Marketing project report on ITC

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Before I get into the thick of the things I would like to add a few genuine words
for the people who were part of this project in numerous ways. People, who gave
unending support right from the stage the project was started, appreciated and
encouraged when being depressed.
In this context I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents and family
members who have constantly supported and played a pivotal role in shaping my
career.
I

take

this

opportunity

to

express

my

gratitude

to Mr.

S. CHAKROVARTY (T.D.M)and Mrs. M. Rama (HR) of ITC who have given me an

opportunity to do the project in their esteemed organization.
I would also like to thank Mr. ARVIND and Mr. Kamal (MARKETING) without their
support this project couldnt have been in the form in which it is now. I owe more
than what I can mention mostly for teaching me to see the silver lining in every dark
cloud.
I totally be indebted my regards to my External guide Mr. S. Gupta (C.E.) and Mr.
Ravi (P.S.R.) for their co-operation in the successful completion of the project.
And finally I would like to thank my friends for their unending support.

Table of content
Chapter 1

1.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Company Profile
Nature of business
Size of the business
Market share
Key Executives

4-10

e.

Type of Organization Structure

2. SWOT analysis of your company

3. How is your company positioned vis a vis the competitors,
And what are the competitive strategies adopted by it?
16
4. Your role in the company
5. Performance Management System
6. Use of IT as a productivity enhancer in your organization
7. Any lacuna or area for improvement you have observed at your
Work place /organization and your suggestions for improving it.
8. Learning experience
a. Personal
b. Professional

11-13
1417-19
20-22
23-24
25-27
28-30

Chapter 2
Bibliography
31

Company profile
Nature of business
ITC was incorporated on August 24, 1910 under the name Imperial Tobacco
Company of India Limited. As the Company's ownership progressively Indianised,
the name of the Company was changed from Imperial Tobacco Company of India
Limited to India Tobacco Company Limited in 1970 and then to I.T.C. Limited in
1974. In recognition of the Company's multi-business portfolio encompassing a wide
range of businesses - Cigarettes & Tobacco, Hotels, Information Technology,
Packaging, Paperboards & Specialty Papers, Agri-business, Foods, Lifestyle
Retailing, Education & Stationery and Personal Care - the full stops in the
Company's name were removed effective September 18, 2001. The Company now
stands rechristened 'ITC Limited'
As one of India's most valuable and respected corporations, ITC is widely perceived
to be dedicatedly nation-oriented. Chairman Y C Deveshwar calls this source of
inspiration "a commitment beyond the market". In his own words: "ITC believes that

its aspiration to create enduring value for the nation provides the motive force to
sustain growing shareholder value. ITC practices this philosophy by not only driving
each of its businesses towards international competitiveness but by also consciously
contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the larger value chain of which it is
a part."
ITC's diversified status originates from its corporate strategy aimed at creating
multiple drivers of growth anchored on its time-tested core competencies:
unmatched distribution reach, superior brand-building capabilities, effective supply
chain management and acknowledged service skills in hoteliering. Over time, the
strategic forays into new businesses are expected to garner a significant share of
these emerging high-growth markets in India.

Size of the business

ITC is one of India's foremost private sector companies with a market capitalization
of over US $ 30 billion and a turnover of US $ 6 billion.* ITC is rated among the
World's Best Big Companies, Asia's 'Fab 50' and the World's Most Reputable
Companies by Forbes magazine, among India's Most Respected Companies by
Business World and among India's Most Valuable Companies by Business Today.
ITC ranks among India's `10 Most Valuable (Company) Brands', in a study
conducted by Brand Finance and published by the Economic Times. ITC also ranks
among Asia's 50 best performing companies compiled by Business Week.
ITC has a diversified presence in Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards & Specialty
Papers, Packaging, Agri-Business, Packaged Foods & Confectionery, Information
Technology, Branded Apparel, Personal Care, Stationery, Safety Matches and other
FMCG products. While ITC is an outstanding market leader in its traditional
businesses of Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards, Packaging and Agri-Exports, it is
rapidly gaining market share even in its nascent businesses of Packaged Foods &
Confectionery, Branded Apparel, Personal Care and Stationery.
ITC's Agri-Business is one of India's largest exporters of agricultural products. ITC is
one of the country's biggest foreign exchange earners (US $ 3.2 billion in the last
decade). The Company's 'e-Choupal' initiative is enabling Indian agriculture
significantly enhance its competitiveness by empowering Indian farmers through the
power of the Internet. This transformational strategy, which has already become the
subject matter of a case study at Harvard Business School, is expected to

progressively create for ITC a huge rural distribution infrastructure, significantly

enhancing the Company's marketing reach.
ITC's wholly owned Information Technology subsidiary, ITC InfoTech India Ltd,
provides IT services and solutions to leading global customers. ITC InfoTech has
carved a niche for itself by addressing customer challenges through innovative IT
solutions.
ITC's production facilities and hotels have won numerous national and international
awards for quality, productivity, safety and environment management systems. ITC
was the first company in India to voluntarily seek a corporate governance rating.
ITC employs over 26,000 people at more than 60 locations across India. The
Company continuously endeavors to enhance its wealth generating capabilities in a
globalizing environment to consistently reward more than 4, 14,000 shareholders,
fulfill the aspirations of its stakeholders and meet societal expectations. This overarching vision of the company is expressively captured in its corporate positioning
statement: "Enduring Value, for the Nation, For the Shareholder."

Market share
ITC Limited (BSE: 500875) public conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata,
India.[1] Its turnover is $6 billion and a market capitalization of over $30 Billion. The
company has its registered office in Kolkata. It started off as the Imperial Tobacco
Company, and shares ancestry with Imperial Tobacco of the United Kingdom, but it is
now fully independent, and was rechristened to Indian Tobacco Company in 1970
and then to I.T.C. Limited in 1974
The company is currently headed by Yogesh Chander Deveshwar. It employs over
26,000 people at more than 60 locations across India and is listed on Forbes 2000.
ITC Limited completed 100 years on 24 August 2010.
ITC has a diversified presence in Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards & Specialty
Papers, Packaging, Agri-Business, Packaged Foods & Confectionery, Information
Technology, Branded Apparel, Personal Care, Stationery, Safety Matches and other
FMCG products. While ITC is an outstanding market leader in its traditional
businesses of Cigarettes, Hotels, Paperboards, Packaging and Agri-Exports, it is
rapidly gaining market share even in its nascent businesses of Packaged Foods &
Confectionery, Branded Apparel, Personal Care and Stationery.

ITC's aspiration to be an exemplar in sustainability practices is manifest in its status

as the only company in the world of its size and diversity to be 'carbon positive',
'water positive' and 'solid waste recycling positive.' In addition, ITC's businesses
have created sustainable livelihoods for more than 5 million people, a majority of
whom represent the poorest in rural India.

Key Executives

Organization Structure at HQ

Organization Structure in the field

2. Swot Analysis of your company

ITC is one of India's biggest and best-known private sector companies. In fact
it is one of the World's most high profile consumer operations. ThisSWOT
analysis is about ITC. Its businesses and brands are focused almost entirely
on the Indian markets, and despite being most well-known for its tobacco
brands such as Gold Flake, the business is now diversifying into new FMCG
(Fast Moving Consumer Goods) brands in a number of market sectors
including

cigarettes,

hotels,

paper,

agriculture,

packaged

foods

and

confectionary, branded apparel, personal care, greetings cards, Information

Technology, safety matches, incense sticks and stationery. Examples of its
successful new FMCG products include:

Aashirvaad - India's most popular atta brand with over 50%

market share. It is also present in spices and instant mixes.

Mint-o - Mint-0 Fresh is the largest cough lozenge brand in

India.

Bingo! - a new introduction of finger snacks.

Kitchens of India - pre-prepared foods designed by ITC's

master chefs.

Sun feast - is ITC's biscuit brand (and the sub-brand is also

used on some pasta products).
STRENGTHS
ITC leveraged it traditional businesses to develop new brands for
new

segments.

For

example, ITC used

its

experience

of

transporting and distributing tobacco products to remote and

distant parts of India to the advantage of its FMCG products. ITC
master chefs from its hotel chain are often asked to develop new
food concepts for its FMCG business.

ITC is a diversified company trading in a number of business

sectors including cigarettes, hotels, paper, agriculture, packaged
foods and confectionary, branded apparel, personal care, greetings
cards, Information Technology, safety matches, incense sticks and
stationery.
WEAKNESSES
The company's original business was traded in tobacco. ITC stands
for Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited. It is interesting that
a business that is now so involved in branding continues to use its
original name, despite the negative connection of tobacco with
poor health and premature death.
To fund its cash guzzling FMCG start-up, the company is still
dependant upon its tobacco revenues. Cigarettes account for 47
per cent of the company's turnover, and that in itself is responsible
for 80% of its profits. So there is an argument that ITC's move into
FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) is being subsidised by its
tobacco operations. Its Gold Flake tobacco brand is the largest
FMCG brand in India - and this single brand alone hold 70% of the
tobacco market.
OPPORTUNITIES
Core brands such as Aashirvaad, Mint-o, Bingo! And Sun Feast
(and others) can be developed using strategies of market
development, product development and marketing penetration.ITC
is moving into new and emerging sectors including Information
Technology, supporting business solutions.
e-Choupal is a community of practice that links rural Indian farmers
using the Internet. This is an original and well thought of initiative
that could be used in other sectors in many other parts of the
world. It is also an ambitious project that has a goal of reaching 10
million farmers in 100,000 villages.

ITC leverages e-Choupal in a novel way. The company researched

the tastes of consumers in the North, West and East of India of atta
(a popular type of wheat flour), then used the network to source
and create the raw materials from farmers and then blend them for
consumers under purposeful brand names such as Aashirvaad
Select in the Northern market, Aashirvaad MP Chakki in the
Western market and Aashirvaad in the Eastern market. This
concept is tremendously difficult for competitors to emulate.
Chairman Yogi Deveshwar's strategic vision is to turn his Indian
conglomerate into the country's premier FMCG business.Per capita
consumption of personal care products in India is the lowest in the
world offering an opportunity for ITC's soaps, shampoos and
fragrances under their Wills brand.
THREATS
The obvious threat is from competition, both domestic and
international. The laws of economics dictate that if competitors see
that there is a solid profit to be made in an emerging consumer
society that ultimately new products and services will be made
available. Western companies will see India as an exciting
opportunity for themselves to find new market segments for their
own offerings.ITC's opportunities are likely to be opportunities for
other companies as well. Therefore the dynamic of competition will
alter in the medium-term. Then ITC will need to decide whether
being a diversified conglomerate is the most competitive strategic
formation for a secure future.

3. How is your company positioned vis a vis the competitors

and what are the competitive strategies adopted by it?

ITC is a board-managed professional company, committed to creating

enduring value for the shareholder and for the nation. It has a rich
organizational culture rooted in its core values of respect for people and belief
in empowerment. Its philosophy of all-round value creation is backed by
strong corporate governance policies and systems.

ITCs corporate strategies are:

Create multiple drivers of growth by developing a portfolio of world class
businesses that best matches organizational capability with opportunities in
domestic and export markets.
Continue to focus on the chosen portfolio of FMCG, Hotels, Paper,
Paperboards & Packaging, Agri Business and Information Technology.

Benchmark the health of each business comprehensively across the criteria

of Market Standing, Profitability and Internal Vitality.

Ensure that each of its businesses is world class and internationally

competitive.

Enhance the competitive power of the portfolio through synergies derived by

blending the diverse skills and capabilities residing in ITC are various
businesses.

Create distributed leadership within the organization by nurturing talented

and focused top management teams for each of the businesses.

Continuously strengthen and refine Corporate Governance processes and

systems to catalyze the entrepreneurial energies of management by striking
the golden balance between executive freedom and the need for effective
control and accountability.

Sustain
capabilities

multiple

drivers

of

growth,

matching

internal

with emerging market opportunities

Pursue World class competitiveness in all businesses and
across

the entire value chain

Best-in-class in terms of:

Internal Vitality

Market Standing

Profitability

Strategy of Organization and Governance processes geared to

Manage multiple businesses

Blend

core

competencies

and

leverage

ITC

umbrella

strengths to

Create new avenues of growth.

Apart from crafting business models that establish direct linkages between
businesses and societal goals, ITC is also engaged in implementing various
other sustainable development initiatives towards making a meaningful
contribution in the economic vicinity of its operating locations. The thrust of
these initiatives, christened 'Mission Sunehra Kal', is in three areas: (i) natural
resource management, which includes wasteland, watershed and
agriculture development; (ii) sustainable livelihoods, comprising genetic
improvement in livestock and economic empowerment of women; and (iii)
community development, with focus on primary education and health and
sanitation.

ITC is committed to conducting its business operations with passionate

respect for the environment. Several prestigious national and international
awards (listed elsewhere in this report) testify to ITC's abiding commitment.
Such recognition has further reinforced the Company's commitment to
consciously synergise and direct the collective endeavour of its employees at
all levels across all businesses, functions and locations to continuously

improve sustainability practices, to ultimately attain and exceed global

standards.

Internationally benchmarked specific consumption of water, dedicated pursuit

of the goal of zero discharge and scaling up of rainwater harvesting in several
moisture-stressed districts of India have enabled ITC retain its enviable
position of a 'water positive' Company for the fourth successive year. The
water harvesting potential created so far is over four times the Company's net
water consumption.

It is a matter of pride that ITC became 'carbon positive' during the year on the
back of several energy conservation measures, usage of carbon neutral fuels
and carbon sequestration through large-scale agroforestry programmes. ITC is
making rapid strides towards attaining 'zero solid waste' status. Upon this
achievement in the near term, ITC would perhaps be the only global enterprise
of its size in the world to have achieved these milestones encompassing all
three critical facets of environmental sustainability.

In a nation where economic deprivation is widespread and the capacity of a

large share of its citizens to participate effectively in economic growth is
grossly limited, ITC seeks to contribute in meaningful measure towards social
empowerment and genderised development. The ITC e-Choupal and Choupal
Saagar infrastructure - a combination of digital, human and physical assets already serves over 3.5 million farmers and is potentially an efficient delivery
channel for rural development. Similarly

4. Your role in the company

Nature of your work

Sales Associates play an important role in the success of their respective

companies. Regardless of the type of product they sell, their primary duties
are to interest buyers and purchasing agents in their merchandise or services
and to address clients questions and concerns. Sales associates demonstrate
their products and advise clients on how using these products can reduce
costs and/or increase revenue. Sales associates can spend much of their time
traveling to and visiting with prospective buyers and current clients.

The Sales Associate is a key employee in maintaining good customer service.

She/he is responsible for serving customers and accurately recording all
sales, as well as assisting with merchandising responsibilities, such as
stocking, pricing and keeping the store neat, clean and organized. The Sales
Associate reports to the Assistant Store Manager or Store Manager, as
designated.

Key Responsibilities

Provides prompt, courteous customer service

Rings up all sales on cash register, properly and accurately handling money,
checks and other types of payment received for products sold

Performs multi-function operation of fuel console, lottery and money order

machines

Performs housecleaning duties necessary to maintain store cleanliness and

basic upkeep and/or cleaning of all equipment in the store

Assists in maintaining proper inventory levels and shift audits

Controls merchandise, cash shortages and other selling expenses

Performs all duties with minimal supervision; may be required to work

irregular hours, attend job-related meetings and perform other duties as
assigned

Process that I follow

Customer Service Executives are accountable for formulating resolution and

response in a timely and accurate manner and providing excellent customer
services. Their main responsibility is to define a customer service strategy of
the

organization.

This

strategy

includes

using

training,

technology,

developing, and improving employees skills, maintaining consistent quality

control, standardizing procedures and policies, and establishing expectations
of customer service.

Duties and Responsibilities

Maintaining customers focus on all times and answering to customers
enquiries using the standard guidelines.

Taking ownership of complaint and queries and proactively following through

to resolution.

Making ensure that all customers queries are well-investigated and resolved,
and escalating queries if appropriate to supervisor.

Interface with the other departments

Assisting management and Team Manger with any assigned special projects
and providing backup to the team manager when required.

Maintaining working cognition of each customer service process for various

market segments and communicating issues to team manager.

Developing

and

mentoring

new

staff

to

satisfy

customer

service

requirements.
Maintaining professional strong working relationship with external and
internal customers, colleagues, and customer service management.

Supporting decisions made by customer service management and conveying

positively to reinforce the team members.

Identifying and escalating consistent or recurring problems with the systems

functionality.

Assisting in improving and monitoring procedures and processes to ensure

the cost-effective and the most efficient service.

Assisting

in

preparing

and

developing

the

documentation

of

the

organizations standard policies and procedures towards customer service.

How does my work fit into the overall goal of the company
One thing every business person knows about sales is that theres never
enough. A business doesnt succeed by standing still. To be successful, you
have to drive more sales than ever before. Setting sales performance goals is
a crucial step in increasing top-line revenue. But setting arbitrary goals can do
more harm than good. Follow these steps to get the most out of your sales
staff

Usually results in more customers than cash trade.

Gain goodwill and loyalty of customers.

Increase the sales.

Stimulates the profit of the company by the increase in sales

Increases sales

Reduces bad debts

Increases profits

Builds customer loyalty

Builds confidence of financial industry

Increase the customer relationship

5. Performance Management System

An iterative process of goal-setting, communication, observation and
evaluation to support, retain and develop exceptional employees for
organizational success.

ITC believes the responsibility for career development rests both

with the individual and the organization. While the organization
provides opportunities for learning and growth, it is the individual's
responsibility to ensure he enhances his competencies to shoulder
higher responsibilities. Career development therefore is a two-way
process. Above all, the key factor determining career growth is
meritocracy and performance.
The cornerstone of the performance management system is the Appraisal
System. The individual agrees his performance objectives at the beginning of
the year with his boss. These objectives naturally flow from the objectives of
the unit/business. At the end of the year his performance is assessed against
the objectives set. The appraisal attaches as much importance to ''how''
results were achieved as to the results themselves. The rating is determined

by the manager's boss and endorsed by his boss. Therefore, two individuals
are involved in assessing a manager's performance.

The appraisal process also gives the individual an opportunity to share in a

formal manner his own career aspirations and what he needs from the
organization to enhance his own development. Based on an assessment of
development needs, a development plan is drawn up for each manager.

Remuneration changes are made once every year based on the performance
rating of the individual. The entire process is transparent and objective.
ITC's remuneration strategy is anchored in three basic principles: market-led,
performance leveraged and the capacity to pay. Remuneration is bench
marked with identified comparator organizations and reviewed periodically.

Apart from the monetary component which comprises Consolidated Salary

and

Supplementary

Allowance,

managers

are

provided

with

quality

accommodation, generous loans for asset creation, medical assistance for self
and family, leave travel assistance, etc. At middle and senior levels. Managers
are provided with company maintained cars and the facility of a club
membership for business purposes.

All managers are members of ITC's Retirement Funds, the Pension Scheme
being one of the most attractive in the country.

Other benefits include the facility of holiday homes, assistance for further
education/self development etc.
The Company believes that as the competitive scenario gets more intense,
specialism will increasingly become a source of unique competitive
advantage. Certain specialisms are enhanced by extended and in-depth
application and 'longevity' in a position. This requires a unique approach to
career management of such 'specialists.'

Some of the specialist positions are Company Solicitor, Scientist, Leaf

Blender, Product Development Specialist, Process Specialist, Instrumentation
Specialist,

Agronomist,

Commodity

Trader,

Forex

Manager,

Corporate

Communications Specialist etc the Company does encourage its managers to

do so. In fact, the Company sponsors identified managers to pursue a full time
MBA programme at the IIMs, ISB and other leading management institutes.
Managers are identified on the basis of their performance and potential. Whilst
the manager is away pursuing a full time MBA programme, he continues to
receive his Consolidated Salary and is reimbursed the cost of his education to
the extent of 75% of the expenditure actually incurred, subject to a maximum
of

Rs.10

lakhs.

6. Use of IT as a productivity enhancer in your organization

IT transformation is a key factor in achieving high performance for retailers.

Streamline information technology to enhance overall performance.

Today's retailers need to transform their IT capabilities for a number of

reasons. These include:
To aggregate and analyze customer data to enhance differentiation.

To increase a company's ability to respond to a rapidly changing marketplace

through enhanced flexibility and speed.

To operate effectively, retailers need to have one system working across

stores (sometimes across national borders) to ensure the most effective use of
stock and to support optimized business processes.

Transaction processing
As the hype around technology decreases, retailers are seeing clearly that
technology's role is one of an enabler, speeding up of processes and
delivering cost savings. The retail industry faces specific IT management
challenges:

Transparency and Tracking: Retailers need greater transparency between

systems and better tracking to integrate systems from manufacturer through
to consumer to obtain customer and sales information.

Decision making
Customer Data: Information overload is a challenge for retailers because they
need to collect and sift through data to convert it into useful information in a
customer-centric industry.

Global

Data

Synchronization:

Enabled

by

radio

frequency

identification/electronic product coding, the entire supply chain is becoming

more intelligent. This creates what Accenture calls Silent Commerce.

Benefits for retailers include enabling the use of real-time data to monitor
inventory levels. Radio frequency identification tagging also positions the
company to better safeguard its shipments by enabling the tracking of
products from manufacturer through the supply chain.

Performance tracking
Collaborates with companies to meet the need for positive IT management.
The goal is to enhance business processes and keep up to date with
innovation to become a high-performance business.

The innovation in Information Technologies (IT) and their uses in the retail
supply chain increase the efficiency of the whole system itself. Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Point of
Sales (POS), and various Data Mining (DM) technologies enable retailers to
radically change the way they do business within the retail supply chain, and
achieve increased supply chain efficiency in terms of labour cost reduction,
inventory accuracy improvement, lead time reduction, and order fill rate
increment.

7. Any lacuna or area for improvement you have observed at your

work place / organization and your suggestions for improving it.

Whatever category your retail business is in, the following tactics will help you build,
track and keep up on the buzz about your brand without the need to invest large
amounts of money. These ideas compliment almost any brand at any budget.

1. Social networking You probably already have a Facebook and Twitter page that
may or may not be yielding results for you. To help these pages along and to build up
your social networking reputation or refute complaints, you should be leveraging
these pages further.

What you can do now Task a junior member of your team to be your "social
outreach ambassador." This role is focused totally on trolling Facebook, Twitter and
blogs to "invite," "reply" and "request" connections with current and potential
customers and groups. By spending 20 or so hours a week on this effort you will
slowly help along your Facebook and Twitter following, refute untrue online blog
statements and reply to customers who have questions. This is a hard position to
measure effectiveness on, so it could be hard to justify in your budget. But you have
to consider this proactive marketing. The opportunity cost saved is not having
uncontrolled rumors online. Many PR firms are starting to offer this service, but they
dont really get it and wont be able to react as quickly as someone in your company
culture who understands your brand.
Start with an intern and scale from there.

2. Customer service In todays economy no single thing matters as much for your
sales and loyalty as building a great customer service brand. This is an area of
marketing often overlooked or muddled with expensive and hard-to-use processes. If
you are even aware of your customer service problem it is likely you first came
across it the way most consumers find you: You found a review about your company
online, via a search engine, and it was probably not flattering.
Online reviews are here to stay and many current and potential customers use them
to help guide their online research in deciding where to buy. You can leverage the
world of online reviews in your favor and often have more effect on purchase intent
than the best TV commercial.

Whether you have a large customer service department, no customer service

department, already have a good customer service reputation or need to build one,
today many new online customer service tools exist that are often free or low cost.

What you can do now - Start asking your customers to review you on business sites
like Angieslist.com and customer service sites like MeasuredUp.com. By confidently
asking customers for business and customer service reviews, you will in no time

have dozens of complimentary reviews of your company online. These will negate
most bad reviews, increase your positioning on search engines and help interested,
potential customers find and trust you when researching online. The goal here is not
to have only good reviews as even the best companies have some bad reviews
about them online. The goal is to have a balance and to demonstrate through
association that your brand is focused on improving.

3. Online comments The Internet is talking about you whether you like it or not. On
thousands of sites, content that mentions you or a competitor is constantly being
added. You need to join this conversation, even if you cant control it.

What you can do now - Take that intern who is working on Facebook, Twitter and
blogs and have him also spend five hours a week searching for reviews about your
company or articles about something that is relevant to your business. When there is
a comment field, have the intern write some intelligent content in response. State
that they are an employee of the company and include a URL to your site. Do not try
and pretend to be consumer as this will likely be found out and create further
uncomplimentary content. This effort will help rebut negative views, show your
company cares about its reputation and will help drive traffic to your company Web
site. If you come across compliments, add on a quick "Thank You" comment, saying
that you care about your reputation and appreciate the support of customers.

4. PR - You have more to say about your business than you realize. Regular press
releases about important company events, news or upgrades are often overlooked.
Generate interest from journalists by creating content that will interest them.

What you can do now You know your business and the kinds of things the press
wants to cover. Often, the press does not have the resources to generate data for a
story. Create a poll on your Web site based on a topic of interest and then pitch the
results to your press contacts. This will often lead to an exclusive or inclusion in a
larger story about the topic.

If you have good contacts you also can pre-pitch an idea to them to gauge interest
and then create the poll customized to their needs. Polls like these help raise your
companys credibility build your reputation and keep your brand in front of
customers.

With these easy and inexpensive marketing tips, you can quickly augment your
existing marketing efforts and start to raise your company's social media, customer
service, online and PR profile while helping increase sales and build online
reputation.

8. Learning experience

Personal
The thought of a career in sales can be a very daunting prospect,
especially if you have no previous experience. I will try and talk you
through some of my own personal experiences.
Sales, is all about your personality. The difference between a great sales
person and a poor sales person generally all comes down to the nature
of the individual involved.
If you are bright out going and able to communicate with different people
on different levels then you may well find that sales is for you. There is
no template for the perfect sales person and there is no true technique
that will work for everyone is all comes down to you.
One of the biggest factors that I think comes into play with sales people
is money. You think money when you are selling. The money factor is
often the catalyst that makes sales people perform. Its almost like
waving the carrot for the donkey.

Sales jobs are very often commission based so the recruitment process
is usually very relaxed. In most non-sales jobs employers can pick and
chose whom they want to employ.
Sales is different, if you dont perform you dont get paid, it really is that
simple. There are a few exceptions where you will be offered a salary
but generally a sales persons wage is directly reflected by their
performance. This could be a big factor when deciding if you want to
take a chance with a career in sales.
I was lucky enough to land a placement that included a salary plus
bonus. This acted like a safety net. If I had a bad month I still had my
basic wage to fall back on.
The commission only package does have other implications, for
example, saying to your bank manager you are only paid on a
commission only basis may not go down to well when your are applying
for a mortgage. These are just a few considerations you should take into
account when deciding if sales is for you.
Most companies that sell either products or services have a team of
sales reps that are there to promote and sell their products to the public
or businesses.
The sales teams are very often the public face of the company and are
in effect representing the companys brand. Conduct is very important in
this role. A good sales rep will always try and show the company in good
light and be polite and courteous at all times.
Professional

Training
Most companies offer training to any new starts within the company. Try and
take in as much of this as possible. They will offer you tips and tricks to help
you out when you are out selling. They will also try and make you a fully aware
of the products or service they offer. Training is very often ongoing and you
will be brought back in for refresher courses once in a while. At the time they
seam pointless but in the long term they do help.

Good sales all comes down to the following

Well presented to your customers

Good overall product knowledge

Confident

Well spoken

Good listening skills

All these factors play a part in making you good sales rep there is no magic
formula that will make you perform in sales it is all just a learning process.
What works for one person wont work for another. It all comes down to finetuning your own personal skills.

1. Sales allow you to acquire cash much more quickly than a salaried job, and
you have much greater control over your income than you would with a salary
or hourly wage.

2. Sales require you learn the some of the most important skills in business:
goal setting, persistence, determination, accountability, long term perspective,
and a high tolerance for rejection and frustration.

3. Success in sales gives you real flexibility in your work life, allowing you to
finally be free of an office and a time clock. I know thats one of the most clich
statements youll ever hear, but it also happens to be true - and thank
goodness.

Bibliography

ITC website