Hey!! That wasn’t the topic of my post… I wanted to share how designations have metamorphosised… hic!!! I misspelt again. Anyhow, let me get to the point.

Mr. Subroto Bagchi calls himself the Gardner, though he is an equity holder in Mindtree.

Mr. Narayanmurthy—poor man is relegated to be just a chief mentor.

Mr. Sahara shri is nothing but a managing worker.( not MD)

Cisco India has Wim Elfrink as the chief globalization manager, while Tracy Ann Curtis is the senior manager for diversity & Inclusion. 

Kalpana Veeraraghavan is now the Work life integration leader at IBM.

I am told that perfectly sane technology companies have key positions as Director of People success, Chief privacy officer, Chief competitive officer, vision-holder cum vice chairman, chief beverage server (the one who serves tea on the desk), four wheel manager (car driver), chief impression manager (receptionist), loss prevention manager (security), inlet-outlet minder (doorman) – I think I exaggerated the last one….. the others are all true.

While I have been trying to eavesdrop into the boardroom of many of these corporate, and fantasize on how each of the above senior people would have convinced their peers on the role change, there seems to be a problem of plenty at the bottom.

Earlier, there used to be one CEO and a few gardeners, on the lawns. Now, there would be a few gardeners on the top floor, and a few ‘vegetation managers’ at the gate. As the vegetation managers tend to the flora, the chief privacy officer ensures that the chief typo-speller(the stenographer) does not accept any illegal gratification (read emotional expressions) from the chief of the chief of wheel managers (the transport incharge). All this while, the chief of vision (bespectacled, of course) peers through the reams of excel sheets that the chief of mathematical delusions(CFO) and chief alliance interpretations(HR) together have offloaded onto this chiefs laptop. He calls in his chief of understatement of the cyber space(CTO) and commands him to explain him how the damn PC works… this chief calls in his chief of understanding the understatement (the CIO) and seeks assistance. Finally, the chief of the fuccha brigade (trainee) is summoned who checks through the various analysis & reports and comes up with the inference – THE BATTERY NEEDS TO BE RECHARGED!!

Hey Gardner? Not you sir… I am talking to the one who tends the vegetation… no not you sir trying to pluck a strand of hair from the forehead of the chief typist… not you sir.. then one with the pink pants trying to mentor the muscular trainee… yeah.. right… the one with the hose and spade in the hand… can you please look at the creeper on my window which has completely blocked the daylight off my window??? Whew… I never knew that the gardener attracts so much attention… hey!!! Is that a surname??? Is it like Kim in Korea now, in corporate India.

I have 10 in my company.

Whew !!! too many chiefs now…. sometimes, I feel like lost in the USA of the 19^th century when there were more chief with fancy names than Horses….

I sometimes wonder what would have prompted these changes??? Why do I still have an outdated designation on my visiting card??Why am I still known as the founding Partner?

 Can I not try and convince my management to make me the chief of cerebral masturbation and verbal diarrhoea? Can I address my good friend & colleague Ajay Dabas as the chief of Blabbering untruths and effecting growth (he incidentally is responsible for business development).

It is 01.30 am and I need to get to my bed as my tormentor in chief (wife) and chief of pissing in the sleep(2 year old son) both await me. Will complete this piece shortly.

Let me make this outrageous statement at the beginning of this post – “Most…… (Please note that I am not generalizing) Most consumers or retail investors in the residential realty segment don’t have an idea on what they look for, what they are bargaining for and what exactly to expect. They pretend to be experts with their source of knowledge or expertise being another one of them”.

 I will explain the above. Give me some time to draw an analogy. These very consumers, when they go out to buy cars, they don’t pretend to know much more than the car manufacturer.  When these very clients visit a doctor, they don’t try to throw their limited acquired knowledge on the domain of medicine at the specialist. Likewise, when it comes to real estate, we have more pretending specialists than real ones, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TABLE.

As a member of the Certes Realty Ltd Org, I have had the opportunity to meet a few client groups, who wanted to go out and source investment opportunities for themselves. Some small groups, some larger. If I have to fix up a percentage to such deals fructifying, I am afraid that it won’t be more than 5%…. just five percent? WHY?

In the first place, these groups attempt to source, compare, negotiate and close the deal, all by them. THEY DO NOT HAVE AN OUTSIDE EXPERT AGENCY TO HANDLE THE ASSIGNMENT. I would deal with the handicaps and threats of this approach, ahead on the article.

As a direct assignment, I interact with these groups of buyers, mostly corporate executives in the age group of 30- 40 from the private sector, and 35-45 from PSUs & government sector. The following are some of the salient observations on my interactions.

1. Most groups try and nominate a few enterprising fellow employees to spearhead the discussions, with developers / agents. These members need not always be the most competent, diligent or even the needy, as far as that particular investment is concerned.
2. The groups are large when formed. But with the progress of time, and lack of visible success, the attendance dwindles.
3. Hardly are any ladies nominated as members. There surely must be a reason!!!
4. There are no clear leaders, and division of specialization, or responsibility.
5. There are no clear mandates, and defined time-lines, price points & specs, at the start of the short listing process.
6. Most discussions start with pricing and every discussion meanders to price per sq.ft.
7. Having said the above, the groups would like to consider all product categories, including land, even if for academic sake only.
8. NO FINANCIAL COMMITTMENTS TAKEN, in the absence of the above.
9. Every order is worth more than 100 apartments, OR, almost 50 crores of sales.

I have also noted that whoever has invited CERTES into such the first meeting / credential presentation does draw a larger audience, and everyone is hopeful of the experts delivering some immediate solution at price points 30-40% below the market price. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen that way. More often than not, the members of my team, at the conclusion of the meeting would still be thinking of defining the requirement, rather than delivering the solution.

Having said the above, it is extremely critical that any such assignment is always structured in a win-win situation for all three involved in the deal – The developer, the buyers & the connected parties like Banks, Investors etc. We always endeavour to achieve a higher success rate on such assignments.

In the section above, we looked at ‘what-not-to-do”. It would be imperative to focus on “what-to-do-right”, and ensure that everyone’s aspirations are fulfilled.

a) The first & foremost advice that I normally volunteer to clients is – “Don’t try to do it yourselves. Had you been an expert on every related field, there would not have been space for professional organizations”. Now, there is no vested interest here. This advice is purely on professional basis. You see, time is money and money saved can only be on the basis of ‘what you know, rather than whom you know’. I have seen people take judgemental calls based on one of their members knowing someone, or having interacted with a brochure, or an individual from a developer organization.

b) Define what you want, rather than accept what is available – Most groups I have interacted do mention in the first meeting itself that they have the ability to buy a 1000 apartments if it is available @ Rs. XXXX per sq. Ft. That to me is a flawed way of considering a capital acquisition. Pricing of a product is a function of values – Tangible & intangibles. Without recognizing your need, one cannot define the price. In my experience, most such orders fall to below 10% of the initially projected numbers, once the details are under circulation.

c) Recognize the handicaps & weaknesses – Many a times, the enthusiasm and optimism overrides. Many groups don’t recognize the fact that realty projects take 2-4 years to complete, and they cannot afford undivided attention to the follow up of the progress of their project. This leads to slips in follow up & eventually, the quality of the agreed deliverable.

d) It is expertise that you pay for – You need expertise for the due diligence of the land, the approvals, the design, the developer credentials and every facet of the project. If the spread is analyzed, the cost of enlisting an expert organization is less than the cost of a one dinner date with the family. Is it wise to save that?

e) Charge & pay for services – We always request client groups to form a small society, association or service group and seek a notional amount between Rs.3, 000 to 5,000 from each of the intending members. Whenever these groups have sent our circulars amongst employees, there is a horde of ‘ayes’ for housing. When a membership is proposed, 60& drop out. Why??????? That exemplifies the seriousness. A few enterprising members take on the responsibility for interacting with possible partners. Do they have to pay the costs & expenses from their pockets? DO they make personal commitments to service providers to take them on board? A better way would be to accumulate a small corpus and cover the costs. Also, pay small expenses through this fund. Remember, one would derive a much better valuation by paying Rs. 3000 towards the corpus when you are intending to buy a capital asset valuing more than 30 lakhs.

In our case, we seek a minimalist Rs. 10,000 from a corporate, as token recognition of our effort, the receipt of which signifies the client need. No other fee is leviable at a later date.

Let us not ignore the facts as they remain in the real estate sector

– The success rate is not more than 3%!!!

Having said the above, there are instances of success stories in the Delhi NCR region, on such deals. The moot question to ask is:-

• WHAT DID THEY DO DIFFERENTLY?
• HOW DID THEY GO ABOUT?
• AREN’T THEY HAPPY THAT THEY RELIED ON PROFESSIONAL FACTS, NOT ON PRESUMPTIONS?

The author is part of Certes Realty Ltd, a bouquet real estate consulting organization in Delhi-NCR. He can be contacted on menon@certesrealty.com

WE ACCOMODATE EVERYDAY… SPECIALLY, WHEN WE GET INTO ASSOCIATIONS.. PARTNERSHIPS… JOINT VENTURES… ENTREPRENEUR MODE… However much of English that we speak (enough to land us a BPO job, but not enough to liberate us from the shacked of “adjust karo”)

Why do we remain SMEs for such a long time? Can we discuss modern practices? Are tools even discussed ever? Are we perennially “adjust karo? Are we accommodating each other most time (idiosyncrasies and myopic behaviour most times). Do the wives, husbands and families influencing without an iota of know how? Have we missed the global bus—excepting the BPO business where we offered the value of cost savings first, then quality?

A common observation with a majority of small start ups… the variety of entrepreneurial ventures which do not catch the eye of the organized PE funding world. Necessarily, this is the largest chunk that contributes to our GDP and the growth of business in the country.

There are three things in common which I have observed in these start-ups.

a) Promoters are mostly friends or ex-colleagues

b) They have a common dream – NOT A COMMON VISION

c) Most do not have enough resources to stay afloat beyond the first 6 months.

All my observations here, negative in nature (might be) are a reflection of my observation of this target audience within the first year of being together. Their fast tracked change of behaviour is what I call the “Quintessential SME pigeon mindset”.

Quintessential because it is repetitive…. business after business goes through this cycle, without being influenced by the earlier failures of peers.

Now, what exactly is this cyclical ‘SME pigeon’? Like the old Indian saying, the pigeon shuts its eyes closed the moment it sees the cat around – assuming that since it cannot see the cat, even the cat cannot see it. The other example is from the Punjabi fables… the most riled bird called “Ghuggu”… which keeps staring into the headlamp of an approaching vehicle, and ultimately gets crushed under the wheels.

Both the above examples are typical of the (mis) management approach of many an SME entrepreneurial start-ups, wherein the approaching problems are seen, but ignored.

Is it because of optimism? Is it because of the lack of vision? Is it the lack of experience? Is it a product of wrong timing? I presume it is because of the “Adjust karo” mentality !!!! It is a factor of accommodating the wrong decisions of fellow promoters. It is for the reason that promoters accommodate each other and don’t ask the difficult questions, internally. It is for the reason that promoters don’t acquire knowledge and apply to their own business. It is because the promoter are like the pigeon which thinks that shutting the eye would avert the disaster.

One training programme I attended long back had an interesting statistic revealed. The trainer mentioned that “97% of the partnerships in business break up within the first 3-5 years.”

Isn’t that number amazing & staggering? How come it is still 97%? Isn’t that indication that the new wave of entrepreneurs still haven’t learnt from the mistakes of their immediate past peers?

The common thread in most of the above failure is that the partners / promoters / managers accommodated each other, rather than the business vision. Each one gave in to the temptation of not broaching the topic lest the other feels bad.

One common observation is that partners avoid bringing up uncomfortable topics within the first 6-12 months of operation. All this while, the grey thoughts are harboured in the mind, leading to fair bit of consternation and frustration over the inactivity of the thought. I have seen partners & promoter seeking a vent for these thoughts outside their core group. That to me, is the first sign of the approaching problem, wherein, one tried to adjust karo, or accommodate the assumption, rather than brainstorm, debate & seek solutions.

Here is my checklist of things to be done.

1) Don’t accommodate. Realize that all promoters / partners have to be the “slaves of the cause, rather than masters of the business”. Essentially, create one vision and continually remind each other on what the end goal is. That also allows one to bring up topics which presumptuously are discomfort.

2) Set up a review schedule – Once a month to assess for oneself on the direction.

3) No holds barred – Open the first meeting with the candidness and welcome note on not feeling bad about thoughts.

4) Sticking together – Remind each other than “we are here for the long haul” and would like to be together when success strikes.

5) Share – Share as much knowledge as possible so that no one member starts to develop a complex, which eventually would lead to that member putting a spoke in the wheel.

6) Discuss the financial troubles – Make sure that it is chatted objectively. The lack of funds / resources more often leads to disenchantment and de-motivating. That is the time to talk to each other on the ‘that day’ being the pain to reach the ultimate goal.

Last, but not the least, if you have got together and have one dream, always take your fellow promoter along. Don’t get overwhelmed and judgemental about the professional thoughts. Unless there are integrity & values conflict, take your partner to be your companion for the journey, as you might walk out of one, but there are no guarantees on how the next one would be.

Yours truly says the above out of experience, not from reading some management books….. Please feel free to contradict me.

This story dates back to 1996, when I was part of the Automotive tyres industry. As a branch head then, I used to toy with ideas, which many would not have agreed with me, then. Also, I used to be part of a company which was really not in the ‘encouraging mode’ as far as independent thinking is concerned.

There was this very enterprising dealer.. retailer… channel partner, who wasn’t appreciated much amongst the echelons of decision makers as he was too very blunt. Straight-forward, manybe, not a psychophant. Not too very educated… by no stretch of imagination someone who could trade discussions about management and neo-marketing techniques, which these neo MBA converts were in the habit of appreciating. Nevertheless, when I took over, I ran through my distribution base, and identified this one channel partner to mould into an asset.

I sat with him one day at the office(remember, there were no mibile phones to intrude into conversations), and had a frank chat on expectations. I spelt out my expectations, and he spelt out his aspirations, professional and personal goals and his preferred way foward. As was the practice of the three Ws (Wine, women & wealth) in that sector, I spelt out my aversion for either the above three, or even the need ever for any kind of reciprocity, in return for professional decisions taken by me.

Nevertheless, I had mentioned the subject of this post to this particular agent and had advised him to continually work on his own brand name, parallel to building the corporate or product brand of his principals.

My thought was – “PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE, NOT PRODUCTS.” Essentially, what I really wanted to convey was that principals might change, product lines might, business entities might – but, in a small town, people go to people, to buy products, rather than the brand pull of products making the ‘people meeting people’ incidental.

I was in the city for about 2 years, and then I moved on. During my stay, I tried to intersperse the management & statistical tools to think through the market dynamics and formulate strategies. While my team was clocking 100% YoY growth, this particular agency was clocking double that.

This particular gentleman has been in touch with me, off & on, since my exit from the city. I have been supplying him with some acquired & realized thoughts on how he could consolidate his personal & retail outlet brand. Re-affirming my thoughts that “People buy people, not brands“.

I received a call from him yesterday mentioning on how this brand is one of the foemost in the country, and how people recognize their family name in the city. Also, he has been able to secure the future of his family, as most reputable institutions & families are wont to associate their brand name, with his.

Another fact to peruse is our individual shopping traits. Most often when we enter an apparel store, a multi brand one, the individual courtesy and demeanour of the counter sales-person determines on our duration of the stay in the store, and that determines on how much money we splurge. Consider this, it is our money, and we are spending on ourselves. Even the products offered in these stores ae not unique in nature. It is available in every branded store. Havent we “bought the People, not products?”

Dont we have to spend 2-3 days a week in some of the upmarket restaurants, 5 star hotels and rendezvous points, for work of for pleasure? Is there a quantum of tip defined? Is there a benchmark of how much do we sign on the dotted line? Dont we like to be pampered by the waiting staff? Would we not welcome the chef venturing out of confines of the kitchen and trading our ‘ill-informed’ pretence about somalian or Mongolian or even Nawabi food? But yeah, most often, we are governed by the pleasant demeanour of the staff, and that determines on how much do we leave as tip. nother re-affirmation that “people by people, not products”.

In my line of work, which is real estate in India, there are a 100 developers operating in Delhi NCR. Each of them are making similar products, at different prices, with cosmetic changes. When clients approach us, they want us to certify what to invest into. More often than not, many would place their trust in us to invest their lives savings in a oduct recommended by us. Are they not Buying people, rather than products?

Dont our colleagues & team mates buy us as people, rather than consider our designations & positions, before accepting us as their leaders?

Dont the kids and family say “I love U Papa” for they buy us as what we are (People), rather than accept us as their bilogical parent.(Product). I wont ever disregard the ability of kids to compare products, the near perfect Shahrukh khans on the screen, with their real life parent, and secure an impression.

Our surrounding always buy & sell – Buy people, and sell people.(Kids exempted, for innocence has no pretence or salesmanship).

Ladies and gentlemen, whatever products, services or stories that one might be marketing, please cosider this thought that “People buy people, not products”. Hence, the tagline that I always recommend to my team:-

“SELL YOURSELVES, SELL YOUR SERVICE ABILITY, AND THEN SELL THE PRODUCT”.

Hope you see merit in this arguement, and model your selling strategies accordingly.

I would welcome thoughts, criticism and a difference of opinion. You can write to me on ramesh.menon@hotmail.com OR leave a comment on the bottom of this page.

Why do I say that hardship is welcome? What is so pleasurable about sadism???? hey… I thought we are talking about management…. Yeah right !!! we definitely are…

The hardship is welcome because is sharpens ( not hardens) the management skills…..

The hardship is welcome as it helps one build on the ASK.. Atitude, skills & knowledge

It helps in demolishing the demons of self-doubt

It helped in being analytical in resolving the problem

It helped in identifying the task on hand… in understanding why someone wants to invest in us

It helped in segregating loyalty from chaff of pretended assurance…

Most of all, it helps you in realizing your true wealth.. I am using the words carefully…….. wealth, not competence, not value…because, wealth is supposed to be created and shared… it is not a “second-hand emotion: as Tina turner would have us believe..

“An organization is the extension of the leaders’ personality”.

We could look around our eco system – not only business, but cultural, political and social. Leadership plays an immesely important role. Of the many people I have met, and continue to do so, I have observed that only about 5-7% actually have the innate desire to take the leadership role.

I define that leadership as the “ability to assume responsibility, without the crutches of hierarchy, escape doors on (lack of) committment, and the fear of failure”. Am I off the mark?

In such a scenario, what is the best course for any organization? Do we seek leaders from outside our sphere to carry forward the vision? Can we invest into creating leaders within? Are there thumb number time-lines and investments that can be defined. I foresee this as a huge challenge in the times to come, as many things are coming so very easily to our youngsters today, EXCEPT LEADERSHIP.

Let us try and debate how is the “Organization an extension of the individuals personality”… Look around us… we always see families practising ‘true values’ passed on to generations by the head of the family. We see degenerated mindsets being passed on from debillitated political minds into the younger ones they mentor. We see ethical systems & processes being created by business houses following ethical governance. I love to say this as a fact that “rotten eggs have to smell, irrespective of their state of rot”. Havent we seen success of leadership within government sectors? Isnt the Delhi Metro rail corporation an example in itself of infrastructure creation? Have we observed the dignified positive action of Dr. Abdul Kalam? Baba Amte, S L Bahuguna, Gandhiji, Ratan Tata, Jack Welch and Narayan Murthy… (many names dont appear here, but they are greats in their own right.)

Let me clarify my thought here on leadership… many a people confuse leadership to the top position. I am CERTAIN that the top bracket is not to be referred as LEADERSHIP… Leadership is the ability of a person to take absolute responsibility of the responsibililty vested, with no fear of failure and display of committment to take forward to a successful completion. On these parameters, dont you think some people at the bottom of the hierarchial pyramid display more leadership skills that the ones in the middle. Take for example Bal Kumar in my company. He reaches the office at 8.30, cleans up the place, switches on the Air-conditioner about 15 minutes before everyone else turns in, serves the right beverage to each employee as per their preference, and ensures that lunch is served at the right time. Going forward, he once mentioned to me that he would like to learn how to operate a computer !!! He punched in some numbers I had asked him to be tabulated on a excel sheet.

Cut to another employee, at the middle level, exuding a lot of promise, but, who had nothing but her travails of her relationship with her ma-in-law to be discussed during work hours.

WHICH ONE OF THE ABOVE TWO DO YOU THING DISPLAYED LEADERSHIP?

That is what I meant ! I am a firm believer that those organizations would succeed where more & more people take ownership, create propreitary interest in their direct assignment, and align it with their peers. All good leaders communicate…. everyday… and appraise their peers (more than seniors) on what they have set out to do, and have achieved. It creates a healthy environment and builds teams.

Someone wisely says – “A leader is not known by the number of followers he has, but, by the number of leaders he creates.” This adage is applicable in our daily lives if we can positively influence (read motivate through our committment & action) our immediate sphere, and EVOLVE OURSELVES AS LEADERS.

This 20 something girl, a new recruit in the organization, sent me a message that she would like to spend some time with me… only if I can spare about 15-20 minutes. Her message said that she had some doubts.

When one grows up the executive ladder, everything seems as simple or complex as an “Excel sheet”. But, in reality, some of the simple stuff can “shake the boots off the earth”.. let me come to the context now.

This girl asked me a simple question – “Why do you always say that people should be assets? Can people assets also depreciate? How do I ensure that my asset valuation increases from hereon?

The moot question is – During the daily course of our sermons, chiding, mentoring of the younger team members, we do mention on how the service brand & people assets need to be improved. How does the asset in question increase her / his own valuation, without the assistance from other elements? Are other liquid asset classes able to increase valuation without human intervention?

I took some pains to explain to this girl on what do I mean by people assets? – A fairly simple theory that I have evloved is to read any asset as one that delivers the most benefits, many not necessarily have the most features. For example, if all mobile phones are used to talk to another, why do people buy diamond encrusted phones? Is that because the dont devalue as much?

Human assets, like we all have been taught, have three elements to develop….. ATITUDE, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE….. my question is (which also is my answer) – which of the above does the asset require human external intervention to increase its valuation? Is it help, coersion, mentoring on developing a positive atitude? Is it help in the area of skills development? Is it knowledge acquisition?

I learnt that this particular girl does not read the newspapers… she says she is good with mathematics, but, wasnt able to answer two very basic questions…. she as much admits that she is receptive only to ideas which she likes…. (or maybe, she was hiding behind her ignorance of other topics, but presenting a more rebellious story…because, main tho aise hi hoon (I am like this) is a more saleable story).

My inference aws – If she is not interested to develop her skills and knowledge, what is it that I can help her on? Can I coerce and convince someone to acquire more knowledge? Would it be worth the effort? If she acquires more knowledge & skills, can she be an asset? THE ANSWER WAS NO !!!!

There was an atitude problem… the atitude of creating smoke screens.. the atitude of not admitting to oneself.. the deep rooted atitude of hiding OR admitting to oneself that there was something wrong…

I dont want to get into technicalities of how I thought I must allow the negative juices to flow out…. before I could inject something fresh….. 45 minutes and a few hundred spoken words later, there was a different glow, and a much more receptive mind……..

I am now sure, that there is one more asset under construction… need to be assisted… intervened… mentored… and the asset moves forwrd.. increases valuation… BECAUSE, EVERY ASSET DELIVERS MORE BENEFITS…. in this case, help my company to do more sales.

he day those benefits stop, ASSETS DEVALUE… dont attract attention… and start the downhill journey.

My learning today is – Better tell the people, HOW & WHY YOU WANT THEM TO BECOME ASSETS !!!!!!

====================================================================

My colleague Ruchika Bhardwaj has asked this question on LinkedIn.

ARE PEOPLE ASSETS?

Assets devalue… they depreciate… they erode their value…. they also go stale over a period of time… IF PEOPLE ARE ASSETS, DO THEY ALSO GO THROUGH THE ABOVE MENTIONED STAGES? My boss tells me that people are the only assets we have, and these assets become redundant the moment they stop delivering benefits…. WHAT FEATURES IN PEOPLE ASSETS DELIVER WHAT BENEFITS? What is the Mantra to perennially increase people valuation?

I am producing my answer here-below… Hope it clarifies some other factors mentioned by me on people assets and how leadership plays a big role in the asset value increment.

Hi Ruchika,

During the course of my 17 year career, I have seen the ‘people assets’ appreciate, depreciate and in some cases, the value being eroded. Like any other product or commodity, the people assets are also valued.

When I said that the “assets become redundant when they stop delivering benefits” — I meant that the people resources / assets are taken on board for a specific assignment or job. The corporation appraises out the product (people) features (skills). It defines the asset class as a part of the overall machinery to deliver and end benefit, which could be top-line or bottom line growth for the corporation. In many cases, it could be part of delivering delight or care, which again leads to better profits. For argument sake, if people assets are recruited in a charitable organization, revenue profits may not the be target, but the overall satisfaction quotient… OR the purpose or benefit of meeting the vision.

Let us not forget that even charitable organizations need to meet a certain goal for them to survive & sustain.

I am of the opinion that people resources need to continually deliver the benefits to the recipient, failing which they are likely to be labelled as devalued, depreciated or redundant assets.

On your question of the mantra – I have a very simple notion. Look into the mirror and answer one simple question - “Is my professional DNA matching with the constantly evolving DNA of the business eco-system? Am I good enough on the three parameters of Attitude, skills & knowledge, to deliver benefits to the organization”. Like they say, one never lies to the man in the mirror.

Whether the answer is Yes, or No, irrespective, one needs to evolve oneself and keep imagining future unforeseen situations and come up with plausible answers. It might seem like a wasteful exercise sometimes, but, you would always have a multitude of solutions in your bank, at any time. Also, something thought for another situation can become relevant during the course of the monotonous routine that many of us follow. ANYONE WOULD WELCOME ANY INITIATIVE WHICH WOULD DELIVER BENEFIT TO THE END RECIPIENT, consumer, customer or corporation.

Let’s not forget that during the course of this activity, we are habituating ourselves to be thinking out of the box, while down in the barrel. People definitely are assets… the only difference is that in this instance, ASSETS THEMSELVES DETERMINE THEIR CURRENT & FUTURE VALUATIONS.

My friend & colleague Ajay Dabas, who heads the land transactions vertical of Certes Realty Limited has a small plaque on his table which reads as “The agent you desire is the agent you deserve!”

Have you noticed on how fast the landscape around us is changing? Haven’t we at various points in time insisted on a particular sales person assist us while shopping; from Groceries to Cars. When it comes to the decision of the lifetime to invest our hard earned money, will anybody do?

“LET US DESIRE WHAT WE DESERVE” – as consumers of the realtor services, which incidentally also is the vision within our organization.

I strongly believe that “change is initiated by the end recipients, and, the agents mould accordingly”. But, in an industry largely dominated by unorganized small brokers, and just a clutch of organized agents, this industry has to undergo the “infusion of competence and technology”, in line with the three factors which define and influence the change, always.

CUSTOMER, COMPETITION, CHANGE

Let us look at how the above three factors Can / should influence the realty trade.

CUSTOMERS : In the era of the internet, most potential customers spend a third of their lives with technology, be it the internet, the tele-products, gizmos& gadgets. These are not only knowledge sources, but also tools that simplify and enable decisions. When presented with a professional-tech savvy-informed experience, we experience a sigh of relief from our clients, when exposed to first hand professionals who speak, adapt & deliver the realty transactions, in exactly the way the clients’ desire.

USE YOUR OWN TOOLS, NOT WHAT THE TRADE PRACTICES WITH!

 – Technology, management measurement tools, Define your Intent, need and ability well in advance. Remember, the two basic factors for investment are “Intent & Ability” – YOURS. Don’t get swayed by the promises and assertions of the Realtor. Please check whether the Realtor you deal with, uses the same tools as you do.

- RESEARCH – Check out who the informed and meticulous realtors in your catchment area are. Insist on briefed on the Agent’s understanding of the macro scenario is. More often than not, agents start pitching the products under inventory, rather than match it with the defined needs of the buyer. Make sure that the agent gives you a conducted tour of the area and explains to you the evolving scenario on three phases- proposed development over 2, 5 & 7 years window. Make sure that your agent knows more than you, on his own subject.

- STOP PATRONIZING – Why accept second grade, when there are some who fit exactly the way you would want them to be. Remember, what we desire is what we deserve. The Realtor market corrects under coercion and peer pressure, not under the value delivery system.

- DEMAND MORE – One of the basic things that I try to train my associates & agents is NEVER PITCH BEFORE THE NEED ANALYSIS. To the clients, we insist that irrespective of his shortlist, he still discusses all options once more. That way, elimination of projects is on a scientific rationale basis, not on instinctive or emotional. ASK QUESTIONS. Insist on why the agent is buoyant on a specific project, and not on the others.

COMPETITION

Most realtors that I have met so far are in the habit of selling real estate, as if there is no tomorrow. I firmly believe that the tomorrow that we are faced with, is one of over-supply; where we would see the consumer actually emerging King. Competition within the industry would ensure that the valuations are better, and the deliverables in relation to value for money demanded, far outstretches what the consumers of yesterday were dished out.

We forecast that the demand for qualified and knowledge based realtor market would emerge, and the market forces would determine the quality of the realtors.

Most vital component – YOU ! because you would demand what you deserve.

Like a popular ad for detergent says—“DAAG ACCHHE HAIN! (DIRT IS GOOD), I am a firm believer that competition is always good for the consumer. Let us welcome it as we deserve what we desire.

 CHANGE

We attribute change to the regulatory, statutory, economic, social and other changes which are not directly influenced by the realtors. But, they are the ones who act as the information and communication agents, with consumers. But, change becomes aggravated when we grapple with a market predominantly dominated by the ill-informed realtors.

Therefore, our firm belief that three factors that realtor of the future would actually have to rely on:

-Technology

-Constant knowledge acquisition

-Ability to translate knowledge to profits.

As consumers, LET US DESIRE WHAT WE DESERVE, AND DESERVE WHAT WE DESIRE.

NOTHING LESS, MORE IS WELCOME.