|
Sales
& Promotion
Activities
Sales
through Capacity Building of Channel Partners IDEI
does not involve in direct selling. Rather, we ensure
sale of our pumps through the private marketing channel
comprising village-based distributors, dealers, mistries,
government sales depot and even NGOs. In other words,
we play the role of a catalyst by networking with channel
partners and ensuring quality production of pumps and
their smooth delivery to the farmer customer. Since
inception in 1991, we have ensured the purchase of around
350,000 treadle pumps by small and marginal farm families.
We
identify potential quality manufacturers and motivate
them to fabricate the treadle pumps on a regular basis
(product design and quality assurance provided by IDEI),
which are then passed on to distributors and dealers
for sale in remote rural areas. For ADITI Kits we identify
manufacturers who will supply components of our indigenously
designed kits, adhering to the quality norms / STPs
laid down by our R&D.
We
have also trained various SHGs and agri input dealers
in installation and kit assembling and established their
linkage with the component manufacturers, thus ensuring
their availability in remote rural areas.
The
role of the assembler is to source components from the
manufacturers, procure and assemble them into user friendly
kits. These are then either sold by the assembler themselves
or passed on to dealers in rural remote areas for sale.
We help unemployed youth to start a micro-enterprise
for assembling and disseminating kits and set up a successful
business. The dealers who are mainly agri-input or hardware
dealers promote and sell the kits directly or through
agents.
As
part of our channel capacity building exercise, we also
advise the partners of the distribution chain as well
as the user farmers on the use of good quality seeds,
fertilizers and adopting better cropping practices with
IDEI products.
Promotion
Our
promotional activities are highly interactive to create
maximum awareness for achieving high sales. Simultaneously
we train and motivate the distribution channel to gradually
take over the responsibility for product promotion as
well as delivery of IDEI products.
-
live demonstrations
in village haats, melas and panchayat meetings;
-
conducting farmers'
meetings in villages where our product benefits
are mentioned;
-
mobilizing opinion leaders
to spread good words about our products;
-
conducting video van
shows of our products at strategic places in the
villages; and
-
conducting periodic
meets with partners such as manufacturers, dealers
and NGOs.
Besides dynamic promotional tools, some of IDE's
static promotional elements include handbills, wall
paintings, hoardings and dealer boards.
Production
and Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is at the heart of IDEI philosophy
of treating small and marginal farmers as customers
and not as mere recipients of charity. We have successfully
implemented since 1991 a stringent quality assurance
procedure among our approved manufacturers, the key
features of which are:
-
Periodic inspection
and testing of raw materials used
-
Regular in-process
and final product inspection
-
A statistically
sound sampling plan for the above procedures
-
A foolproof system
to track pumps from the manufacturer to the farmer's
field (punch plating system and issuance of warranty
card and farmer's instruction/maintenance manual)
Capacity
building of partners for sustainability of programme
Since
April 2000, our focus has changed from one of establishing
the high business potential of treadle pumps through
sales maximization to ensuring greater involvement
of KB channel partners in the business of marketing
treadle pumps.
The
IDE (India) team has begun reducing its presence in
certain areas to see its impact on the market and
sales. The phase-out programme involves imparting
training to the manufacturers and other IDE channel
partners so that they are able to thoroughly grasp
and inculcate a high degree of quality consciousness,
especially in the context of strict issuance of warranty
cards and instruction manual to the farmers and their
empowerment for demanding quick replacement of defective
pumps.
Moreover,
channel partners (such as manufacturers, distributors
and dealers) are contributing towards treadle pump
promotional cost and are investing time and resources
for ensuring quality production of the pump.
 Top
of page
|
