Articles
The New Moats in the AI Era
When people say "moat", they usually mean things like: - first-mover advantage - better features, better UI/UX, faster release cycles - network effect - exit / transition friction The problem is: In this AI led cycle, a lot of that is
Marketing in India is not evolving. It's being rewritten.
In my recent conversation with Shivaji Dasgupta, we explored a few uncomfortable but powerful shifts that every business leader should pay attention to: → The idea of "target segments" is collapsing. India is becoming a unified market in ho
Personal branding is critical in today's everyone-is-media world
This enables clarity in how others perceive your value, capability, and relevance. And I did it all wrong. Let me dissect it for you — and share what I learnt. I asked many people what they think I do. Most think I do digital marketing an
Kill Your Own Business. Before Someone Else Does.
Let's talk about something most founders avoid: - You need to be willing to kill your own business. - Not emotionally. Strategically. In today's environment, especially with AI moving at breakneck speed, standing still is the fastest way
Most businesses don't struggle because of competition
They struggle because of a few quiet, repeated decisions. Here are some counter-intuitive decisions one need to take to kickstart stalled growth. Last week I spoke to a room full of entrepreneurs (BNI Global members). I shared some life-lea
Improve or Transform or Innovate?
There is no "one answer", as a lot depends upon your industry, rate of disruption in your category, and your risk appetite. I got some thoughts in a session led by Stefan F. Dieffenbacher, a renowned framework thinker, and a collaborator wi
Strategy is About Making Hard Choices, Not Fancy Plans
🎯 Strategy is About Making Hard Choices, Not Fancy Plans Here are three choices (out of many) that really played out in my journey, and are decent examples. 1️⃣ "Where to play and how to win" is not theory. It's a commitment. Around 2012,
After decades of running an IT service business, we crafted a tech product ground-up to solve our own problem
We scaled it to solve learning for mid to large enterprises. And it works - because it genuinely care for its users. Three public listed enterprises are already using this. Introducing MobiLearn - a gamified, insta-style, micro-learning pla
Data is like a coin – it always has two sides
When we look at company metrics, we often stop at the side that makes us feel good. But the truth is – data always has much more to say than what's on the surface. If we don't ask what's on the other side, we risk fooling ourselves. For yea
Sales and marketing have long been misunderstood—and misrepresented
Especially in how we're taught about them, or how the perception is built during academics. And this needs fixing. Sales is looked down upon—as something pushy, low-end, transactional. Often compared to door-to-door hustling, treated like a
As businesses grow, people tend to loose control
It is easy to become inefficient as business scale. Effort - Outcome correlation changes, but we hardly notice. Initially one keep getting same or more outcome even when the effort on the ground reduces - because outcome is a lagging metric
Your brain is being hacked by 7 psychological triggers that control your decisions.
A professor went undercover for 3 years to expose how companies manipulate you. In 1984, Robert Cialdini infiltrated car dealerships and telemarketing firms to observe professional persuaders. His research uncovered 7 principles that trigge
Why INT's "Sweet Middle" is the Best Place to Be — For Us, and For You 🚀
We've all seen the extremes in the world. On one end, the giants — too big to bend, too slow to move, too risk-averse to try anything bold. Layers of hierarchy, project managers managing project managers, and decision cycles running in mont
Want to Boost Your Conversion Rate?
Imagine you invite someone to your home and ask, "Would you like some tea?" They can simply say yes or no – and a no is a no! Now, reframe that question: "What can I get you - tea or coffee?" The choice isn't about whether they'll drink som
The Three Levels of Client Relationships: Leverage to Pitch, Win, and Walk In
In the world of sales and marketing, long-term client relationships aren't built overnight. They develop step-by-step, through trust, value, and partnership. Think of these relationships as evolving through three critical levels of leverage
Call centre executives can drive more sales:
1. Develop product knowledge: It’s important for call centre executives to have in-depth knowledge of the products or services they are selling. This will enable them to answer customer queries effectively and provide the necessary in
After working with over 60 startups on their positioning/messaging across countless industries, we have discovered some key insights:
1️⃣ Your product’s capabilities stand out MOST when you compare them directly to the weaknesses of your customer’s alternatives → This is the core of “differentiated value” as April Dunford calls it → It also takes a
🔅How to build Go To Market (GTM) Strategy – Part1🔅
Product Managers build great features & products but usually miss giving attention to GTM assuming great feature will work automatically. So sharing some thoughts based on my experience of what worked ❌ What GTM Strategy is NOT ? 🔸 ide
Delegation Done Right: The Secret to 10x Growth (Here’s How!)
Leaders think they’re delegating. They assign tasks, follow up, and things seem smooth. Yet, the company isn’t scaling. 🚨 Why? Because delegation isn’t just about handing off work. It’s about what you delegate and ho
My Biggest FOMO: An investment opportunity
Missed Talent ✅️ I can deal with missing out on trends. I can live without the latest AI tool. I won’t lose sleep over skipping an industry event. But missing out on great talent? That keeps me up at night. Nothing fuels a business li
Timeless Wisdom in a Fast-Changing World
In a world where change is constant and chaos often feels like the norm, it’s tempting to chase every shiny new trend. But I’ve found that when the noise gets overwhelming, the best thing to do is to pause, take a step back, and
Everyone want growth – but the key is – how can you achieve growth with less waste of resources (i.e. time, money)!
For growing business, It might seem like a great idea to change multiple things at once – expand into new markets, launch new products, and hire more people! 🚀 But here’s the catch: doing too many things at the same time can act
Sales isn’t a hustle. It’s about human connection. 🤝
Forget the clichés of pushy pitches and endless follow-ups. Real sales isn’t about “getting to yes.” It’s about being the why behind a customer’s success. 🌟 Here’s the truth: Great salespeople don’t
Sales Struggles? Fix Your Marketing First!
Ever wondered why your sales team is struggling despite their best efforts? The root cause of most sales problem is poor marketing. Here is why: 1. Not understanding customer needs: If marketing doesn’t take the time to really unders
Are you enabling your channel partners to be successful? This can be your biggest leverage in your growth function.
The Slack vs. Microsoft Teams story reminds us the value of distribution. Distribution trumps design and innovation in most cases. Its a partnership game – and can come in different variants – distributors, dealers, franchisee,
Where is Service in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)?
Like many entrepreneurs of my generation, I was always in awe of SaaS business model. And of course, wanted to build one. In fact I got an opportunity to see some of these companies being built from close quarters due to my part-time angel
The Secret Sauce to Growth: Hiring Right Sales Talent
When it comes to driving growth, hiring exceptional sales and growth talent is non-negotiable. We all know the usual skills that we should look at. Yet, there are a few critical skills that one often overlooks during the hiring process. The
Empowering the Frontline: The Key to Digital Transformation Success
Why are some of the most amazing products not delivering ROI? Keyword is adoption The question is WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) Most of the time software is bought by senior management, who want the frontline workers to key in informat
The Science of Sales Performance Management: Sales – Effort vs. Booking vs. Cashflow
If you are selling to an enterprise, managing sales performance needs you to understand two important concepts: – Leading and lagging indicators – Sales cycle and cash cycle It is very common that leaders create an aggressive sa
The Art of Selling Services in a Competitive Market.
In a crowded services market, it becomes a challenge to identify the service that you should pitch to a client to maximize your chance of winning. I follow a method which I call “The Golden Triangle” which is the common overlap
Factors I consider while choosing a Sales Channel
There are several options for selling a product or service – direct, bidding, expos, dealer network, partner network, online, referral, affiliate, brand stores, shop-in-shop, etc. 1) Volume: What is the volume of business available i
Driving Growth – One Dimension at a time
Growth gets everyone excited. But it needs investment of cash, time, and effort. The extent of these investments depend upon the number of variables involved (and the possible values of these variables) in the growth strategy. Lesser variab