SIP Report (R – 2)

Learning about Corporate Sales Techniques

(Ayushi Dwivedi)

Enrolment №: 1-20-028

2020 – 22
(Learning about Corporate Sales Techniques)
__________________________________________________________________

Table of contents

Chapters Page No.

1 Introduction 1-2
2 Review of Literature 3-4
3 Industry Analysis 5-12
4 Company Analysis 13-16
5 Details of the Task/Research 17
6 Strategy
 Learning about corporate sales technique

Acknowledgement

Behind every achievement lies an unfathomable sea of gratitude to those who have
extended their support and without whom it would never have come into existence.
To them we say our words of gratitude.

I would like to express my deepest sense of gratitude to MR. BHUWAN sir our
mentor for giving me this opportunity to undergo Summer Training at Outlook India.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to him for his constant
encouragement and valuable insight, guidance and facilities at all phases of the
project.
I would also like to acknowledge the support and guidance of Mr. Sandeep sir And
NEHA SINGH MAM for support as Team Leader, Outlook India Ltd. Without his
help and encouragement.

I want to thank DR. NEHA SINGH MAM under whose guidance I have carried out
this project. I am thankful to him for helping me out with the research part in
particular and the overall project in general. The Research Methodology classes
taught by him was one of the essential knowledges that was required to complete this
project.
I want to thank all my professors who taught me in first year because the Summer
Internship required knowledge from all the field to be implemented specially
marketing and Sales.
I want to thank my corporate Guide from Outlook Group, Former Guidance
SADHANA TIWARI MAM, and later SIR BHUWAN. Without the help of these it
would not be possible at all. Who guided me throughout the course of the Internship
and explained me various strategies to pitch my product and meet my target.

iii
 (Learning about Corporate Sales Techniques)
__________________________________________________________________

Executive Summary

Marketing is very necessary for every organization. It helps organizations in determining

what product and services may interest customers and also strategies for use in product
development sales and promotions.

The Project study of ‘Marketing and Sales of Magazine Products of Outlook’ is an attempt to
find out the factors and causes which affect the degree of satisfaction among the customers of
Outlook magazine. In today’s competitive world Management interns have to put rigorous
hard work to survive in the business world. They should be well groomed and well
acquainted with functioning of the corporate world.

The two months Summer Internship Program is an integral part of management program,
aims to provide the management students with an adequate exposure of the various operation
that are taking place in an industry.

I, as a management intern is engage with Outlook Group, New Delhi. I am working with
Outlook group, New Delhi. Currently I am working with sales team and it is a very educative
and professional experience and thereby gaining a practical overview of the corporate work
culture.
 Learning about corporate sales technique

Introduction

About Rajan Raheja Group

v
(Learning about Corporate Sales Techniques)
__________________________________________________________________

The Rajan Raheja Group is a diversified conglomerate which has interests in sectors
such as building materials (through Prism Cement, H&R Johnson (India) and RMC
Ready-mix (India)), automotive and industrial batteries (Exide Industries), cable TN.
(Hathaway Cable & Datacom and Asia net Satellite Communications), financial
services (in life insurance and asset management through joint ventures with ING),
publishing (OUTLOOK group), retail (Globus, H&R Johnson (India) TBK, Food
world and Health & Glow), real estate development, software, petrochemicals and
hotels.
 Chapter 1
Introduction

Outlook is the second most popular magazine in India. Outlook is a weekly general
interest English and Hindi news magazine in India. It’s editor is Ruben Banerjee.
Formal editors were Rajesh Ramachandran, Krishana Prashad and Vinod Mehta. It’s a
News Magazine. It was first published in October 1995; 25 years ago.

Basic Details of Company are as follows :-

 Company :- Rajan Raheja Group (Outlook Publishing India Private Ltd).

 Country :- India
 Main Office :- New Delhi
 Language :- English and Hindi
 Website :- www.outlookindia.com

History and Profile

Outlook is a news magazine which contains features from politics, sports, cinema and
stories of broad interest. Outlook is a weekly English news magazine published in
India. It provides the latest news on politics, cinema and stories.

The Outlook group is one of the India’s leading publishing house with 5 main stay
titles. Outlook is India’s most vibrant current affairs and news magazine.

Outlook quickly carved a significant riche for itself among discerning readers who
value its in-depth, investigating reporting as well as its stylish visual format. Known
to be fiercely independent, Outlook has shaken the establishment on events ranging
from Kargil to Kashmir to cricket, sensitized the reading public to important issues
like big dams, education and gender and provided an unremitting focus on South
Asian Geopolitics. Today Outlook is the preferred magazine of 1.5 Million readers in
India and sells more than 11.2 Million copies over the year.

1
Outlook is one of India’s top selling English Weekly news magazine. It’s competitors
are India Today. Currently it has several magazine like Outlook Business, Outlook
Money, Outlook Traveller, Outlook Weekly and Outlook Hindi.

Objectives of Outlook Magazine

Outlook magazine is one of the best-selling English magazines in India providing

variants- Weekly Outlook in English and Hindi, Outlook Travel, Outlook Money and
Outlook Business.

 Outlook successfully providing their customers news on various affairs, facts,

engaging stories with absolute right statistics for 25 years.
 Most read weekly magazine in India.
 On-time delivery with full protective measures from Covid (comes in covered
and sanitized packages).
 25th year Silver Jubilee Offer
 It also helps customers to gain knowledge about the current situation.
 Outlook magazine has a huge large customer base.
 Chapter 2
Review of Literature

A literature review is a search and evaluation of the available Literature in your given
subject or chosen topic area. It is also a summary of previous research on a topic.
Literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a
particular area of research.
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The
literature review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a
particular area of research.

Some more definition are :-

1. Sales: The exchange of a commodity for money, the action of selling

something. Or a period during which a shop or dealer sells goods at reduced
prices. A sales is a transaction between two or more parties in which the buyer
receive tangible or intangible goods, services, or assets in exchange for
money.

2. Lead: A lead is a piece of information or an idea which may help people to

discover the facts in a situation where many facts are not known. Or to guide
or conduct as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing
with authority.

3. Contact: A meeting or touching of person or things. Generally contact refers to

meeting of people for certain purposes. Communication with other people
have you been in contact with him/her.

4. Calling: The action or sound of calling. Or calling may be a strong inner

impulse towards a particular courses of action especially when accompanied
by conviction of divine influence. Calling can also be in form of knowing each
other.

3
5. Colds calling: Cold calling is a technique in which a salesperson contact
individuals who have not previously expressed interest in the offered products
or services. Cold calling typically refers to solicitation by phone or
telemarketing but can also involves in person visits, such as door to door
salesperson.

6. Digital Marketing: Digital marketing is the component of marketing that

utilize internet and online based digital technologies such as desktop
computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platform to promote
product and services. It is also called the online marketing it is the promotion
of brand to connect with potential customers using internet and others form of
communication.
 Chapter 3
Industry Analysis

Print Media in India is more than a century old and a well-established industry. The
print industry mainly comprises of newspaper and magazine publishing. Book
publishing is smaller but significant in terms of revenue. Even though it's a mature
industry, new magazines are being launched every year. India has been one of the
fastest growing world economies since the past three years. Robust consumption and
rising income levels have helped the growth of print media. New titles that focus on
niche topics continue to launch in the market. The revenue sources for a magazine are
subscription, single copy sales and advertisement. Approximately 73 percent of
revenue comes from advertising and 27 percent from circulation.
Advertising and 27 percent from circulation.

Challenging Times

The magazine industry is going through a tough phase in India just like in other
countries. Newspapers have added supplements to their main issue and infringed on
the content covered by magazines earlier. Television channels have launched in
different genres that didn't exist a few years back. And with the increased penetration
and adoption of the Internet in the country, more people are now consuming news and
stories on different topics on the web and mobile. There is still a demand for high
quality print content and magazines need to deliver on that need to avoid losing
market share to other mediums. In addition, they also need to explore and distribute
their content on the web and mobile platforms to give choice to their subscribers to
consume content from anywhere and at any time.

India has 49,000 publications, but annual revenues total just $1.1 billion. Most lack
technology, marketing, and capital to grow which has resulted in a handful of
publications dominating the market with the Times of India Group being the market
leader. Distribution is critical for a magazine since it has to be readily available and
marketed to consumers. Big publications have strong distribution network set up.

5
 Retail: magazines are available in retail outlets for sale. The retailer gets a
commission on the sale price.

 Subscription: publisher signs up subscribers directly or through partners and

delivers the issues in mail.

 Selective Distribution: Special sponsored copies are distributed in airplanes

and hotels.

With the growth coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, magazines have to expand
their distribution channel aggressively in those locations and localize content where
needed.

The print industry in India is highly fragmented due to the large number of local
languages. Regional language publications own 46 percent of the market share, Hindi
language publications cover 44 percent and the remaining 10 percent is served by
English publications. The primary penetration of English language magazines
currently is in metros and urban centres though the growth is widening to smaller
cities as the education and income levels increase among the middle class.

With the opening up of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy, several international
publishers are aggressively entering the market and this trend is expected to continue.

The Opportunity

There's little doubt about India's market potential. According to a national survey, 248
million literate adults still don't read any publication. Readership of newspapers and
magazines is up 15% since 1998 to 180 million. It's a reflection of a younger, more
educated population, especially in smaller cities.

Now that the doors to foreign investors in print media have been thrown open, one
can expect activity to pick up in this sector. Companies such as Pearson, Haymarket,
Time India, News Corp., and Dow Jones have eyed India's big, English-reading
market. ICICI Ventures, which holds stakes in three media companies, is quite bullish
about the industry's prospects.
Trade books offer the best openings, since a higher FDI has been permitted in them.
Britain's Haymarket Publishing Group already has ties to Auto car India, with 80,000
subscribers. Haymarket doesn't own a stake, but helps with research and management.
Now, it can invest, provide funds to print more copies, market more strongly and use
Auto car as a platform to bring its other brands. Bombay's Tata Nicomedia, a $30
million publisher of yellow pages and trade magazines, also has already started to
solicit business with foreign companies. The Tata Group sold the Indian edition of
Reader's Digest magazine, making it the first publishing property offered for sale
since the government had scrapped the ban on foreign investment in the print media.

As expected, there have been various anti-FDI lobbies, which are strongly voicing
protests against foreign investment in Indian Print Media. Their major contention is
that foreign forces might begin dominating the content of Indian publications, which
is detrimental to national interests. An extreme view given by a former Indian Prime
Minister is that powered by their immense finances and goaded by an ambition to
control the emerging Indian market, the foreign monopolies will impose their own
agenda of ultimately controlling Indian politics. But there is more than meets the eye.
The English-language media, fearing competition from players with deeper pockets,
has been resisting this move by the Government. And from a marketing point of view,
the English press reaches the most lucrative segment of society - the 300-million-
strong middle class. International players are seen as a threat to market share.

The opening up of the print media sector to foreign investment is a bold decision by
the Government, considering the unwillingness of so many past Governments to do
the same. It is a policy decision that could have a very positive impact on the sector,
provided the Indian publications generate enough interest and exhibit their true
potential to the overseas investors. It could enrich the quality of the
magazines and other publications.

Recent Developments

 There were several niche titles that were launched in 2008 and 2009. A slew
of foreign players launched their India editions.

7
 o The most notable magazine launched was Forbes India in May 2009 by
Network18 and Forbes Media.

o RPG Group's 'Open', a weekly magazine aimed at evolved Indian

readers who are well informed, well-travelled and identify themselves as
global citizens. It is available in 12 cities.

o Pathfinder publishing’s maiden title Career 360, a monthly publication

focusing on career advice.

o Technology Review, a technology magazine launched in India jointly

by MIT's Technology Review magazine and Cyber Media India Ltd.

o Hearst Corporation's Harper's Bazaar, a fashion and beauty magazine

in partnership with India Today.

o The re-launch of Delhi Press' The Caravan, a fortnightly magazine that

covers politics, culture, arts and literature.

o Images Group's FNL and Salon and Living etc., an Indian edition of
international homes magazine.

o Gill India Communications' What Women Want, a woman's magazine

for women aged between 20 and 45 years and 'Lifestyle Living', a lifestyle
magazine dedicated to those with a creative lifestyle.

o The trend for foreign magazines to launch their India edition is

expected to continue in 2010 as well, with BBC's Lonely Planet magazine
having launched recently.

 Newspapers and publications have reduced the number of pages to cut print
and production cost. Magazines have discontinued supplements, which were
earlier distributed free of cost with the main product.

Foreign Investment in Indian Print Media - Role of Government

The process of economic liberalization in India, which began more than a decade ago,
has taken another significant step by opening up the print media sector. With the UPA
Government scoring an emphatic win in the Lok Sabha elections, the media industry
got an open-minded Information & Broadcast Minister in Ambika Soni who has sent
positive signals to the industry. Earlier in 2009, the Government gave its nod to an
increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in facsimile editions of foreign
newspapers. The Government also announced customs duty exemption on newsprint.
In December 2008, the Indian Government unveiled a set of guidelines to allow
Indian editions of foreign news and current affairs magazines 26 per cent FDI as long
as all key executives and editorial staff are Indian. The Ministry of Information &
Broadcasting has for the first time given approval for the publication of the facsimile
edition of foreign newspapers by allowing ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and ‘The Wall
Street Journal Asia’ in India. Wall Street Journal India Publishing Pvt Ltd, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Dow Jones and Company Inc, would bring out these newspapers.
The government has announced customs duty exemption on newsprint for the
newspaper and magazine publishing

In December 2008, the Indian Government unveiled a set of guidelines to allow

Indian editions of foreign news and current affairs magazines 26 per cent FDI as long
as all key executives and editorial staff are Indian. The Ministry of Information &
Broadcasting has for the first time given approval for the publication of the facsimile
edition of foreign newspapers by allowing ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and ‘The Wall
Street Journal Asia’ in India. Wall Street Journal India Publishing Pvt Ltd, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Dow Jones and Company Inc, would bring out these newspapers.
The government has announced customs duty exemption on newsprint for the
newspaper and magazine publishing industry. These concessions were announced in
February 2009 in view of the economic slowdown and the high newsprint cost which
spiralled close to 25%.

Advertisement review

Breakdown by Region

 North: 23%

9
 South: 38%

 East: 9%

 West: 26%

 National: 4%

The ad revenue sources are national, local, classified, and pre-printed (inserts)
and advertorials. The CPM rate for magazines is lower than television and the
audience is more targeted
Revenue of the magazine industry across India from 2011 to 2020, with
estimates until 2023

Outlook Publishing (India) Private Limited is an unlisted private company

incorporated on 23 April, 1992. It is classified as a private limited company and is
located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Its authorized share capital is INR 132.50 cr and the
total paid up capital is INR 101.13 cr. Outlook Publishing (India)'s operating
revenues range is INR 1 cr - 100 cr for the financial year ending on 31 March, 2020. 
 Here is the list of outlook competitors:

Site Monthly visits Category Category rank

News and
1 hindustantimes.com 84.74M #121
Media

News and
2 indianexpress.com 121.76M #68
Media

News and
3 thehindu.com 39.55M #296
Media

News and
4 ndtv.com 174.86M #45
Media

News and
5 indiatoday.in 81.65M #135
Media

News and
6 theprint.in 19.36M #627
Media

News and
7 dailypioneer.com 813.41K #7526
Media

8 deccanherald.com 11.42M News and #872

11
 Site Monthly visits Category Category rank

Media

newindianexpress.co News and

9 21.07M #590
m Media

News and
10 dnaindia.com 14.22M #773
Media
 Chapter 4
Company Analysis

Outlook Group Corporation is a leading printing and packaging company with special
expertise in flexographic printing and laminating for the food industry, in the
printing and packaging of promotions such as the cards and trinkets found in cereal
boxes, and in printing sports cards and other collectible cards.

Looking for Niche Markets in the 1980s

Outlook Group began in 1977, the project of four long-time friends in Neenah,
Wisconsin. David Erdmann, Charles Thompson, John Wiley, and Elton Beattie, Jr.,
had known each other since high school. When they were in their early 30s, they
decided to go into business together providing bulk mailing service for a local printer,
Banta Corp. A fifth investor in the new company, called simply Mailing and Printing
Services Inc., was Beattie's father Elton Beattie, Sr., Erdmann took the post of
president and chief executive officer, and Thompson became executive vice-
president. The company gradually expanded beyond its first mission of working for
Banta, and became more of a printer itself. Erdmann's marketing strategy was to look
for specialty jobs it could do for customers, and then try to persuade the clients to let
the company do other jobs as well.

Business was up and down, but Mailing and Printing seized a few lucky opportunities.
In 1984 the company found work printing, cutting, and wrapping cards for a trendy
board game called Trivial Pursuit. This work took the company into an area that
would be crucial for it, printing specialty cards. The company expanded rapidly in the
mid-1980s, adding as many as 100 new employees a year. In 1986, Mailing and
Printing got another card printing job, this one printing and wrapping recipe cards.
The company gained valuable experience in both printing and packaging these items,
enough so that it stood out as one of only a few entities in the nation that could handle
this type of work.

13
Meanwhile, the collectible sports card market was growing. Baseball cards had long
been popular, and their printing was done almost entirely by a company called Topps.
The National Football League (NFL) wondered if kids might also buy cards with
images of professional football players. In 1989 a marketing branch of the NFL called
National Football League Properties Inc. began granting licenses to entrepreneurs
who wanted to get into the football card business. However, before it could get this
project off the ground, it needed to find a printer who could produce the cards. Very
few companies had the necessary equipment and know-how, and the NFL turned to
Mailing and Printing, by then known as Outlook Graphics. Outlook took the NFL's
business, and soon garnered other sports card clients.

Outlook followed up other niche markets as well. When a manager at Procter &
Gamble complained to an Outlook sales representative about the time-consuming
handwork the company did stuffing its Bounce fabric softener sheets into cartons,
Outlook determined that it could do the job automatically. It got a contract from
Procter & Gamble, and became the company's source for all the Bounce it sold
through laundromat vending machines. Outlook levied this contract into more work
from the company. Eventually Outlook printed the Bounce packages, as well as filled
them. Outlook's sales grew rapidly in the late 1980s, leaping from $7.7 million in
1986 to over $30 million in 1990. Earnings did not rise quite so steadily, dipping in
1987, but they began to rise steeply after 1989 with the addition of the sports card
business.

High Flyer in the Early 1990s

Outlook Graphics made an initial public offering in 1991. The company had attracted
a reputation in the Midwest and beyond for its specialty printing products, and it
seemed to have an extraordinary touch for developing profitable niches. The public
offering went exceptionally well. Shares started out in April 1991 at $11.50, and one
year later the price had more than doubled. Outlook had prominent clients, such as
Procter & Gamble, the cereal manufacturer Kellogg, and food giant
Kraft. Fortune magazine picked Outlook as a company to watch in a January 13,
1992 column, noting 'the company can do just about anything to turn a plain piece of
paper or plastic into an alluring consumer product.'

The company built much of its growth on picture cards. From football cards it went
on to produce cards for other sports, and also made cards for entertainment
companies, including Marvel Comics. Outlook formed a joint venture with another
company to make and market picture cards based on the Bernstein Bears series of
children's books in 1991. The company was the primary producer of cards for three
major companies: Fleer Corp., Liggett Group Inc., and Upper Deck Co... However, as
the trading card market grew, many companies tried to get in on the boom. The glut in
the card market led to a collapse. In 1992, the trading card industry as a whole
brought in around $2 billion. Outlook was getting about 60 percent of its revenue
from its card printing and packaging. However, signs that the card market was in
decline were clear. Producers were asked to turn over orders in just two to three
weeks, instead of the usual six weeks. With the shortened lead time, Outlook couldn't
handle all the work, and ended up outsourcing some of the work to area printers. This
cut into Outlook's profit margin. The company had too much invested in cards, and it
struggled to diversify into other areas before the market fell apart. By 1992, Outlook
had cut its dependence on trading cards to 50 percent, and aimed to lower this as a
percentage of sales in coming years.

Diversification Efforts in the Mid-1990s

Outlook struggled to find another market as profitable as trading cards to protect itself
from being dragged down as the trend faltered. Late in 1992, Outlook spent $5.4
million to acquire a powdered food mixing and packaging plant in Oconomowoc,
Wisconsin. The plant was owned by Nestle Beverage Co., and packaged foods like
powdered gravy, hot cocoa mix, and malted milk. Outlook named the company
Outlook Foods, and operated it as a subsidiary. It began by operating the plant under
contract to Nestle, keeping the same employees and machinery. But within a year,
Outlook was adding new customers of its own. The plant was expected to bring in

15
from $25 to $35 million in revenue. The company hoped the added income would
cushion it from stagnation in its trading card business. Several months after the Nestle
deal was settled, Outlook made another acquisition. It bought up a Milwaukee-area
flexographic printing and laminating company named Sunrise Packaging Inc. Outlook
renamed this company Outlook Packaging. The new purchase broadened Outlook's
food packaging capabilities. It already had contracts from major manufacturers like
Oscar Mayer Foods Corp. and General Mills for work at its Oconomowoc plant, and it
hoped to be able to offer more services to food industry customers.

The diversification strategy brought Outlook work in a more stable industry--food

packaging & mdash opposed to the boom-and-bust work of printing trading cards.
The company hoped to grow at a more modest rate of 20 percent annually in the mid-
1990s. Although this was less than the explosive growth the company had seen when
it first gained all its trading card business, the company executives hoped this rate was
sustainable. One more acquisition in the mid-1990s added depth to the firm's
packaging division. It bought Barrier Films in 1995, a company which turned resins
into the filmy plastic used to wrap food products such as pre-packaged salads.
 Chapter 5
Details of Task/Research

17