Doing Business in India For Dummies®

Building a Sales Strategy and Distribution Infrastructure

To effectively sell your business’s products or services to Indian consumers, you need to know which sales techniques and distribution models are best suited to serve the country’s environment of economic growth and dizzying diversity. In this section I provide you with information on how to structure your sales efforts and set up your distribution network.

Responsive selling

Perhaps no other country in the world is home to such diverse groups of people, with such a mind-boggling range of ethnicities and cultures. In a country like India, responsive selling is key, and you can take a number of steps to make your sales endeavors more responsive.

Responsive selling is devising a sales strategy after building a rapport with customers and determining what they need. It’s an ongoing process where persuasive tactics may have to be changed to suit changing needs.

Understanding your customers

Think long and hard about your customers and what they need to hear and see to get on board with your product. Ask yourself how your product may appear to an Indian? How it is similar to products they’ve seen in the past, or—maybe more importantly—how it is different? Take the answers to those questions and devise your sales strategy accordingly.

CavinKare, makers of hair care and beauty products, is a prime example of how an Indian-consumer-focused sales approach can pay off. If you’re in an Indian village and you spot a traditionally-dressed ...