Few People, Little Time

Many a time, at industry gettogethers, I find myself in an awkward position–CEOs

of some of the most respectable names in the Indian industry come up to me and

ask, "How do you manage to run a super-successful company with so few

people?" Obviously, they are fresh from reading one of the stories that

publications often carry, highlighting our revenues, and our slim employee

headcount. Well, this article is actually not just a contribution to the

magazine, but to myself as well. Next time onward, I will just say, "Please

refer to Page #12 of the Dataquest issue dated September 15, 2002!" So what’s

the Formula X? The trick? The mantra? The answer is simple–Keep it Simple. I

believe that a company which gets the basics right fast will succeed in the IT

industry, for success and great performance are both dependent on this.

Proactiveness: A leader needs to define the dynamics of the market,

and we keep innovating and improvising all the time, virtually forcing

competition to copy us. But a copycat can never be the leader. So Rule #1 is to

be proactive.

Products: Great quality products reflecting your technological

leadership. As far as products and technology are concerned, Samsung is seen as

an innovator. This is basically governed by the R&D focus that we have

globally. But do not underestimate the role of a subsidiary in new product

development. Remember, Glocal is the formula. Do not just throw up your hands

and say–"product decisions are taken only at the HQ".

Partnership: The best national distributors in the industry and the

best dealer network–both in quality and quantity terms–provide us with both

quality and depth of coverage and distribution.

Programs: Value programs to attract and retain channels and customers. Our

marketing programs are extremely channel- and consumer-friendly. Value++, an

annual consumer program, is considered a marketing breakthrough even by our own

subsidiaries in other countries.

Pull: Established due to the strength of our global parent company and brand

strength–and reinforced by our India-specific marketing activities.

Post-sales: We have the widest service infrastructure across India in

our field, and by far the most customer-friendly policies. Today, there’s no

other IT company that has comprehensive service policies and comparable

infrastructure. Samsung is a technology leader in the fields it operates in. And

therefore, we deliver best quality and cutting-edge tech products.

Process automation: We believe a lot in the Power of ‘e’–and are

perhaps the most e-savvy company in India. This has  helped us manage countrywide

sales from one office in Delhi. Our entire supply and sellout modules are on the

Web.

People: The most important aspect of our success–if you do not have

great people, all the other Ps will get nowhere. We hire only the best–and

back it up with an HR system designed to retain these high performers. To have

successful and admired processes, you need good people. To deliver products, you

need people. To formulate and implement programs, you need people. To strengthen

partnerships and develop new ones, you need people. And because we have good

people, we have been successful.

It i s really simple; great processes implemented by the best people

will get you the best results–be it successful product launches, programs,

partnerships and sheer number performance.

JS JONG



The author is the executive director of Samsung Electronics India Information
& Telecommunication Ltd