Presentation by Kaveri Chandrashekar, student of Northpoint Centre of Learning http://www.northpointindia.com/

1. Sales internship
presentation
INDIAN HOME GOURMET, VERSOVA, MUMBAI
KAVERI CHANDRASHEKAR, MC 04
PGP MAR COMM, 2014-2015

2. Background of the organization
 Started in 2011 by Sharad Tombri at Versova Andheri
 Products are manufactured at Madh Island and sold all over Mumbai
 The USP of the company is homemade products with no preservatives, added colours or MSG
 These products are targeted at consumers with higher incomes, therefore -
 Pastes are priced between Rs. 50-60
 Dips and chutneys are priced between Rs. 125-195
 Products from IHG are -
 Ready to Cook pastes
 Dips
 Chutneys
Mar Comm_2014-2015

3. Key Responsibility Areas / Tasks
KRAs
 Observe Indian Home Gourmet salesmen and promoters in the two key arenas of sales
 Promotions
 Markets in Mumbai
 Developing different sales pitches for different markets and stores across Mumbai
 Educate the consumer on how to use the product
Tasks
 Selling the company’s pastes, dips and chutneys at malls, stores and cold storages across Mumbai
 Accompany salesmen to different markets in Mumbai
 Emphasize the discounted prices of the product and encourage customers to sample the product before
they buy
 Count the inventory and inform both the company and the shop owner about the updated stock
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4. Challenges and Achievements
 Customers who were vegetarian were put off by the titles – Butter Chicken, Fish Fry, Stuffed Fish etc.
 Each retailer has different objections to stocking the product (Each pitch is a challenge)
 Stolen Kiosk
 Stagnant digital platforms – Twitter and Facebook in particular
 New markets like Bandra and Wadala did not display an enthusiastic response to the products
 Sales, in itself, is a daily challenge.
 Stiff competitors in the market – Bon, Suhana, Rasoi Magic, Jaffsons etc.
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5. Research Summary
 Opinions about the brands are well defined and skewed negatively towards the category
 The biggest disadvantages of the category are – taste, the health factor and the use of preservatives
 The positives of the category were – convenience, time-saving, and helpful for those who could not
cook
 Unfortunately, over 90% of respondents stated that at the very best Ready to Cook food is a short-term
alternative
 Based on the research data, these are the suggestions that most respondents spoke about
 Improve the taste (80%)
 Reduce preservatives (40%)
 Tweak the quantity (30%)
 60 percent of respondents stated that they preferred the “paste form”
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6. Recommendations for the Category
 There are a variety of concerns around the health and freshness of these products due to:
 Preservatives
 Artificial Taste
 The presence of dried vegetables/ meat
 Oily texture
 More advertising and marketing for this category – without either, customers come to their own
conclusions and word spreads quickly
 Branch out into different Indian or World cuisines
 Snacks are the biggest sellers in this category. Brands that focus on just Ready to Cook meals should
expand into a line of Ready to Eat snacks.
 Brands in this category should position themselves as a direct competitor to “take-out” dinner
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7. Learnings
 The largest community in the market determined the response to our product
 Markets are dominated by different brands – Suhana in Dombivili, Bon and Soul in Bandra
 With these kind of products it is important to educate both retailers and customers – they learn from each other
 Markets like Bandra posed various challenges
 Each pitch, to each customer, is a snowflake – never the same
 Language is a both and advantage and a barrier
 Building relationships with store owners and retailers is extremely important – they are strong influencers
 Each salesman has a different method of selling and closing their targets
 Sell the right product, at the right time, at the right place
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8. THANK YOU
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