The sad story of Telecom untouchables...reshared

I had published this article a while ago but the current blood bath in the telecom sector makes me reshare this for all my telecom friends and gurus -

In India the word distribution and retail network was attributed to FMCG businesses that had created ecosystems networks that were un paralleled and unbeatable. They were scalable, robust and cost effective too. This was pre technology (sun rise industries then) boom and advent of telecom.

When telcos came they realised that their model would work on a similar pattern and so they all decided to replicate the FMCG distribution model. They even hired some of the best and top talent from FMCG to do this for them. The FMCG cos didn’t like the fact that most of their better talent moved on with better options and surely much higher CTCs! They however didn’t realise that imitation is the greatest form of flattery and telcos wanted to do what they had already done.

Shortly afterwards the chela’s (telcos) did a one up on the guru’s (FMCG) by going down into the finest level of granularity with regards to distribution, visibility and availability. The chela’s not only got ahead but also created a few more efficient distribution models, riding the back of technology and being nimble. For once it would seem that the hare won the race and the turtle got left behind on this score. All this is a fact and cannot be challenged as there is solid data that talks about the reach of telecom and the market servicing and retail penetration, availability, visibility and distribution. So telcos took an old model and only made it better, sharper and contemporary with the use of technology and speed.

Unfortunately the sunshine industry is staring at an eclipse and is now under severe pressure. The most efficient and successful managers are in total disarray. Getting pink slips for no faults of theirs and are desperate for a decent job today. I meet many telco guys who are even happy to work at lesser salaries but are getting very few opportunities in the market.

Do FMCG organisations want to stick their neck out for these guys who learnt from them and improvised on those learnings? I come across many situations where FMCG organisations do not like to consider telecom employees for hiring. I often wonder why? Every organization wants to improve their distribution network and they are aware that there is a huge scope to get down to the smallest hamlet/village and get product availability and visibility up. Then why don’t they go to people who have been there and done that?

 In ancient times those who would go out to discover newer territories and experiences were welcomed back into the house/family/village so that they could enrich them with their experiences and new learnings. So if we work on this template then a telecom guy back in an FMCG can only make it better and can’t take it back from where it is. Yes one does understand that CTC and packages differ, but in current scenario both FMCG employers and telecom employees can reach a middle ground that works for all.

I have had a unique exposure which is equally balanced between FMCG and Telecom and have been away from both for the last 5 years. I am very fond of both the industries and I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the finest managers in both. I would love to see a happy co-existence between the two and not malice and misalignment. There is huge talent pool there for the FMCG/related organisations to pick and choose from and telco guys get to contribute again to improve their old domain. It’s a win- win for both.