The digital clock at the back of the class had struck 6:30 pm as our professor patiently waited and was quite inconspicuously seated at the last seat. It seemed to be just another eventful, participative and discussion filled session in the lives of term-3 PGP participants of Section C & D. Amidst the last bio-metric punch that marked the closure of entry gates to session 4 of the Sales & Distribution course, the whispers almost immediately vanished and our professor jumped from the last seat all the way to the front. The class began. The case unfolded. And gradually each one of us was put into the shoes of the protagonist. In a few short pages, the story began to emerge. To share a glimpse of it, it was something like this, “ Mr Yen is a young business developer who is doing well in Kichika, an upcoming firm which deals with Hi-tech equipment to manufacturing concerns. Very recently they had presented their latest model of Binobek a revolutionary machine that made modular cutting of parts much easier in Lekdil Trade Fair Show 2017” It was there that Mr Yen met two very prospective clients who had shown an interest in the model” The session had emphasized on identifying the various entities that played a crucial role in B2B sales and decision-making such as the Gatekeeper, Influencer, Decision-Maker etc. Just as we were through the first three pages of interaction between Mr Yen and the two prospective clients, our professor asked for a show of hands to indicate who thought if Mr Yen was well on his path to closing a very lucrative deal.
The class of 60 was split into those who believed that Mr Yen was on his way to make a great pitch and close the deal [80%, which also included me ] and those who believed that he wasn’t quite on the right path to close the deal [ 20%]
Next, we were provided part B of the case. We moved further in the case and more processes unfurled, from the clients as
well as the firm for which Mr Yen worked. Mr Yen also met the clients at the scheduled meeting and the interactions that he had with various stakeholders in the client’s firm in the meeting were presented. Things apparently seemed to go in the right direction to almost the entire class. And again the professor popped the question whether a sales deal was well on its way for Mr Yen or he seemed to be losing the track of things.
Interestingly, this time, there was several switchovers of opinions from both sides. Few colleagues had changed sides, and again it was that time of the session when they had to reason their answer and present their logic to our Professor. Our Professor, true to his uncanny ability to run gave us almost all of us a chase and managed to convince a majority that Mr Yen was being right in his approach through his logic. Well, almost! As the events turned out in the case, based on the duration and type of interaction given in the case as well as the few crucial check-points that had gone missing in pitching process of Mr Yen, I didn’t seem to be convinced if Mr Yen was quite on the right path. So I decided to present my views and express this modified evaluation of Mr Yen’s pitch. The professor patiently listened and asked questions periodically on my basis to reach the conclusion. He remarked jokingly,” Are you sure? I really don’t like those individuals who can’t stick to one decision and change their minds frequently.” Knowing very well the importance of the deal and various case facts in the reading, I decided to go ahead with the decision to express my evaluation i.e. the sales deal may not close as desired by Mr Yen.
The current split amongst the class stood regarding the above dilemma stood at 1 for unsuccessful deal closure vs 59 who predicted a successful deal closure. The professor after much suspense gave out the last and final sheet to all of us.
The last and final part which contained the fate of the deal. And as it turned out to the surprise of many the deal didn’t materialise due to Mr Yen missing out on cues that were crucial to sales negotiation and pitching. It was in that class that I learned not only the concepts of B2B, but the delicacy of business decisions and our ability as managers to gauge various cues in the external and internal organisation of the firm and to peel the intent and perspectives behind various seemingly simple interactions and circumstances.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
I would like to work for Aditya Birla Capital Limited as it presents a wide array of exciting and meaningful opportunities in the finance sector. From a suite of financial products, ranging from insurance to stocks & securities and financing need of individuals and entities in its arsenal of product portfolio that help serve many and protect them from financial misfortune and strengthen their financial position. With digital landscape and fin-tech we have a real opportunity to scale services, reduce costs and reach out to even more users who need financial services. I want to be a part of the transformation journey. ____________________________________________________________________________________
- Kabir Jain