In an interaction with IT WEB QUEST, Ajay Kogta, Country Manager, Indian subcontinent, Strontium shares about recently launched products and strategy for the year ahead.

IT WEB QUEST: Please brief about the recently launched Solid State DRIVE?
Ajay Kogta: Strontium Technology has launched the world’s fastest Solid State Drives as their new Matrix series in 120GB capacity .Based on industry-leading 25nm NAND flash memory, the Strontium SSD Matrix Series delivers more performance and reliability features. It is targeted for corporate IT or PC enthusiasts who would like to have a substantial performance boost over conventional mechanical hard disk drives.

IWQ: How is the overall market for SSD poised currently?
AK: The product which will make inroad in Storage Market is Solid State Drive (SSD). SSD is more reliable and faster in speed thus it makes great rival to HDD some characteristics of SSD like Booting speed, Data transfer performance, reliability of SSD continues to increase at an amazing rate even exceeding some of the optimistic predictions of a few years ago.
Price barrier in SSD is major hindrance in the growth of this market, a price range of $70-80 for 128 GB will drive growth of this market.

IWQ: What all verticals are you stressing more upon?
AK: Our focus will be more on flash products as market is growing exponentially. More and more applications are friendly with flash chips.  We are expecting a sharp growth in the SSD market in 2012. In DRAM, market is moving from downgrade quality products to Major Brand Quality products, and partners prefer Strontium modules which have least failure rate and have prompt warranty support.

IWQ: What are your marketing strategies for the year ahead?
AK: Our approach in 2012 will be to continuously increase awareness of Strontium products, Quality, After Sales Support amongst Tier 1, Tier 2 Resellers, Retail Partners, and System Integrators in the form of Trainings, Seminars, Road Shows and various benefits programs. Right now we also have a weekly newsletter for our channel partners to keep them updated with latest market situation and that helps them to manage inventory optimally and profitably. On the channels side we are going to keep working with our distribution partners to make the product available throughout the length and breadth of the country. Apart from that we have planned an advertising campaign in various trade media across India to highlight to our partners understand the value we bring to them.

IWQ: Are you planning to come up with any scheme or offers to boost the sales of your products?
AK: Greater awareness is required, to create brand recall in customer mind for Strontium products so that Customer treat us as a Premium Brand in comparison of competitors, We will also engage 2ndtier partners by offering them rewarding channel schemes, We will also target niche customer in all segments.

IWQ: Are there any plans to foray in to Terabyte category in coming times?
AK: New Product launch we will update on continuous basis. Our product/Research & Development team is constantly working on it.

IWQ:  What kind of strategy are you embarking upon when it comes to retail expansion?
AK: Online/tech savvy/youth) Facebook/social media and other technical forums by engaging end-customer with FB Schemes and Online offers, taking part in various colleges annual fests

• Tier 2 Partners with Channel schemes engaging/meeting in various meets
• End customers with brand visibility by all medium (online/print etc)
• B2B through cross branding/offer

IWQ: What will be your roadmap for the coming year?
AK: We will continue to add more sales resources to reach closer to the market. Next year more focus will be on consumer market with our product offering in flash products.

Intro: In an interaction with Jalaj Roy Choudhury of IT WEB QUEST, Sanjay Yadav, Director, Sales & Distribution, Consumer and SMB, Dell India shares big focus of Dell today, consumer behavior pattern witnessed in the PC business segment, Company’s pricing strategy and upcoming innovations by the Company.

IT WEB QUEST: What is the big focus of Dell today? What are some of the top priorities for Dell in India?

Sanjay Yadav: Today, the industry is at a critical inflection point, and we’re seeing a re-defining of what customers expect from technology. At Dell we are focused on innovation & building great customer experiences, targeting specific customer segments and delivering unique Dell solutions that exceed expectations. The most important thing is to stay close to your customers and never stop listening and adapting based on what you hear. One of the things we’ve done at Dell is to form distinct customer business units to get us closer to our customers and their unique needs. By listening to our customers, we have realized the importance of delivering products that offer customers the best value without compromising on style and performance. Our product portfolio is evolving to address changing consumer preferences towards thin and powerful laptops. We have a single purpose in mind – to enable our customers to grow and thrive in everything they do. We are also seeing a huge convergence of user devices which enable consumers to easily connect anytime, anywhere. Consumers are constantly on the look-out for devices which help meet their digital needs, combining entertainment with functionality. We are creating more compelling consumer experiences by delivering the broadest array of products for everyone, from students to Gen Y and families with kids.

IWQ: What kind of consumer behavior pattern are you witnessing in the PC business segment in India?

SY: Indian consumers today are abreast of global trends and are as tech-savvy as consumers anywhere in the world. India is a country that leads technology trends, and people are looking to change or upgrade their laptops to match the latest in style as well as performance. That’s why Dell’s product portfolio is evolving to address changing consumer preferences: in the laptop market, colours and designs play a significant role in purchase decisions, apart from performance. By listening to our customers, we have realized the importance of delivering an extensive choice of products for the best value. We have a single purpose in mind – to enable our customers to grow and thrive in everything they do. For instance, our new XPS laptops come with all the must-have features -- from next-generation Intel Core I processors for superior performance to full HD screens that are up to 50% brighter than standard displays – all in a stunning form factor, while gamers can enjoy true 3D games on our Alienware systems. We have a laptop for every personality with the new Inspiron R series that come with changeable lids featuring Intel’s 2nd generation Core i3 and i5 CPUs for high definition enjoyment and creation. This collection of Inspiron includes 10 new eye-popping lids, sporting vibrant colors and unique India inspired designs. Furthermore, the Indian consumer wants nothing but the best user experience and their exposure to high-end consumer technology products is increasing the demand for intuitive user interfaces, such as the Dell Stage. In short, the Indian consumer no longer accepts a compromise between design and performance. Features are a must-have, but in a beautiful design and stunning form factors. They also look at the value of the technology being offered for the price paid and not always prefers the cheapest products. Many of them choose branded products over others, for the assurance of service and reputation, even when they are priced a little higher.

IWQ: What kind of strategies have you adopted so as to enable the partners to keep their focus intact on the PC business?

SY: From a partner perspective, Dell offers numerous tools and resources, from business development to sales and marketing support, to help VARs raise profits from the opportunity mentioned above, while providing the flexibility and expertise their customers deserve. We’ve proven that Dell can be a stable business partner for the Channel and we intend to continue to grow that business; as we do, we’ll continue to deliver on what we promise to partners.

IWQ: Are there any new channel partner programs expected to push the sales of products and services?

SY: Efforts taken by Dell for strengthening the channel business have been constant and consistent. Very early in the year Dell announced a new GCC structure, to provide commercial channel partners with a single point of contact, to lead to higher productivity and improved time cycles and enable more customized programs to support the partners in the market. The new structure protected partner profitability by bringing consistent pricing across different Dell commercial businesses and offer the partners increased growth opportunities with solution centric offerings and a broader end customer base. And in September 2011, Dell has further restructured its Global Commercial Channel team to increase Dell’s penetration and footprint in the market especially in the Tier II regions- which is a heartland of commercial and SME businesses. Dell has also doubled its salesforce in the last two quarters. Under the new strengthened structure, we have added more enterprise specialists since we
realize that our business customers need direction on how to optimally deploy limited IT budgets. Also, Dell, in May this year, announced an enhanced structure for commercial channel partners under the GCC program with PartnerDirect, to expand their ability to deliver value to their customers and reward them for their investment in key Dell solutions, at the same time helping partners drive business growth. The newly enhanced PartnerDirect program featured a new structure which set out increased rewards for certification and training, including new rebates for premier partners, expanded deal registration terms, financial incentives, and marketing and technical assistance. Early in May this year we also launched Dell Empower program which is a two-fold incentive program for Consumer channel partners. This one-of-a-kind channel program is aimed to provide differentiated experience to the customers and will keep enhancing the benefits to the channel and end-consumer. As part of the Empower program, the last tier of channel (Resellers/retailers) is required to give demo of the product, explain the features and record the end customer details during the retail sales. This data is then 100% verified and fed into the Dell systems to update the warranty in the name of the end customer. The Dell sales affiliate is then rewarded for every verified form received. Furthermore we have the Sales Affiliates program – This program enables smaller partners who cannot invest heavily in inventory to sell Dell products directly. This has played an important role in enhancing the confidence we enjoy with the retail and channel community.

IWQ: Is there any new service oriented strategy adopted by Dell to gain market in PC business segment?

SY: At Dell, our core value is about giving every one of our customers, solutions and services that allow them to do more. We want to make the experience of using a Dell product simple, easy and, above all, fun. We are committed to improving the customer experience for all products while lowering total cost of ownership to enable our customers achieve success and the power to do more. We believe that after-sales support is a means of ensuring total customer satisfaction. Our service offerings such as our onsite service footprint of over 650 cities across India, next business day on-site support, Dell CompleteCover, default onsite warranty and the advanced exchange warranty have helped us gain customer trust. We also have the CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service that can help you avoid or minimize business disruptions. It is a repair and replacement service that covers most accidental damage like spills, drops, surges, breakages that not covered under the standard limited warranty. Apart from this we are also the first company to introduce the unique Advanced Exchange Warranty on our Tablet and smartphone products, that is, if your Dell phone or Tablet faces any hardware issues Dell will replace the product with a new one. These services have helped differentiate us in the market.

IWQ: Seeing this current competition scenario, the prices of a product plays a very decisive factor in incrementing its demand growth. Have you adopted any aggressive and strategic Pricing policy so as to ensure performance and prices goes hand in hand?

SY: Our goal is to create more compelling experiences; People are demanding “best-in-class” entertainment capabilities from their PCs. We were among the first to recognize this convergence of technology and entertainment, and our portfolio of systems allows people to experience the best entertainment, including high-definition video and audio and 3D. Today the consumers no longer accept a compromise between design and performance. Features are a must-have, but in a beautiful design and stunning form factors. Consumers look at the value of the technology being offered for the price paid and our products cater to their needs. We believe in following Dell’s purpose, to give our customers the power to do more, and so depending upon customer needs and requirements, we will focus on creating fresh and innovative products and solutions for the best value.

IWQ: How do you ensure increased channel revenue?

SY: At Dell, in an effort to be a better technology solution provider, we are listening to our customers at every possible occasion. Our overarching channel approach is to accelerate channel revenues without cannibalizing the direct business, while providing minimal disruption for existing partners and allowing for customer choice, Our strategy to achieve the same is simple - Develop a loyal network of solution provider partners by leveraging a differentiated value-add that expands our reach into the channel segments through certified practice areas aligned to Dell strategic areas. We continue to have a laser focus on our certified partners, while driving partner acquisition and activation, and we will continue building commitment with our partners by soliciting feedback and improving our business processes. As we continue to engage with our partners, their feedback has helped us evolve a more robust go-to-market strategy for our indirect business. We have earnestly listened to our partners and the single point of contact under the GCC team is a result of the partner’s feedback.

IWQ: What would be the next innovation for which the consumer should be ready for?

SY: We expect to see a proliferation of devices in different screen sizes to meet different needs as accessibility of information-on-the-go, becomes inevitable. We will therefore continue to work towards creating, combining and enhancing technology that delivers the best value to our customers over the long term.

In an exclusive interaction with Jalaj Roy Choudhury , Editor, IT WEB QUEST , Vinay Shetty, Country Head Component Business, ASUS India shares vital details about recently launched Xonar Essence One by ASUS, technological advancements incorporated in the product, big focus of ASUS, plans of the Company in 2011 and some other important details.

IWQ:  Choudhury: Please shed some light on the recently launched Xonar Essence One by ASUS. Are you branding ASUS products any differently?

Vinay Shetty: Asus has always branded itself as a technology company which pioneers in innovation and comes up with new innovative products. Our R&D and product quality are our key strengths and we let our products speak for themselves. A legacy of providing good, robust Motherboards - which is also our flagship product segment - gives us the edge when it comes to customer recall on what ASUS is all about. So the effort to introduce products becomes that much easier.

IWQ:  What all are the technological advancements and innovations incorporated in the newly launched product to further intensify the user’s experience? 

VS: Our latest offering in the audio segment, the Xonar Essence One, is a USB capable DAC (digital-to-analog convertor) that supports sample rates upto 192 kHz. Using up scaling, this can go right up to 384 kHz. The Xonar Essence One is said to able to drive headphones with impedance going to up as high as 600 Ohms. The op-amps being used on the Xonar Essence One can also be interchanged, which should help in changing the characteristics of the headphones connected to it.  The Xonar Essence One can also be connected to its source without the need of a PC. It has a USB input, coaxial/Toslink inputs and outputs in the form of XLR, dual RCA and 6.3mm connects. A 6.3mm to 3.5mm convertor is also bundled with the DAC. It is a very niche product with very specific target audience and in terms of quality is second to none.

IWQ:  What future trends and scope you foresee in this audio Industry? What are the Growth Drivers?

VS: Asus still is in the nascent stage when it comes to audio industry so for now we would reserve our comments about future trends, but we as an entrant in this exciting segment, we aspire to introduce some really innovative products for our customers and ensure that the user gets value for money proposition with every Asus purchase.  As for the growth drivers, with competition increasing and user understanding improving on what they really need when it comes to audio products, the scenario looks very bright and encouraging. We also see a lot of growth prospects for high end audio segment and demand for dedicated solutions for audio and video usage.

IWQ:  What is the big focus of ASUS today? What are some of the top priorities for ASUS in India?

VS: In terms of the overall Asus Component business focus we’re now diversifying our interests into multiple product categories. Earlier they focus was only on motherboards but since the last 2 years product categories like graphics cards, optical drives, wireless and networking products and media players are all doing exceptionally well and the horizon of priorities has enlarged. This gives us more confidence that our quality and innovation skills are being received well in the market. 

IWQ:  Are there any new channel partner programs expected to push the sales of products and services? 

VS: Channel remains a very integral part of ASUS business and one of the key reasons for introducing new product segments in India is to encourage our partners to move into newer product categories and increase their profitability and revenue. We also constantly work on improving our service network and wish to create a service pattern that reduces the TAT or the repair time. We also work on educating the partners about using the right combination of products when they build a system and also educate them on crucial aspects like how to handle service products and how to improve the interaction and experience of the consumer at service location.

IWQ:  Is there any new service oriented strategy adopted by ASUS to gain market in audio industry?

 VS: We are learning on a day to day basis and for us service remains a USP, in terms of Service setup we are training repair agents to understand and revert back what are basic customer FAQ’s so we can modulate our service offers.

IWQ:  What are Plans for ASUS in 2011? Are you planning to come up with any unprecedented marketing initiative this year?

VS: Marketing built up for Asus depends from product to product and with new product lines increasing for us, you surely can expect varied activities from ASUS, city wise / state wise / region wise. We strongly believe marketing cannot be a generic activity so we customize as per our target audience and product demand.

IWQ:  How do you ensure increased channel revenue?

VS: By introducing new products, maintaining our unique identity in the market and educating our partners on the concept of “Selling Right, Selling More”. Our partners’ profitability is closely related to our increased channel revenue and we ensure a win-win situation where both parties grow together. Most of our loyal partners have been with us for many years now and the number is growing steadily. Their support, co-operation and understanding over the years have been one of the crucial reasons for Asus success in the Indian market.

IWQ:  What would be the next innovation for which the consumer should be ready for? What kind of products are in demand?

VS: Media Player is one such segment which is fast racing ahead and consumers are clearer on their requirements. With increasing HD and Blu ray content, this product line is what the consumers should keep watching out in terms of innovation and trends.

IWQ:  What are the Potential Growth Opportunities and Key growth initiatives for ASUS in India?

VS: Sticking to the basics of improving what we are doing today and getting products on time in India are the areas where we see developing growth opportunities. Ensuring value for money for the end users in all products that we introduce are the key growth factors which we focus on.

IWQ:  Are you planning to affiliate to any new Channel and distribution strategy for 2011?

VS: Plans are being worked out for 2012 to be precise and focus would be deeper penetration in D and E class cities and ensuring the range of product is well understood by our partners. The concept of “Selling Right, Selling More” remains our key mantra. We are working very closely with our partner Rashi Peripheral who are helping us to take forth our philosophy of value addition rather than just distributing a product.

Seeing the current competitive scenario, the price of a product plays a very decisive factor in incrementing its demand growth. Have you adopted any aggressive and strategic pricing policy so as to ensure performance and prices goes hand in hand? Price has always been a factor too critical to be ignored and competition brings the best out of yourself, we always have a wide range to balance this from entry to high end and we cherish the fact that we have not only survied but have been steadly improving the situation. So with a wide range of products we help the customers to choose the best solution for their needs.

Mr. Kulbhushan Seth, Head Sales and Marketing, Casio India Co. Pvt. Ltd.
Intro: In an exclusive interaction with IT WEB QUEST, Kulbhushan Seth, Head- Sales and Marketing, Casio India Co, Pvt. Ltd. provides an insight about the latest product offerings by Casio, future trends and scope he foresees, Potential Growth Opportunities and Key growth initiatives for Casio in India etc. Here are the excerpts.

Jalaj Roy Choudhury, Editor IT WEB QUEST: Please shed some light on the recently launched products by Casio under Projector series. Are you branding Casio products any differently? 

Kulbhushan Seth: The all new range of eco- friendly projectors are launched with features such as 3D projection as well as converting the projection screen into an electronic blackboard by mouse operations. These projectors are environment friendly and use a light source with no mercury lamp to eliminate the release of toxic elements.

Our branding strategies for new products mainly include press conferences and events where these products are launched. 

IWQ: What future trends and scope you foresee in this Industry? What are the Growth Drivers?

KS: We are growing 30 per cent plus year-on-year, so we would like to continue that momentum. We target half-yearly growth that is almost similar year-on-year.  

IWQ: What is the big focus of Casio today? What are some of the top priorities for Casio in India? 

KS: Casio mainly focuses in bringing to the people such technologies which are not only consumer friendly, but also somewhere heal to the environmental disasters. With such a focus, Casio’s all new Projector series are environment friendly and use a light source with no mercury lamp to eliminate the release of toxic elements. 

IWQ: What are the Potential Growth Opportunities and Key growth initiatives for Casio in India?

KS: We are into consumer electronics and all our product categories are unique. But we are an electronic company even if we manufacture watches and sell their maximum number quantity wise worldwide. All Casio products, even if it is an Rs 800 watch with a battery life of 10 years, are based on our core technologies which focus on miniaturisation, low power consumption while maintaining high durability and usability. Our projectors are green, our calculators work on solar power, many of our watches also run on solar power. 

IWQ: What all are the technological advancements and innovations incorporated in the new range of launched products to further intensify the user’s experience? 

KS: With our new range of Projector series are equipped with 3D projection technology and are mercury free which makes them environment friendly. A light source with no mercury lamp eliminates the release of toxic elements. These projectors are targeted to education sector as Casio projectors are compatible with interactive learning where in projectors can be integrated with our mathematics teaching tools furthermore content that can be customized as well based on requirement. 

IWQ: Are you planning to affiliate to any new Channel and distribution strategy for 2011? 

KS: Our existing channel is more retail-oriented and a projector is not a retail product. It’s more of a corporate or institutional product where mostly direct sales take place. We are going to choose some direct channel partners who are going to be pan Indian. We have channel partners like small IT retailers or educational retailers, who supply educational products to schools and colleges and also provide projectors to educational institutes. We would therefore, like to tie up with them and develop a channel so that they offer our green projectors also. The educational sector is highly important and appreciable. We also have many other education related products, so now with the green projectors we will be able to make more contribution to this sector.  

IWQ: Seeing this current competition scenario, the prices of a product plays a very decisive factor in incrementing its demand growth. Have you adopted any aggressive and strategic Pricing policy so as to ensure performance and prices goes hand in hand? 

KS: Talking about competition with other brands on the basis of price as an aspect, our product is cheaper than mercury-lamp projectors. For example, if you take five average years and eight working hours a day, we can save the cost of six lamps, each lamp costs around Rs 10,000   so you can save Rs 60,000. If you take that period in account, we are cheaper. 

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IWQ :  What is the big focus for Fujifilm in India? Please provide an overview of the company’s growth path in 2010 and prospects in the year 2011?
Mr.A Rajkumar:  India is a special place for us with interesting markets and a huge potential. We started here in 2008 and since then have been consistently growing. In the year of inception we focused on building infrastructure and targeted 3% of market share in the digital camera segment, which we achieved. In the present year, we achieved considerable market share and we are targeting a 12-13% market share in 2011. We are highly committed towards making our presence felt in the digital camera market, which is witnessing a 40% growth year on year. We launched a range of 14 models featuring 3D, high definition (HD) movie and HD photo options last year. Our focus in India is to provide the best quality product range with value addition (like 2 year warranty period exclusively in India) at affordable pricing.
IWQ:  What are your objectives to increase the market share?
Mr.A Rajkumar:  The Indian digital camera market was 14lakh units last year but it is expected to grow to 24 units this year. Though there has been an increase in numbers of new buyers entering the market but we are also seeing an upward swing among customers who want to upgrade themselves to mid and premium segments. We are consistently advertising across different platforms and undertaking a nationwide PR campaign to connect with the end users. Our aim is to strengthen the brand image of Fujifilm digital cameras by reinforcing technical and marketing support to the existing channel network and penetrate deeper into the Indian market
IWQ:  What kinds of efforts are being made by the company in the research and development arena? What are your R&D plans for the year 2011?
Mr.A Rajkumar:  Fujifilm’s philosophy is to enhance the quality of life through its every single product. We believe in having a robust core technology which ensures customer satisfaction that in turn sets a better pace for company’s growth. That is the reason why we consistently invest 7% of our turnover to fortify our R&D.  It is because of our commitment towards consolidating our R&D that we can deliver a vast range of products across fields like imaging solutions, printing solutions and medical imaging.
IWQ:  How has the Indian retail segment matured over time? What kind of growth do you foresee for Indian retailing?
Mr.A Rajkumar:  The Indian Retail sector is presently estimated to be worth Rs.20 lac crore and is the second largest employer in the country after agriculture. As per the McKinsey’s study, organized retail in India is expected to reach US$ 450-billion by 2015. With the proposed relaxation in FDI norms in multi-brand retail, it is expected that several large multinational retail chains such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Tesco, Metro AG, Marks & Spencer, etc. shall spread out their operations in India.
IWQ : Share the retail presence of Fujifilm in India. How has it taken off?
Mr.A Rajkumar:  We had chalked out decisive retails sales and customer care strategies to consolidate our presence in India. We recently tied up with large format retail (LFR) chains , Consumer Electronics chains, Camera Speciality stores, Photo & IT channels, etc., to leverage upon the wide geographical footprint and network of the cross sectional channel segments
IWQ : What are your plans for strengthening your retail network and increasing the company’s presence in Tier 2-3 cities?
Mr.A Rajkumar:  We are actively trying to penetrate and strengthen our presence in Tier 2-3 cities where we have identified a lot of untapped potential. There are 2500 multi-brand stores that actively sell digital cameras and Fujifilm’s is eyeing to be present in 80% of these outlets.
IWQ : What is the biggest USP that comes along all your products?
Mr.A Rajkumar:  Our belief is to give ‘value for money’ to our customers. Hence, we have advanced features like HD movie and HD photo in all our 14 models. We provide other features which are highly appreciated by the customers like variable optical zoom (3x to30x) in our cameras. Basically, Fujifilm has products that suit the needs of each and every kind of customer.

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IConic Electronic Industries, involved in wireless communication systems and products, is to extend its leadership over to IT audio market. In an exclusive interview to IT Webquest, V. K. Mani, Founder and President, IConic Electronic Industries, reveals company’s plans for the Indian market.

IWQ: What all are the products offered by Iconic in
the Audio market and which of your products is doing well?

Mr. Maini: Within the audio market, we have a whole range of products like DVD Players, Car Multimedia Players, USB/MMC Players, Home Theatre systems and Multimedia speaker systems. Products like DVD Players and Car Multimedia have always done very well, but Home theatre systems have shown tremendous growth potential within the past 3-4 years. Multimedia Speakers and Home Theatre systems, being an essential part of both IT Market and Electronics market has vast variety of customer base with diversity in demands and choices.

IWQ: Being a latest entrant in the IT audio market, what
is the company's strategy to take on competition from other players?

Mr. Maini: Iconic is a brand with vast customer base through its excellence in product quality. We entered this market as a brand for the niche expecting everything in the product, and that is why we were one of the first brands in India to introduce USB/MMC/FM Players in speakers. With a vast range of quality products, we are now entering into all segments of the IT Audio market. The brands new models are very different from the rest, which will make a huge impact and that is what we are looking forward to in this competitive market.

IWQ: Tell us about your geographical presence in India? Do you plan to open more offices?

Mr. Maini: Iconic is an omnipresent brand present in almost all parts of India through its various product categories. However, within the IT Audio market the brand is going with a state-strike strategy with focus on singular states at different time frames. Iconic has gained large markets in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, MP and Delhi. Yes, we plan to establish an office in at least 85% of the states by the end of 2012.

IWQ: what is the market trend you see in India?

Mr. Maini: Indian market is prompt, aggressive, demanding and cognizant. The customer is aware of the happenings in the market of the products they are buying. With the growing number of brands, increasing media exposure the customer is much more aware of the price and quality of the products. As of now, the trend is shifting towards quality products that are an “all-in-one package”. This is the reason for which it can be said that multimedia speaker systems will soon replace the existing multimedia players like USB Players and DVD Players.

IWQ: How have you structured the sales network in terms of competition?

Mr. Maini: As of now, Iconic has a very distinct sales network with or without company branches around India. The company keeps full trust on its CNFs and builds direct relationships with CNFs and super distributors of states. This gives the company distributors “a personal touch”. Iconic has been working and achieving monthly targets and this structure of sales has been helping it achieve such success. The company’s ASMs have tried to keep the company posted on any new activities in the market, while the distributors have been providing the company with every insight of the market. The large information base of the company and prompt actions has kept Iconic ahead of the market competition.

IWQ: What are your top 3 guidelines for Dealers to tap the Iconic potential?

Mr. Maini: Iconic is market oriented brand, so dealers are guided to work “In the market, for the market and with the market”. The dealers are the main information base for the company, so the dealers are requested to keep the company posted on any information bag collected by the valuable sellers. Last, but not the least, treat the customer above all. Iconic treats the customer as god and expects the same out of its dealers.

IWQ: In
this soaring competition era, the price of a product plays a very vital
role in augmenting its demand. Have you adopted any strategic Pricing
policy so as to ensure performance and price goes evenly?

Mr. Maini: I wish I could deny the fact that this is a price-competitive market. This is a market where price comes first. However, Iconic has provided its customers more than they desire. Iconic has been able to prove much more price effective than any other smaller or larger brands due to its market-forecasting techniques. Also, Iconic has been able to persuade its buyers to buy few models at a higher price due to its innovative and newer products in the market. With our newer models coming into the market, we are expecting to rock the market from our highly attractive looks with features never seen before in the Indian market."

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