The Himalayan mountain top range served as backdrop for a sales training at Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU). To enable KGU to increase its sales, Women on Wings’ Sales expert Herma Volwater worked with KGU’s team on its sales strategy and how to target various types of customers. KGU’s products’ are sold under its brand name Kilmora in a number of own shops, online, at larger retail chains like Fabindia and at exhibitions.
Overcoming language barrier
KGU’s products include hand woven and hand knitted textiles, apricot skin care products, naturally grown herbs, cereals and spices and processed fruits. The various sales channels each require a different sales approach and Herma had prepared specific trainings per target group. Herma: “There was a lot of learning, also on my side. Not all shop keepers and corporate sales staff speak English, but the beauty was that thanks to the openness and eagerness of the team there was no language barrier. So it was all about the touch and feel of cold calling, and we did a lot of exercises on elevator pitching and B2B calling. This is the exhibition season, we worked on how to approach visitors and objection handling. Also on the visual merchandising in the stores. I really hope the exercises show in the sales results.”
Better sales results
Anurag Chatrath, Managing Director at KGU: “Earlier this year a Women on Wings team had worked with us on our next step in growth and more specifically on plans as how to increase our sales. This workshop with Herma and Supriya Kapoor followed the plans made in March. Herma’s hands-on approach gave us practical tools that we can use in our day to day sales. The role play exercises were a perfect way to show us why we have to tweak and change our sales approach per target audience. I am convinced that the learnings will surely show in better sales results this exhibition season.”
Income brings better future
In a region largely dependent on subsistence agriculture and a variable fruit crop, KGU’s outreach gives a meaningful income to the families it is involved with. While its agricultural products are sourced directly from farmers, KGU strives to pay its knitters and weavers a fair wage. Their income enables the women to think of better futures for their children and themselves. It is compulsory for the women to open bank accounts, which has made them financially literate and more responsible of their income and saving
