Pingali Venugopal – författare

Salespersons occupy a vital position in most organizations yet they tend not to hold their profession in high esteem. According to the author of this book, unless salespersons take pride in their work, they are unlikely to perform to the best of their abilities. This, in turn, is bound to affect the organization in terms of both its growth and its profit. Pingali Venugopal approaches the sales management function from the motivational dimension in order to revive the lost vocational esteem in the sales profession.Divided into two sections, this book - takes an integrated view of management decisions, both strategic and operational, and works out each as a motivator for the salespersons; - emphasizes the need for managers to motivate salespersons, beyond the commonly used monetary incentives; - highlights the importance of behavioural transactions that have to take place for a sale to be successful;- develops a framework to integrate the sales management function with the marketing mix so that there are no overlaps; and- stresses the need to devise appropriate training programmes for salespersons.

A contemporary discourse on how to operate in the rapidly changing environment of the marketplace, this book provides the mantra to build long-term marketing growth. Starting with the understanding of consumer needs, it takes the reader on a smooth journey of how to understand the market and develop appropriate strategies. In doing that, it provides an in-depth analysis of how to build a sustainable customer base in the ever-growing competitiveness and dynamism of the present-day marketing arena.The author states that the marketing activities should start by converting the technical product to a marketing product by linking to the needs of the target customer. The author also reclassifies the need hierarchy to suit the marketing professionals and introduces the concept of ‘rebel need’.

Agri-input companies have played a significant role in transforming the post-Independence "ship-to-mouth" Indian economy, dependent on food grain imports, into a self-sufficient economy. Though agricultural productivity is declining and environmentalists are questioning the use of agri-inputs, Indian agriculture cannot do away with agri-inputs. This book, after understanding the past policy environment, agri-input marketing, and promotion strategies of both the government and private companies, suggests frameworks for agri-input marketing companies to align their strategies to the new objective of sustainable agriculture. The book will serve as a text for students in the agribusiness management programmes and also as a guide for practicing managers and policy makers.

Though India has become a lucrative market for various companies, the unique characteristics of its market throw up a variety of challenges. Sales and Distribution Management: An Indian Perspective aims to understand these challenges.Building on an understanding of the consumer decision process, the book defines the roles of marketing and selling strategies. Secondly adopting a customer-centric approach to sales and distribution management, the book deals with making strategic decisions keeping the end consumer in mind and making operational decisions keeping the channel member and the sales force in focus. It highlights the importance of behavioural transactions in completing a sale and also discusses the service orientation required for selling different products.With its unique approach, generalized frameworks, elaborate research and extensive data analysis, this book will be of immense value to sales and distribution professionals of the Indian corporate sector and marketing departments of national and multinational companies in India. It is a highly recommended reading for students and teachers in Indian business schools studying Sales Management and Distribution Management.