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SAMAVESH 2004 Following on the heels of this session was the much-anticipated competition, "Sell Hard - The Sales Challenge". This contest aimed to uncover the finest diamond in the rough, i.e., the person with the best sales pitch, the one person who in all probability could sell the grim reaper a 'new and improved' scythe. The jury, upon whom the responsibility of choosing that person lay, comprised of: Mr. M. K. Rajan, VP, Marketing, Fulford; Mr. Anuj Bhargava, VP, TCS; Mr. Pravin Kulkarni, Head, Mktg. Parle Biscuits and Mr. Ashish Gupta, DGM, British Scaffolding India Ltd. The competitors were given their tasks and an hour to prepare their sales pitches and be ready to present the same to one among the jury. Thus, Sugandha, who tried to raise funds for an NGO from Mr. Bhargava who played the part of a hard as nails PRO for a reputed company and Shreesh Shukla, who attempted to sell steel scaffolding to Mr. Gupta, who played the role of a representative of a leading Construction company, were adjudged to be joint second place winners. Vishal Agarwal, donning the mantle of a medical rep pushing a herbal product for diabetics to Mr. Rajan, who portrayed an eminent doctor, was declared the winner and duly acknowledged as the one most likely to be able to sell sea water to a seal. However, the real judgment lay in deciding whether young Mr. Agarwal had in fact sold his soul to the devil himself, in order to be the salesman he is and had thus acquired an unfair advantage over the rest of the field. The consensus was that he would've had to have to produce a gem of a sales pitch in order to so anyway. So, in the end, it was decided that the first prize was well deserved either way. The final event conducted during Samavesh was a series of talks given, to come up with ideas as to "How can India double its exports in 5 years without government interference?" Industry experts such as Mr. S. Prahalathan, DGM, EXIM Bank; Mr. Ramakrishna Iyer, VP, Wallace Pharmaceuticals and Mr. Ratneesh Kumar, DGM, Exports Division, Welspun India, took turns presenting their opinions on what had to be done to push India's exports into overdrive. The pharma and textile experts looked at it from a focused point of view and zeroed in on exactly what needed to be done in the near future to consolidate on the present export situation in the respective fields, and Mr. Prahalathan gave a broad overview of the various sectors that would actively contribute towards the goal of doubling exports. The speakers identified the strengths and advantages that India held over other countries, the potential of the Indian manufacturing and service sectors to grow by means of exports, and the markets that would be targeted by the various sectors in India and imminent changes in these markets that are likely to affect the current trading levels with India. They also talked about the need to gear up for the export push by means of improved standards of production and increased R&D in the fields of biotech, pharma, agriculture and hardware. Technology is set to play a vital role in attaining strong positions in foreign markets, and exporters must strive to build competencies in their respective areas and attempt to build a strong image associated with good quality and service. Exporters must learn to play by the rules prevailing in their foreign markets and develop country specific strategies to compete with the local players by establishing proper marketing and brand management set-ups in these markets. The roles of RTAs, FTAs and the WTO were also addressed along with concerns about the present state and scale of operations in India. The speakers concurred that doubling exports in 5 ears would be possible provided Indian exporters managed to establish strong value chains in international markets. It was thus that the two day event, Samavesh, came to a close, with one beady eye on the present situation in the areas of marketing, economics and international business, and the other on the future, with its peculiarities, surprises and all of its promise. Concluded. Click here to post your views/ comments/ experince on this... Contributed by - |
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