Colloquia – Meeting Challenges

Mr. R .S. Rajan

Date: 24th February, 2009

MEETING CHALLENGES

A colloquia where the students of Amrita School of Business were given a taste of the real world – where the speaker shared with them his experience and his opinions about the ‘not so bad economy’ – where the street smartness of a marketer is what would be fundamentally tested. Mr. R.S.Rajan , the Senior Vice President of Channel Management of Consumer Products and Rural Marketing Business , Ion Exchange(India) Ltd, in his interactive session with the students, went beyond the marketing theories and elucidated how those can be applied anywhere, anytime – even for a social cause.

True Marketer; the Smart Opportunist

Mr. Rajan opined that one has to seek every opportunity that knocks at his door, for which a true manager should always be vigilant and ever ready, to grab them and perceive those challenges as opportunities for growth. For this he has to be proactive and prepare for the future challenges. Twenty three years of experience in the industry has given him a clear picture of the challenges a smart marketer will have to face in the present day. Firstly, the marketer does not know where the industry is heading to and secondly, the mindset of the consumers is arbitrary. However, these issues can be resolved with innovative thinking and with 100% sincerity to one’s efforts. Recession? It’s all in the mind!

According to Mr. Rajan, major recession feeling lies in the mind of the people. They are so sunk in the recession happening all around that they are not able to think out of the box. In his industry, with the huge blow in the real estate sector, the demand for water purifiers in buildings was also hit terribly. At this juncture, having a clear overall picture, coming up with innovative strategies and being upbeat about the challenges is the only way out. Is recession being hyped about in our country? We in India are highly anxious and partly suspicious of whatever that happens around. In India, many of the sectors will not even feel the pinch. Education, Communication, Pharmaceuticals and the Rural Sectors actually have the immense potential to grow.

Will this recession have a detrimental impact on the career of the eager and new M.B.A graduates? Is the reality of job scenario too grim? According to Mr. Rajan, ” It’s ok if we don’t get our ideal job at the word go. It shouldn’t be a dampener to the 40 years career lying ahead. A good job is not your right, it’s something to grow into”. He further suggests that we need to be on the lookout for a job that gives exposure and has growth opportunities.

Marketing and Social cause?

Yes, the theories of marketing can be applied for the benefit of the society- for the upliftment of a marginalized group in the society. Mr.Rajan took the students through his college days, when he was part of a charitable society. He was awe struck by the sight of a game of cricket being played by a group of visually challenged. The charitable trust member in him saw this as an opportunity to work on it and the marketer in him took it up as a challenge. The end result was an All India Cricket Championship Tournament for the visually challenged. The event received great response from all ends. This event initiated by him has grown to the level of a World Cup.

Challenges-Face it!

For anyone at some point time, opportunities to grow would be thrown as challenges to overcome. By doing so, one can become an efficient manager, a better leader and a trend setting entrepreneur. The session of colloquia, gave a different perspective of the marketing environment and an overall optimism for the worried students regarding the much discussed global slowdown in the economy.

By – Preethika Suresh