What is not taught in B-schools (Part 1)

Manners that are often taken for granted by us are the building blocks that decide where we end up in an organization. As a wise management guru remarked “a man is known by his dress and his address”. That is what the person wears and how he behaves or communicates. The emphasis is not on the acquired knowledge but on the social etiquette. One might have the best of the knowledge but the wrong presentation would be in simple words, fatal.

IT in USA stands for Indians and Taiwanese. Indians make the best software, Taiwanese make the best hardware and the Americans make all the money. The rules of the game are very clear. Be fine tuned to the concept of soft skills. Soft skills are man management skills that are not taught in any business school or university. Discussed below are some things that go a long way in improving business manners.

Telephone manners: Telephonic manners need to be impeccable. The other person judges us by our voice. One needs to talk clearly and precisely. “Who is that speaking?” we bark. How very impolite. The correct way is to identify oneself first and later ask permission to speak with the person. When queried, “Can I speak with so and so” the usual response is to say, “you are”. Can is the physical process of speaking like I can eat, I can walk etc. The correct way is: “May I speak?” which is requesting permission to speak to the person intended.

Workplace manners: One can judge people by what they say. When asked for volunteers for a task one worker says, “Yes! I volunteer, what is the work?” and the second worker says, “What is the work?” When told about the type of work he volunteers. No prizes for guessing who would be given the work and the recognition.

Scold in private and praise in public: Always praise in public as it acts like tonic to the others and scold in private as the person scolded can always come out with his personal pride intact. However, a public bashing would be akin to stripping him naked. You are going to scar him for life. His self-esteem would be shattered.

Smile: As a quip put it, nothing in the world looks bad, if you put on - a smile. One needs 72 muscles to frown and only 21 to smile. So, lets us all smile and face the world. You would be surprised to note the difference in the treatment that you would receive from your colleagues when you smile.

“Standing up” for a lady: Most of the guys think that chivalry is dead and gone but ask any lady and she would wax eloquently about how well she was treated by so and so. To put it in simple words LIKE A LADY. It irritates one to no end to see many a strapping young man callously sitting in his side of the car while the lady struggles to get in. It is considered to be very bad mannered. Same is the case if you receive any refreshment from a lady in a sitting down posture. One is supposed to get up and greet the lady.

“Standing up” in business: A friend in sweets business had remarked, “one of the prerequisite in our business is the ability to stand for many hours without sitting. Not for me the type of sales people who sit on high stools and take orders”

I Love You Hyderabad

Hyderabad the capital of Andhra Pradesh is a quaint village that suddenly became a mega city and later a megapolis bigger than the state of Goa. Old timers of Hyderabad still remember with nostalgia the good old days when things used to move at a slow pace (if they moved at all).

Hyderabadis are a class apart. The best of them are the local mechanics. The mechanic summoned frantically to the house would saunter in and nonchalantly examine the defunct electronic appliance and would announce “Mai Kal Avounga….” and go away leaving the customer in a lurch. This means that he might turn up again. . “Parsun” if uttered would mean most probably he would never come and “tarsun” means that he would definitely not come at all.

Ask any one who visit Hyderabad what he likes about the place and the prompt reply is Hyderabadi Biryani. This mughlai dish has won the hearts of food lovers in the world and no decent party is deemed complete unless a sumptuous portion of Hyderabadi Biryani is served and relished with lots of gusto. Hyderabadis are so fond of food that it is rumored that in wealthy Hyderabadi households the Biryani eaters would sit 5 inches away from the table and would only stop eating once the stomach touches the table. What if the foodie pushes his/her chair off by 2 or 3 inches when the stomach reaches the table? The traditional Hyderabadi valima reception costs lakhs of rupees but is hosted and enjoyed with  enjoyment and pride.

Haleem a traditional dish served during the Ramadan time is a hit with all the section of the society. Many non muslims have become die hard fans of Haleem and it tastes so nice only when it is prepared in the Ramadan season. Haleem prepared in off season does not taste the same. Pista House in old city is flooded by customers who don’t mind waiting in long queues as long as they can lay their hand and savor their favorite Haleem.

Irani cafes are very close to hearts of Hyderabadis. No day is deemed complete unless one goes to an irani café and has a extremely sweet irani tea and that too 1/2. The matter of fact waiters would dump the cup and one empty (cup) on the table and promptly disappear. One could argue and while away as much time as possible with out being bothered. As many Samosa or biscuits can be had one wishes. What is not consumed is cheerfully taken back. Beware of the smart waiter who would always jack up the bill by a few rupees. Those extra rupees if paid would be pocketed by the waiter.

One of the lank marks of Hyderabad is “Famous ice-cream” at Nampally where mouth watering seasonal Ice creams like cheeku, mango, sapoto etc are served at jaw dropping low prices. Famous Ice-cream (Now sadly spilt among the brothers as Shah and New Famous) is the only place where you could eat like a king and pay like a pauper.

Ganesh chaturdi the big Indian festival is a sort of carnival at Hyderabad. It is a time for local urchins to collect money (sometimes forcefully) to set up a pandal and then proceeds to enjoy themselves for ten days. Every thing is fair including raunchy remix songs and record dances with ear spiting sound. Thankfully the old funnel speakers have been replaced with box speakers in the recent times.

A Hyderabadi was driving in USA and a car overtook him and passed him very closely. A choice Hyderabadi gali was thrown at the offender who screeched to a halt and forced the Hyderabadi off road. The Hyderabadi was scared. He did not want a panga (a fight) with the foreigner. The FOREINGER excitedly crowds the Hyderabadi and questions “aap Hyderabad sey hai kya?” The gali was the trigger. Any Hyderabadi any where in the world can recognize another Hyderabadi by their peculiar lingo, slang and the galis that Hyderabadis flung at each other with gay abandon.

Second hand/Old book stalls from Abids to Koti on a Sunday are a treat by themselves. They are equal to hundreds of libraries. Strolling the roads of Abids is the best way to work out the slumber out of a heavy Sunday lunch. The book sellers are a cheerful merry lot who don’t mind a nice slinging/bargaining match. What the hell, after all it is a holiday and one can loosen up at least on a Sunday. An ode to Hyderabad. Thus goes the saying “Jo Piya Gandipet ka pani, woh ho gaya Hyderabadi”. You can take Hyderabadi out of Hyderabad but you can’t take Hyderabad out of a Hyderabadi.

Public policy on Marketing (Part 6)

11. Give correct information when asked: Surveys are frequently conducted by the companies and in these surveys they solicit information from the consumers. It is very important that the consumers take these surveys seriously and give correct and factual information. Surveys are one method of improving products and services and the fruits of research will be passed on to the customer in the form of better products and may be lower prices.

12. The right to choose and to information: The consumers have a right to choose and they should exercise this right. They should shop around compare the different products that are available and only then decide. And consumers have a right to information and they should demand that the company marketing the product furnish them with full information before they make a decision.

13. The right not to buy: Consumers should be aware that buying the product is voluntary and there is no force. They should exercise this right and not buy if they are not totally satisfied with the product.

14. Right to redress: Inevitably when the product are bought and used there will be some dissatisfaction. There should be a clear cut path or process of redressal of complaints. Consumers should not take anything lying down. They should be vigilant and should strongly opinion their protest about bad products or service.

15. Right to safety: Consumers have a right to safety and this they should ensure by making the companies know that they value safety very highly. Once the companies know that safety is high in priority safe products will be marketed.

16. Remember that products are to be used before complaint that they are not working: This is a very important point. There have been cases where the consumers have complained that the product was not working. When checked it was found out that the consumers have not plugged the machine into the electrical supply!

17. Use the product to the full life cycle: Consumers should use the product till it is fully exhausted. They should not fall into the company's trap of frequently trying to upgrade their products.

18. Recycle the products: World is rapidly getting degraded and polluted. Consumers should be vigilant not to spoil it any further. They should try to recycle products as much as possible especially paper and plastic.

19. Read the instructions carefully: Consumers have to read the instructions that are given in the instruction manual carefully before using the product. Reading the instruction will see to that they can use the product correctly and to the full extent. Also in many cases warranty or guarantee is invalidated as the product was not used as specified.

20. Demand and keep the bill: Consumers have demand for a bill as taking the bill will ensure that the VAT (value Added Tax) paid by them will reach the government. If the consumers don’t take the bill the VAT that is being collected will not reach to the government. Also the bill is a legal entity and it will ensure justice in case of faulty product or any other claim that has to be settled legally.

Public policy on Marketing (Part 5)

The final player and the king of the process is the customer. Let us examine his/her role

1. Caveat Emptor: Let the buyer beware. This is the caveat on which marketing hinges itself on. Let the buyer Beware and let the buyer be aware. It is his money that is exchanging hands. So he should be careful selecting the right product and paying the right price and check if the product is of right quality.

2. Use the product correctly: It is the responsibility of the customer to use the product correctly to enhance the life of the product and to ensure that he gets full satisfaction.

3. Damage and claim the discount: It has been noticed that the customers deliberately damage the product in the store and then claim discount. Such unethical practices should not be practiced by the customer.

4. Extra warranty: Some customers argue and try to get extra warranty/guarantee than what is due to him. Customers should understand and agree to the warranty terms before the purchase transaction and not after the purchase.

5. Create deliberate service problems: Some customers tend to harass the company service people by making repeated calls complaining that the product is not working. It is better that the customers try to do trouble shooting (preliminary fault analysis) themselves before calling in for company's help.

6. Not ask for extra and more discounts: Customers ask for discounts that are too much to bear for the company. The company might even give the discount to make the sale. This way the customers are bleeding the company and not allowing it any healthy profit margin for the company to survive.

7. Discourage fake products: It is imperative that the customers don't buy fake products knowingly. Buying of fake products damage the company's and the national economy. In many cases the makers of false products don't pay any taxes and don’t contribute any way to the exchequer.

8. Discourage pirated products: Customers buy pirated products as they are cheap and easily available. We have to remember that once the pirated products are bought in big volumes the supply of original material will cease as there is no incentive for the manufacturer to come with new products. Just consider the troubled case of pirated African music.

9. Claim extra or what is not available: Frequently consumers buy the products and later get it back to the company saying that some features are not available. It is the responsibility of the consumer to check all aspects of the product and then only purchase the product.

10. Be courteous to the sales people: It is very churlish to misbehave with the sales people. The consumers should understand that sales people are very knowledgeable and in many cases can solve our problems and can give valuable suggestions.

Public policy on Marketing (Part 4)

11. Spurious products: No company shall make or market spurious products. It will also not allow misuse of its company's name and brand by others to market spurious products. Even silently watching other's market spurious products should be considered a crime.

12. Fake products: No company shall make or market products that have names and sound like popular brand like "Suun Light" for "Sun Light", "Niki" for "Nike" or "Lacaste" for "Lacoste"

13. No fake surveys: It has been noticed that companies conduct fake marketing surveys. The modus operandi is serve a questionnaire and try to sell the product if the respondent shows positive attitude.

14. Transparency: There should be transparency in marketing products. There is a raging controversy about the ingredients of soft drinks in many countries. The way the marketers of these products are combating this issue leaves a lot to be desired.

15. Give total information: best way out of tricky problems is to offer total information about the issue and let the customer decide. Like the father of advertising has David Ogilvy has said "the customer is not a moron, she is your wife". Don’t under estimate the intelligence of the customer.

16. No fake discounts: It has been noticed that the companies enhance the price of the product and then give the increased price off as discount. This type of fake discounts should be discouraged.

17. No discrimination: No company shall discriminate among its customers. Usually discrimination is based on color, caste, creed, religion and on geography.

18. Benefit related products: All companies should try to sell or market only those products that give a genuine benefit to the customers. Often it has been seen that companies market products that offer no tangible benefit but encourage wasteful expenditure.

19. No forced sale: No company will sell a product by force. The days of hard sell are gone and now is the era of the soft sell or relationship selling. Make the customer a partner in your business and see your business grow.

20. Exact quantity: All companies will sell or market the product with the quantity that is specified on the package. There have been many instances where the companies have marketed products with 10% less quantity than what is mentioned on the package or made the package very big to make it appear as if the material inside is more. Such types of dubious activities should be stopped by the companies.