| What I learnt from Rocket Singh: Review Posted: 12 Dec 2009 12:50 PM PST Initial Synopsis:  Harpreet Singh is a B.Com graduate who wanted to make it big in sales. He wants to become a salesman so badly and joins AYS Computers. Things start to screw up when the honest Harpreet Singh refuses to give up his ethics to close a deal.
And finally he finds out that his company has been selling computers at really high margins and sucked in after sales support. He then starts out on his own parallel company by using company resources and convinces his colleagues to join him and so goes the movie. The Blog Post I do not really go to much movies, but Rocket Singh was one movie I had been wanting to go since I saw its trailer. Why? Because it is about sales! Sales, Marketing, Entrepreneurship movies always grab my attention. And yesterday when I finally went to the movie, it was an amazing experience. But when walking out of the movie hall, our Sujith was like “I don’t really like the movie, I cannot digest some parts of it….”. So, this post hopes to do justice to those Sujiths out there who missed some keypoints of the movie and what I noticed personally from Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year movie. - Bootstrap your business: When Harpreet Singh Bedi started off with his Rocket Sales Corporation, he did not go out and build a flashy office for his company. He instead kept his day job and used his companies resources (telephone, furniture, computers, electricity and all that) to build his company. Though trying this can get you sued for breach of contract, embezzlement, fraud, dishonesty and everything else, it is always a wise idea to minimize expenses with your startup. So, keep those bigass oak tables and revolving chair off your mind and focus on your startup.
- Startups can change things big time: Being a startup, agility is your best friend. You do not have to wait for clearances, you can take decisions instantly, you can rebuild and reorganize overnight and rectify mistakes within days unlike bigger companies who work under six sigma pressures. So, never be bowed by big competitors in your industry. You can do things better, faster and more creatively than them!
- Picking up the right people: Harpreet Singh Bedi just closed a big order due delivery tomorrow. He did not have the people to complete it by due time, what did he do? He picked up his office chai wallah (peon) as a partner to finish it. It is important to know who to entrust what and make sure they enjoy doing it. Otherwise, you are wasting everyone time. Really. Period. So build the right team.
- Sales is not the end of the cycle. It is the start. When Rocket Sales Corporation went live, their philosophy was free service any night and any holiday for the whole year. If you run a service or sell a product, the after sales support you provide your clients can either get you more business or screw it up royally. You choose.
- Volumes, margins and pricing: One of the most important things I personally tell anyone looking at entrepreneurship is cash flow. For me, it is like the one single thing that will make or break a startup. If you think you can make money off volumes, price your products lower and make sure your margin and sustain your operations. Ensure cash flow to keep your company afloat while you look for that big break.
- Exit Strategy. Initially I could not bear the thought of an exit with something I might spend years building with every bit of passion, strength and time I have, but it is important to know when to exit gracefully. You might know many firms where the bosses hang around hogging the management seat while the market needs fresh, innovative and bold thinking. A time will come when you will be obsolete, so prepare for that day.
- Branding is not just a logo. So in the movie, our Rocket Sales Corporation reaches great heights with its good pricing and unique service offerings and the AYS computers now take over the company and make it AYS Rocket Sales Corporation puting the AYS badge on the logo. But AYS being a bigger and bloated company fails to deliver on customer expectations of the Rocket Sales Corporation and sales figures start to come down. When take over another firm and its brand, it is important to inherit its philosophy and culture and see how you can make the most out of it.
Bonus Tip: This is not new to those watching Indian films, but it seems somehow in a weird way that it helps your company grow way faster when you have a background score. Anyone noticed this trend yet?  Jokes apart, I look forward to your thoughts on the movie and what you think about it. What I learnt from Rocket Singh: Review
Anand Subramanian, co-founder of ayruz web holdings is an Internet Marketing Consultant based in India. Tags: anand, entrepreneurship, india, movie and tv, movie industry, startups Related posts  |
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