You Can Sell Chocolates !

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... 

these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. 

-- Confucius

A Software Engineer, was once asked to sell chocolates. Result ? Outstanding!

Chocolates of a very popular brand, close to heart to our generation, were a dying product. Reviving this product was hell of a task, which we didn’t know how! But one man knew. He was the then Managing Director of the organization.  I was appointed as the Officer in charge for Maharashtra, for this task. Supported by the Zonal Incharge, I was all geared up for the task.

Just to give a perspective, the chocolate industry is a $50 bn dollar business worldwide and Rs. 10,000 crore in India as on today. Little bit of market research, then, told me, that apart from the brand name, all the other odds were against it. Not even that. The product needed Love. And Faith. And Focus.

Use of Chocolates dates back centuries, from the times of Mayans and Aztecs. It was the food of Gods.  And here we were, searching for consumers ?

We knew the approach of the entire sales team towards the product was of a step child. And the competitors had marched way ahead in the quality, the placements and the branding. We discussed and designed a strategy for re-launch of our Chocolates in a new Avatar.

A Multi Pronged Approach - The product needed quality checks, the pricing needed to be relooked into, the placement would to be made in accordance with 3 S Strategy, and Promotions planned. My Reporting Manager, asked me to work on the project as my own baby. Not because it will benefit the company, but because I should have a story to tell when I grow old !

And so be it ! Marketing is ruling the minds of the customers. And Sales is about Persistence. A combination of the two can bring about deadly results. Each Day is new. Start Afresh and go on till you succeed ! Hard work bears fruits of success. And Consistent Hard work guided by seniors brings about a revolution. Luckily for me, the latter happened.

Till Date, I am known as The Chocolate Girl and will be remembered so !!