Marketing trip

For the past thirty days we were in the first floor room. Every morning we got into our conveyances , drove down to ASCI and voluntarily submitted to being incarcerated in the 15x15 room. The room became an essential part of our existence. WE were in turn happy, sad , pensive, boisterous and rebellious within the confines of this room . A sort of stockholm syndrome set in . WE started missing the room even while at home. The room has been witness to our private discussions and also the discussions with our teachers figured here. We also got bored and ennui set in many a time. 

So when Prof Malini suggested a field trip we jumped at the opportunity in great joy. Not that we would not miss the room. Our only means of distraction was the window to the world from where we were the Kings of all that we surveyed. Today Prof Mahadik also joined us at the window and in an unguarded moment we were clicked by friend Jagpal. 

As I was saying we were to take part in a field trip to a restaurant where our project manager told us that we were to gather info about the customers Incidentally while the restaurant was centrally located -close to the offices - it was not doing good business. We were to analyse the data on the customers to help the owners to modify the marketing mix. We saw that during the interaction with the customers the staff was indifferent in their attitude.

While we initially thought that the customers were not regulars , to our surprise , we found that not only were they regular but they also had no choice because it was the only place to dine in the near vicinity. It was clear that the staff was not utilising the knowledge of the customers' preferences to the fullest extent. It became clear to us - after some research - that the restaurateur did not really have to worry about the probability of the customers staying with them for at least for sometime to come. Maybe in the future when more eating houses opened in the area he would have to worry about maintaining his customer base through constant feedback and satisfaction mapping.

In case this did not happen and the customer switched his loyalty to other places then retrieval may prove difficult . In that case he would have to work on re- energizing his customers to return. since most were youngsters the need to segment the customers was not all that important as keeping their loyalty. Impeccable and efficient service coupled with  personalised service were the need of the hour. There was a requirement to change the perception of the customer immediately.

At the end of the day when we submitted our report to the project director the grateful owner treated  us to a sumptuous meal which underlined our findings that with a little effort the restaurant would be raking in moolah in no time...

Earlier in the day we did a case study about a sentimental old fool who did not sell his rubber farm when he got a good deal. He is we believe regretting this lapse in judgement . Most of his earlier fortune was now being expended in maintaining this now defunct farm which had become a white elephant ... This was Prof Mahadik's class om financial management  ....