Written by: Ashish Kothari
About the author: Ashish Kothari has over three decades of experience in Marketing & Sales in industry sectors ranging from transport fuels, lubricants, entertainment and FMCG. He has worked in global markets across 5 continents, and currently works as a Senior Vice President in India
Joe Saldana glanced at his watch a third and final time as he eased into the corner table at Moonbucks Coffee. Relieved that he was well in time for his 11 o’clock appointment with Mr. Mehra, (his premier prospect for a lucrative endowment policy), Joe pulled out his carefully prepared benefit illustrations just as his client walked in….
Ashish Kothari’s Blog
Ashish Kothari
Ashish Kothari has over three decades of experience in Marketing & Sales in industry sectors ranging from transport fuels, lubricants, entertainment and FMCG. He has worked in global markets across 5 continents, and currently works as a Senior Vice President in India
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Hi, I’m Ashish Kothari, and I want to share a lifetime of practical learnings as a marketer through these blogs.
I recently met a young actuarial executive at a social gathering. On learning of my profession, she lit up and exclaimed, “That’s the best profession. It’s so creative and always interesting”. That’s the best “in-a-nutshell” reason to describe why I chose to become a marketer.
It wasn’t always that way. After graduating as a first-class physicist, real life confronted me, and I took the first job I got – in export management. Six months later, I was a bit wiser and much clearer what I wanted to do. And so, I jumped on to the sales bandwagon with a leading FMCG brand. Unlike the previous job, I could now travel far and wide to meet so many interesting people.
For the next decade, the rush of closing a deal, converting a difficult customer, or beating sales targets became my monthly fix. And then I began to wonder, what lies beyond? By now it wasn’t hard to see. It had to be those merchants of dreams at head office, who had been giving me the tools of my trade all these years, a.k.a. the marketing department.
And thus began the next logical chapter(s). Analyzing and developing strategies and tactics for markets, consumers, competitors, channels, communications, pricing, branding, products, packaging, services, retailing, and sales promotions. All the while learning that the business has to make money while the marketing department is having fun.
If my sales jobs took me far and wide, marketing brought a whole new meaning to “far and wide”. I have been fortunate to work with people all over the world. But while the product lines can be similar in every market, customers aren’t. And it takes a smart marketer to know the difference and define the path to success.
If you enjoy my blogs, let’s connect (my profile includes my social media links). Who knows, one of us might have an experience that the other could use. Or we may become future collaborators, partners or friends!
Secrets of an International Assignment
Written by: Ashish Kothari
About the author: Ashish Kothari has over three decades of experience in Marketing & Sales in industry sectors ranging from transport fuels, lubricants, entertainment and FMCG. He has worked in global markets across 5 continents, and currently works as a Senior Vice President in India
Have you ever wondered why we only ever hear the term “Non-Resident Indian”, and not “Non-Resident any-other-nationality”? Perhaps there is a technical answer deeply embedded in India’s complex tax laws. But viewed from another lens, this group does merit a dedicated terminology. After all, they do constitute by far the largest group expatriates resident abroad! International assignees are a major sub-group of NRI’s, and the subject of this article….
Product Development in Startups
Written by: Ashish Kothari
About the author: Ashish Kothari has over three decades of experience in Marketing & Sales in industry sectors ranging from transport fuels, lubricants, entertainment and FMCG. He has worked in global markets across 5 continents, and currently works as a Senior Vice President in India
Conventional approaches to product development maximize chances of success by building all possible features that could fulfill the maximum number of customer needs. Startups don’t have the luxury of investing the same time and money. That’s why the MVP approach is better suited for startups…
Marketing, the STP way
Written by: Ashish Kothari
About the author: Ashish Kothari has over three decades of experience in Marketing & Sales in industry sectors ranging from transport fuels, lubricants, entertainment and FMCG. He has worked in global markets across 5 continents, and currently works as a Senior Vice President in India
Achieving market leadership requires more than a great product. Read on for the STP approach…