There isn’t a more fascinating business in the world than the business of selling. Selling is the energy source for every successful enterprise, irrespective of its character. Over the years, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur has come to be known as the host of a unique annual contest of wits between the Smart Salesman and the Over-smart Customer. Held on the 30th & 31st of October 2012, the ROCKET SINGH Marketing Event this year saw participation from 34 teams from 14 different B-schools, including the other sister campuses of Jaipuria Institute of Management (Noida, Lucknow and Indore). With 3 participants in each team – one was designated Team leader and the other two as team members – the two days of competition were a fantastic mix of exceptional selling skills, and the frequent laugh riots that broke out.
Day One of the contest started with a preliminary round, where teams were expected to come up with a sales pitch for products as ridiculous as the mousetrap, and as bizarre as the ‘Yamraj’ himself! The 34 different Sales Pitches took up the entire day. The judges for the event – Mr. Neeraj Gupta, Senior Manager, Reliance Broadband Network Ltd., Jaipur; Mrs. Preeti Bhandari, Company Secretary; Dr. Sheenu Jain and Dr. Abhijit Nair, both faculty at Jaipuria Jaipur – shortlisted 20 teams for the final round on the basis of their exceptional product pitching and creativity.
On Day 2 of the event the final battle for the ROCKET SINGH (Smart Salesman) and BOL BACHAN (Over-Smart Customer) of Rajasthan was fought tooth-and-nail in a completely packed Jaipuria Jaipur auditorium. The top 10 teams from Day 1 were to contest for the title of ‘ROCKET SINGH’ (Best Sales Team), while the remaining 10 teams contested for the BOL BACHAN award (Best Customer Team).
“Technically speaking, the sellers were to make a compelling sales pitch, while the buyer raised objective queries,” explained the participants from Jaipuria Jaipur team. “ROCKET SINGH was symbolic of an astute salesman and BOL BACHAN personified a savvy and informed customer. The role of the BOL BACHCHAN was to make the life of ROCKET SINGH difficult by raising queries, and ROCKET SINGH had to sell unusual products to the customer.”
The products were not just unusual – many of them were literally unsellable! Mop Slippers, Hand Pants (branded as ‘handerpants’ by the team selling it), Pocket Shower, Ticket to Heaven, Book your own Burial and Blackie Toothpaste were some examples of those. While the situation had many in the audience rolling with laughter in the auditorium of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur, the contest threw up some really talented ROCKET SINGHS and awfully difficult BOL BACHCHANS, with no one willing to give an inch.
“More than a competition, it was a great learning experience for most of us”, said the runners-up team of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Indore, which included Abhishek Pratap Singh, Amol Sharma and Sahil Punjwani. “We learnt that salesmanship is not just about selling the product; it is much more than that. It’s actually the process of communicating the value of a product or service to customers.”
Ultimately, the jury ruled in favour of JECRC B-School team for the ROCKET SINGH trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 5,100/-. Jaipuria Institute of Management, Indore was adjudged the Runners-up and was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 3,100/- and a trophy. The BOL BACHCHAN Trophy (Best Customer) was awarded to Poornima School of Business Management with a cash prize of Rs. 2,100/-. BOL BACHAN Runners-up went to the other JECRC B-school team in the fray, with a cash prize of Rs. 1,100/. The sales team for ‘Handerpants’, ‘Book my Burial ground’, ‘Mop Slippers’ and ‘Butter Stick’ products and services won appreciation from one and all.
This was a watershed year for the ROCKET SINGH event, with pan-Indian B-school participation. It also established the prominence of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur as one of the premier B-schools in Rajasthan.
story credits : Nikita Thomas
