Lessons from India

On a recent trip to India, I realised that both street vendors and multinationals over there can give us some valuable marketing lessons. 

With fierce competition, everyone selling something had to work hard to get themselves seen and noticed. 

We went to three very different places - Kolkata, Goa and Mumbai yet in each they followed these five important principles:


1. Pro-actively promote what you do
2. Become familiar names
3. Explain the benefits of what you offer over the competition
4. Display your wares
5. Don't give up, even after a lost sale

So how did they do this?

Pro-actively promote what you do
Sellers in India don't wait for customers to come to them. They call out to potential customers, make their offers known and try to attract their attention. They mostly do it in person - but we can use networking, phone calls, email, social media, advertising, direct mail and more!

Become familiar names
In India, families have their favourite stalls and shops. Regular customers are known, greeted warmly and given preferential prices. Those who can afford advertising make sure that their brand is displayed as prominently as possible in places where their potential customers will see them. We need to find ways to build our brands so our potential customers get to know who we are, what we do and trust that we will deliver. We need to look after our customers so they come back to us time and again because not only do they get what they need but feel valued. 

Explain the benefits of what you offer over the competition
From fresher, bigger fruit to the craftsmanship of gifts and clothing, wherever we went, vendors were always eager to share with you what they were selling and how their offering was better than the competition. We need to stop selling and start sharing the benefits of what we do, and share what makes us different by answering the 'why should I buy from you?' question. 

Display your wares
Even in the poorest market stalls care was taken to display their wares as attractively as possible. In shops stock was displayed so you could quickly and easily see your options and the wide variety of things on offer. We too need to make it easy for our customers to know about everything we do and the options available to them. Avoid them saying, "I didn't know you did that!"

Don't give up, even after a lost sale
I admired the perseverance in India. Even if a vendor sees you buying from elsewhere and know you won't be visiting them today, they'll still take the opportunity to remind you of what you've missed out on with a reminder to 'visit us next time'. We should view lost sales as a future opportunity. Keep in touch with them so when they are ready to buy again they know you are an alternative option. 

Hannah Sookias is a marketing consultant, trainer and speaker who works with many different companies helping them implement effective marketing campaigns and generate a return on their promotional budgets. If you'd like more information on these lessons from India or would like some advice on your company's marketing, get in touch with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460.