Solution : Madan studied the market and learnt that the prepaid service had gained immense popularity and become a mass product in Mumbai. However, its availability wasn’t as expansive as its demand. Therefore, Madan strategized the distribution of prepaid services through mass category outlets including Kirana stores, paan-bidi shops and other small retailers. He defined the index of availability – one store outside every large residential complex, one in every 15 outlets in a crowded area and one in every 100 metres of other market areas. He also put in place a structured plan for reach out and follow up with the outlets, along with active engagement of the distributors’ sales personnel through weekly recognitions. This translated to 100% participation from the sales team and quicker conversions of outlets.

Result : 18,000 new outlets were added to the distribution list in a matter of 3 months which was duly audited.

Solution : Madan took a tour of Aurangabad district with the sales team and noticed a lot of small villages along the highways that were not yet tapped by this soft drink company. Going by his conviction that there is a potential market wherever there is a consumer and leading from the front , Madan visited a few of those small villages and managed to sell through the very reluctant retailers loose bottles in small quantities, the same retailers after tasting success in offtakes took large quantities of crates on deposit in a short span of 3 to 4 days.

Result : The success in those villages led to a change in the mindset of the sales team. Seeding this idea of possibility caused a ripple effect and helped the company penetrate a large number of virgin markets. Within 1.5 years, the distribution infrastructure expanded from 20 to 150 distributors in Maharashtra.

Solution : Madan noticed that there was no dearth of potential consumers around the outlets. But the walk-in model wasn’t lucrative enough to attract competition customers who were residing in large numbers in the neighbourhood. He identified this as a fantastic opportunity and formulated the walk-out model for the catchment area of the retail store. As this was an innovative approach, it needed the buy-in of all stakeholders. He, therefore, travelled across the country in the next 6-7 months training and convincing franchise owners and sales executives on the new model and the market potential.

Result :The ownership over the catchment area and deployment of the walkout model by the franchise owners and frontline executives saw the pan-India sales of prepaid SIMs triple and post-paid numbers double in the following six months.

Solution : Madan was deeply convinced about the lucrativeness of the scheme that had been released. Therefore, to get to the bottom of the problem, he went out into the market and tried converting a few competitors’ customers himself and saw that the consumers and retailers were readily interested in the scheme. He then delved deeper into the problem and conducted a meeting with the cluster distributors of the telecom company itself and realized that the real problem lay within the company. The sales team was going out into the market with a mental block that consumers who used SIMs of the two leading brands wouldn’t be keen to port their numbers to a lesser known brand, with low market visibility. Once the pain point was identified, Madan explained and convinced the entire sales team that SIMs, unlike other touch-and-feel products, are a cost-driven purchase rather than a brand-driven one.

Result : The MNP-driven sales shot to 75,000 from a mere 2,000 per month within just six months, which turned revenues' growth positive after continuous de-growth for six consecutive quarters.

Solution :In a period of 6 months, Madan studied the Sri Lankan market and noticed that the lack of profitability was a result of the narrow by-lanes in the densely populated Colombo that were inaccessible by large trucks. He immediately recommended distribution using trolley system that could navigate smaller roads easily and reduce the expense on maintaining large vehicles.

Result :The cost of distribution reduced by 35% and the profits improved by similar numbers.

Solution : In Calcutta, Madan initiated a training program for sales executives of the distributors and the TSIs were chosen to be the faculty for this program. Each of the TSIs was encouraged to conduct sessions which got them researching, studying and preparing presentations. This boosted their morale and was perceived as being given due importance. This opportunity brought about a complete change in their behaviour. The earlier traditional-thinking team was now open to out-of-the-box ideas and were ready to explore new opportunities. Similarly, in Gujarat, a three-zoned competition was organized wherein the senior-most TSIs were put in charge of each zone. This enhanced the ownership of each sales personnel who paved his/her path to meet targets. Saurashtra’s lead TSI went to the extent of sending hand-written customized motivational notes to each of his TSIs daily.

Result : A committed team ready to challenge the status quo which in turn translated into growth in sales by 45-50%.