Submitted by:

Shubhankar Otta

Ref No.:

KHR2009PGDMRMF039

PGDM RMM 2009-2011

Lead Generation,

Business Development

and Channel

Management for Grass

Blades Pvt. Ltd. In Partial Fulfillment of Summer Project

Company Guide :-

Mrs. Swati Palande

Business Development Manager

Grass Blades Pvt. Ltd.

Faculty Guide :-

Prof. Sangeeta Trott

ITM Business School, Navi

Mumbai

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Acknowledgement

I would like to extend sincere thanks to Ms. Swati Palande, Business Development Manager, my

Company Guide, for her timely advice and encouragement. I would like to express my gratitude

to the Grass Blades Pvt. Ltd for giving me this opportunity to work and learn in the organization.

This project would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of

everyone there.

Sincere gratitude is extended to my faculty guide, Prof. Sangeeta Trott for your time, ideas, and

assistance with the project. Thank you also to Mr. Nawaf Parkar, Director, Grass Blades Pvt. Ltd.

and Mr. Piyush Sharma, Director, Grass Blades Pvt. Ltd. for their kind support and advice

throughout the period of my internship.

A special thanks is extended to Reetu, Baksh and fellow interns at Grass Blades Pvt. Ltd. and

the staff at ITM for their assistance.

Last but not the least I’d like to thank God for giving me enough strength to complete this

project successfully.

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Table of Contents

Sl.No. Topic Page no.

1. Executive Summary 4

2. Introduction 6

3. Company Profile 7

4. Product Bag 12

5. Objectives 15

6. The Process 16

7. Lead Generation 21

8. Follow Up 22

9. Sales Converted 23

10. Results 25

11. Dealer Management 26

12. Branding 28

13. Suggestions 29

14. Summary 30

15. Reference 31

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1. Executive Summary

Grass Blades Pvt. Ltd. deals in various kinds of lawnmowers (both electric and petrol), lawn

tractors and power tools like hedge trimmers, chainsaws, brush cutters, etc. Apart from the

lawn care equipments the company has the entire range of golf course maintenance products

along with electric cart vehicles. The company also deals with an all spare parts company

R&RTM.

The company’s entire range of products targets aptly the Indian customers as they are the

cheapest in the market in most of the products. Apart from this, the company also is the

exclusive dealer for the luxury electric cart vehicle maker Garia, which is produced at the

automotive factory of the luxury carmaker Porsche. This also grabs the eyeballs of all those

luxury hungry top notch corporate golfers who can use this for their private purpose.

I have been fortunate enough and the only one to get the role of generating leads in three

different locations of India i.e. Bangalore, Orissa (Cuttack & Bhubaneswar) and Chennai. The

first month was in Bangalore. I have been provided with a database of prospective clients or

customers as raw data. First I have to make a cold call and try to fix an appointment with the

client. If that is done, the next step was to visit the client and tell him about the product bag

that the company deals with. Although the company deals with multi-brand multi-product

items, but I was specifically asked to concentrate on Stiga products as we are the exclusive

dealer for Stiga in the country.

The work profile also included to gauge the client’s mindset and to map the account size of the

client i.e. nothing but the amount the client is willing to spend on this head. Initially we were

told to only generate the leads for the company, but later on we were allowed to close the deal

for the company if any. We were also asked to do the follow up with the client either via email

or by calling based on the need of the client. We also have to find prospective dealers for the

company in select cities. We have to follow a proper ‘dealer qualification technique’ to select

the dealer which includes the estimated amount of business a dealer can make annually or

quarterly.

At the end of the day we have to send an email with the ‘DSR-Daily Sales Report’ to the

directors of the company. Weekly our performance was assessed and suggestions were given to

be implemented in the future weeks.

It was truly a life time experience for me because it feels great when the leads get converted

and when especially you convert those leads without having any prior sales experience.

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Total Sales achieved by me in 3 regions:-Rs 10 lacs,

Total lead generated:-Rs 20 lacs,

Total Incentive received: Rs 10000

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2. Introduction

Grass Blades, a young and vibrant Indian Company, primarily focuses on building a market

outfit which provides turf solutions on value proposition to its customers rather than selling on

specifications. The company is headquartered in Navi Mumbai and has its warehouse and

primary service centre in Navi Mumbai. The company came into existence because of the vision

of Mr. Nawaf Parkar and Mr. Piyush Sharma. They have been associated with this industry for a

very long period and aptly understand the changing dynamics, technical knowhow and

strategies associated with the industry. Mr. Nawaf Parkar (B.Tech. Aerospace Engg., IIT

Bombay) spearheads the Technical team while Mr. Piyush Sharma (B.E. Electrical Engg.) is in

charge of the Sales team.

My assignment in the role of an intern was to understand the available clientele, and to

identify new ones. In the process, my primary objective was to generate leads which in the long

run can be converted in to customers.

Since Grass Blades is a multi-product, multi-brand company, the positioning of the company

was a little difficult for the target customers to perceive. Hence our assignment also included

generating awareness about the brand “Grass Blades” and the varied product bag.

The sales strategy of Grass Blades is constituted into- Direct and Channel selling. Channel selling

is done through dealers in various parts of the country. One of my objectives was to identify

dealers in select cities and towns and to manage existing dealers.

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3. Company Profile

INTRODUCTION

Grass Blades is a young and vibrant Indian company with a primary focus of building a

marketing outfit which provides turf solutions on value proposition to its customers rather than

selling on specifications.

Having a diverse product profile suiting various segments, Grass Blades is positioned to supply

quality turf care and horticultural equipments all over India. We offer our customers the latest

available models providing the best value for their budget. Our products are sourced from

reputed suppliers selected from UK, USA and Far East Countries. All our partners are

international players of repute. We have a dealer channel connecting South and West of India.

SEGMENT & SOLUTION

Golf Courses

In India there are around 250 odd courses and the turf maintenance machinery market is ruled

by international big ticket players. Hence, maintaining golf course becomes very expensive

practice. There is a need to reduce it.

Grass Blades positions itself here.

We provide latest available models of golf maintenance equipments and merchandising

products, to international, medium and low budget courses for best value through direct

marketing and retail channels.

Horticulture

The horticulture scenario of the country is rapidly changing. The production and productivity of

horticultural crops have increased manifold. Research system in horticulture is now geared to

provide necessary technological support to the expanding horticultural industry. Automation is

the key for development in this field.

We help farmers with our horticultural range by promoting value addition for easy and fast

farming.

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Landscape

Landscaping enhances property values & visibility. Well-maintained landscapes in business

areas send a "We Care" message to the customers, lower perceived job stress and improve

worker productivity. Landscapes are found in hotels, hospitals, institutes & parks. Maintaining

budgets for this varies from place to place.

Quality in budget landscape maintenance equipments adds up to our product profile.

Electric Vehicles

In recent years, increased concerns over the environmental impact of gasoline cars has brought

about renewed interest in electric carts, which are perceived to be more environmentally

friendly and cheaper to run and maintain. The cornerstone of our business is the environment,

so we do everything we can to protect it at our facilities and in the field. These cars are

essentially for “In Campus Use” and are used by corporate, institutes having large campus area

for internal movement. This also includes their CSR in terms of reduction of air pollution.

Grass Blades has battery operated golf carts and shuttle vehicles for this cause…

Product Bag

Low cost turf maintenance equipment: Reel Mowers, Aerators, Scarifiers, Dethatchers, Gang

Mowers, Rollers, Top dressers & Spreaders

Push Mowers: Electric, Gasoline & Manual mowers

Lawn Tractors: Regular & Zero Turn

Battery operated electric cars & shuttle vehicles

Power tools: Chainsaws, Hedge trimmers, Brush cutters

Others: Leaf blowers, snow blowers, Power tools, Wood Chippers, Driving

Range equipments.

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Target Markets

Forests, Parks, Gardens, Farms, etc.

Corporate Parks, SEZ, Industries, Plants, Schools, Institutes, etc.

Golf Courses, Football Grounds, Other Sports Grounds, etc.

Hotels, Resorts, Farmhouses, Clubhouses, etc.

Government – Railways, Defense, Development Authorities, etc.

Associated Brands

Reel Mowers, Edger –

Spreader, Sprayer –

Sod Cutters, Dethatchers, Seeders –

Lawn Mowers/ Tractors –

Turf Maintenance Equipment –

Leaf Vacuum –

Electric Vehicles -

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Competitors

Turf Maintenance Equipment- Ransomes Jacobsen, Toro.

Lawn Mowers/ Tractors/Power Tools- Ratnagiri Impex (Oleomac), Murray, Stihl, Rover.

Electric Vehicle- Club Car, E-Z-Go, Yamaha, Maini.

Modes of Selling

Direct Selling

At a basic level it may be defined as marketing and selling products, direct to consumers

away from a fixed retail location. Sales are typically made through party plan, one to

one demonstrations, and other personal contact arrangements.

The intention is to market products like Turf Maintenance Equipment, Golf Carts,

Electric Vehicles, and Utility Vehicles through the company representatives. The market

for these products is scattered and niche. Hence, it is the duty of the concerned regional

Sales Head to pinpoint golf courses and other segments to market and sell these

products. The company aims to achieve a direct contact with the customer and establish

a long term relationship.

Channel Selling:

The selling of products through another party where we are not in direct contact with

the customer is called channel selling. Grass Blades has appointed dealers in different

cities of the country to sell the Horticultural & Agricultural Equipment, Landscape & Turf

Equipment.

An agreement is made between the company and the dealer on the basis of which

business is established. If an order originates from an area where dealer is present, the

order is rerouted through the dealer. The company aims to achieve volume sales

through the dealer network. Currently the products under STIGATM brand are sold in the

market through dealers.

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Pricing:

Dealer Network Price (DNP):

It is the price at which the company sells its products to dealers. The STIGATM brand

products are available at ex-stock with the company. The dealer chooses to stock them

at bulk or order as per requirement.

Suggested Listed Price (SLP):

This is price suggested by the company for the product. Generally it is arrived at after a

20-30% markup on the DNP. For direct marketing of product the company quotes SLP to

the customer.

Maximum Retail Price (MRP):

The MRP is usually a 20% markup on the SLP. The company or dealer cannot sell a

product at a price above this mark.

Instate sales attract Maharashtra Value Added Tax (MVAT) and out of state sales attract

Central Sales Tax (CST). Also, transportation and Octroi is applicable as per norms.

Distribution:

Grass Blades sources its products from US, Europe and the Far East. Currently only the STIGATM

range of products is kept ex-stock. All the other products are sourced on order with the lead

time varying from 30 days to 60 days. The logistics support for import is provided by a freight

forwarding company appointed by Grass Blades. For inbound logistics Grass Blades has tied up

with numerous freight forwarders such as TNT and GATI. The company has a logistics team in

place that keeps a track of all the orders. The important thing is to fulfill the commitment given

on lead time.

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4. Product Bag

1. Paladin Mower

2. Reel Mower

3. National Mower 8400

Honda 4hp engine

Width of Cut: 21” or 24”

Mowing Head: 11 blade with front grooved roller

HOC: 1.6-11mm” Increments, Grass Catcher

Optional Accessories: Groomer, Verticutter, Transport Carrier Kit

Honda 4hp engine

Width of Cut: 20” or 27”

Mowing Head: Fixed head with roller

HOC: 9-30mm

Optional Accessories: Grass Catcher, Sulky attachment with roller, speed reducer kit

16 HP Briggs & Stratton® “Vanguard” engine

Width of Cut: 84”

Cutting Units: Three 30” Power Driven Full Floating Heads

HOC: 5/8” to 2¼” With Easy to Use Dial-A-Height System

Optional Accessories: Rear Roller

Scrapers, Anti-Scalp Front Rollers and

Vertical Mowing System Attachment

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4. Turf PM 3084

5. ESTATE ROYAL

6. AMP RIDER

7. WIDE AREA WALK 1034

27 HP Kawasaki or Kohler engine

Fuel Capacity: 28 liters

Width of Cut: 84”

Cutting Units: Three 30” Floating 7-bladed hydraulic head

HOC: 1/2” to 2 ½”

18.5hp Briggs & Stratton Intek engine

Hydrostatic Transmission

40” Cutting width, Two collecting/mulching blades

320 litres grass box capacity, 7 litres fuel capacity

Cutting height interval 7 pos from 25mm to 90mm

4hp Traction Motor and 2 1.7hp DC Spindle Motors

75 minutes of continuous cutting time

34" Cutting Width; 1.5" - 4.5" cutting heights

No gas refills, No oil changes, No gas fumes, 50% less noise

Recharges overnight (16 hours)

10.5 hp Briggs & Stratton® I/C Engine

Variable On-The-Fly System for Forward & Reverse Drive

34" Twin Spindle Cutting Width, 1.5" - 3.5" cutting heights

Passive parking brake system

Operator zone key electric start and throttle control

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8. Turbo 53 S

9. Collector 46 EL

10. Brush Cutters SB 51 DS and SB 43 DS

11. Ex-Car Electric Golf and Shuttle Cart

Briggs & Stratton Engine 675 series XVS Ready Start

Cutting width: 51 cm

Cutting height interval: 6 positions from 25 to 90 mm

Textile/Plastic 60 litres grass box capacity

Collecting, Mulching, Rear discharge

Briggs & Stratton Engine 500 series XMH

Cutting width: 44 cm

Cutting height interval: 5 positions from 30 to 67 mm

Plastic 55 litres grass box capacity

Collecting or Mulching system

Displacement: 47.1cc or 42.7cc

Power: 2 kW/2.72hp or 1.4kW/1.9hp

Bike Handle, Easy Start

Tap & Go Nylon Head, 4 Teeth Blade

Weight: 8.8kg or 8.65kg

2 to 14 seater passenger capacity

USA Trojan Batteries,

USA Curtis Controllers,

USA ADC Motor,

USA Carlisle Tyres

Italian Graziano transaxle

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5. Objectives

To create awareness of the brand “Grass Blades” and the brands associated with it

To generate leads that are viable and have potential to be converted into customers

To map the account size of these leads

To close sales if leads generated are converted into customers

To trace prospective dealers in select cities for STIGATM

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6. The Process

1. Pre Sale preparation:

In this stage, I have prepared myself with adequate knowledge about the product I

will sell, the company I will represent, the market in which I will sell, competitor

knowledge, the client details and various selling techniques to be applied.

The company had arranged a 3 day training program for all the interns. In these 3

days we were trained on the products, competitors, market and the selling

techniques to be followed for the various segments like Golf-courses, Hotels and

Resorts, Institutes, Real-estate and Construction Companies, Factories and plants,

Government and Municipal bodies.

2. Prospecting:

The process of identifying potential customers who have a need for the products and

services offered by the company, the ability to pay for it, and the adequate authority to buy

it is called prospecting.

I was provided with a raw database of Chennai, Bangalore and Orissa during the training

period along with their contact details. My primary task was to identify the decision maker

for e.g., curator of a stadium, purchase manager of a firm, Executive engineer for a

Government body, etc.

I identified the prospects by making cold calls and introducing the company and the product

bag through emails. After this process , a meeting is usually set up on the same day or a day

convenient to the prospect.

Approach to

the customers

Pre-approach

before interview

Prospecting Pre-Sale

preparation

Closing the

sale

Handling customer

objections

Sales

presentation

Follow up

action

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3. Pre-approach before interview:

Before I approach the customers with the interview it is necessary to develop a strategy by

collecting customer data and combining them with the product attributes as a fit for

satisfying the individual and organizational needs.

Some important attributes like turnover of the company, existing and impending projects,

past expenditure and annual budget allocation if available are essential components for any

approach. Strategies were developed by combining these data along with the product

attributes in order to generate leads

Before approaching the customer a FAB analysis is done. FAB stands for features,

advantages and benefits of the product to be presented to the prospect. Also a differential

advantage analysis with the competitor’s product is done which basically addresses the

issue of why our product should be preferred.

4. Approach to the customers:

When the prospect is classified and the selling strategy is developed to satisfy the customer

needs, a contact is established by me with the potential customer and efforts are made to

influence them for a favorable decision.

It was essential from my point of view to treat this stage with utmost precision since this

step defines the initial interest of the prospect. I maintained the minute etiquettes such as

formal dressing, punctuality, exchanging visiting cards, gestures, etc during my approach.

Some commonly occurring mistakes that needed checking were:

Disregarding the concept of first impression

Forgetting the goal of obtaining the order

Selling the company’s image than the products

Lack of responses to needs and objections of customers

Overcomplicating with technicality and managerial jargons

Relying on product literature for product information

Talking and arguing instead of listening

Brushing off questions and objections

Failing to ask for the order

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5. Sales presentation:

There is a two-way communication between the salesperson and the prospect

during a sales presentation. Here I presented the company’s products and services

before the prospect and tried to create and modify their interest into sales

realization.

While giving sales presentation I have always tried to link the features and attributes

of the product with the customer needs so that the gap or conflict and level of

customer objection can be reduced in the subsequent stages.

If the customer agrees with the opening idea, I have always tried for a possible

closure. When the customer looks for more information and probes further I have

tried to deliver additional benefits and if the customer is indifferent I have probed

him more for further information. At times when the customer has some doubts

regarding the product performance and delivery of the brand promise I have

arranged for a product demonstration.

During the course of my internship I have pitched to various industries. The product

bag differs from industry to industry and hence the presentation has to be different

each time. Also in some instances the technicalities involved was very high. For

instance whenever I have visited a golf course, my technical knowledge about the

product was tested. And, one of the most important factors that used to affect the

presentation was the question on after sales services. One of the ways in which I

tackled this problem was by assuring the prospect a service incentive for the

purchase. Service incentive involved fortnightly or monthly complementary visits by

the service technicians during the warranty period.

Generally, the presentation is done with the help of Power Point. A brief

specification and image of the product is presented before the customer. The

presentation is accompanied with a physical portfolio of the product bag.

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6. Handling Customer Objections:

Customers make objections after or during the presentation. These objections are

many times excuses for not buying. Objections normally pause the sales process

because the customer either has not fully understood the product and its benefits,

or is not fully in agreement with the salesperson.

During a typical presentation, the customer is concerned about various problems

that he may face after the purchase. The most important question is on after sales

service. Since, all our products involve machinery and moving parts it is imperative

to service the product periodically. The customer generally cites example of past

experiences with other companies as objection. The objection cannot be handled

with an assurance of better performance from our side. To handle this objection, a

service incentive is offered or reference of already existing customer is given. The

following points should be taken into consideration while negotiating the objections:

Start with highest expectations

Avoid conceding first

Be sure the customer understands the value of a concession

Make concession in small amounts

Admit mistakes and make corrections willingly

Be prepared to withdraw a concession

Avoid split the difference strategy

Do not advertise willingness to concede

7. Closing the Sale:

Closing the sale is the goal in any selling process for a salesperson, which comes

after the objections are handled effectively, and the customer is satisfied with the

presentation and is ready to place an order.

Before closing the sale, the customer interest can be judged if they ask for a

quotation of the product. The quotation consists of the product details briefly, the

unit and total price, tax and transportation charges and payment modes and terms.

Once the customer receives the quotation he responds back by raising a Purchase

Order (PO). As soon as the PO reaches us the order is logged. When the payment is

made in partial or full, the Logistics department issues a delivery order. The invoice

for the product is dispatched with the product to the customer’s address. The

warranty for the product also starts on the date mentioned in the invoice.

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8. After Sales Action:

A B2B sale is generally not a onetime affair. Any business organization wishes to

continue its relationship with the customer for as long as possible. Similarly, Grass

Blades maintains the relationship with its customers by responding sincerely to their

complaints and problems,

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7. Lead Generation When you have 50 potential prospects,25 qualified prospects, 17 interviews and you

achieve 7 sale, then it is called a successful prospecting. However, lead generation comes

into picture during the phase from a qualified prospect to a sale converted. A lead

generated may or may not convert to a sale, but a “generated lead” always has the best

chance to get converted into a possible sale. So in order to get a sale you have to have a

lead generated but not vice versa.

Lead generation is a marketing term that refers to the creation or generation of prospective

consumer interest or inquiry into a business' products or services. So, as the definition says,

it is not always important to have a sale, but as long as the consumer is taking interest and

making enquiry there is definitely an existing need and you can always fulfill that need.

Because, even a simple lead generated can lead to a bigger sale in due course of time if it is

well attended to.

During my course of internship, I came across with many such leads which converted into a

sale or are still in the process of probing. For e.g. during my stay in Cuttack, Orissa I made a

visit to the famous Barabati Stadium in the starting days of my stint there. They had a

requirement for a lawn tractor. As a routine work, I also did the same sales presentation

there. Their reactions were positive but they didn’t place the order immediately. Now,

comes the role of the Sales executive to take inference from their reactions and to decide

whether it qualifies them as a lead or not. I judged them as a healthy lead and as all other

cricket stadiums need approval of the Barabati stadium to do a purchase of machine I kept

following up with the lead. Finally after one month of enquiry, demonstration and

negotiation they raised a purchase order for the highest value machine available in our

product bag.

During my stay in Bangalore, I visited Sports Authority of India and did the presentation. The

first half an hour of our discussion went in the customer’s dissatisfaction with the service

rendered by the current supplier. I listened to him patiently and tried to take him into

confidence by citing the advantages of our company’s service and not speaking a word

against the competitor’s product. I think this is where my classroom study came handy and

it worked. The prospect assured me of an order but as it was a government organization it

took time. The back end here at the headquarters did follow up properly and the SAI is

going to release the purchase order in September 1st week.

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8. Follow Up

After a lead is generated it’s very necessary to do the follow up for successfully converting it

into a sale. For that to happen, we need to keep in touch with the lead at a suitable time

according to his or her convenient time which can be done in 3 different ways:

1) By calling the prospect with the help of the number mentioned on the visiting card

which is usually collected during the prospect’s interview.

2) By e-mail, if mentioned in the visiting card.

3) By personally visiting if you think the prospect is too interested or the prospect is not

responding because he is too busy

Some prospects don’t like to get calls directly because of their busy schedule. They rather

like the communication via e-mail.

I have taken care of these things minutely and I made sure to give calls and e-mails not so

frequently. There is a thin line of difference while deciding on the frequency of calls to be

made or not to be made. Because reminding the prospect of your existence in the market is

also equally important. These things get fine tuned by my experience on field gradually.

Personal visits also become a part of the lead follow up when the prospect is usually busy.

In Bangalore, I made 4 visits, at times during night also, after I dropped my catalogue there

just to explain the product technicality to the director of Lal Bagh Botanical gardens which

comes under the agricultural department of the state directly.

One more interesting thing I noticed about the lead follow up is using reference when

available to take the prospect into confidence and the lead conversion becomes much

easier.

In Orissa, I met with Mr. A.N. Dhar, chief horticulturist of Bhubaneswar Development

Authority.

After finishing the presentation, I gave him the reference of Mr. Sutu Ghosh, who is the

curator of Barabati Stadium, Cuttack and one of our esteemed clients in Orissa, while citing

example of where our products are already being used. To my good fortune, both of them

were classmates and Mr. Dhar got a positive feedback from Mr. Ghosh about our product.

He immediately placed an order of Rs 5,00,000. So relationship building is an important

factor in business as they will help you in making more business.

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9. Sales Converted

In Sales, finally what matters at the end of the day is the amount revenue you are

generating or the amount of business you are bringing to the company. These are a few

sales guidelines which everyone needs to follow during a sales closure.

1. Create an Opportunity to Reconnect: Whatever your business, ensure that you get more

than just one opportunity to showcase your knowledge, skills or products. This follow-up

meeting is a great opportunity for reinforcing your target client's recognition and recall of

your company and an excellent way of enhancing your credibility.

2. Find a Common Ground: Do not rush your customers into making a purchase. After all,

customer loyalty and repeat sales are much more valuable than immediate profit. Instead of

hustling your customers, try to find a common ground with them. Find a common interest

or hobby to discuss. This will give your customers the chance to get to know you and to stop

thinking of you as someone who's merely after their money. By using trust and character as

the foundation of your marketing strategies, you can increase your conversion rates, gain

bigger sales and create long-term business relationships.

3. Aligning Goals: Get to know your prospect's goals as well as his concerns and perceptions

about your product and industry. This will help you improve your business to better serve

your clients; it will also help you work out a more effective sales pitch and find a unique

selling point on which you can focus.

4. Keep in Touch: Even if a sale falls through, you shouldn't cross your prospect off your

marketing list. Keep in touch by sending him useful and interesting information via email;

you can use an auto-responder program to automate this. This will help you earn your

prospect's recognition. You will also be easier to recall when your prospect needs a product

or service in your industry.

I’d like to share a closure experience which I had during the three months internship.

The first sale of your life is always very interesting and motivating is what I have always

heard. I experienced it after one and half months of serious field work, consistency and

most importantly perseverance. Though the sales amount is not very eye catching but it

lead to many big orders in the later phase of the training program. I went to the famous

Ravenshaw University of Orissa. I went to the administration office and spoke to the

administration office about my purpose of visit. He immediately guided me to the sports

officer of the University. When I had a word with him he asked me to come after half an

hour. After one hour of my wait I finally managed to spoke to him. The story started with

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the same old service complaints and spare parts supply worries. I patiently listened to the

prospect. I was continuously probed about each and every product for about 30 minutes

before which I was quite clearly told that they don’t have any requirement then. But I

managed to somehow successfully answer all their queries. But during the probing I

managed to somehow gauge that they are willing for the electric lawn mower. Just before

finishing the meeting, I enquired the officer by telling “The electric lawn mower is on

demand in the entire market as it is priced very low”. I struck gold. He immediately asked

me the price and within 10 minutes after speaking to the director, he placed an order. As at

that point of time, we didn’t have any dealer in Orissa I have to deliver it at the doorstep of

the customer, had to show the demo and had to collect the check too. He also gave me two

references out of which one became our customer.

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10. Results Customer’s Name Place Product Sold Amount

Ravenshaw University Cuttack 1 STIGA Collector 46 EL (Electric LawnMower)

Rs 15,000

KIIT University Bhubaneswar 1 STIGA Collector 46 EL (Electric LawnMower)

Rs 15,000

Barabati Stadium Cuttack 1 STIGA Estate Royal (Lawn tractor)

Rs 2,75,000

Indian Plant Feeds Bhubaneswar 1 STIGA Collector 46EL and 1 STIGA Collector 35 EL (Electric LawnMower)

Rs 22,500

Sarada Mines Belpahar,Orissa 1 STIGA Estate Royal (lawn tractor)

Rs 2,75,000

KIIT University Bhubaneswar 1 STIGA Estate Royal (lawn tractor)

Rs 2,75,000

Sutu Ghosh (Dealer) Bhubaneswar 3 STIGA Collector 46 EL (Electric LawnMower) 4 STIGA Collector 35 EL (Electric LawnMower) 1 STIGA turbo 53 S BW petrol lawn mower 2 STIGA SB 51 Brsushcutters 1 manual STIGA freeclip

Rs 45,000 Rs 30,000 Rs 40,000 Rs 68,000 Rs 4,200

Fermier Engineers Pvt Ltd

Chennai 1 STIGA Collector 46 EL (Electric LawnMower)

Rs 15,000

Kone Elevators Chennai 1 STIGA Collector 35 EL (Electric LawnMower)

Rs 7,500

Total Rs 10,87,200

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11. Branding

A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business. A brand can take many forms,

including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. The word brand began simply as a

way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected

brand name is called a trademark. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass

identity - it affects the personality of a product, company or service.

There is always a slight confusion in the customer’s mind when the name of the product and

company is different. Grass Blades deals in a number of products of reputed brand name

namely STIGATM, AriensTM, Tru CutTM, GravelyTM, etc. Even though Grass Blades is the sole

distributors of these products in India the challenge is to brand Grass Blades in such a way all

problems related to lawn and turf maintenance products is answered at one doorstep-Grass

Blades. The positioning of the company states “to give quality solutions that are cost effective

and world class at the same time”.

The color associated with the company’s logo itself speaks for the business they are in. Also the

creativity in the logo characterizes the uniqueness and attention to detail.

Any brand starts with a product. To make a mark as a well known and appreciated brand, the

product has to be accepted first. There are certain industry specific parameters that determine

the quality of a product based on technical composition. Let us now take the example of

STIGATM and do an FAB analysis to understand the importance of product in branding.

Stiga Products FAB Analysis:

Features:

1. Product range includes electric lawn mowers, petrol lawn mowers and lawn tractors.

2. Power tools like hedge trimmers, brush cutters and chainsaws also there in the product

bag.

3. Many varieties in petrol and electric lawn mowers like petrol self propelled and push

lawn mowers.

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Advantages:

1. Dealer operated network at most of the major cities in India.

2. Price of the products best in the industry till now in comparison with International

brands

3. Least delivery period compared to others

4. Company promoters are ex-Jacobsen employees.

Benefits :

1. Best Service to the customer as all the dealers are experienced and ex-Oleomac and

Honda dealers

2. They get the best quality machine at the lowest possible price with an International

repute

3. Customers stay in direct touch with Company’s sales and Service guys, so they feel more

safe when they need service

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12. Dealer Management

Grass Blades is the sole distributor of STIGATM products for the Indian Sub-Continent.

They have appointed dealers in major cities such as Pune, Bangalore, Delhi, Calcutta, Goa,

Bhubhaneshwar, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Indore, and Coimbatore as channel partners. The

dealers are sold products on DNP.

On the grass root level, it becomes important to understand the dynamics of the local market

where one intends to market and sell a product. How do we connect with these customers,

understand their needs and service them with promptness, is something that Grass Blades had

to introspect. The answer is someone who understands the area, already doing business there

and is willing to stock up the products for sales. These are some of the basic requirements that

the company demanded from the prospective dealers. As discussed earlier, with STIGATM the

company intends to do sales based on volumes. With the appointment of dealers as channel

partners in select cities the company aspires to fulfill recurring orders because a Point of Sale

(POS) is created.

Part of the internship program was also to tap prospective dealers at select cities. One such City

was Cuttack, Orissa. And I managed to tap one such dealer in Cuttack who has ordered for more

than the amount ordered by any other dealer in any other part of India. I was a bit lucky

though. All this started when I went to the most prospective client anyone would love to have,

Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. I managed to impress the treasurer and the administration officer

of the stadium during the presentation. Barabati Stadium not only is itself a big prospect but

also it has the power to approve all other Cricketing Stadiums in Orissa. After 3 weeks of

continuous follow up, I again got a call from the stadium. This time he was the curator of the

Stadium. He grilled me about the price and the service conditions. He also enquired me about

the dealers in Orissa. When he came to know that we are interested in finding potential dealers

in that region he also shown his interest in becoming a dealer. After a proper dealer

qualification procedure which includes gauging his spending capacity, his contacts, service

facility and his business interests he was appointed as a dealer of the company in that region.

As he was already in the landscaping business he managed to bag many big orders along with

the Barabati order in a very short span through his contacts in entire Orissa. Barabati order

qualified us as a known player in the market and helped us to bag many small orders too from

other corporate offices like Infosys, etc.

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13. Suggestions

1. The back end office should do effective follow up.

Initially the job assigned to us was only of lead generation. While generating leads I have

been constantly asked by the prospects to provide them with a product price list. I have

asked the back end to provide the prospects with the same but there was either no

response or was responded very late. This may lead to lose some very prospective

customers in future.

2. Stiga products should be distributed through a dealer operated network only

It was noticed during the training period that products like lawnmowers, tractors and

brushcutters have high demand. And those who need it come asking for it. Dealers who are

well known for their service receive maximum orders for these products. We need to tap

these dealers in every region of the country and should distribute our products through

them, as they have their own set of fixed customers which will come to them only. Dealers

should be qualified very carefully based on their level of interest in dealing with our

products

3. Customer base at Mumbai needs to be stronger.

Mumbai, being the head office of the company, needs to back it up with sales. Opearations

in Mumbai started from October 2009, but sales figures in Mumbai are not so pleasing. Nor

the dealers operating in this region are producing interesting results. A proper experienced

sales team should be appointed for better results.

4. A separate sales team for marketing Fiora Cars and Garia golf Carts needs to be

appointed.

These are products that need a certain level of expertise to present and generally the

clientele is corporate honchos. Hence, a dedicated sales team is required for this section.

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14. Summary

This company and industry was new to my knowledge. The industry is still largely unorganized

and it is companies like Grass Blades who are trying to bring some organized structure in place.

When a certain industry becomes organized it is easy for the consumer, because now someone

is accountable and cannot just sell and leave. ‘

Being a Startup company, I was involved right from the strategy phase to implementation phase

for many activities. This experience has given me new perspective on business management.

The company has an open door policy and nowhere during the course of my internship did I

have a feeling of not belonging there rather I felt as a part of that organization and it increased

my zeal and determination to perform better and deliver.

Majority of the consumers of turf/lawn maintenance equipments and power tools are unaware

of the presence of branded products available in the market at rates which fit their budget. This

communication was one of the objectives I tried to convey to the prospects during my

internship.

Similarly, the generation of leads which formed a formidable database for the company was my

primary objective. Also, I was involved in the process of dealer tapping for some major cities in

Maharashtra.

Sales is not everybody’s cup of tea. However, if someone is passionate, patient and dedicated

to it then there is no limit to which one can elevate to.

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15. References

Panda, T. K., & Sahadev, S. (2009). Sales and Distribution Management. New Delhi: Oxford

University Press.

www. grassblades.net

www.stiga.com