Why Telecom Or Fmcg Company Will Not Intrest To Hire People From Pharma And Insurance

why telecom or Fmcg company will not intrest to hire people from Pharma and insurance

I may not have the best words to give an answer to this question, still I would like to say that :

1. In telecom and FMGC, it require good understanding of Products, market and relationship with Key persons as well as good grip and understanding of the business.

2. For any Products Marketing, one must have thorough knowledge of the product and understanding of the nature of business, as Marketing for OEM / Operators would be totally different then Vendors.

3. Why would any Organization prefer any less competent candidate for a totally different domain, when recruitment are based on the funda: 'to find the best candidate at the right time for the right place'.

4. If any one is very keen to Join Telecom and FMCG then they must get thaurough knowledge of the Products, and market. Some of the Organizations perfer B.E, B.Tech for Telecom, this also must be henderence to some of MBA in Marketing who are atcualy very good in perticuler field.

Hi Ash, good reply am happy to see another patriotic HR.

:icon1:

For marketing of any products the following two basic things required..
1. Product Knowledge
2. Product Application
rest is terms and conditions of payment, gurantee/warrenty period and suply chain management.......
Rest is time pass.........
Bhajiya

Dear Bhajiya,

I think you are mixing up Sales, Marketing and Product Distribution Techniques.

It’s not just Product Knowledge but it’s rather ‘How the product is Positioned’ & ‘Targeted’ which drives the success of a Particular Sales Person.

If you look into FMCG & Telecom you need to develop parties (Distributors & Retailers), Fix the Targets for each Parties in his territory, Negotiate their Incentive Pattern with respect to the Market Demand & Supply. It really requires specific skills which not only desires the Target orientness, but also skill relating to negotiation, Demand forecasting and ability to Push the sales of a product through the parties. Hence any person who have a Knack of these things can be successful in Sales here.

But, if you look into the Sales Pattern of Pharma Industry, the Sales people have to frequent the doctors and make them as brand ambassadors and push the sales. Here we only need persons who are techno oriented about the Medicine, it’s combination particulars and most importantly how you cozy up with your Ambassador with gifts & Royalties. Your Ambassador will in turn pull the demand from the retailers. Hence a Likely person will be a D. Pharm / B. Pharm / B. Sc Graduate who can explain the Technicalities Better.

At the other end, In Insurance - you have to sell the 'Risk' to the customer rather the 'Insurance'. The more you highlight and make the customer’s aware of the risks, the more successful you will be. But here you will have to deal first with your Advisors & Agent who will be your sales guys, Train them on Insurance Terminologies, Plan Targets for every body, support & guide them and follow up to convince their customers for you to be successful. Hence Likely person would be a B. Com / MBA (Finance)/ MBA (Marketing) with Commerce Background.

Hence, You see a variable pattern of 'Skills - Competency Match' required for 'Selling the Products' in each of the Industry and thus after being in a particular industry for a long time it takes time to know the Sales tricks and Trade Secrets of any other Industry. Hence the Management generally prefers a guy / girl who has been generally trained in his own industry to save upon the Opportunity Cost & Training Costs.

With regards,

Jayesh Yohannan

Well, Pharma, telecom or insurance the domain doesnt matter.
A sales person is a sales person,he can sell anything.
Jus depends upon hiring a person with good caliber & zeal.
''Training'' wouldnt been there than.
The problem exists in HR in that case if they have this caliber of not appreciating people from other domain & lacking the caliber of choosng one having combination of ''Knowledge + Potential''..rather than just having knowledge and no abilty to sell the products.
Dont worry,buddy there are still companies existing who hires people with good caliber & potential..Keep Trying.
Good Luck

Well Ms. Rashmi, I appreciate, but when you say – Knowledge + Potential, I ask You - ‘Knowledge’ based on what ???
When India we are having a Division of Labour system, we are equally equipping our knowledge based upon our Interests. Hence when a Medical Representative having B. Pharma may not understand the Financial Tools & Jargons of an Insurance / Financial Industry. Hence you are most likely to take more time to learn those… Hence How can he ‘deliver’ his Potential when an MR is being recruited as Sales Rep. for Insurance / FMCG / Durable Products / Telecomm Products. ???'
Please refer - Right Person at the Right Job and at the Right Time.

Most of the marketing profesionals are MBA in Marketing after their Graduiation in Science or Commerce.
Thie B.Phamra & D.Pharma introduced in early 1990's before that all Medical Representatives were only BSc. Look We have recruited many sales professional but all of them were not specialised but they knows how to close deal and negotiate, how to quote the price and many such tricks of trades.
For Sales and marketing no speciualization except expereince is required. basically I have appointed many Country Head - Marketing but none were specialsied in specific fields if we are in life saving jackets that doesnot mean he should be rubber technologist to become sales professional for our product.
This is thinking is something unusual from mainstream where as I said we Indians are bitten by the barahminism bug...and we search purity in all aspects of life that is not correct aproach in the process we loose many good talent beause of out dogmatism (Bug).
Partho

Dear Partho,
I am Sorry , but I did not buy your arguments.
If your company is making business by selling a Life Saving Jacket and for suppose – you appoint a mediocre Manager who had never known about your product, its Quality specifications, its Performance in different Temperature conditions, I don’t think he can be able to connect with your product and sell your product to various customer’s word wide - since you don’t know how your product will perform in various conditions. And Being your product so crucial, and In fact if it would have been me, I would never take any chances which keep my company and it’s stakeholders in jeopardy. Excuse Me.
And if you think that Sales means managing the Target because one had an experience in that, that even you can also do it …. No need to purify Yourself.
But please don’t post any unnecessary arguments that will lead to no-where. Thanks.
regards / Jayesh

Weel Jayesh,

As i have mentioned Knowledge + potential makes diffrence rather than just having Knowledge and no potential to sell things..

So, if you want to know what ''Knowledge'' means, its nothing but the product knowledge.. If provided a product knowledge or Training is offered to right person having caliber to capture things,it wont make a big diffrence.Coz ultimately one with right knowledge & ability to sell things can only be an asset.

Its not a medical line, wherin only and only a Doctor can treat patients.
Its Sales..Sales line i pesonally feel is not at all a limited profile.From broader point of view looking from HR side
I think a person from an insurance or telecom given good product knowledge about pharm or viceversa,from A to Z,he can be an asset.
But again companies and HR's are limited to certain policies which sometimes really makes no-sense....
I understand 1st priority should be given to one from pharma line for pharma ''sales'' job,etc.But its unhealthy practice of not giving an opportunity for an insurance person entering Telecom or vice-versa..Its Sales..Its not medicine ,Navy or Other line..

It makes no sense to not giv opportunitiz to individual pertaining to '' Sales'' profile...One should be liberal to choose and opportunity should be given to masses..Its not necessary that an Actor is meant only to Act.He can be a Singer, a Dancer, or anything if he has that talent in him & ability & zeal to learn things more

Am not here to advice or know on india's labour or to talk on cultures in East or West..as i find it very irrelevant to go out of box...We are here to talk on how we can help massess to accquire right job..And the best way is by giving an opportunity to a Right Person.

Eg:I evn think that MBA is just a formality
Evn an undergrad if given a good grilling & if he or she has the ability to learn things, thn that person should also be given an oppotunity..DhiruBhai Ambani, Bill Gates, etc was not any MBA..

Its jsut that opportunitiz given to an individual makes diffrence & its all in our hands..Since we are the ones to make company policies.

Rashmi Bhalerao

Well Ma’m I duly acknowledge your point of view..
You have your bargains and I have my weights… My notion is – Lets Learn from each other rather than Brick batting…
As I said we are all right in our suggessions.. But your & Mine applications Changes as situations changes… Lets learn and Encourage others to follow.. I posted what I knew.. It depends upto you & our friends to experience it.. we have our lifetime for that.. what we write here may not be worthy after 5 Years down– ‘Remember Change’.. we should always be forward looking to new suggestions & experiences.

Sorry if I might have hurt many ideologies in the making..

Dear seniors,
I think it was a wonderful and healthy discussion about this topic..but i think sales person can sale everything depend upon there knowledge ,capacity and Zeal to learn everything provided by training.
As asha ji is rightly said the nature of sales is entirely different in TELECOM and FMCG. But one thing is Pharma and Insurance people is very Hardcore sales people..they sales both product as well as concept..they are well trained in both the areas,but the problem is this companies ( TELECOM AND FMCG ) will not even given a chance to those people who can really deserve for this job.
As per rashmi ji point of view Its jsut that opportunitiz given to an individual makes diffrence & its all in our hands.