Mahabalipuram
or Mahabs holds a very special place in a Great laker’s heart. The reasons can
vary from the booze, to the beach or to the
special masala fish that you get in moonrakers. But apart from the food and
booze industry , one industry that is thriving here is the art industry. For Art lovers this is the place to be. A lot of
variety in artifacts , nice people, less crowded market makes it a good place
to make some purchases which will last you long.
While my
visit to Mahabs, I happened to visit an art and handicraft shop named Krishna
handlooms owned and operated by Mr. Vino. He is in this business since last 16
years and he has acquired the necessary skills from his father. When he embarked
on this journey , according to him, his father’s was the first shop in the
mahabalipuram to enter into this field.
The first
thing that striked me about his personality was his command over the English language
, which I feel is very important if you need to deal with many foreign clients.
Taking our conversation forward , I came
to know about the various aspects of his personal as well as professional life.
According to
him, the peak season for his business starts in November and ends in January.
During the off-season his main job is to make artifacts along with his 2-3
co-workers whom he has employed. Along with selling in local markets he also
sells his products to countries in Europe. The main demand in local market is
for the pendants that he creates. He also states that during off-season he
offers discounts on his various products and during the peak season he bargains
with his customers.
He has also
travelled a lot of places in India which he has very wisely displayed on his
main entrance door, which according to him, helps him to attract customers –especially
tourists. He has very well showcased his shop’s main entrance because he thinks
that the first impression that you create is very important to attract a
customer. He is not like other shop owners who keep calling the tourists
passing by their shop. He has very well understood the psychology of the
foreign customers who hate being called upon while passing by.
From all the
experience that he has gained, one of
the most important thing that he has learned is that if you want to have a long
lasting relationship with the customer, never try to con him(customer).
Maybe you will be able to cheat him for the first time but after that it will
be very difficult to attract him again. And in the business like his, which
mainly thrives on customer relationship management and word-of-the-mouth
strategy, he cannot afford to lose his customers.
Speaking
about his competition he maintains a very cool attitude and says that ‘ I have very little competition in here
not because I’m the best but I’m able to maintain my customers’. I also
asked him about any problem that he faces locally – for eg. Policemen. He says
that as he was born and brought up in mahabalipuram itself , handling such
issues has not been a problem for him. Also , he has all his kith and kin living near him.
Finally
speaking about his future plans , he says he is not interested in expanding
this business and also to my surprise he plans to move to the UK and settle
there. He is not married yet but I must say he has very ambitious plans for his
kids. He doesn’t wants them to see what he has seen in his life and wants to do
every possible bit to ensure that.
Having talked to him about this industry has intrigued me to know how the other shop owners think about it and how do they operate and deal with their customers, which I plan to find out during my next visit to mahabs or any other nearby places.
GAURAV BHANDARI
FT-13424
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