Being an engineer from a business family was in itself something
that wasn’t valued, for the bottom line was I got a job with a starting salary
of Rs. 750.00 per month which were not sufficient according to those who
mattered for a person like me to start my life. Took up distribution for a
cutting edge product called Ceasefire bottled conveniently in 500ml I jumped in
to give my best only to retract very soon as Halon-1301 has an ozone
depleting potential 10 times that of CFC-11 which was the main element in the
product.
With knee jerk start my retail career began on Jan 1st. 1990
with the launch of a modest Silver article showroom of which I had no idea how
to value and how to sell. Many stalwarts in the field told that the location I
chose was weak and that my store will be a perfect zero.
Three days into the business I was feeling upbeat with my
new found position on a majestic chair behind the counter. Later that evening,
two “HS” looking ladies walked into the show room and looked at my 7x3 feet
showcase consisting of dotted presentation of simple silver articles. They sat
down cozy on my brand new cushioned stools made to order from a friend of my
father.
Appreciating everything that I had, for the next 25 minutes
the complete showcase stood empty and the articles on the counter table. I was
humbly showing them each one with my own bit of promotional talk as if it were
a product that was made exclusively for them and that it may not be available
anywhere in the world.
I was sure of a big sale even though it was well past 9.30
pm and dark because the neighbors had already packed up and gone. The lady said
“ you are a smart salesman, though we were just spending some time to know what
you have, and today is a ashtami day we cannot buy anything , will keep you in
mind when we need to make a purchase. Though my tear drops could have easily
become a running stream, I thanked them profusely and asked them to remember me
for their next purchase.
It was a boon sent from almighty, she has since become my
dearest friend and through her references I have made my best customers till
date. My showroom soon became very famous and was a place of prominence until I
switched my line of business in 2002.
Being humble and not being judgmental of a prospective buyer
is perhaps the learning that has kept me in retail for so long. Even today, I
get institutional orders for silver gift-ables despite being out of trade for
the last 15 years is the faith and confidence I have earned. My education may
not have had anything to do with this but being educated and cultured was a
silent marinating factor.
