Hi!
Two days back i gave an interview for a part time/ online job as a Business Development Executive 4 a company www.aashmam.com a startup IT company.
The interview was very intersting.
It started with questions related to my work experience and about my MBA, projects etc.
Two questions were very interesting.
1. How would u sell a comb to a bald person?
2. What strategy will you suggest for a startup IT company like aashmam which is competing with the tier 1 IT companies in India?
Seriously, I had not faced such questions before. The first one is like selling a fridge to an eskimo.
For the first question, I answered that I will ask the bald person to buy the comb as a gift for his wife, daughter, friend or any other relative.
For the second question I gave a 2 minute answer explaining about the competitive scenario in the indian IT industry and how to differentiate the features of the software product, low pricing strategy, developing relationship with the client's top management etc. But Miss. Mamta (the interviewer) was not satisfied with my answers. She reminded me that their company was a startup company and wz looking for an innovative answer.
Finally, she told that she will call back again and asked me to be ready with an answer for the 2nd question or she may arrange a personal face to face interview at her office in mumbai or pune.
Later on, I asked the same question to professor Sudin Apte who teaches Services Marketing and is the country head of Forresterresearch in India (www.forresterresearch.com)
He told me that a start up company cannot compete with tier 1 companies. According to him a startup company should look for a niche service. If it is competing with tier 1 company it will definitely fail.
I posted this question on www.marketingprofs.com and got some good suggestions.
http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=14025#89394
Professor Nene suggested that the company should offer the solution on trial basis without any charges.
But, Prof Apte told that nowadays companies dont have time to experiment.
If any one has any other innovative strategy, plz mail me at aleem.symbiosis@gmail.com
Comments are welcome!!
1 comment:
I mean startup can survive and have done so google video was exosting it had the google name the best in market these days, but youtube beat it didnt it, how they targeted the niche audience who are the most likely to carry around a camera and shoot stuff as it happens a young guy/girl most of the stuff on youtube is enetetainment related who likes that the young audience mainly so they made temselves pouplar in their target segemnt they had the financial muscle to see thru the initial days and once they got enough visitors they had enuf advertisers and they became the billion dollar saga. So its understna in the way smething is done and try being innovative in that say for example tier i makes product x but it has problem y, being tier I by the time they fix it it will be time but say a startup they can reduce these turnaround times so they can cater to clients who need faster turnaroud times. Imean there is always room for improvement and you have to be that improvement period. Easie said than done but GIT R DONE ( u know this comedian??)
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