Customers

I had a lot of hassles today in one of India’s largest public sector banks. The staff showed absolutely no consideration for the customers. I was reminded of this quote attributed to one of the greatest marketers of concept- Mahatma Gandhi !

“A customer is not an outsider to our business. He is a definite part of it.
A customer is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it.
A customer is doing us a favour by letting us serve him. We are not doing him any favour.
A customer is not a cold statistic; he is a flesh and blood human being with feelings and emotions like our own.
A customer is not someone to argue or match wits with. He deserves courteous and attentive treatment.
A customer is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.
A customer brings us his wants. It is our job to handle them properly and profitably – both to him and us.
A customer makes it possible to pay our salary “

Al Oerter, RIP

For many of my generation, Al Oerter , the US discus throw champion, was a sporting legend.

Al was one of only two track stars (Carl Lewis being the other) to win the same Olympic event four times in a row. He is the only athlete to set four consecutive Olympic records. Seen as a longshot for a medal in the 1956 Games, the 20-year-old youngster surprised the Melbourne crowd by winning the Gold Medal on his first throw and setting his first Olympic record.

Four years later in Rome, he exceeded his winning distance in Melbourne by 10 feet to win his second consecutive Olympic Gold Medal.

Oerter’s third Olympic Games, 1964 Tokyo, brought another Gold Medal despite a severe rib cage injury. Then, in 1968 in Mexico City, Oerter made Olympic history by becoming the first Olympian to win the same event in four consecutive Games.

Saddened to hear of his death recently some weeks after he turned 71. May his soul rest in peace.

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Business Leader of the Year

Economic Times’ Business Leader of the Year for 2007 is Mr. K. V. Kamath, MD & CEO of ICICI Bank.

Kundapur Vaman Kamath is a product of the erstwhile KREC, Surathkal now called the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka at Surathkal and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Kamath raised over $11 billion in debt and equity in the last six months, creating the most valuable financial institution in the country. Three factors Kamath to capture investor imagination. The first is his ability to identify changing trends way before others in the industry. Second, under his leadership, the group has mastered the art of moving a new line of business from the drawing board to the market in 90 days. Third and most significant is his ability as a dream merchant to sell the ICICI and India story and raise capital in a manner that is audacious in both timing and size.

Mr Kamath has been instrumental in ICICI Bank’s exemplary success in talent management and career development.