Add the Extra to the Ordinary

Sambit Panda, Zonal Business Head-West & Central, IFB Industries Ltd, is as passionate about sales, marketing and retail as he is competitive and relentless about a game of cricket/tennis on court. To be an effective salesperson, he says, one must inspire the team to succeed, cultivate a high-performance culture, measure team performance, give timely feedback and most importantly, learn to think from two levels up-as it takes into account not just what you or your senior want, but where the company hopes to be in the days to come. Equally important, he says, are good interpersonal skills, a head for numbers and an ability to connect and engage with customers.

In short, aspiring young sales hopefuls ought to be prepared at doing above and beyond what is technically their job. All the better to add the extra to the ordinary. Corporate Citizen gets the lowdown from a professional who has the walked the talk for over 27 years-and is just as enthusiastic as he was on his first day at work

"The most important quality you need to make it as a successful salesperson is an entrepreneurial mindset. You need to do what needs to be done to close a deal. One’s interpersonal and communication skills along with an eye for detailing would be the differentiator"

Corporate Citizen: It’s been quite a journey for you for over a quarter of a century now. Do tell us how you got into the corporate world and is this what you wanted to do? Simultaneously, do tell us a little about your childhood days as well.

Sambit Panda

Sambit Panda: I am a proud Odiya, born and brought up in Rourkela in a humble middle-class family. Well, my first choice of career was without a doubt, the armed forces. My dad had been a policeman and we were brought up with discipline and respect for the uniform. As a young boy, I was quite fascinated with the rigour and adventure associated with life in uniform. Besides, I was a very keen sportsman. But as luck would have it, I couldn’t create my medicals. So, the next best option - post-graduation was to pursue an MBA degree, leverage my good interpersonal skills and reach out to people through effective communication. So, an MBA in Marketing and Finance was a logical choice. After doing my MBA from Regional College of Management, Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar, my luck took me to Delhi where I got my dream break into the world of sales.

That marked my entry into the corporate environment. I was very fortunate to commence my innings in 1995 with a great company, Blow Plast Ltd, the makers of the iconic VIP luggage. This was a most fortunate occurrence as the learning, grooming and exposure afforded to a newcomer were immense. I joined them in Delhi, but my first posting was at Cuttack, Orissa. I was blessed with a mentor who helped me learn one of the most critical life lessons-accountability. Thirty-six months of this initial journey gave me an opportunity to reach out to people, set result-oriented goals, learn to work on detailing, make business proposals, solve problems and create a lot of value in general.

The next 18 months added wings to my flight, I got a chance to handle a big market like Kolkata and these 18 months paved my way to my first ever managerial profile in Kanpur, handling the Uttar Pradesh market.

Being flexible and mobile worked in my favour, I earned a chance to head a state and was soon elevated as branch manager for Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Thus, the curve at Blow Plast was pretty steep; I started as a frontline executive and went on to become Branch Manager-a good and rewarding inning for sure.

The next few innings with different companies were not quite what I had set my eyes on; I didn’t enjoy the path. However, I had my shares of learnings. Post this, I got a chance to get into Aditya Birla Idea Cellular Ltd in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. I spent a long and fruitful tenure in the Western circle-first at Ahmedabad and then in Mumbai. I was at a mid-management level and the organisation gave me an opportunity to scale up, think big and evolve into a sales leader.

Working for the Mumbai market was an eye-opener, one of the toughest, most competitive markets to be in. I learnt that the key aspect of being an effective leader was to prioritise work over all else.

After having been in sales for so many years, I decided to move out of my comfort zone and venture into a new arena: namely, the retail world. I would like to add here that career pivots involve more friction, disruption and risk than simply staying on a more linear, traditional career path. But I wanted to explore and reinvent myself. That was a calculated risk, but I am glad I took it. This assignment was for the Future Group based out of Mumbai (HO) handling the Loyalty Drive Pan India cutting across all formats of the group. I worked for four years here, and it was my first experience working for a promotor-driven company. When you work for an MNC, you work with certain set standards and processes, but working for a promotor-driven company meant I could ideate out of the box, add value in different ways and at the same time, go above and beyond the standard format and set structure.

You get a chance to wear multiple hats at a go. At this juncture, came an opportunity, which was quite the stamp of success on my journey as an honest, effective leader. As it happened, I had worked for IFB industries for a short stint of nine months between Blowplast and Aditya Birla. Obviously, my work had been noted because I was asked to join back. And I have been here ever since.

"Young professionals tend to get overawed by the idea of working for big brands; that’s not how it should be. Look at your role beyond just the brand name. Ask yourself: is this the industry I hope to work for in the years to come? Is this the vertical that is going to give me the opportunity to grow in the direction that I wish to?"

CC: So, it’s been quite the many-splendoured journey. You have donned multiple hats, juggled assorted roles with aplomb. What according to you, are the qualities that make a successful salesperson? How true is the perception that you have to be very people friendly and aggressive?

The most important quality you need to make as a successful salesperson is an entrepreneurial mindset, think value creation, an eye for details, collaboration across functions, and learn new skills. You need to do what needs to be done in order to make a sale closure; invest in building interpersonal and communication skills. One skill set I learned pretty early was the ability to answer a question from two levels up. For instance, when asked a question like ‘what do you think of XYZ project’ an intelligent salesperson with an entrepreneurial mindset would not give the obvious answer but make a statement looking at two levels of growth upwards.

Besides this, you have to be very honest to yourself, people-friendly and adaptable. You need to be highly mobile and good in numbers. Sales is all about the figures/numbers; most importantly, you should be able to create that connected, engage with people, innovate and be willing to upscale yourself be it with regard to technology or market trends-even if it means going beyond your expertise.

It is also important to spend time working for promoter-driven companies where ideas move faster within an organisation, and employees with a focus on growth can expand their horizons and seek greater responsibilities faster.

Above all else, you must be competitive and enjoy the thrill of bettering yourself. If you don’t have this quality, you will miss out on rare opportunities.

CC: IFB is a big name in the world of consumer durables. How do you foresee its journey in the years ahead?

Well, I will answer this question both from an individual perspective as well as a larger outlook. When you are offered a job, you look at the profile you are given, the money, exposure as well as the posting. All of these are important, but the bigger question to be looked at is whether or not the company is willing to expand or have plans to expand in near future? If yes, then you can grow with the company. This is very important in building a career and making a difference.

IFB has strong roots and investments in R&D, thereby strengthening its product basket and portfolio. To sum up, IFB is one company that offers the best-in-class products, is very consumer-focused, and is continuously innovating. It values transparency and is highly people-centric. It encourages people with an enterprising mindset.

CC: How do you see the consumer durables segment performing ahead?

A look at the macroeconomic environment suggests that India’s consumption story is poised for uninterrupted growth, which makes it a high potential sector and also will result in higher affordability of consumer electronics products. Penetration in India thus far, is much lesser than the global average.

The rapid rate of urbanisation, growth of the young population and rising incomes is creating a larger middle-class in India. This segment is expected to grow by 21% over the next decade. Add to this a shift in lifestyle patterns and digital access, and consumer spending in this category which is likely to see strong growth in the next five years-the outlook is encouraging and positive.

CC: What about the challenges it faces?

Some of the key considerations would be changes in the delivery model-meeting the changing demands of customers, manoeuvring through a consolidating market, and executing strategies to grow profitably. Changes in customers’ expectations and buying behaviours are another zone. Also, there has been quite a shrinkage in margins due to the high cost of sales and an increase in costs due to evolving nature of compliances in recent years.

The immediate need of the industry is to reduce costs of operation and compliances to help unlock the domestic demands and establish economies of scale. Also, logistical costs for the industry are very high, any changes in regulations can put lots of pressure on the cost. These are some of the issues that need to be addressed.

CC: There is much talk about the need for work-life balance. Have you been able to achieve it in your life?

An interesting question, for sure. I would say it all boils down to prevention of burnout and preserving one’s creativity rather than a literal interpretation of the number of hours one puts in. For me, the journey of the last 27 years has been all about satisfaction and gratification while being with my team, mentoring budding colleagues, creating a landscape for the organisation’s growth, spending quality time with family and at the end of the day, going to sleep on a pillow of a clean conscience.

Thus, the work-life balance must not be measured in terms of the number of hours spent with the family or the number of days spent on vacations. Little things count. For example, I love to cook that special dish for my wife and son, spend an evening with friends or writing a thank you mail of appreciation to someone. None of this can be replaced by material considerations. Ultimately, it is very important to be happy. That is an important part of work-life balance.

"As an employee, it is you, who has to contribute to the team before you start enjoying benefits. Your growth is always aligned with that of the organisation; always keep this basic fact in mind"

CC: How do you unwind in your free time?

As mentioned earlier, I have always been a keen and competitive sports person. Outdoor sports and the time spent with friends helps me to unwind. So, whether it is tennis or cricket or squash, I enjoy bettering my own best, sweating it out and connecting with other players on the court. I also spend time giving back to society – to that end, I am part of an enthusiastic "Robin Hood Army", helping kids learn and enjoy education. Apart from this, I love listening to old Hindi songs; one of the greatest joys of my life is to listen to my wife sing or share her recorded songs.

CC: Do tell us a bit about your family.

Well, my family consists of my wife Sukirti Panda who did her MBA and our son Aryan, who is in his second year of computer science at VIT, Vellore.

CC: What lessons did Covid bring in its wake?

Oh, quite a few of lasting value. The important lesson it brought home was the need to stay grounded and appreciate the little things in life. Eating out was no longer an option; it taught you the importance of cooking at home and healthy eating. It got all of us so close to the family, something that had been lost in the maddening rush of life. We all realised the importance of loved ones-they are the ones who are really there for you with no selfish interest. At the same time, this was also an opportunity to help them with their burdens and struggles. When one is out at work from 9 am to 9 pm, there’s a lot one misses out on in terms of the family’s emotional journey. The lockdown gave us time to make up for this.

CC: Last but not the least, a bit of advice to young people that combines your philosophy and outlook.

I always tell youngsters that they need to be very clear in what they want. The initial years of one’s career are critical. What you learn is more important than what you earn or what brand you work for. Young professionals tend to get overawed by the idea of working for big brands; that’s not how it should be. Look at your role beyond just the brand name. Ask yourself: is this the industry I want to work for in the years to come? Is this vertical that is going to give me the opportunity to grow in the direction that I wish to? Be honest with yourself and ask yourself whether you are really contributing to the growth of the organisation. Let me make it clear: giving and receiving is essentially a two-way street. As an employee, it is you, who has to contribute to the team before you start enjoying benefits. Your growth is always aligned with that of the organisation; always keep this basic fact in mind. To be a leader of mettle, you have to be open to new experiences and ready for a bumpy road. Mobility is the key to success, be willing to relocate if that’s what is asked of you.

Constantly reinvent yourself, upgrade your skills and keep your mind open. Don’t let stagnancy or complacency set in. Job-hopping at the drop of a hat is never a good look on a resume; at the same time, you must be willing to go beyond your comfort zone and take up new roles and responsibilities when opportunities present themselves.