RASHI PARTNERS IN THE ALPS: Cordless Products Get a Clear Push

When Genuine Logitech Dealers (GLDs) landed in Zurich towards the end of

September, it was a pleasant change for them all. From the hot and humid hustle

and bustle of the Indian marketplace, Rashi had brought them to a cool and green

country surrounded by snow and meadows. From Zurich, the GLDs had a 90-minute

pleasant bus ride to Engelberg, where they were put up, a township overlooking

Mount Titlis. Said Ketan Gala of Mumbai-based Spectrum, "We knew we were in

for a good time in the Alpine country, after slogging it out to push the sales

of Logitech cordless products for five months at a stretch."

Steven Ngoh, director for Sou-th Asia, Logitech: Providing stable business to partners

Rashi’s philosophy of keeping business to the minimum and rewarding its

partners with a relaxed time-out at exotic places, which was appreciated at last

year’s cruise covering Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, was evident again

during this trip to the Alps as well. Business was limited to just three hours

on the last day while rest of the time was dedicated to relaxation and

entertainment.

Premium GLDs



Suresh Pansari, director of RP Tech, welcomed partners to Switzerland and

congratulated them for their brand loyalty to Logitech products. He wished that

their commitment to Logitech would grow further, now that they had been upgraded

to the ‘Premium’ level. For the 1,000 GLDs spread across the country, it was

not an easy task to qualify for the Swiss trip and be upgraded as ‘Premium’

GLDs. The targets were stiff and only 30 qualified to reach the ‘Premium’

level.

Sanjeev Shah (right), national sales manager, Logitech, presents the premium CLD certificate to Ketan and Shefali Gala of Spectrum

Commending the efforts of the GLDs to reach the ‘Premium’ level, Steven

Ngoh, Director, South Asia, Logitech, said that Switzerland was the country of

origin for his company and it was fitting that the GLDs were certified as ‘Premium’

in the land where Logitech was founded.

Presenting the Logitech product roadmap, Steven said Logitech was looking at

living room consoles, ‘on the go’ personal interface products, digital pen

and paper, mobile phone accessories, notebooks and PDAs. This wide range of

products, he said, was a far cry for Logitech that was known only as a mouse

company until recently.

Expanding product line



Currently, little over half of Logitech’s business comes from mice at 54%.

Desktops (a set of cordless mice and keyboards) contribute 16% and keyboards

15%. Products in the video and audio segments are fast catching up with 7.5 %

and 4.5% revenues respectively. Interactive gaming devices make up with 3%

revenues.

"India grew by 41% for us in the Asia Pac region during 2001-02,"

said Steven, "which is comparable to the growth given by other countries

including Taiwan and Korea." However, India lagged far behind China, where

Logitech grew by 140%. According to Steven, these figures show the unexplored

potential of the Indian market. He asserted that India had the capacity to

overtake the growth of Logitech in the Chinese market.

Suresh Pansari, director of KP Tech, is working toward building brand loyalty for Logitech

Pointing devices



Sanjiv Shah, national sales manager for Logitech, pointed out that it was
Logitech that had pioneered selling of premium pointing devices in the Indian

market. Other vendors were now pursuing this trend. "The competition has

become tough with cheap products flooding the market," said he.

Presenting Logitech’s India strategy, Shah said his company would continue

to focus on cordless and corded desktops. Logitech will also increasingly

promote notebook gadgets in the country. Sanjiv said that Logitech offered

trouble-free sales for partners since its products hardly broke down minimizing

warranty-related problems. He assured Premium GLDs that Logitech would continue

to launch products as per the market demand for stable business.

Rashi’s marketing strategy



Presenting Rashi’s marketing strategy, Rajesh Goenka, Divisional Head,

said that the Logitech-Sony roadshows in 32 cities in the last six months had

brought about greater awareness for Logitech products. The "Fortune Maker

Scheme" had attracted 900 partners who had sold the entire range of

products distributed by Rashi.

LET’S GET COSY: Rajesh Goenka of Rashi Peripherals (second from left) with some GLDs

Rajesh wanted Rashi partners to explore the upgradation and replacement

markets. He pointed out that Rashi had taken some innovative measures like

displaying products at multiplexes and running mobile vans with product displays

to spread awareness of products that it was distributing. He assured that Rashi

and Logitech would support every SI meet organized by Premium GLDs. Shefali Gala

of Mumbai-based Spectrum said, "We don’t sell Logitech, Logitech sells by

itself." But this did not mean that dealers got attractive margins. She

wanted Logitech to provide healthy dealer margins. She had a word of praise for

Rashi, which according to her, had played a key role in establishing the

Logitech brand across the country. She cautioned Premium GLDs to be alert on

those brands, which were entering the market through the bundling route but were

short on after-sales service.

Rashi interactive



Rashi unveiled ‘Rashi Interactive’ a quarterly magazine meant for its
partners. Guwahati-based Vikash Bucha of Info-Tech India was pleased with the

publication as it offered a comprehensive catalogue of all the products

distributed by Rashi in the country. Said he, "The publication would be a

boon to Rashi partners because it offers all product specifications at a glance.

This tool will help us sell products distributed by Rashi better."

Pondicherry-based Suresh Kummar Soni of UR Enterprises was all praise for

Rashi for organizing the Swiss trip. "Logitech



has very little competition in Pondicherry. So, getting qualified for the trip
was not very difficult," he pointed out. The Swiss trip of Premium GLDs,

marks another milestone in Rashi’s marketing strategy: Keep partners

entertained to retain brand loyalty. When almost every distributor was trying to

save costs last year, Rashi did not think twice in taking its partners for a joy

ride on Star cruise.

And now, even when the demand is yet to catch up, Rashi’s reward of a trip

to the Alps to its Premium GLDs, is sure to etch the Rashi-Logitech brand in the

psyche of all its partners.

Sylvester Lobo in Engelberg,

Switzerland