Hi... today am going to continue about BA management. Like i mentioned in the last post the initial stage is to connect with your BA's and make them a part of your team. Remember without this there is no point in going ahead with part 2 as it wont work without the initial understanding and faith.
Any way in part 2 we look at how to get BA's to do their work honestly and diligently. Usually a BA will not see the logic in doing a particular work, when in essence it would definitely efect her. Confused??
Let me explain with an example. One of the task of the BA is to maintain the products in the shelfs in a particuar manner ( planogram) and very tidy. To the Ba these tasks sound similar to "cleaning the house and keeping things in place". What they dont understand is that product placement at eye level effects customer decison making and that effects sale which directly affects achievment of sales target and thereby incentives :)
That is product placement==>customer purchase==>better sales==>achieve target==>get incentive.
This logic has to be explained to the BA. But ah...the jobs not easy and not enough to convince the BA. You have to prove th logic!!! only then does the BA realize the logic.
That was just an example. I am sure most cosmetic companies would agree with me that the BA is a powerhouse of information and possibilities. Getting them to invlve actively in the selling process and providing market inteligence is a massive task. one can only expect this as that is the possibilities of such an involvement by the BA!!
Any way am planning to do some innovations, but my BA's are resigning left right and center so i need some time to set things right:)
till then friends
cheers!!!
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Dec 8, 2007
Dec 6, 2007
the LOREAL experience-BA management
The last 4 days has been very busy with meetings and meetings. It has been fantastic, tiring and most inspiring. I have come to know what really a team means, how targets work and how subtle things can be in an environment which is full of targets, managing people and enjoying the process...
Today i thought i would say something about BA management. BA as in Beauty Advisors. For those in the sales field these terms would be similar to sales reps, sales promoters etc. But when we speak of Beauty advisors in a cosmetic company we mean more of a permanent nature of advisors who are there at LOREAL or maybelline counters who are present to explain to the customers about the products, new launches and offers. As an employee who has to manage these BA's I found a lack of information regarding the same on the net.
Managing BA's is not as simple as handling sales reps. A BA has to be checked on many fronts. first and foremost, for a Brand like LOREAL its important that our BA at all time has to be very well presented, because she is a reprsentative of the company and an ambassador to the customer. Second how she attends to the custome and whether she is able to fulfill needs afte identifying them. Third is whether the BA is actually present at the counter, or is busy makng up reasons and not coming to the counter.
It is also very difficult to enforce the rules and policies of the company because it takes a great deal to keep the discipline alive in a BA because over a period these things get monotonous. For a BA who has to be at the counter for 9 hours standing and doing the same things day after day, motivation and energy levels tend to die down.
So how does one keep the BA going and still motivate her to go for her targets??
Well the trick is to build relations or like my boss says PR. Personal relations. Suboordinates usually see their superiors as people who are out to make their lifes miserable (if not hard) to achieve their goals. This is where the imediate superior has to build bridges ( "connect") as my boss says.. and he is as usual right on. For any relation to build there has to be two things...trust/faith and confidence. When you have confidence in the superior you tend to accept their guidance and ensure excellence. And when you have faith in your superior you know that come what may he will always stand by you and help you.
Building this relation is the essence of handling BAs, Sales teams and people......
Cheers!!!
Today i thought i would say something about BA management. BA as in Beauty Advisors. For those in the sales field these terms would be similar to sales reps, sales promoters etc. But when we speak of Beauty advisors in a cosmetic company we mean more of a permanent nature of advisors who are there at LOREAL or maybelline counters who are present to explain to the customers about the products, new launches and offers. As an employee who has to manage these BA's I found a lack of information regarding the same on the net.
Managing BA's is not as simple as handling sales reps. A BA has to be checked on many fronts. first and foremost, for a Brand like LOREAL its important that our BA at all time has to be very well presented, because she is a reprsentative of the company and an ambassador to the customer. Second how she attends to the custome and whether she is able to fulfill needs afte identifying them. Third is whether the BA is actually present at the counter, or is busy makng up reasons and not coming to the counter.
It is also very difficult to enforce the rules and policies of the company because it takes a great deal to keep the discipline alive in a BA because over a period these things get monotonous. For a BA who has to be at the counter for 9 hours standing and doing the same things day after day, motivation and energy levels tend to die down.
So how does one keep the BA going and still motivate her to go for her targets??
Well the trick is to build relations or like my boss says PR. Personal relations. Suboordinates usually see their superiors as people who are out to make their lifes miserable (if not hard) to achieve their goals. This is where the imediate superior has to build bridges ( "connect") as my boss says.. and he is as usual right on. For any relation to build there has to be two things...trust/faith and confidence. When you have confidence in the superior you tend to accept their guidance and ensure excellence. And when you have faith in your superior you know that come what may he will always stand by you and help you.
Building this relation is the essence of handling BAs, Sales teams and people......
Cheers!!!
Nov 29, 2007
TRAFFIC JAMS---the greatest leveller
In Bangalore, when riding my modest bike, I sometimes feel like a Airforce jet just zoomed across me; only to realize that its just another super rich dude on a brand new "latest- super- thing- that- moves" vehicle. I just smile. Cos in Bangalore invariably the road is jammed either due to a traffic signal, a road diversion, accidents, construction, etc and there is a traffic jam up ahead.
And this my friends (traffic Jam) is the great indian leveller... Because there along the poor mans hand cart, the bank clerks scooter, the adagency executive's Brand new Pulsar, the Software project managers Car and Your friendly neighbourhood politicans Mercedes stands my modest bike. All sections of the society all on par. All praying for the same signal to turn green, all hoping that they can get free from the jam and all exactly lined up together. It doesnt matter what your riding or driving, because to the Great Indian Traffic Jam, all vehicle owners are equal in front of it!!! and only it can choose who can pass and who cant!!1
and the traffic jam is one such place where no one is superior, no one is inferior and there lies another of universal secrets... It doesnt matter whats around you or with whom u are, in the end, in the final run to your destination, its only patience and cooperation that can get you ahead...:)
So next time you see another d.u.d.e pass ya by, You know why to SMILe :)!!!
Cheers!!!
And this my friends (traffic Jam) is the great indian leveller... Because there along the poor mans hand cart, the bank clerks scooter, the adagency executive's Brand new Pulsar, the Software project managers Car and Your friendly neighbourhood politicans Mercedes stands my modest bike. All sections of the society all on par. All praying for the same signal to turn green, all hoping that they can get free from the jam and all exactly lined up together. It doesnt matter what your riding or driving, because to the Great Indian Traffic Jam, all vehicle owners are equal in front of it!!! and only it can choose who can pass and who cant!!1
and the traffic jam is one such place where no one is superior, no one is inferior and there lies another of universal secrets... It doesnt matter whats around you or with whom u are, in the end, in the final run to your destination, its only patience and cooperation that can get you ahead...:)
So next time you see another d.u.d.e pass ya by, You know why to SMILe :)!!!
Cheers!!!
Nov 27, 2007
Kinda wierd....is it true guys???!!
They say when ya help someone it should be out of concern for the other person... but have ya heard the saying " Help a girl in trouble/need and the only time she will remember u is when she is in trouble/need again!!!"
Well though I don think its true in all situations but u now it tends to really happen. Thoug I have gone thru these things many times and been really pi#!@d off, today was just another reminder as to the popular belief.
I was going to the corp bank ATM and a lady was having a problem with the ATM card stuck in the machine. I dint want ta wait so i got on my bike when the lady in quetsion came out and asked for help. While I tried to get her debit card into the damn machine ( which obviously was enjoying the tug of war) she was busy yapping on the phone.
finally when the card did get inshe just gave me an accusary look as if I had wanted to get her PIN number. Let alone a thanks !!!
and they tell us that guys are thick skinned!!!
Cheers!!
Well though I don think its true in all situations but u now it tends to really happen. Thoug I have gone thru these things many times and been really pi#!@d off, today was just another reminder as to the popular belief.
I was going to the corp bank ATM and a lady was having a problem with the ATM card stuck in the machine. I dint want ta wait so i got on my bike when the lady in quetsion came out and asked for help. While I tried to get her debit card into the damn machine ( which obviously was enjoying the tug of war) she was busy yapping on the phone.
finally when the card did get inshe just gave me an accusary look as if I had wanted to get her PIN number. Let alone a thanks !!!
and they tell us that guys are thick skinned!!!
Cheers!!
Nov 26, 2007
SMS PErsonality
Have you ever wondered how easy it is to be mistaken for another person, not physically but a a personality just by chatting to someone over SMS.
There ae two angles to this. One where a person is deiberately taking advantage of the non visibility of the other person to create a false image of himself to extract any advantage from the other person. This could go even to the heights of damaging the other persons self belief or mental stability, or more obvious things like getting personal account numbers, etc
But what am more interested in is the other type of misreprsentation that happens due to the games our minds play with us. I believe every human always tend to look for things or characteristics which he desires, or lacks in himself. Thus when chatting to an unkown person without actually seeing him, even the simplest of messages can connote 100's of things to the other. Its like a multi personality syndrome wit everyone and the mobile sms being the hub of a number of personalities. The bottom line : dont get fooled. Of Course many times our imaginations do run wild, even to the extent that we may imagine the other person to be Tom cruise or Angelina Jolie!!!
But more or less over a long period of time in such situations we do get a more accurate picture of the other person and its these friendships that go loooong way even without meeting up ever:)
Cheeeers !!! :)
The mind is a funny thing.
There ae two angles to this. One where a person is deiberately taking advantage of the non visibility of the other person to create a false image of himself to extract any advantage from the other person. This could go even to the heights of damaging the other persons self belief or mental stability, or more obvious things like getting personal account numbers, etc
But what am more interested in is the other type of misreprsentation that happens due to the games our minds play with us. I believe every human always tend to look for things or characteristics which he desires, or lacks in himself. Thus when chatting to an unkown person without actually seeing him, even the simplest of messages can connote 100's of things to the other. Its like a multi personality syndrome wit everyone and the mobile sms being the hub of a number of personalities. The bottom line : dont get fooled. Of Course many times our imaginations do run wild, even to the extent that we may imagine the other person to be Tom cruise or Angelina Jolie!!!
But more or less over a long period of time in such situations we do get a more accurate picture of the other person and its these friendships that go loooong way even without meeting up ever:)
Cheeeers !!! :)
The mind is a funny thing.
Nov 23, 2007
Its pretty cold out here in Bangalore. not too cold has my home town is freezing cold now. But its more of a nice cool climate out here in bangalore. Today is the 12th day of my joining and my ex comapny is launching its products tommorrow. I have wished my colleagues all te best and i hhope everything goes well.
I just remebered that how life never turns out how we want it too. we believe we are the cause for something which happens that is beneficial to us. and its someone elses fault when something unfavorable happens to us. Ha, how culpable we are. When the fact is that we are all here for a purpose. and we see things happening around us and consider it our happening. when the fact is everything there is a more higher reasoning. we are mere puppets.
But that doesnt mean we just sit and wait things to happen. instead work hard towards what you want to achieve, but the catch is that you cannot expect anything to happen as per your efforts
HEll man what the hell, the bottom line: Do your best, enjoy life and hell with results!!!
I just remebered that how life never turns out how we want it too. we believe we are the cause for something which happens that is beneficial to us. and its someone elses fault when something unfavorable happens to us. Ha, how culpable we are. When the fact is that we are all here for a purpose. and we see things happening around us and consider it our happening. when the fact is everything there is a more higher reasoning. we are mere puppets.
But that doesnt mean we just sit and wait things to happen. instead work hard towards what you want to achieve, but the catch is that you cannot expect anything to happen as per your efforts
HEll man what the hell, the bottom line: Do your best, enjoy life and hell with results!!!
Nov 21, 2007
Hi there, though we tend to always look at doing good things we hardly ever start from smal things. Usually people ( me included) think of doing BIG good things like saving people from a great catastrophe, or changing the planet, and in the process forget the little things we can do to make a difference.
Today what I saw put me into a deep thought that how rich are we at heart as compared to rich in the pocket?? walking down Church Street to have my regular noon snack I saw a tabla wala. He was wearing a torn full sleeve shirt and what seemed o be a torn pajama. Both the pieces of clothes complete with mud and dirt, his hair long and dusty and his fauthful tabla hanging from a thin string across his back.
From across the street he seemed to be reaching for the top of a ledge which was way beyond his reach. He was holding some cloth in his hand and trying to push it on top of the ledge. stretching and jumping in the process.
As I came near It was obvious that the cloth was trying to fly!!! It was a baby pigeon which had fallen from the adjacent building and there was this man who dint have enough to have a single meal trying to save the baby from the dogs.
I spoke to him after he had put the bird back and he said that " ali bididre nai yala hidkon hogathe, yelo building inda bidirbeku" ( If it lies there on the ground some dog will take it off, poor thing must have fallen from the building) For a moment I envied his simplicity and the ease with which he thought of the birds life.
I wondered if i would have done the same? And where I stood today as a human being in comparison to the question mind had asked.....
Today what I saw put me into a deep thought that how rich are we at heart as compared to rich in the pocket?? walking down Church Street to have my regular noon snack I saw a tabla wala. He was wearing a torn full sleeve shirt and what seemed o be a torn pajama. Both the pieces of clothes complete with mud and dirt, his hair long and dusty and his fauthful tabla hanging from a thin string across his back.
From across the street he seemed to be reaching for the top of a ledge which was way beyond his reach. He was holding some cloth in his hand and trying to push it on top of the ledge. stretching and jumping in the process.
As I came near It was obvious that the cloth was trying to fly!!! It was a baby pigeon which had fallen from the adjacent building and there was this man who dint have enough to have a single meal trying to save the baby from the dogs.
I spoke to him after he had put the bird back and he said that " ali bididre nai yala hidkon hogathe, yelo building inda bidirbeku" ( If it lies there on the ground some dog will take it off, poor thing must have fallen from the building) For a moment I envied his simplicity and the ease with which he thought of the birds life.
I wondered if i would have done the same? And where I stood today as a human being in comparison to the question mind had asked.....
Nov 18, 2007
Hi to all. Now its been a long time since I wanted to blog but life ha a time for everything and I have found mist of the things happen at times when you least expect them. we hardly know why things happen but when we do realize their relevance its to late to appreciate.
Such has been the long part of my life, which I hope to share in the future with you. For a start let me give my introduction.
Am a post graduate, in a field where we learn to manage things, people or what some call management. Currently just switched to a major cosmetic MNC from a minor cosmetic start up. For all practical purposes I could say that its the start of my career.
My previous company is a start up, put together by few businessmen who wanted to sell what they make rather than make what is required. Unfortunately or fortunately in the heat of summer placements, I got lured into it by the promise of a big post, which of course I did get.
What looked like a great opportunity soon became a tiring affair. Especially since I dint know a thing about how sales is actually done and neither did anyone in the company. My theory told me how things were to be done, but over time I came to know that by bosses were more interested in just one thing. Cutting costs. And for them costs meant marketing, salesmen, promotion and etc ( Get the drift ?!!!) and it so resulted that nothing was acheived..come on you gotta spend to earn and vice versa. But I was only asked as to what hapened and why something dint happened...and it was taking its toll on me
So finally I got fed up and grabbed a beautiful opportunity and moved on. But here comes the rough part. The company Was just planning a launch for the product(for the hell of it of course!!!) and my current company wanted me to join immediately. I chose the latter and dropped off with just a phone call and a resigning e mail.
Well here comes the question...whats more important in life.. doing things the right way ;or doing the right things? both are equally important but how do you choose between the two. how do you know what is right... and is it really important to be right?? Phew!! I have done something that would benefit me( and to some extent my ex company, considering I dint do much other than collect my salary!!) but thats not the point. What about when you need to make decsions everyday and every moment...
Such has been the long part of my life, which I hope to share in the future with you. For a start let me give my introduction.
Am a post graduate, in a field where we learn to manage things, people or what some call management. Currently just switched to a major cosmetic MNC from a minor cosmetic start up. For all practical purposes I could say that its the start of my career.
My previous company is a start up, put together by few businessmen who wanted to sell what they make rather than make what is required. Unfortunately or fortunately in the heat of summer placements, I got lured into it by the promise of a big post, which of course I did get.
What looked like a great opportunity soon became a tiring affair. Especially since I dint know a thing about how sales is actually done and neither did anyone in the company. My theory told me how things were to be done, but over time I came to know that by bosses were more interested in just one thing. Cutting costs. And for them costs meant marketing, salesmen, promotion and etc ( Get the drift ?!!!) and it so resulted that nothing was acheived..come on you gotta spend to earn and vice versa. But I was only asked as to what hapened and why something dint happened...and it was taking its toll on me
So finally I got fed up and grabbed a beautiful opportunity and moved on. But here comes the rough part. The company Was just planning a launch for the product(for the hell of it of course!!!) and my current company wanted me to join immediately. I chose the latter and dropped off with just a phone call and a resigning e mail.
Well here comes the question...whats more important in life.. doing things the right way ;or doing the right things? both are equally important but how do you choose between the two. how do you know what is right... and is it really important to be right?? Phew!! I have done something that would benefit me( and to some extent my ex company, considering I dint do much other than collect my salary!!) but thats not the point. What about when you need to make decsions everyday and every moment...