Talking business

BENGALURU : When the city and country went into lockdown, several Bengalureans confined themselves to the safety of their homes. But a few like Mahita Nagaraj, who went on to bring together about 50,000 volunteers for her initiative, Caremongers India, ventured out, offering help to those who needed essential supplies. In May-end, when she went into self-quarantine, Nagaraj decided to go ahead with a project she had long wanted to work on – a book to help people ace the marketing game, especially in these changing times.

Called The Instant Marketing Plan, the book covers all of her work experience in marketing, branding, communication, sales, entrepreneurship and operations over 90-odd pages. “It’s intended to help anyone who needs to sell more, whether products or services. Whatever the size of the venture – solo, home-based, start-up, large corporation – this will assist in creating an actionable plan that can be implemented immediately. And whatever the industry, the results will show. I say marketing plan, but really, it’s a business plan,” says the marketing and digital consultant.  

Currently available as an e-book on her website and her Facebook page, the quick read aims to help the reader identify customers, and suggests nine action points to gain new clients and convert them into agents who will recommend others. “In all the years I have been associated with the corporate world, I realised that lack of planning is often a pain point. Marketing efforts are random without any structure, and obviously, there is no return on investments,” she says, pointing out that there are three kinds of people required to run a company, one who ideates solutions; second, who is aware of technical know-how; and the third, who executes projects. “More often than not, one of the three is missing,” she says. 

Giving the instance of home bakers, Nagaraj says while some slog it out for 20 hours a day, putting all their returns back into the business, there are others who go on to expand, hire staff and even open a bakery. “The same amount of work can yield different results with just a change in planning, approach and marketing strategy,” she says.