Knowledge Is Of No Value Unless Put Into Practice
One of the things that separates the haves (the successful people) and
have nots (not so successful average people) is knowledge. Many of the have
nots might have many ways to get along in life but miss the cutting edge for
success – knowledge. Knowledge is what separates a winner from an also run.
Knowledge is the fact or condition of
knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. It
could be the knowing or understanding of a science, art, or technique. Being knowledgeable should be a life time
obsession. What are the areas in which
we should aim to have good knowledge?
1. Subject knowledge: Let’s take a case of a hotel management
graduate applying for a post in a reputed hotel. The candidate should have in-depth
knowledge about the hotel operations, the different areas for which positions have
been advertised, the job description and job expectations from the candidate.
Apart from this the candidate should also know the dress and the demeanor that
is expected. He should understand the jargon and the nitty gritty of running a hotel
business. In short the company expects that the suitable candidate to be job ready
and join as soon as possible. Gone are the days of extensive on the job training.
In the modern world one has to be ready to get down to business as fast as
possible.
2. Customer Knowledge: “If there is 24 hours’
time to cut the tree, sharpen the axe for 23 hours and thirty minutes”. The
time spent with the client is short and precious. Try to research and find out
as much as possible about the company and about the customer. Find out the company’s
turnover, its product range and the possible motive for thinking of buying the
new products. In-depth knowledge about the buying process and people involved is
very important. With better research it is quite easy to get the customer to
think positively about the products on offer. Understanding the consumer
behaviour, his buying style, the objections raised and the buying signals would
go a long way in making the life of a sales person become easier and more profitable.
3. Competitor Knowledge: “No man is an
island”. Man is a social being and thrives in other’s company. Similarly, none
of us can operate in isolation. Knowing about the competitors’ products, their
prices, their selling strategies and their plans will go a long way in blunting
their competitive edge and swinging the deal in our favour. Respecting the
competitors and not being too patronizing or being too contemptuous is the best
way to tackle the situation. Realize that all days are not going to be ours.
They win some, we win some and the life should go on.
4. Cricket Knowledge: Most people think
that all business transactions are very rational and cold blooded. But the reality
is very different. Each one of us is a bundle of emotions and one emotion that
binds all Indians is the love for cricket. All aspiring business students and
people who want to be in public space should inculcate a love for cricket. What
better way to get past the defence of a reluctant customer than to have an
excited discussion about Virat Kohli (knowing pretty well that the customer is
a huge fan of Virat Kohli). Once he opens up the chances of a business deal
with the customer become brighter.
5. Movie Knowledge: Indians love
movies and India produces the most films in the world. Indians are captivated with the story, the emotions
and the song and dance. Thus whether we like it or not working knowledge of films,
the latest blockbusters and the stars is very essential. This might not be very
useful in business scenario but could provide talking points in social gatherings
and parties.
6. Political Knowledge: India is the 7th biggest
country in the world and the biggest democracy. Indian politics are a melting
plot of contradictions, surprises, intrigue and drama. Developing political
knowledge by watching good English channels and reading reputed newspapers and
journals is imperative. Let not disassociate ourselves from the political cesspool.
Like Mahatma Gandhi said “be the change that you want to be”. Being political aware
and knowledgeable would make us less tolerant to political mistakes and may
shower in cleaner politics and better governance.
7. Self-Knowledge: Before we know about others it is better to
know about ourselves. What is our SWOT? (What are our Strengths, weaknesses,
and what opportunities and threats do we face?). It is better to build on our own
identifiable strengths and try to minimize the weaknesses. If a person is good
at social interactions and not very good at numbers, it is better to do the sales
and marketing functions and leave the accounting function to a person who loves
numbers.
8. Kinesics Knowledge (ability
to read non-verbal cues): All of us display non-verbal cues. Popularly called
body language, Kinesics is the art of reading body language. In many cases the
customers might say something and mean something else. “I will consider your
offer”. When this is said with clenched teeth means that the customer is not at
all interested in the offer. A sales person talking without meeting the eye is
signaling that what he is saying is a lie. A person sitting in a chair with
arms folded has become defensive. Learn to read non-verbal cues and see the difference
it makes in your life.
9. New Knowledge: Process of acquiring
new knowledge has to be continuous. Peters Principle says “A person rises to
the level of his incompetence in the organization”. Yes dear readers there is
no printer’s devil. You have read it right – every person rises to the level of
his incompetence. If a person is extremely good at sales and marketing
function, he would rise to the level of a regional head and stagnate. He is
incompetent to grow any further. Once the person has acquired all the skills
related to sales and marketing, new knowledge has to be acquired and only with
new Knowledge can the person grow to the next level. He has to acquire
Knowledge about accounting, finance, Human resources, legal issues and
strategic Management to fast track his career to the next level.
10. Effective Demonstration
Knowledge: product demonstration is a very important aspect of selling a
product. Most of the products/services that the customers are thinking of acquiring
are new to them and there is the fear of the unknown and skepticism.
Skepticism that the
product would not work and fear of ridicule that if a wrong purchase is made
that people could make fun of them. A sales person struggling with the product demonstration
leaves a very bad impression. The prospective customer would think “oh my god
the trained salesman himself is finding it so difficult to use the product,
what would be my fate if I were to buy it?”
The product
demonstration must be so smooth that the customer should think that using the
product is easy and convenient. An effective product demonstration will ally
the fear and will make the customers more receptive to the product and make
them seriously consider procuring it.
Two of the best
product demonstrations are the making of the Indian rumali roti (rumal in Urdu
means a handkerchief) and that of the making of the pizza base. The Indian
rumali roti is a big flat chapatti. The dough is rolled on a platform and then
the chef would throw the dough into the air. The dough would spin circularly
and would get bigger and bigger all the time. It is quite magical to watch.
Same is the case with
the Pizza base which is thrown in the air. Indian street foods
sellers have mastered the art of product demonstration. The product
demonstration is so good that even causal passersby stop to have a tuck in.
No comments:
Post a Comment