mag and they have some good info to help you chose . Recession or no recession. That is no excuse for not getting a well covered health insurance policy.

You don't need a more better reason than that .. like duh! ... It is you health in question here ..

But, here is the Big Idea : you should know where India stands in the Health Care sector. If not for humanitarian reason, but then why not look at it with a corporate eye ? Health Care in India is a un-organized sector . But here is the catch. It is more lucrative than than next-big-thing Retail Sector which hogs the media floodlights almost everyday .

why aren't we more concerned on health sector as much as we care about the retail boom in the horizon?

Don't ever forget that following sectors are completely recession proof , any day :

• Health Care/Hospital Management
• Integrated PR ( Marketing and PR with Social Media)
  
• Doctor
• Education ( this includes teaching)

It would do us good if we can help in anyway to do something for the health care sector in India . You may be a IAS officer, a marketing professional, PR specialist , web designer.. any profession. Just do you bit ..

See ya around ..

Meanwhile , read the report here :

Health Insurance Inc, The Road Ahead - 2008

News report here :

Health Insurance Inc- The Road Ahead KPMG - CII report

Will write more on Health Care management soon here ...

Read Paul krugman for simple economics

Listen, don't read Paul Krugman because he won the this years Nobel for Economics. For commoner people like you and me , whatever he wrote and published on trade theory based on Keynesian concepts will go way out of head.So don't read him because he won the Nobel prize.

But if you still show bravado then I suggest you read Adam Smith's "Wealth of nations", Karl Marx "Das Capital" and John Keynes " General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money" . By the time you finish any one of these books. At least one , you will hate economics from the depth of your heart. Economics is not for faint heart-ed or for the non-receptive sapiens.

Read becasue he writes some really good economic stuff in very simple words which is easy to understand and contemplate on.

He is very much against the policies of Bush Government . And rightly so. But when you read his articles you would definitely understand the policies followed by the US Govt and inf act discuss and debate about it with your friends and peer group and claim you say in it ..wont that be simply great ?

He regularly write for New York Times and they get are published in The Hindu news paper.

You can read his articles here - Paul Krugman Column

He is a question for you -

We all know what the Madoff crisis is all about. But have you noticed the word "ponzai" in the articles on the issue? Have you ever wondered what "ponzai" means ?

Food for thought, no ?

F.R.I.E.N.D.S - Joey joke

Joey asking Ross
"Hey Ross , If Homo Sapiens were really "Homo" "Sapiens" . Is that why they are extinct ?"

Ross , " Homo Sapiens are like real people"

Joey, " Hey , I am not judging them or anything"


F.R.I.E.N.D.S is like the greatest sitcom ever....

How Dell uses social media as PR tool

Dell Inc is one of the top companies who have used social media and corporate blogging as an effective PR tool for marketing and driving sales.

Here is an article on how Dell does it from PR communication blog

Dell Drives The Social Media CRM Market

I think Dell has one of the best website in tune with using Web 2.0 tools

The top 12 books on Innovation and Design by Business Week

Here it is ... Finally , we have the list of top 12 books on Innovation and Design for 2008.

Business Week has a great list here, but has missed out on 2-3 books which could have made it to the list.

Read it here Best Innovation & Design Books of 2008

I have read three of the books in the list

The Game Changer by Ram Charan and A.G Lafley

The Age of Innovation by C.K Prahalad and M.S Krishnan

The Back of the Napkin by Don Roam

Want to read :

Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

Book that should have made to the list :

The New rules of Marketing and PR by David Scott

Tribes by Seth Godin

Share your thoughts and your list... would love to have opinions here

How the Rs 10 soup selling gal gets its right and Satyam doesn't on customer service

The race to MBA degree is mind boggling. In India especially, it is craze sometimes rivaled only to cricket. You can see it for yourself the hordes of mba wanna- be's and the media coverage peak during the Nov-Jan season every year. What a spectacle to watch . Almost every magazine worth its salt come out with b-school survey giving a list a top 50 colleges "you should study at " . Some even bring out a separate book to cash in on the boom. And, hey .. don't count me out.. I am in the race too .

A degree in MBA teaches you to understand cash flow statements, how to come up with great marketing ideas and all that jazz. But I wonder how did Shankari ,a 1 st year B.Com student from a low rung women college get great ideas on marketing and customer service.

Let me give you the story first .

I love soup and for having that one or two cups of it I go all the way to Ananna Nagar park where this guy sells really mouth watering , pipping hot soup ( completely natural ) at Rs 6 per cup. He has good stuff. You have to give him that credit !

These days( 3 months approx) , I drink soup from one of the Fresh retail outlets i visit. The soup is sold in small kiosks at Rs 10 per cup. You would have seen similar kiosks selling sweet corns and popcorn's at a retail store near to your house. Small enterprising men/women take franchise contracts from the company which sells these products , then pay rent to the retail store and put up a kiosk outside and sell it. Great business idea . Has the ideal ingredient of entrepreneurship, job and wealth creation and good products to customers at affordable rates.

Now, getting back to the story . Shankari is a 1st year student studying for B.com at W omen's College. She sits at the kiosk every evening with a book in hand selling Rs. 1o per cup soups. I have options to chose as well - Tomato, Plantain, Mushroom, Vegetable. For reasons unknown to myself I always buy Plantain or Mushroom. I knew what I was buying but never gave it much thought to it. I just go up ask , say , Monday it is plantain soup , Tuesday it is Mushroom. It is cyclic.Till the day - about 3 weeks back - shankari popped the question at me , " Sir, why do you always buy Mushroom and Plantain soup, why don't you ever try Tomato and Vegetable?" ...

I dint know what to tell her. I muttered and gave some lame answer about my preference for mushroom and not liking tomato taste and stuff.. the next question caught me by surprise.

"Sir , other than mushroom and plantain, what other variety you like ?" ..

I gave her my options. And then asked what is she gonna do about it . She said , " I will ask my brother to check if the company can give us the soup of your choice" ..

That bowled me out completely . Why did she bother to find out what my taste are ? why didn't she just sell the soup at Rs 10 and continue to sit and study with that book in her hand ? why ? why ?

Normally, unless you pack it to your house, one drinks the soup standing there right next to Kiosk. There are 2 advantages to it - One , the soup remains hot and two you get extra corn as second helpings. I love the corn which comes with the soup , so I stand there and finish the soup then drop it in the dustbin and go back home.

That day, while I was standing there drinking the soup ( I was drinking vegetable soup with lots of pepper. I had cold and shankari said drinking that soup with lots of pepper helps) she was asking the same question to other customers of hers. Not every one. But a lot of them . Similar questions . In her own ingenious way she was conducting a survey. Maybe she realized what she was doing . Maybe she dint. That is not the point. She was proactive. She tried to understand her customer.

Later when i asked why she only asked the questions to a select few customers , she replies , " They are my regular customers" ..

I felt privileged to be her customer and beamed...

Her brother has taken the franchise contract from the parent company. While she sits at the fresh outlet , her bro is doing the same thing some other part of the city.

I wonder if she had read any of those management books? Did she read "The New Age of Innovation: Driving C0-Created Value through Global Networks" by C.K Prahalad on how to serve customized products to a customer in a collaborative environment with the N=1 , R= G rule ? How did she get this idea what a Univerity of Michigan Author did after much research ?

By the way, The New Age of Innovation made it to the top 12 books on innovation given out by Business Week.

Read it here : Best Innovation & Design Books 2008

But how come Stayam Computers dint get it right ?

The big fiasco of merger/buying Mayatas infra and properties which caused ripple of appalling magnitude among the investors across the table is there for everyone to see.

I read somewhere that the ISB's dean was also part of the board which took the decision to buy out the two companies ( run by Ramalinga raju son's). I am no authority to question the merit of the proposed buyout. Nor am I an investor. As a rule i don't directly invest in Sensex. No speculative, sentiment prone gambling for me..No Sir.

But what I would like to know is how come such highly educated ,the creme-la-de creme managers and CEO and CFO of the company dint have the inclination to ask its investors and clients their opinion before taking such a decision? How come the MBA's of IIM and MDI and blah blah dint know the tenets of customer service when such a proposal was mooted in the first place?

But man, what a PR and Corp Comm nightmare they should be having right now ? I cant but feel sorry for the guy who is handling the company's PR account. He must be literally running pillar to post to get things "done" .The green horns must be having a great time in learning the art of crisis management. what better case study can they get .. ?

By the way , I loved the new Idea Cellular ad . About asking the people first before taking a political decision. The creative guy and the copywriter deserve full marks for the new ad . The previous ads were highly creative but not practical . The new one is very creative, very practical and got the execution right . kool Ad huh ?

IBM has a great caption going for its print ads - "STOP selling what you have and Start selling what they want". Now, they get it ! .. Bingo ..

You get the drift ?

Right now reading : The New Rules of Marketing and PR

Went to Landmark book store, Spencer Plaza, yesterday and picked up The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.

With this , the total number of books in my library collection goes up to 1753. Quite an impressive number huh ? :-)

Well 3 reasons why i had to lay my hands on this book :

• I am Social Media Marketing Evangelist. I got infected with Social Media bug and quiet sure it aint gonna leave my system for a long , long time to come.

• This book comes highly recommended . The gurus of PR, Marketing and Social Media swear by it . It stands next only to Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by by Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff ( Authors are from Forrester Research body ).
  

• I seem to have lost interest in Advertising for reasons i cant share it here . But after much reading and analysis of the trends in new age media and marketing , i believe Integrated PR and Corporate Communications coupled with social media tools helps in building brands and deals with image and crisis management in a much ethical and effective way. And no, this is not a crib out of bookish knowledge . I have seen my friends ( i will have to name them here : Anu, Shraddha, Nikhila ...from a very reputed PR firm ) work so well with brands using PR as a very effective tool. I am not belittling advertising at all. I think advertising is great but not if it just about writing greats ads which at the end of the day don't sell the product.
  

I love the concept of building brands . There is something awe-inspiring in the process of brand building that cant be explained here and it is something you have to experience it yourself. I just decided that advertising is not the way i would like to explore the concept of branding. PR with effective marketing strategies will unleash the potential brand in a much better way.

If you are into social media or believe in the concept of digital branding - social media, Integrated PR, corporate blogging,Online word of mouth marketing... etc , then here are few recommendations you may want to read :

The Anatomy of Buzz by Emanuel Rosen

Buzz Marketing by Mark Hughes

Connected Marketing by Justin Kirby

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Purple Cow by Seth Godin

The Fall of Advertising and the rise of PR by Al Rise and Laura Rise

Corporate Blogging by Debbie Weil

Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anathony D Williams

(ps: this is not an all inclusive list .. i will update as and when i write more posts on social media, PR , Marketing and Branding)

You guys are most welcome to drop in with your book reading suggestions, criticism ... anything ..

UGC Grants Commission ( Public Notice )

In case you have missed /don't read Employment News then here is an important press release which you ought to be aware of .

In the interest of the  public and students I ask you to either pass on this blog post or inform them about this notice. I couldn't find the  link for the article online so I am quoting it here as give out by U.G.G 

" It is hereby informed to the public at large and students that Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), New Delhi is not a university withing the meaning of Section 2 (f) of UGC Act 1956,. Further as per Section 22 of the U.G.C Act 1956, the IIPM, New Delhi does not have the right of conferring of granting degrees as specified by the U.G.C Section 22(3) of U.G.C Act."

The article then goes on to inform the students that the universities established by a Central Act or a State Act or an Institution deemed to be a university under Section 3 of the university Grants Commission  Act can confer or grant only those degrees which are specified by the U.G.C  Act,1956.

The list of degree can be found in this website U.G.C 

If you know anyone - friend, son, relative - just about anybody , ask them to think twice before applying for IIPM 

I will share my thoughts on this issue in my next blog. Meanwhile, you can read :

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) advertising controversy

IIPM: Tall Claims

The McKinsey Quarterly

About time we looked at Rural India !

My uncle wanted to know if I was preparing for IIM exams ( notice that he dint ask me Cat or Xat but IIM) i dint have much to answer him except that , " No, I am not interested in IIM's or XLRI's or any of the so called top colleges" ... he gave me the incredulous look that you would have probably see when you hear that"Kumar" Mayawati has become the PM of our country.

And so when he asked me what my future plans were . I had to give him the truth . I told him though i am in the advertising field I would like to explore opportunities in Rural or Health care marketing . I also told him that 5-10 years down the lane I would like to specialize in marketing/branding for rural areas and start a non-profit company.I am very passionate about using the tools and knowledge of marketing and integrated PR in Health care/fitness Industry or Rural Marketing.

He gave me that OK-i-don't-get-your-stupid idea look with a you-aint-gonna-go anywhere with that kinda nod and changed the topic. But not before it got me thinking about , " why not rural India ?" .

Have you guys read the phenomenal book " Fortune At the Bottom Of The Pyramid" by C.K Prahalad (Alumnus of Loyola College , IIM-A and Harvard)? If you haven't yet .. then run to your library or better still buy yourself a copy of the book read it . Now is the right time to read the book. As global recession is going south bound and no one has a clue to what to do next .. here is the book which will give answers to the big MNC 's .. and entrepreneurs alike .

(This is not a book review. As a personal principle , I don't write write reviews. I recommend books to my friends but i never give them or at least try not to unless asked, a review of the books I read. Who am i to take a judgment call on another man's work ?)

Getting back to the crux of the post and in conjunction to blog title , I think multinational companies in India and abroad should start looking at reaching out to rural cities/villages to stay afloat during recession. Or prevent another recession

Most SME's and MNC's ignore rural areas because they believe that people in such cities/villages have no buying power. They are considered poor by most global standards. But, that is exactly why we need to see them in a completely different perspective . C.K Prahald challenges the myth that considers poor people as poor when they are not . He quotes the work of Hernando De Soto's book "The Mystery of Capital" which postulates that poor countries ; people from rural areas are not really that poor. They are often asset-rich and capital -poor. To quote from the book , " Assets cannot become capital unless the country guarantees a rule of law- primarily the law of contracts - whereby the ownership of assets is clear..... For example, he ( Mr Hernando Soto) estimated that the trapped resources of Mexico are about $ 300 Billion" .

That is a phenomenal number! Imagine what potential can India have when 80% of India's population in the Bottom of The Pyramid (BOP) slab will be able to quantify ? This 80% currently accounts for 67% of the current consumption. Aint that an awesome information to behold ? India is quite simply and easily one of THE richest nations in the world and all that potential waiting to be tapped and unearthed. We should be doing that now!

The Big Idea ? If MNC's and SME's ( Small and Medium Enterprises ) can come up with innovative, cost effective and customized products for the rural markets we would unleash a massive wave of marketing and innovation revolution in India. This would also force goverment to work with private companies to set up better infrastructure, proper health care and free education.

Here are my thoughts on a macro scale where we can make some mega changes in this sector :

Not just 4 metros : Metros are so termed because of the huge population and infrastructure growth. I suggest the state govt with the center remove the metros tag altogether. metros means metropolis. Taking TN as an example, let there me more metros in TN alone. Identify and improve those cities . say - Trichi, Coimbatore, Erode..etc .This idea can also be reflected in other states ..

Infrastructure : Have you been noticing that the number of cars in Chennai increasing and really pissing you off ? Ever wondered why ?The answer is obvious, the middle class are getting prosperous and buying new/more cars. But why only chennai ( and other metro cities across the country) city alone? Because every year, of the lacs of engineers,diploma holders who pass out of universities come to cities like Chennai to work. Because MNC 's are well entrenched in metros. Simply put - they seek out better job opportunities and enhanced standard of living. Why not give these Young Turks opportunities in their home cities? Why not prevent them from migrating to the cities? Instead provide opportunities in their native places.

Young Turks : Have better local knowledge: These Young Turks ( as i would like to call them) can be better exploited or rather groomed by companies as they will have better working knowledge of the people in their area. Give them proper training and they will reward you with a better perspective on marketing, product development and sales, much better than IIM grads. And hey, you don't have to pay top dollars for these turks . Pay them not with just good salaries but show them how they are contributing to their society through the company and you would even reduce attrition rates. Make them not - sales executive and stop their career growth. Give them titles like - Sales Manager or Marketing Manager of the area.. This will usher in sense of ownership as well. Unlike high funda grads these guys are more loyal to companies than most.

Streamline these grads - take care of them : Assign a experienced mentor and segregate these grads to become experts in Rural Management,Micro Finance, market research,rural marketing etc , step up teams and send them out to the field to visit the villages . Make the job profile exiting. A team can consist of 1 rural management expert- he will evaluate and micro manage, 2 market research experts- 2nos because this involves number crunching , 1 micro finance guy - who will identify how and how much loan to provide and 1 marketing expert - he will conduct survey and collect customer info and come up with ideas on marketing. The marketing guy with the rural management guy can work on business development and sales. 5 in a team for one area/district, as necessary. 20-50 teams can be supervised by a General Manager . 10 General Managers can come under one Head . 5 Heads will report to Vice -President Operations of that Area - say South Market .. etc ..

And when they are out in the field- in villages and rural cities for days - give them the sense of security that their families are taken care of when they are not around. You will see ever lasting commitments to the parent company from these guys. Indians from rural cities give more value to relationships and sentiments than money and luxury.

Teach them to be innovative : Pick the latest copy of Businesswold. You will read the cover article about "The Real Nation builders". They are not from IIM's or IIT's . what i am trying to convey here is if you can teach grads from rural areas to be innovative they will bring in results. They will give you great ideas . The MNC only has to identify the right idea , ideate on it , strategize and implement them. There you may need the IIM and XLRI graduated guys with Mckensiey background to do the work.

Use technology : The best software is not good enough if it cant deliver. India is already a tech/software giant. Software companies can then join hands with services companies and launch customized products in rural areas and benefit from that .

You don't have to depend too much on global money when it is right there to be taken from our backyard.

Rural India is a gold mine waiting to be tapped. MNC companies wont just rake in profits but also built a nation in its truest form. All they need to do is understand customer demographic profile clearly and launch products according to them.

Welcome your thoughts and ideas on this .. If you like what you read here.. spread the word around and would love discuss more of the same- here in my blog.

Further reading from Economic Times :

Rural spend,housing to rescue growth

MAT dates announced ...

Mat dates and applications are out.

Exams are for MBA and PGDM courses in India.

As always it is on Feb 1st ,2009.

Last date for submitting completed application form : 14th Jan,2009

Get more info here :

MAT on 1st February - 2009

And now I have address Sania Mirza as Dr Sania ..

Sani Mirza was recently awarded the honorary Doctorate degree by the M.G.R University, Tamil nadu. Does that mean I have to be extremely venerate when I address her as - Dr Sania ?

You got to be kidding me right? I don't understand why such a well known university in Tamil Nadu had to confer such an title to her ?

Sure, she is the "icon" for women in India. She has achieved a "lot" .. and all that . But does she really deserve it ?

Let us recall her claim to fame for a min :

• On February 12, 2005, she became the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title.
• Won the silver in the women's singles category and the gold in the mixed doubles - 2006 Doha Asian Games with Leander paes.
• Her career best results was her career during the 2007 summer hardcourt season, finishing eighth in the 2007 U.S Open Series.

And then we have the controversies over her "tight" and " modern dress" sense, her opinions on sex before marriage ( let me be fair , i completely agree with her on this )and her sudden declaration (threat) that she would quit appearing for tournaments in India,starting 2008.

And who can forget the juicy gossips and behind the alley whispers of her alleged relationship with Shahid Kapoor. Add to that is her numerous and now almost fading brand endorsements. I don't see anything spectacular about her or her achievements on or off the field. Do you?

Brings the question right on my face : does she really deserve this title ?


“When I started to play tennis, I wanted to be a doctor. I had to choose between tennis and being a doctor and I chose tennis. Now, thanks to MGR University, both my dreams have come true,” said tennis star Sania Mirza, when she was conferred with the degree of doctor of letters by MGR Educational and Research Institute University, here on Thursday.

Like I am going to believe that she had dreams to become a doctor and chose tennis instead... In your dreams , babe !

Top 5 business news about India which you should have read but dint anyway...

I am a sucker for The Hindu and Business Line. I believe that they give us some of the finest and incisive writings/articles on news, politics, business and economics related to India.

Here is a list of 5 news articles which you should have read today but dint because you aint bothered and thought it is too cumbersome. Still, you should know what is happening around you, right ?

From The Hindu :

Article 1 :From U.S. sub-prime to global economic crisis

Reason you should read :

• It is the extension of my previous post "Is India still in recession?" .

• You get to read about the global financial outlook.

• You will get to know about news terms : Decoupling theory in economics and Current Account Surplus. In case you dint know what Decoupling theory is then allow me to oblige :

Decoupling theory( courtesy : world wide web) - "decoupling refers to the ability of an economy to grow without corresponding increases in environmental pressure. In many economies increasing production (GDP) would involve increased pressure on the environment. An economy that is able to sustain GDP growth, without also experiencing a worsening of environmental conditions, is said to be decoupled"

From Business Line :

Article 2 : RBI sells $20.6b in Oct

Reason to read :

You will know what is the funda behind Forex Reserves and why RBI buys dollars to curb inflation in the country

Article 3: Textile cos top distressed list for corporate debt recast

Reason to read :

• You will read about orgin and functions of Corporate Debt Restructuring (CDR) cell of India.

• Also try to infer from the article why Textile is most hit sector in the country today. You don't have to be an economist ..just use your logic.

Article 4 : Foreign Investors cannot afford to avoid India,says analysts.

Reason to read :

• The article's headline says for itself.. India growth story is still on track and things will turn positive soon.

• Also read to know why India cannot escape from the global economic crisis and yet stand firm without any major hiccups because India's low dependency on U.S for business and exports.
  

Article 5 : Welcome moves but room for more

Reason to read :

An good editorial on the Fiscal Stimulus Package

Did you know ?

• All countries put together have provided fiscal and monetary worth around $6 trillion (3 lac crore) - six times the size of India;s GDP ( you will read it in one of the article here).

• 25 US banks have gone bankrupt since the start of the year ?

So can you tell me how Indian banks have filed for bankruptcy? or even close to it? In fact, pvt and public sector banks like HDFC, Bank of India, Axis Bank, LIC are getting to go in for a hiring spree.. ( check yesterdays : Times of India)

You know what i would say at the end of this article ... India is not going into recession . India has very strong economic fundamentals , though it is reeked with corruption and problems with implementations.

Is India still in recession?

If you Google this topic you are going to get numerous answers with some mind boggling stats to tell you that India is into recession or slowly moving into it.

I am going to give you a different opinion altogether! I don't believe even for one second that India is into recession. In fact I will take the "audacity of hope" as my tool to declare that India wont even go close to recession.

You may argue back saying , "dude! don't you read newspapers or watch news ? did you not check the IIP stats? The numbers are negative man! Our sensex has taken a complete nose-dive. People are loosing their jobs left-right and center. and you still think India is not into recession or moving into it?" ..

I stick by what I just said .You see, India is having a spill over effect of a global recession. And it is that spill over effect that is causing these job loss spree. But compared to our western counterparts Indian companies are not giving out the pink slips in droves. No Sir!

Tell you why ...

First , India is not a globalized economy. That is , India is not completely globalized like European countries, Japan and China.

Second , India was already facing a huge inflation problem when the sub-prime crisis (which triggered the global meltdown) started . By the way, Indian lending laws are so stringent and fundamentally strong that , our country cannot just go into sub prime like crisis at all. We Indians are firm believers in saving money and spending in thrift. So don't worry.. India wont go into a sub prime crisis.

Finally, India's growth story is not due to any external factors . nay.. India's growth story is completely domestic driven. The so called middle class income expansion is not just coming from IT services (which is prone to global imbalances) alone. India is a huge growth engine moving forward in all factors. Our business honchos,policy makers made sure that India and its currency stays as much immune from global currencies as possible.That is why , India is not seeing an companies going bankrupt. How else would you explain ICICI, HDFC and other banks flourishing so well when banks from other parts of the global are going bankrupt? come on .. tell me .. why ?

So how can we explain the negative stats of IIP . Just for the perspective. Our numbers are like -0.4% as compared to 12.2% last year. This is primary because of decline in exports and fear factor among Indians.Did you know that in theory a recession in the rich world should hurt India less than other emerging markets: exports amount to only about 22% of India’s GDP, against 37% of China’s.

Read the real story of numbers here : Negative show: Industrial output contracts in October

Read the complete article please!

China is making massive money from it exports like hell because they make goods a rock bottom prices due to availability of cheap labor.

Allow me to explain...

Let us take the example of a manufacturing firm of foreign origin/ or even Indian origin which produces 2000units of its products. 100o units for exports and the other 1000 units for domestic consumption. The company shall be termed X. Let us focus on export units - 1000 nos . Due to the global financial problem people in the other side of the globe dont have enough money to buy the products of the company X which they usually do.This would mean the products earmarked for shipments remain unsold in warehouses thereby increasing the inventory. Now, the companies get money only after the products are shipped to the other side and bought by consumers. The money/income thus received is then used to pay for the labour involved, raw materials, profits taken and then a huge chunk is put back into the company to produce more of such products for exports again.

Are you with me ?

Good.. So , when there is no money to re invest , obviously the company wont be able to produce any more goods. Also, the manufacturers will be cautious to use the reserve surplus to manufacture more goods because the economic outlook is bleak. Eventually and in the long run when there is no enough money to pay, people are shown the door.

Meanwhile, even if we Indians have enough money to spend , we will suddenly check the global scenario and a friend will advice to his colleague , "damn, see US and Europe is into recessions, people are losing jobs.. and that India guy who studied in IIT and such a rich fellow . He killed his family and committed suicide cos of bad debts. Maybe we should be careful now . If such big big countries can have problems ..how soon do you think we will get into trouble like that . Let us be careful now,yaar! Who knows when we will lose our jobs? Let us save now . We can spend when time are good . "

Wife will advice her husband , " listen, dont buy too much from the stores , ok? We will manage . I saw TV news about the finance problem. And i heard from my mom that her friend's son lost his job . Did you check the share market points today ? It was down and in red for the whole day ,yerterday . We have enough for next 2 days . Just buy little ", and for the first time she will use the word budget ... " Let us have a budget from next month,ok ? " ... Sensex, Budget are words which are new to her dictionary..

Mom will caution her son/daughter ( who just joined a firm fresh out of college) , " Listen, don't go out too much with friends and waste your salary on movies , clothes or jewellery. Manage with what you have. and beta .. dont resign or jump jobs. When you get the first salary. Give half to me, I will put in your savings. Don't buy that bike now. Intrest rates are high . Buy it after 6 months "...

The panic button is on and the story goes on ...

Media will use the panic to give you more sensational news from abroad and get you more worried.. It is cyclic..

We start saving a lot more than we should. Hence,money gets stagnated .

When you don't buy stuff how are you going to give money back to the manufactures to produce more? If they don't have enough to produce, how are they going to pay your salary? When they don't have enough money to pay your salary ,cos of no work getting done , why do you expect them to pay you for nothing and not ask you to leave?

Simple right?

So, as you see .. the story is we get sentimental and extra cautious when we hear the news around us .

Don't do that ..!

Check not the news .. check the real facts . Check real information released by the government and listen to well known business industry leaders.

The India Finance Ministry with RBI under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh and Deputy Planning Commissioner Montek Singh Ahluwalia doing a good job. The steps taken as of now ( with two stimulus package and petrol price reduction) is showing signs . Inflation has come down. The full impact is yet to be seen. A third stimulus package is on the cards. So relax.. Our policy makers are much better than our counterparts in other parts of the world.

India is having spill over effect. Not a recession. True , our economy has slowed down. From an extremely robust GDP growth of 8-9% we now predict 6% . But that would still make our country one of the fastest growing economy in the world. Only India from the so called BRIC (Brazil,Russia,India,China) nations is faring well compared to others.

But remember in economics and finance, as in other aspects of life the rule still holds water - What goes down should come up. And what comes up , should definitely go down" . Be it Sensex, economy, failure, success, happiness, sadness, love, hatred .. You cant just play the game of the gods..

As one great poet cum dramatist so aptly put " the world is stage .... "

I realize this is a very long post. Might be boring for some. But I have tried to put facts and my thoughts in a very simple way. I am no economist and will gladly accept that I am wrong if proved so ..

I welcome your suggestions and ask those who read to spread the word around if you see merit in my opinions.

Also, check this article,China and India : Suddenly vulnerable , from Economist on what they think about the effects of global recession on India and China.

Mozilla wants your vote

I am a staunch believer of Open Source Software and I love using Mozilla browser as compared to IE.These days I also use Google Chrome a lot too :-)

Mozilla is now planning to spread the good word and like a true Open Social Software company it is inviting people from its community ( basically all those who download and use Mozilla browser) to vote for its Marketing plan. These plans are submitted by regular people ( its a wow democracy ) like you and me . Of the 300 entries, 10 has been shortlisted. All you need to do is go through the plan and cast your vote.

Vote for Mozilla Marketing Plan here :

Impact Mozilla

What consitutes a good business plan ?

For a long time now I have been asking/searching around for samples of a good marketing/business plan. I just wanted to know what are the elements/formats involved in writing a sound and viable plan. Never got around finding it till today.

You see, I am very much passionate about starting my own company. One day I would like to become a job and wealth creator. But to any business you need a good business plan. If you want to be an entrepreneur , then you better be armed with a damn good business plan when you go asking for VC money.

Businessweek magazine's online version has a very good example of how a business plan should look like . I recommend all you guys to read Businessweek regularly and as often as possible to update your knowledge on various aspects of business and not just business news.

Seahorse Power company started by Jim Poss won the best business plan award at Babson's MBA program.

Here is article :

How to Write a Winning Business Plan

Check out the business plan here :

Seahorse Power Business plan

Innovation is the key to social media marketing not random banner ads

The article Advertisers face Hurdles on Social Networking Sites in The New York Times is once again bringing to light on the fact that putting up banner ads and fan page in social networking sites need not be entirely successful. Being a social media evangelist myself, i echo same point here as well.

Putting up in-expensive banner ads or creating a fan page is not good enough. The users will sign up/become a member of the fan page just to show their solidarity to the brand. Fair enough. But that is not branding .

Branding is all about reinforcing the name of an existing brand and the product or luring in new customers to buy the brand. To put in simple language , that is. Bottom line .. all this is done is to increase sales. Dynamic banner ads is not the solution for that .

One thing is that social media marketing and networks are at a very nascent stage. In order to leverage social media companies should find much better ways to use social networks in branding and lead generation.

One good way is to start a blog ,connect with relevant bloggers and run a viral campaign. Implement multiple viral/buzz/online word of mouth marketing campaigns and learn from trial and error method. But make sure there is one "Big IDEA" behind every campaign which is run. For this , the marketing teams should innovate and launch highly customized products to users and propagate it without being intrusive and irritating.

Stop picking on Rahul Dravid please ...

I don't get it . Why is the media hounding Rahul "The Wall" Dravid all the time? Sure.. he is having some major problems in scoring . So what ? He is the same guy who was the toast of the media when he won matched for India in both forms of the game. In fact , he is the most successful player in Indian cricket history for playing test matches abroad. scores of budding cricket players have watched an learnt from him - stability,concentration and technique. He is not called "The Wall" for nothing.

R.Dravid is not the lord of offside like Saurav , nor is he swashbuckling player like Viru, a brilliant genius like Tendulkar or the "sweet timer" of the ball like Laxman. But none of the mentioned s has the power of concentration, technique and stability like Dravid has. period. He was the guy who on numerous occasions held a partnership together from the other. He kept the ball running and scores ticking . He did it in his own way. He enjoyed the game for how he played. He done all that he can for his team. So , it would be really nice if the media left him alone. He is going through a lean patch . if so .. then so be it. Instead of predicting or calling for his retirement . Let him leave when he wants at his own pace. It is so easy for us to sit on the fences and criticise him on how he plays . Let us not do that anymore..

Let him play his game .

what exactly do you mean by CTC - Cost to Company?

I always used to wonder what exactly does CTC mean. When i asked this question to the HR of my previous company, even he couldn't give me a proper reply.

I searched a lot in Internet and never got a clear cut simple answer until i read a small piece of explanation found in pagalguy forums .

Here is a reply on what ctc is all about . I picked this one because it is simple,clear and short :

" CTC, is the Cost to the company. Many companies don't give you a clear idea of how much Cash you would end up getting in hand. All they tell you is the total pay package. This package includes non-monetary benefits like Accommodation, Telephone, Training Costs etc. To inflate the figures, companies will give you Child Education Allowance (if you are unmarried) or some insurance policy that you do not need , or they will say that the training that they are providing you is worth some mindless figure. This is how a 30,000 cash in hand can easily become 5-6 lac package."

Aint that simple enough for you ? If not .. then try sending me a much simpler and easy to understand info on what CTC is all about

Podcast interview of Ponraju about Abdul Kalam

An exclusive interview for PodUniversal, Mr V Ponraj, Advisor to Dr Kalam gives the first hand account of a day in Dr Kalam's Office. Mr Ponraj is a scientist working in DRDO and is also part of the Technology Interface Group in Dr Kalam's Office.

Mr Ponraj spends most of his day working with Dr Kalam and also travels along with him within and outside the country. He is also the Editor of 'Billion Beats' epaper published by Dr Kalam's Office through their site.

Check the podcast here :

About Abdul Kalam 

Online news - Naked anchors

You gotta to be kidding me right? I mean .. check this site out.

You have news delivered by hot bodied real naked girls. And no this is not porn. You get to watch the full coverage for a premium .. of course..

Still.. what an innovative way to watch news.. lol

check out naked news here:

Naked News

PG Wodehouse books at dirt cheap rates

How many of you guys are real PG Wodehouse buff like me ? If you fall into this category then i am quiet sure you read Wodehouse books either from British council, school/college library or private library. You actually dint buy one cos it was too costly . Somehwere in 250-350 range,right ? 

Not anymore. Check out the PG Wodehouse books available at Landmark book stores in India. You now get PG Wodehouse books for Rs 100 bucks . Aint that cool ?

So go ahead and stock up your library shelves with Jeevs and Blandings castle stories ..

Budgets are boring - How can we make it simple and efffective

Just a random thought...

Have you ever wondered why your friends never sit down to watch the budget when presented in the parliament?

Because it is too long , too boring and with lots of technical economic jagron. The budget is for the common man. And most probably the common man of India will fall in the bracket of 21 years - 35years. Unless he is married , a young college going or just-started-working guy wont bother to watch it.

Wondering why FM's have to give us long and boring budget speeches and waste time?

Here is what he can do :

• Give a ppt presentation covering the important points. He can just give the Income and Expenditure of the Year, then move on to point out what was the amount collected last year and what is to be allocated for each department in the forthcoming year. Simple one point and the amount highlighted. This should not go more than 30-45 min.

• Start a website dedicated for Indian budgets alone ( with archives) and make it web 2.0 friendly . which means, make it interactive using RSS feeds, forums , blogs etc . The site content can be moderated by a young techie guy. He should be completed briefed throughout on what to be said and what not to be said in the website. You can find numerous such talented tech/management guys via civil services exam . Make sure you pay them good.

• The minute the Budget gets over, digitize the entire contents online for everyone to read. Make sure the language is clear and simple to follow. The website can also have pop up tabs over technical words so that a 21 year old arts student can understand what the budget means to him.

• Open tabs to give info like this " what the budget means to students" , " what the budget means to the senior citizens" .. one can work out the modalities later.

• Let the government invite people from Finance Ministry, Planning Commission etc to contribute articles on what they think about the budget. This will ensure a dialogue between the common man and the ministers.

• Use twitter ( profile created by the govt) to send real time info to everyone in the web. use other micro blogging tools as well.

• Most of the "Babus" in the cabinet are not exactly net savvy. No problem. Once the Budget is done, distribute copies of the entire budget with the intricate details to the opposition parties and all other concerned parties and one copy to the press.

• Budget can be made less boring, more informative, reach more audience and entirely fun and hence more effective and accountable if we can combine knowledge and technology .

what are your thoughts ?

If you like this post , I would like you to spread the word by link back to this blog or bookmark it.

The Big Bad US recession - where did Ivy league gards go?

Enough has been written,discussed, debated on the US recession, failure of I banks and now the assured bankruptcy of the world's top auto mobile companies.
Even India is feeling the heat of this recession . follow the Sensex if you don't know what I am saying ...

But correct me if I am wrong. the world's best I-bank's ( Freddie & Mae, AIG, Bear Stearns ) and Auto companies ( Ford, Chrysler, GM) hired from world's best Ivy B schools. right ? These grads from Harvard, Standard, MIT, IIM, IIT,Kellogg are considered the best minds in business and technology.

How come these guys didn't get a whiff of what's happening or what was about happen? I mean, look .. the stock market guys are like watching the NASDAQ 24x7, the US policy makers ( all having Goldman Sachs background) kept constant watch on the stats and trends everyday . at least, thats what they are supposed to do and supposed to be good at ..

So what went wrong? does that mean, all the best education the world can give, the best money can buy is for nothing ?

why ? The best answer is that while they made tons of money occupying their position , they simply failed to do the job.

I would rather do my management degree in a normal to decent college, get a respectable job , get a decent salary to lead a good simple life, keep my family safe and happy and do all that i can to the society and be happy forever.

what do you guys think ?

Join the Road to Copenhagen 2009 discussions

The Hindu Business Line carried a very important article today about the Road to Copenhagen initiative.

For those who don't know -

The Kyoto protocol is gonna get over in 2012 and the whole world is still lagging in its MDG (Millennium Development Goals) and there seems to be no new agreement on climate issues among the industrialized and developing nations in the horizon.

So a very important meeting is taking place in Poznan, Poland about what steps could be taken to tackle the climate issue .

Read more about this here :

Road to Copenhagen

A new climate deal based on human progress and justice

Join the wiki discussions here :

Road To Copenhagen 2009

Dont forget the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project

The on going diplomatic war with Pakistan on the backdrop of the Mumbai terrorist attack (26.11.2008) has put the spotlight on the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

Many of my friends here actually have no clue what I am talking about . So let me put things in perspective .

So, what is the IPI pipeline all about ?

• The IPI pipeline is a 2,800 km overland pipeline carrying natural gas from Iran to India via Pakistan.
• The total cost involved is $7.5b , which would carry 22 bmc gas per annum , which would later be increased to 55 bmc per annum
• Currently India need 50 bmc per annum and would need 125 bmc per annum by 2025.

Now, what seems to be the problem? .... a lot actually

• Dispute in pricing - Iran wants $8 per million BTU . but India says "No go". India will not negotiate beyond $4 per million BTU.

• No Trade Treaty - There is no trilateral agreement between the countries like the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) which binds 51 European countries. A legal treaty will hold each country accountable in delivery and receiving of gas under a accepter framework.

• Uncle Sam is not ok - America as we know is completely against Iran and hence scorns at any bi-lateral trade between India and Iran.So any trade agreement, that too as high cost as this, will definitely under mine US strategic value in sub continent .

• Geo politics unrest - 1.The pipeline has to go through Baluchistan which is now caught in a civil war on its own. 2. The transit country ,Pakistan can cut supply to India in case there is conflict of war. And there is no legal bonding to stop Pakistan from doing so . why ? because while India recognizes Pak as one of its Most Favored Nation (MFN) in trade, it is not been reciprocated. 3. The gas transits charges with Pakistan has not been finalized yet. which means , Pak can squeeze the maximum out of the bargain and it can be changed anytime. Imagine what would happen if Pak demands higher transits fee after the pipeline is built and running for 6 months. India wont be in a position to negotiate . Because India is a energy hungry nation and oil/gas plays a big role .

what are the alternatives ?

Instead of the the proposed pipeline , India and Iran can go for a LNG delivery deal using sea route. It is of course expensive but it would be relatively safe and stable as both the parties are bound to each other. Since LNG market is more mature , there will be some sort of competition and hence pricing can be regulated to an acceptable number. Since LNG ships would go via transits routes( import and export ports) the transit money will be stable and accountable by the host countries.

India currently has one port in Dhaej and another one coming up in Kochi. A long term trade via sea will also help India develop its own supply route, logistics and technology.

why you need a good sales pitch

Never underestimate the importance writing down your sales pitch even before you go about making that cold call which will bring in business.

Here are the essentials

First Rule: Watch and Learn:

Making a sales pitch is an art not a rocket science. And to learn art you need to learn it from the guru. So, before you make the first sales call watch how your Senior ( and successful at that) sales guy does it. watch him, understand the pitch he is using and learn from him. I am not asking you to ape him. I want you to learn is modus operandi and tweak the sales pitch the way you see it fit.

Second Rule: Ink it down:
No point in watching the guy do the stuff, nod your head and walk off! that wont do. You need to watch him do it form. If you have a VP of sales and if he is the amicable kinda guy then watch him giving the sales pitch. I have always noticed that the best sales guy are always ready to impart knowledge. If he is the nice-types , then ask him to show you how it is done. And no, dont ape him. learn from him. Do it 20 times for 20 days if you have it.
And write your own sales pitch. I mean it .. literally .. write it down, mono ami. Write down your sales pitch word by word, syllable by syllable. I don't care how long it will take you to do it. If you are smart - 1 day. if you are bright - 2days . If you are the hard working type- 3 days. Anything more , then you are gonner! So, get the first draft ready, think about the pitch, the product you gonna sell and refine it.
Dont worry the pitch will get further refined as you go down the lane of selling.


Third Rule : Get the decision maker on the phone:
No use in dilly- dalling with the guys who cant make decisions. At best he can help you connect with the top guy . But when you make the call ask " Can you please connect me to the head of Marketing" or " Head of Business development" or do what i did when i made my 10th sales call " Can you connect me to the Chairman of your company , please" .. Of course you wont be connected to him, but if you aim high you are bound to hit couple of inches down that , right ? So someone will connect you to top dog in the company. Make sure he is the decision maker.
And go ahead and make your pitch, Sir!


Fourth Rule: Get Rejected:
Thats right! If you get the sale done in your first call then where is the fun, dude? You need to get rejected like zillion times to become the great sales guy you wanna be ! So go ahead and fail and fail royally ! But make sure you learn your lessons from it. If you dont know where you are going wrong, then ask your sales head to sit with you when you are making the call. That ought to do the trick. He will point out the mistakes to you. Now, he may not be the best judge but at least you will get a start , right ?


Fifth Rule: follow.. follow .. follow-up:
This is really important . If you are gonna be the sales guy in your company , dont ever forget the cardinal rule. After you make you sales pitch send in a follow up mail saying - " It was great talking you. I will connect with you at time at date as agreed. Meanwhile, you can reach me at the following contact coordinates". and then go ahead and give your contact details.
And if the sales call was a successful one then follow up it with a mail on the details of the product/service you are offering in the form of pdf format. Try to send in your details in your pdf format only !
And hey, remember the rule, follow up.. keep doing the follow up thingy. If he doesnt reply then mail him after couple of days (you will instinctively know when) . If he still doesn reply then call him . Remind him. Be nice . Be polite. Sound enthu ( not over enthu) .

Big Idea : Crying child gets the milk


Seventh Rule : Maintain a pipeline report
Always maintain a proper pipeline . It should have the following fields:
Company name, Web address, Phone number, Mail id , point of contact name, and the decision maker, status of the sale, expected closure time.

I am not really a sucker for CRM. I rather put it in my excel sheet and share it with my team. Am not advocating that CRM is bad. But this is my personal choice. You take the call on this. Most companies insist on using CRM solutions. But my advice to those companies is that they need to get their sales people get familirize on how to use a CRM.

Most sales guys do this anyway !

By the way manufacturing companies would do well to get customized CRM solutions using Customer Broadcast company service.


Eighth Rule : Keep in touch:
Your job is not over once you are done with the sale. You need to keep in touch with you client. Build relationships of trust. Do not disappear from your client's radar.At least once a month shoot him a mail asking him what he thinks of your product, who the end users are etc. Dont give him a chance to come to you when there is an issue. At the same time let him know where he can reach you and that he can reach you any time he wants to.
This ensures that you have already a solid groundwork done before you go ask him for a sale again.


Ninth Rule: Build Trust:
This is paramount. People dont do business with products or company brand name. They do business with people. People who they can trust . So make the right moves for him to trust you. Be fantastically good at giving him world class service even if you are not a world class company. You dont have to be HP or WPP to give world class serice . Gain his trust with good service. Simple things will do - prompt reply to his mail, regular follow ups etc.. Find your own ways to keep him happy.
These days almost everyone is Linkedin, Facebook or Orkut.
Go ahead and connect with him there. It is ok to get a bit personal . Social Networking is ok these days !


The Tenth Rule : Love your customer's , customer.

I dint say " love your customer" .. read it again! I said - Customer's customer. Your client's end user.
The book by Ram Charan " what the customer wants you to know" was not exactly the best sales book ever written but i did like what he said - Understand your customer's end user. If your product can make that "customer" happy then rest assured your client will call you to give you the sale.

So what are your waiting for ? Go ahead and do your research !

Here is an article from the business week which caught my attention and upon which i put up this post -
Sales Stuck ? Try sticking to a script

Look forward to your comments on this..

The Dalit Queen

The 85th edition of the TIME magazine (page 22 to be precise) has an article which kinda bowled me out.
According to the article, Mayawati may well be a potential candidate for the post of Prime Minister for the next general election.

Here are the reasons why she is considered for the coveted post:

-She is a Dalit

-She is the Chief Minister of India's most populated state- UP

-She is from BSP

-Since both INC and BJP won’t win a single majority, she may well turn out to be the deciding factor. Which means – she would be the King maker, or should I say – Queen Maker.

The article also states:

- She is under CBI investigation

- She is worth (declared assets) $13m.

- A self declared “living goddess”

The day Mayawati becomes the PM of India; the country will truly go to the dogs!

My house in Wi-fi

My house is wi-fi zone:

…that’s right! I recently converted my house into a Wi-fi zone.
And it’s fun to work /browse sitting at any corner of my house.