A Summer Internship Project Report on

A STUDY ON THE SALES PROCESS OF ADVERTISING AT

GROK COMMUNICATIONS LLP

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

By

KARTIK K. PRAKASH

Register No 1527216

Under the guidance of

Asst. Professor A V R MAHADEV

Institute of Management

Christ University, Bangalore

MBA 2015-2017

DECLARATION

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I, Kartik K Prakash, do hereby declare that the Summer Internship Project entitled A Study
On the Sales Process of Advertising at Grok Communications LLP has been undertaken
by me as part of my studies in the degree of Masters of Business Administration. I have
completed this study under the guidance of Asst. Professor AVR MAHDEV, Kengeri
Campus, Institute of Management, Christ University, Bangalore.

I also declare that this summer project has not been submitted for the award of any degree,
diploma, associate ship or fellowship or any other title in this university or any other
University.

Place: Bangalore Name & Signature of the candidate

Date: Kartik K Prakash

Register No: 1527216

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the summer project submitted by Kartik K. Prakash the title, A Study
On the Sales Process of Advertising at Grok Communications LLP, is a record of project
work done by him during the academic year 2015-2017 under my guidance and supervision
in partial fulfillment of Master of Business Administration. This project work has not been
submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associate ship or fellowship or any other title
in this University or any other University.

Place: Bangalore Name & Signature of the Faculty

Date: Asst. Professor A V R Mahadev

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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I am indebted to many people who helped me accomplish this project successfully.

First, I thank the Vice Chancellor Dr Fr Thomas C Matthew of Christ University for giving
me the opportunity to do my internship.

I thank Prof. Ghadially Zoher, Associate Dean, Fr Thomas TV, Director, and Prof
Kshetrangna, Head-marketing of Christ University Institute of Management for their kind
support.

I wish to take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude to thank Abhishek
Jaiswal and Richa Ranjan (Group Account Managers-Grok Communications) as well as
Khundmir Syed and Arvindh Sundar (Co-Founders of Grok Communications) for their
invaluable guidance throughout my project. I sincerely thank Grok Communications for
providing me with an opportunity to work in the Account Management department to get an
insight about the advertising industry in India. I thank the entire team at Grok
Communications for their support and guidance.

I thank my mentor Professor A V R Mahadev, for his support and guidance during the course
of my research. I remember him with much gratitude for his patience and motivation, but for
which I could not have submitted this work.

I also thank my parents for their blessings and constant support, without which this project
would not have seen the light of day.

Kartik K. Prakash

1527216

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 INDEX

Table of Contents
Page No.
1 Abstract 1
2 Executive Summary 2
3 Literature Review 3
4 Chapter 1-Industry Profile 4-8
5 Chapter 2-Company Profile 9-10
6 Chapter 3-Different Mediums of Advertising 11-14
7 Chapter 4- About The Study and Objectives 15-17
8 Chapter 5- Methodology 18-22
9 Chapter 6- Implementation of SPANCO 23-42
10 Chapter 7- Findings 43-44
11 Chapter 8- Recommendations 45-46
12 Chapter 9- Conclusion 47-48
13 Chapter 10- References 49-50
14 Chapter 11- Appendix 50-51

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List of Figures
Figure 1.................................................................................................................. 2
Figure 2.................................................................................................................. 2
Figure 3.................................................................................................................. 2
Figure 4.................................................................................................................. 2

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 ABSTRACT

A Study on the Sales Process of Advertising at Grok Communications LLP

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to study the process and tools of the account
management team in an advertising agency for client acquisitions. This includes the
distinctive approach adapted in pitching for both B2B and B2C Clients.

Rationale for the choice of study: An advertising agency needs good clients to produce
quality work. Hence, a proper client acquisition process is essential for the advertising
agencies in order to find the right client. Indian advertising industry is on the rise and is
becoming highly fragmented. Due to low entry barriers many new players are entering the
market. Unlike the major players who provide 360 degree services, the newer agencies
specialize only in some services. However, they add a unique touch to their offerings.

In one of the industries which creates the biggest value for its customers, it is essential to
understand the process of choosing the right customer and making him/her agree to employ
the services of the agency.

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 Executive Summary

Grok Communications, LLP is Indias first dedicated storytelling agency which aims to use
the power of story to create unforgettable marketing for its clients. In order to create quality
work, an agency needs quality clients who share the exact vision. Hence, it is important to
find the right client.

The report aims to study and analyse the process of client acquisition in an advertising
agency. Apart from the above objective the study also aims to figure out the several functions
of client acquisition/servicing team as well as the process of designing campaign ideas for
clients.

SPANCO selling process has been used as a methodology to study and implement the sales
process at Grok Communications. In a B2B context, SPANCO provides the right framework
and structure to evaluate the sales process.

The process also helps to define the target market and identify the prospective leads. Its
flexibility also enables to make the necessary changes if required midway through.

The tools used for the process of suspecting and prospecting were the internet databases as
well as websites like Yourstory and inc42 which feature exclusive content related to the
target group.

In order to design the campaign ideas key influencers of the target group, the brands USP,
their competitors strategy etc. were some of the factors taken under considerations.

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 Literature Review

(Wolfgang Ulaga, 2004)The purpose of the research paper is to propose that relationship
value and quality should be given due importance. The methodology used is a two stage
research design. The first stage consists of in-depth interviews with ten senior level
purchasing managers of top US manufacturing companies. In the second stage, the data was
gathered in nationwide wide mail survey among 400 purchasing professionals. The findings
suggest that relationship do impact a buyers decision to extend his relationship with the
supplier. However, the sample size of the for the survey is too less to validate the authors
facts.

(Craft, 2014)The research paper aims to find out the extent to which social media tools have
been used in business to business marketing. The paper examines the case of ten large
business to business technology companies to determine and profile their use of social media.
The methodology used here is exploratory study using content analysis and text mining. The
findings suggest that out of ten companies, four large companies use social media as tool to
reach out to their target group. The prominent tools used are LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogging
and Podcasts.

(Prof. Kaj Storbacka, 2009)The purpose of the research paper is to depict the changing role of
sales towards more of a cross-functional and strategic process. As a methodology the paper
reports on four case studies to study the trends. The findings suggest that sales function is
changing in three inter related aspects. Them being from a function to a process, from an
isolated activity to an integrated one and is becoming more strategic rather than optional.

(Tucker, 2012)The paper explores the effectiveness of social advertising using data from field
tests of different ads on Facebook. The limitation to the research paper is that the time period
of the research is when Facebook was just launched and hence the scenario might be different
currently. The findings of the paper however support the effectiveness as an advertising
platform.

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 Chapter 1

Industry Profile

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History of Indian Advertising

The history of advertising in India dates back to when the markets began and the hawkers
would shout out the qualities of their product.

Concrete advertising history began with classified advertising in the Print Media. Ads
appeared for the first time in print in Hickeys Bengal Gazette which was Indias first
newspaper. Studios marked the beginning of the creation of advertising in India as a
supplement to being imported from the west. These studios were designed to create larger and
fancy advertisements. Since Print was the dominant form, newspapers started training the
first generation of visualizers and illustrators.

Retailers like Spencers, Army & Navy and Whiteaway and Laidlaw were some of the
advertisers in the earlier period. Apart from newspapers, catalogues and brochures were used
to spread the word about the brands. Horlicks becomes the first malted milk to be patented
in 1883. This led to the other patented products being heavily advertised.

B Dattaram and Co. is one of the oldest existing Indian agency in Mumbai which was started
in 1902. Later, Indian ad agencies were slowly established and soon foreign owned ad
agencies started entering India. Ogilvy and Mather and Hindustan Thompson Associate
agencies were formed in the early 1920s. In 1939, Levers in-house advertising department
launched Dalda the first major example of a brand and a marketing campaign specifically
developed for Indian audiences. In the 1950s, various advertising associations were set up to
safeguard the interests of various advertisers in the industry. In 1967, the first commercial
was aired on Vividh Bharati and later in 1978; the first television commercial was seen.
Various companies now started advertising on television and sponsoring various shows
including Humlog and Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi.

In 1986, Mudra Communications created Indias first folk-history TV serial Buniyaad which
was aired on Doordarshan; it became the first of the mega soaps in the country. Later in 1991,
First India-targeted satellite channel, Zee TV started its broadcast. 1995 saw a great boom in
media boom with the growth of cable and satellite and increase of titles in the print medium.
This decade also saw the growth of public relations and events and other new promotions that
various companies and ad agencies introduced.

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The Current Scenario

According to Lindsay Pattison, global chief executive at media buying agency Maxis, India
will be the fastest growing advertisement market in the calendar year with total ad spend
increasing by 15%. Sectors like E-Commerce, Automobile, FMCG and Telecom (4G Plans)
are expected to be the biggest drivers. This would make the spending in Indian Ad Industry
worth Rs.57486 Crore.

Emerging startups across various categories are advertising heavily across different mediums
for Brand building and visibility.

The double digit growth is expected to continue till 2018.

India, which currently trails only the US advertising market in terms of size, is set to
significantly outpace global ad spend
growth forecast of 4.5% for this year.
According to Anupriya Acharya, Chief
Executive Zenith Optimedia,
Television ads are going to fuel the ad
growth by 15%, Print advertising is
expected to grow by 10% and digital
advertising is expected grow upward
at 20%.

In terms of overall size, TV

advertising, according to sectoral
estimates, is pegged at Rs 27,000-
28,000 crore. Print advertising as a
market is around Rs 17,099 crore in
size, while digital as an ad market is
around Rs 7,300 crore in size.

Figure 1

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Figure 2

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Some of the major players in the Industry

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 Chapter 2

Company Profile

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About Grok Communications

To Grok something means to understand something intuitively or by empathy. The word was
first used in the cult science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land.

Grok Communications was started in early 2016 in Bengaluru by Khundmir Syed and
Arvindh Sundararajan. The agency is 20 members strong. Grok Communication is Indias
first dedicated storytelling agency. The agency is good at two things i.e.

1. Building a Brand Story

2. Spreading the Brand Story

The agency uses the power of story for unforgettable marketing by following these three
processes:

1. Use content driven by story to achieve marketing objectives.

2. Build a loyal community using content and email marketing.
3. Make websites and apps look beautiful which feature enough options for call to action
and which also lead to an increase in customer engagement.

The total numbers of services offered by Grok Communications are:

1. Brand Story Development

2. Logo & Identity Design
3. Content & Email Marketing- Strategy & Execution
4. Blog Posts, Social Media, Collateral Content
5. App and Website- Design and Development
6. Animated videos with voiceover
7. GIFs
8. 60 second videos
9. Podcasting
10. Personal Branding
11. Gamification Systems.

Apart from the mentioned services, the agency also offers complete digital marketing services
as well.

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 Chapter 3

TYPES OF ADVERTISING

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Different mediums of advertising in the current context

Advertising is a visual form of communicating the Brand message to their target customers.
Over the years it has evolved into a vast and a complex form of communication. Today, there
are many different ways for a Brand or a business to get their message to the consumer. In
earlier times cave paintings in some way represented the first forms of advertising. Later, in
the west hand drawn posters were used by the law enforcers to inform the citizens about
missing people. Some of them were also used to attract bounty hunters to hunt down
criminals in return for a fee.

In present times, the advertiser has a wide array of choices. The digital world alone provides
many of these, with the advent of branded viral videos, banners, advertorials, sponsored
website and so much more.

Online Advertising (Digital Marketing)

One of the newest forms of advertising, many brands have started employing this medium in
order to connect with the young, tech savvy and early adaptors.

Online advertising includes everything from social media marketing, blogging, email
marketing, website and app development. It has also led to the advent of Native
Advertising," which is the digital variation of the old print advertorials. It includes sponsored
content, which is growing by leaps and bounds. From ads on Facebook and YouTube, to
partnerships with Buzzfeed and Reddit, the fastest and easiest way to reach millions of
potential customers is online.

Print Advertising

It is one of the oldest forms of advertising which is still relevant. Any advertisement printed
on paper, whether it is a newspaper, magazine, newsletter, booklets, flyers, direct mail, or

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anything else that would be considered a portable printed medium, then it shall be classified
under the banner of print advertising.

Guerrilla Advertising

Guerrilla advertising (or marketing) has become prominent over the last 20 years. It is a
broad term used for anything unconventional, and usually invites the consumer to participate
or interact with the piece in some way. Location as well as timing is important for the ad. The
driving forces behind guerrilla advertising or marketing are creative ideas and innovation and
also not so large budgets.

Broadcast Advertising

The mass-market medium of communication including television and radio, broadcast

advertising has, almost recently been the most dominant way to reach a large number of
audience. Broadcast advertising has really taken a beating over the last few years, especially
with the rise of "ad skipping" technology and video on demand services. However, it is still a
popular way to reach millions of people, especially when the Super Bowl or an IPL comes
around.

Outdoor Advertising

Also known as offline advertising, this is a broad term that describes any type of advertising
that reaches the consumer when he or she is outside of the home. You will know it as
billboards, bus shelter posters, fly posters, and even those big digital boards in Times Square.

Public Service Advertising

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Unlike traditional commercials, Public Service Advertisements (PSA) are primarily designed
to be informative and educative rather than to sell a product or service. PSAs traditionally
appear on TV and radio, but are also being heavily promoted online these days.

Product Placement Advertising

In a nutshell, product placement is aimed at promoting a product or a service within the

context of a show or movie, rather than just a plain commercial. Most of the Hollywood
movies are paid by the advertisers for such product placements. It is aimed enhancing the
cool quotient of the brand. It presents an avenue for the movies and shows to get funding. It
also becomes an alternative channel for brands to increase for their products.

Cell Phone & Mobile Advertising

An emerging form of advertising, this medium of advertising is spreading quickly. It

uses mobile phones, iPads, kindles and other portable electronic devices with Internet
connectivity to display pop-up ads etc. Current trends in mobile advertising involve major use
of social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Initially termed as disruptive, audiences have
started getting annoyed by them

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15
 Chapter 4

About The Study &

Objectives

Introduction

Grok Communications is a relatively new advertising agency. Apart from conceiving good
marketing plans to service the existing clientele, there is also a focus on having a portfolio of

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clients from diverse sectors. The plan is to get those brands on board for whom less
bandwidth is required to provide quality service.

For the initial period, Grok communications target group is:

1. Emerging Startups- Startups who are doing well across their domain and have
sufficient funds to avail the services of an advertising agency. The basic need of this
TG is that their messaging should stand out from their competitors. Also some of the
successful startups are operating in a blue ocean. In order to solidify their space in
the market they require a clear communication strategy. Some of the startups lack a
unified brand story which is essential if they want their target consumer to empathise
and relate with the brand.
2. I.T and Consulting firms- The communication strategy for such clients is completely
B2B centred. There is more emphasis given on LinkedIn pulse posts, business
conventions, White papers, sponsored content on leading business publications etc.
Even in the case of I.T and consulting firms, the most important requirement is the
brand story.

Objectives

To study and analyse the several process followed by the account management team
for client pitches
To gain an understanding about how an advertising agency functions.
To gain knowledge about the several functions of the account management team.
To get an insight about the designing of campaign ideas in an advertising agency in
both B2B and B2C context.

A brief insight about the Account Management Team

Also known as the Mad Men, Account Management Team is one of the pillars of an
advertising agency. The difference between a successful agency and an unsuccessful one
often boils down to the efficiency of the Account Management team.

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Some of the priorities of the Account Management include:

1. Relationship Building- One of the main principles of the Account Management team is
that the Client is the Boss. Apart from building good relationship with the clients there
must also be honest communication between both the parties. The team should have a
thorough understanding of the clients needs as wells as the knowledge about what works
in that particular business and what doesnt.
2. Strategies- Clients expect the agencies to know their business. The account managers
have to collaborate with the creative team to contribute campaign ideas which are in line
with the overall Brand Story of the client.
3. People Management- an Account Manager has to maintain a fine line between providing
enough creative space to the copywriters, designers etc. and also at the same time follow
up on the deadlines.
4. Leadership- Account Management team is bigger than the timelines and the to do lists. It
is the teams responsibility to take initiative when it comes to implementing an agencys
plans.
5. To serve as the point of contact for the client on behalf of the agency. The team should
be proactive when it comes to reacting to the needs of the clients. The account
management team acts as link between client and the agency.
6. To have thorough information about the clients- the team should have a detailed
information about how the client is creating value for its consumers, its competition etc.
7. To ensure that the clients receive the deliverables on time- It should be one of the
priorities of the team especially if the agreement with the client is of a pilot project basis.
8. To actively participate in pitches along with the creative department for client acquisition
as well as client retainer (up selling to the existing clients).
9. To create, monitor and update job lists on a daily basis to ensure that the clients receive
the deliverables on time.

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 Chapter 5

Methodology

About The Methodology

SPANCO selling process has been used to study and implement the sales process at Grok
Communications.

The rationale behind using SPANCO selling process-

It is one of the most structured and systematic selling process when it comes to
implementing the process from the scratch.

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 It helps identify and define the target market in a better way.
The clear demarcations make the process easier to understand and implement.
The structure of the process makes it easier to evaluate and make changes if required.
Parts of the process can be delegated to the pre-sales team so that the sales team can
focus on the final pitch.
It is easier to track which part of the sales funnel the customer is at.
In the context of B2B sales, SPANCO is easier to comprehend and follow for the
sales teams.

Limitations of the study

Though the study has been conducted in a systematic manner, sales process in a B2B
context is vast and requires a thorough hands on experience.
The period of study was not sufficient to cover all the aspects of the advertising
medium.

SPANCO selling process

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Figure 3
The steps in the SPANCO selling process.

1. Suspecting- The first step in the process involves defining the target group of the
company. The process defines the scope of potential clients a company can work with.
One of the ways to identify a group of suspects is through by the creation of a
database.
Some of the tools which can be used for researching and creating a database for the
same are:
Online Directories
Search Engines
Social Media Platforms
Startup Platforms
Self-contact list

Once a suspect list has been prepared, the company can move to the second stage.

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2. Prospecting- prospecting involves identifying the qualifying leads. Qualifying leads
refer to those who have been validated as the potential clients. The important step in
the process is to identify if the suspect has the need as well as the purchasing power
for the product/service. In order to identify it, the salesperson should conduct a proper
research about the company, its business performance and financial stability. At this
stage the salesperson has to identify a lead who will have a long term relationship
with the brand.
Once the qualified prospects are identified, the next step is to move them up the sales
ladder from a cold prospect to a warm prospect and eventually to a hot prospect.
Cold prospects are the ones identified as qualified leads but who have little or no
awareness about the approaching company. One of the ways to reach out to them is by
creating an awareness through advertising, digital marketing etc. These strategies help
communicate the brands unique selling proposition to the cold lead.
Common ways to convert a cold prospect to a warm and to a hot prospect are:
Cold Mailing/Cold Calling
Converting industry contacts into clients
Recommendation from a common contact or an existing client
Active presence on a common platform where the target group is active
Business events
Pull Marketing

By the end of the process, the salesperson has a clear understanding of the customers
needs and requirements.

3. Approach- the salesperson should approach the lead in a very calculated manner
keeping the needs and requirements of the leads in mind. The following actions have
to be performed in order to sustain the interest of the lead.
Product demonstration to the lead taking his/her requirements into
consideration.
Presenting the offerings and services to the lead in a PowerPoint
presentation.
Presenting the best offerings to the lead.
Sending proposals and offerings along with testimonials.
Marketing the company across several platforms to create a pull factor.
Letting the leads know the company profile and the awards and
recognition.
Offering product and service trials to the leads.
Maintaining strong relationships to get the lead qualified to the next
stage.

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4. Negotiation- If the lead has liked the proposal and expresses interest in the
product/service the next step is to negotiate on the quotes. The following actions
should be performed to convert the leads to the next stage.
Product quality comparison with that of the competitors
Price comparison if the product is cheaper.
The benefits of the product with respect to the individual.
Offering the guarantee of better after sales service.
Offering freebies or gifts with the product during special occasions.
As a last option offer bearable discounts to close.

5. Closure- Once the quotes have been agreed by both the parties the next step is to draft
a formal agreement.
Drafting a very clear scope document.
Get it validated from the lead to avoid confusions.
To be fast in closing the deal.

6. Order- The agreement is signed and forwarded to the finance department. The next
steps involve:
Setting a tentative date for receiving the proposed quote to create an
urgency for the purchase order.
To follow up for receiving the quote.

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 Chapter 6

Implementation

Implementation of SPANCO process in Grok Communications

Suspecting- The target market for Grok Communications are emerging startups
(based in Bengaluru) and I.T and consulting companies. The rationale behind
selecting the target group is that emerging startups and I.T companies have an
increasing need to enhance their visibility among their own target consumers. Some
startups also operate in a blue ocean and hence want take the first mover advantage.
They also lack a unified message in their communications to the consumers. They
also cannot afford the services of a bigger agency like Ogilvy & Mather or Leo
Burnett etc. Their basic need is to find an agency which is good at the same time fits
their budget as well.
According to a Nasscom and Zinnov there are around 4200 startups in India as of
2015. The report states that more than 65% of those are located in Bengaluru,

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 Mumbai and Delhi. According to Fundoodatasearch.com, a database for emerging
I.T companies, there are around 1200 new I.T companies in Bengaluru.

Prospecting- In order to identify the qualified leads among startups a thorough

research has been conducted through websites such as Yourstory and Inc42. Both the
websites feature content exclusively about startups in India. Criteria for validating the
suspects was:
i) Business performance and financial stability of the startup.
ii) The amount of funding it has raised through angel investors and venture
capitalists.
iii) Product/service quality.
iv) Client referrals.

Once the leads were identified, a lead list was created. The list consisted of:

i) Name of the startups

ii) Contact details (name and email id of the founders or the marketing manager)
gathered from Internet database such as Zaubacorp, Tofler, Owler and
Crunchbase.
iii) A brief description about the startups
iv) Website links

In case of emerging I.T and Consulting companies, the following techniques have been used
to identify the qualifying leads:

i. Client recommendations
ii. Converting industry contacts into leads.

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 iii. Recommendation through contacts

Once the leads have been identified, the conversion process has to be initiated to convert a
cold lead into a warm and eventually hot lead. The following steps have been initiated to
achieve the same.

i. Cold Mailing- Once the full information has been collected about the lead, the next step
is to start the cold mailing process. Cold mailing has been preferred over cold calling as
the lead can read the mail at their own convenience.
The content for the mailer has been to the point. It addresses the current need or
problems of the lead and the solutions offered.
The mailer has been designed using the following template:
i) Recipients email id- Email id of the founder or the marketing manager
ii) Subject- Brand Name and Grok Communications, the objective behind the subject
is to make the person feel that the agency empathises with the brand
iii) Mailer content- the mailer should begin with a brief introduction of the sender,
followed by an introduction of Grok Communications and what makes it different
from other agencies and the range of services it offers. The mailer should then
focus on identifying and addressing the issues of the Brand. Offering solutions
and validating why they are the best ones. The mailer should also mention the
Brands competitors and an assurance that the agency can help them gain an edge.
The mailer should end with a call to action with an intention of setting up a
meeting.

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ii. Business Events- participating, sponsoring or attending business events helps increase
the visibility of the agency. It also gives the agency an opportunity to network with the
prominent industry personalities attending the event. Events serve as a platform to spread
a word about the agency among the Target group attending the event. By way of direct
interactions, the agency can also discover more qualifying leads among the target group.

Events where Grok Communications has participated or attended

Vijaya Bank Home and Car Loan Expo

The participation in Vijaya Bank Home and Car Loan Expo was a success for Grok
Communications. The event helped the agency get close to nine warm prospects by way of
direct interaction with the marketing managers present at the stalls.

Displaying few creatives for our client Virginia Developers at the expo

Sportzpro Startup Marathon

Grok Communications became the storytelling partner for Sportzpro startup marathon. The
rationale behind this move was to increase the visibility of the agency among the target group
(startups) which took part in the event.

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 IBM Social Media Week

iii. Marketing

One of the main objective of marketing is to create a pull factor towards a product or a
service. Grok Communications has used the following platforms to market itself.

Website- A website is an effective form of earned media. It helps the agency communicate its
offerings as well as its unique value proposition to the potential clients. Through its website
the agency tells its own origin story and present its unique take on the advertising.

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In a subtle way, the website also features a call to action for the visitors to sign up for the
weekly newsletters.

Social Media Marketing- An Ad agency is required to be wacky and creative in its ideas.
Social media has been used as a platform to present some of the agencys out of the box ideas
and designs. It also features pictures of the everyday work life in the agency and highlights
easy going work culture.

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The agency also contributed designs and illustrations to the worldwide #36 days of type
campaign wherein each alphabet was required to be given a unique touch.

LinkedIn Community

The agency has been aggressive on its LinkedIn handle. The tone of the posts is formal in
nature as the objective is to appeal to the I.T and Consulting companies. Most of the posts are
shared from renowned websites and blogposts specializing in sales and marketing.

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LinkedIn Pulse Posts

LinkedIn pulse posts are published regularly by the co-founders. These posts generally
discuss the latest development about the advertising and the marketing world. Since they
were the drivers behind the agency, their views were considered as the agencys mouthpiece.

Development of a Story Game- A story game is being developed by the agency in order to
create more visibility among the target group. It would also serve as a purpose to validate the
agencys stand on being Indias first storytelling agency. The action of the game is set in
Bangalore. The game would feature all the prominent landscapes of the city so that people

31
 can relate with it. It would also incorporate all the elements synonymous with Bangalore like
the traffic, I.T and startup boom, real estate mafia etc.

Podcasts- Podcasts have seen an upward trend of consumption in the recent years. In India,
the podcast viewership has been restricted to mostly football fans, academicians and
management gurus. The two co-founders host a monthly podcast series on Digipodcast.com
where they share their insights on digital marketing and different forms of media. The
podcast has been featured on Apple i Tunes as one of the Top 10 ones in the new and
noteworthy section.

iv. Conversion of industry contacts into leads- The agency founders have also leveraged
their own industry contacts in order to convert them into warm and hot prospects. Most of
the warm and hot prospects in the funnel are either the contacts of the co-founders or have
been serviced by them before.

v. Client Referrals- If a specific client has provided positive feedback about the quality of
service, the agency has then requested them for referrals on some occasions
Approaching- once the warm lead was converted to a hot lead, a phone call was
setup with the lead. The objective of the phone call was to understand the problem or
conflict of the client, or the long term vision a brand had with respect to its
positioning among the target group. Some of the clients would also give specific
insights about the tone of the campaign and the impact they want to generate.

32
At the end of the phone call a tentative date, time and venue was decided for the pitch
meeting. In some cases, the lead would demand a pre-pitch presentation to be sent via
E-Mail to validate the competence of the agency.
A separate team was setup to work on the pitch presentations. The team consisted of
two account executives, a content writer and an illustrator reporting to an account
manager in charge of handling the lead.
The tool used by the agency for presenting the ideas was Google Slides. The order of
the presentation was as follows.
i. About the agency- a brief introduction about the agency, its co-founders. Since
the agency is a startup, the focus is more on the experience of the two co-
founders and their areas of expertise.

ii. If the lead was an I.T or a consulting company, an extra slide had been added
mentioning the names of the agencys various mentors from the industry.

33
iii. Portfolio or the names of the brands the co-founders have worked with were
mentioned.

iv. Both long term and short term objectives for the campaign were stated

v. There was at least one slide dedicated for industry analysis of the leads
industry. The facts and data mentioned were validated by citing proper
references.

vi. The company profile or the teams understanding of the leads business
operations.

vii. A detailed SWOT analysis of the lead followed by the drivers and barriers in
its business.

34
viii. The major competitors of the lead were listed out and a competition analysis
was done. This was done in order to determine the USP of each of the
companies listed, number of places they were operating etc.

ix. The communication strategies of the competitors were also analysed in order
to determine the type of brand positioning each of the brands wished to have.

35
x. A closer look was taken at the social media marketing and website design of
each of the leads competitors to make the agencys proposal even more better.

xi. T
h
e

three kinds of media- paid, owned and earned media were mentioned in order
to demonstrate the agencys unique take on those forms.

36
xii. The agencys
methodology on solving the leads problem was also included in the
presentation. The infographic titled six-fold path to grokking aims at
empathizing with the problems and needs of the leads.

xiii. Brand Story creation is one of the unique services offered by Grok
Communications. The slide included both the process and the methodology of
how the brand story was derived. The content of the slide was self-
explanatory. Brand Story forms the base upon which all the campaign ideas of

37
 the leads are designed. There should be a proper coherence between a firms
brand story and the campaign ideas suggested.

a) Why- the why in a brand story states the purpose for which a firm is
in existence.
b) How- the how refers to how is the firm achieving its purpose and
staying in the business.
c) What- the what is defining the firm in a nutshell.

xiv. Tg Persona- The slides included the personas of the target group of the lead.
The persona uses the marital status, working status and their utility for the
product/ service.

xv. Campaign Ideas- Once the brand story was developed and target persona was
identified, the next step was to design the campaign ideas keeping the above
things in mind.

38
 The following were some of the things taken under consideration while
designing the campaign ideas:
(i) Having a clear understanding about the target audience for the ad
campaign.
(ii) Positioning the brand among its target group according to the brand
vision.
(iii) Communication of brand story among the target group.
(iv) Choosing the right channel to communicate the message.
(v) Identifying and targeting the key influencers and opinion leaders of the
target segment.
(vi) Having an integrated messaging throughout the different
channels as well as a consistent look and feel to the Ads.

Each campaign idea was specifically explained as to how it will help the brand. Once the
campaign ideas were presented, questions and objections, if any, were met from the leads.
In most of the cases, the lead would call for further meetings and brainstorming sessions.
The meetings helped the agency understand the brand better
Some of the campaign creatives approved by the clients

39
Rationale behind the creative- One of the agencys clients DBRS group was coming up
with a mall named Virginia Mall in Whitefield. The mall started facing backlash from the
residents of the locality. The residents feared the mall may further increase the traffic issues
prevalent in the locality. Apart from traffic, the locals also had environmental concerns about
the period when the mall will be functional.

In order to address the issues, the following approach was adopted.

a. The mall was positioned as one of the eco-friendly bodies that believes in
giving back to the society and stakeholders.
b. CSR initiatives were suggested to establish the Brand image of the same.
c. The creatives stopped featuring pictures and layouts of the mall.
d. The creatives instead featured animated and minimalistic images of the
everyday common man.
e. The creatives were designed to give the message that the mall cares about the
various issues affecting the society.
f. The opinion leaders or the influencers choices were also kept in mind.

40
Rationale behind the Creative- Kyron is a startup accelerator which provides a meeting
ground for corporates to mentor and nurture early stage startups. The following approach was
taken

a. To position Kyron among its target group as the same.

b. To present Kyron as one of the accelerators which synthesis the expertise of the
corporates and the boldness of startups into a disruptive enterprise.

Negotiation- The lead, if satisfied with the agencies ideas and direction would ask for
a detailed price quote.
The price quote sent to the lead consisted of the following details:
i. Scope of work, consisting of the list of campaign ideas approved by the lead.
ii. The list of deliverables according to specific timelines.
iii. A dedicated team setup exclusively to service the lead with names and job
designation of each team member.
iv. Two separate price quotes, one for a pilot project, the other for a retainer.

41
The price quote is decided based on the number of deliverables and the number of resources
that will be allotted to the lead. In case if the lead did not agree with the price quote, another
option was provided to him. The second option would be a trimmed down version in terms of
the deliverables and the number of team members allotted. This offer would also be non-
negotiable as the agency did not want to compromise on quality.

Closure- Once both the parties mutually agreed on a price quote, the deal was
finalized. A very clear and crisp agreement was drafted along with the scope of work
and the terms and conditions. Both the documents were sent out to the clients for
verification. This was done to avoid confusion in the later stages. Once validated by
the client, the deal was finalized between both the parties.

Order- A tentative date was set to receive the full payment in return for purchase
order. In case of any delays, the account management team was responsible for
following up through a phone call or a mail.

42
 Sales Funnel

Suspecting- Emerging Startups and I.T Companies

Prospects- 70 (includes agency's own

contacts as well)

Cold Leads-55

Warm Leads-15

Hot Leads- 12

Approaching- 12
Leads

Negotiation-
7

Closure
-O4
r
d
e
r-
4
Figure 4

Conversion Ratios

-Cold to warm ratios:

warm +hot+ customer(Order )

100
Cold + warm+hot +customers( order)

31
= 86 100

43
-Warm to hot ratio:

Hot +Customers (order )

100
Warm + Hot +Customer

16
100
= 27

-Warm to Customers Ratio

Customers
100
Warm + Hot +Customers

4
100
= 27

-Hot to Customers Ratio

Customers
100
Hot +Customers

4
100
= 16

Cold to Warm Ratio 36.04

Warm to Hot Ratio 59.25
Warm to Customers Ratio 14.81
Hot to Customers Ratio 25

44
Chapter 7

Findings

45
Findings from the study

Since Bangalore is the I.T and startup capital of India, the target group for Grok
Communications which are emerging startups, I.T and consulting companies in
Bangalore is very broad.
Of the 15 warm leads, 12 leads were agencys own contacts, hence industry contacts
play a vital role.
Business events serve as an effective platform for networking and finding new
prospects and also to understand their needs and the scope of their projects.
During the time of study, the success ratio of cold mailing with respect to forty
prospects was exactly 8%. The prospects had just raised funding from investors.
Marketing efforts of the agency across social media channels did not create any
worthwhile buzz or generate enquiries.
The stage of Approaching the leads is the most longest in the entire process. In one
of the case when the agency pitched for Kyron, the entire process took two months.
During this period the agency met the lead on a weekly basis until the deal was
finalized. The brands wanted the agency to understand them better and hence the
reason for such a long time period.
Of the Seven leads in the Negotiation stage, one was still in the pipeline during the
preparation of the report, whereas two backed out due to affordability issues.
Most of the startups lack a unified brand story.
Most of the leads agreed to come on board on a pilot project basis.
Positioning and Brand Story are the key factors that influence an advertisement
campaign.

46
 Chapter 8

Recommendations

47
Recommendations
At the time of study, there was only one person reaching out to the suspects by cold
mailing them. The number should be increased to at least two persons.
The agency should look out for startups who have recently raised another round of
funding.
Marketing efforts for the agency should be intensified across all platforms to create a
pull factor. For e.g. The design team can redesign logos of famous brands adding their
own touch to it. These designs can be uploaded on the agencys own social media
handles.
At the time of study, members of account management team had to handle both client
pitches and servicing at the same time. This led to more work pressure and less
efficiency. A separate team should be formed within the account management which
exclusively works on client pitch presentations.
The tools for researching about the leads were mostly their websites and press
releases. The agency should focus more on finding concrete market figures and case
studies on consumer behaviour relating to the leads industry. This will help them
create a sound communications plan.
The agency should participate in or attend more business events as it has helped them
gain more prospects.
More time should be allotted to prepare for the client pitches, in order understand the
leads brand and operations thoroughly.
More time should be spent to identify the qualifying leads who have the ability to pay
the agencys fees.

48
 Chapter 9

Conclusion

49
Conclusion

Since the industry is highly fragmented, Grok Communications has its work cut out in
order to emerge as a formidable force in the market.
The agency should focus on expanding the creative team (content and design) to be
better equipped to handle staff crunch, if any.
Since the agency specializes in Content and Digital Marketing, the metrics for
measuring the effectiveness of both the mediums are fairly simple and its also easy to
implement the changes.
Since the agency is privately owned and deeply integrated across all departments, the
business agility is also high.
The Indian Advertisement Industry is growing (which can be cited in the above
mentioned figures 1 & 2) which is something the agency can capitalize upon.

50
Chapter 10

References

51
References
Advertising Age. (n.d.). Advertising. Retrieved from AdAge:
http://www.adageindia.in/

B Dattaram Co. (1910). classics. Retrieved from Dattaram: www.dattaram.com

Craft, R. B. (2014). The use of social media in b2b marketing and branding.
Journal of customer behavior, 20.

Grok Communications. (2016). Home. Retrieved from Grok Communications:

http://grokcomms.com/

Inc42. (2016). News. Retrieved from Inc42: www.inc42.com

Pandey, P. (n.d.). Pandeymonium. Penguin Books India.

Practitioner, L. O. (n.d.). A G Krishnamurty. McgrawHill Education.

Prof. Kaj Storbacka, P. L. (2009). The changing role of sales: viewing sales as a
strategic and cross-functional. Eurpean Journal Of Marketing, 34.

Silverman, K. D. (n.d.). Storytelling For Dummies. A Wiley Brand.

Tucker, C. (2012). Social Advertising. 31.

Wolfgang Ulaga, a. e. (2004). relationship value and relationship quality. emerald

insight, 17.

Yourstory. (2016). Latest. Retrieved from Yourstory: www.yourstory.com

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Chapter 11

Appendix

53