I am a salesman… I did not know to talk but Ram Could

                      I am a salesman… I did not know to talk but Ram Could

This financial year I started with a strange exercise of doing training on the perspectives of each of the things which we are doing. During the process I felt that the biggest problem which the new person faces is to talk.

Many of us would have come across this in our life, where in we have been asked to go and sell a product or service in the early parts of our life. Many of us during our college days might have been good communicators and may have won some prizes in debate etc too. But that in no way Guarantees us to become a good salesman. The difficulty level gets more pronounced when you are selling a working capital product of the bank or any other service where there are not established channels and you need to directly interact with the customer. Attrition as what they are in the Industry lot of new people keep joining and this becomes the most biggest challenge.

Let us listen to the story of Ram how he succeeded.

Ram got graduated from the same school as I graduated, the Associated Business School(ABS) which was the best Business school. Ram was definitely not the best in academics as much as I was. I had won a lot of debate competitions too. But Ram and myself both got absorbed in one of the leading banks as a part of the campus interview.

Both of us reported to same Regional Head in TN. I had to go and sell working capital products to various customers. I feared going out as I did not know what to converse. I was strong, I was a inter university debate winner,  best speaker so on and so forth, but I was void of Ideas when I met the customers. It was easy to speak and lecture but was difficult to converse. Nobody was there to train me on this. I was given a big book on policy product etc etc. I was taught current ratios capital and what not.

I was told current ratio is very important to understand the liquidity of the customer in the class room training. I had read a lot about this too as I never wanted to fail.

Many a visits turned futile. Conversations used to turn blunt. A few experience of my first early encounters…

I thought am very intelligent and I should prove intelligent with customer so that he respects me, hence in one of my first meets, when I went and met the customer I asked what is your business current ratio. I still remember that I was just a slap away…thankfully he just asked me to leave….

In one other occasion the moment I stepped in and introduced he asked me why I have come, I said I sell working capital, he laughed and asked at what rate… My boss had told me nothing below 11%... I said 11 he said “Kalambunga (Get out in soft form).”.

In one of the shops even before I stepped in, the proprietor said don’t waste my time…. I have everything.

I can list out many like these and am sure many would be having the same too

While these were happening, my boss was asking what happened to the numbers, why there has been no disbursement etc…..I was under tremendous pressure…

I can’t explain the feelings that I was undergoing. Everything was taught to me in the classroom but I just could not talk and take the conversatios through. It was challenging as

·      The person to whom I am conversing was double my age

·      The person with whom I am conversing was well off than me

·      My knowledge in the business he was operating was far less compared to him

Would it not be daunting….to converse? At least to me it was very daunting

The feelings I got after some time were…

·      I am useless

·      All my degrees are worthless

·      I am futile and should quit….

But Ram was confident, he peirced through the market, he was getting entry everywhere, market started talking about Ram, let us see the first steps of Ram.

Ram went to the tea stall in the street,had a cup of tea with the tea stall owner, and asked about who among the street shops were the oldest and what each of them were doing. Ram got all the various names and among them found Senthil Hardwares was one of the largest paint dealers in the street. Ram had no knowledge about the paints.

Ram went to Senthil Hardwares, and said good morning. Thirumaran the owner of Senthil Hardwares asked him who he is. Ram introduced himself as the newly appointed teritory manager for the bank. He told to Thirumaran that he came to know that they were the biggest paint disrtributors in the market. Ram said that he is not aware about the paint industry but had heard good words being spoken about him by the entire market. Ram did not discuss anything with Thirumaran, but gave his visiting card, said that he wants to learn from Thirumaran the entire business of Paints in his next visit . He also emphasised that he would be coming to Kumbakonam every Wednesday.

Ram next Wendesday called Thirumaran before visiting him. Talked to Thirumaran about the entire Paint industry who are the leaders and who all were operating in the market etc. He also took the list of good dealers both in paints and otherwise from the market. Before going to Thirumaran, Ram also went through a brief on the paint industry and the distribution. Ram thanked Thirumaran for all the briefings that Thirumaran did. While leaving again he emphasised that he would be coming again next Wednesday . Ram picked up the list of good paint distributors in and around Kumbakonam from Thiruramaran. Ram made his wish list of customers of Kumbakonam and started visitng each of them for the next few weeks every Wednesday without fail. Ram used to talk about politics, pictures etc or may be to say how beautiful Kangana was in Queen or the action of Rajinikant in Padiappa but never discussed business with any one for the next one month. He used to sit in the shop and just observe how the sales used to happen and how much used to happen.

Ram in the process of discussion over a period of time had noted who are all there in the family of the wishlist traders and who is running busines etc. Ram cultivated a habbit of sending wishes to the customers kith and kin, shop opening dates, he also started discussions like what is the highest sales in a day with people like Thirumaran and used to congratulae them when they crossed the same.

Ram and myself were in a review after 2 months, Ram had achieved nothing, while all the other sales persons who joined at the same time had atleast done one file or other.Ram was insulted in the meeting. Ram assured the leaders that it is only a matter of time that he would cross all the business numbers. No one believed him including the Regional Head sales. But Ram was confident.

By now Ram had identified the problem statements for each of the business which the wishlist traders had by sitting in the Gala for hours together with the promoters and internally he had discussed with the specialist teams of the various solutions that can be offered. Slowly he started pitching to the cusomter solutions to the problems than the working capital product for which he was responsible. The comfort level of the customers with Ram increased considerably, they became open. Ram ensured two things without fail, he used to be in respective markets on the specified dates like for instance every Wednesday at Kumbakonam, second he used to ensure was whatever he picked up , he closed within 24/48 hours without fail. One more thing which he used to do was incase due to reason if something is stuck he used to call and say Sir it will take 4/5 days more.

In the meantime as nothing was moving in the teritory, the Regional Head(RH) visited the teritory, while going through the market the RH started asking what is this , who is the owner of this etc etc… Ram had answers for everything , he even knew who were dealing with which banks, every shop the RH entered there is used to be common address Ram Sir come in. Ram proudly introduced the RH. Ram requested the RH not to discuss business with any one and he assured RH it is only a matter of 3 months, before which he would see the turnaround. The Regional Head after seeing the reception and the ease and proximity with which Ram was handling the customers, did not discuss anything other than regular busines of the customers. In the next 6 months Ram excelled in all the business numbers, not just the working capital product but for most of the customers the bank became the preferred bank. Ram became the word of the market..Ram moved the busines multifolds and after few years Ram was transferred on promotion. After Ram left the teritory the customers for years spoke about Ram.

Teaching people how to initiate talk and how to talk is very critical to attain early success and increase productivity.Else most of us will be salesman but do not know how to talk. All of us know that the business decision is a few minutes decision but that will come only after we talk. Talking enables building relationship. No harm if we converse how laudable Kangana’s actions in Queen was if that is what will bring in establishing connect with the customer.

“Bath Karne Se Bath Banthi Hai”