SVKM’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies

Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering

FINAL REPORT

ON

LEAD GENERATION & KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT

By

SANDESH PRABHU
Roll Number: K030
SAP Number: 70461015038

Faculty Mentor:
Prof. Yashodhan Karulkar

Industry Mentor:
Mr. Jaykumar Waghela
 A REPORT

ON

LEAD GENERATION & KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT

BY

SANDESH PRABHU

Roll Number: K030 SAP Number: 70461015038

A report submitted in the partial fulfilment of the requirements of 5 years integrated

MBA(Tech.) Program of Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering,
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) (Deemed to be university),
Mumbai
 SVKM’s NMIMS (Deemed to be university)
Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering
Vile Parle (W), Mumbai - 400 056.

MANAGEMENT INTERNSHIP REPORT Semester IX – MBA (TECH)

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for Management Project/Training for

Semester IX MBA – (Tech).

Name of the Student: Sandesh Prabhu

Roll No.: & Batch: - K030 (2015-2020)
Academic Year: - 2019-2020
Name of the Discipline: - Mechanical
Name & Address of the Company: Fourth Partner Energy Private Limited
921 B, Pranik Chambers, Saki Naka

Training Period: From 2nd May 2019 To 2nd September 2019

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT

Mr. Sandesh Prabhu, Exam Seat No. 70461015038 has satisfactorily completed his/her
Training/Project Work, submitted the training report and appeared for the Presentation &
Viva as required.

External Examiner Internal Examiner Faculty Mentor

Date:
Place:
Seal of the University
 Acknowledgements

My Management Internship with 4PEL has provided me with tremendous amount of

learning and has helped me develop many skills. All this was made possible only with the
support and assistance of some pretty awesome people.
I am thankful to the Founders of 4PEL for allowing me to work on this project. I was
fortunate to be present when Mr. Vivek Subramanian interacted with the team and laid out
4PEL’s vision at the Gurgaon office. It is truly inspiring to work in such presence!
I deeply thank Mr. Jaykumar Waghela, my Industry Mentor. I am extremely grateful to him
for providing me the opportunity to work with 4PEL, for helping me constantly throughout
the project duration despite being very busy with company work, for providing me an
example to look up to and for trusting me with the work I did.
I respect and thank my faculty mentor Prof. Yashodhan Karulkar, who took keen interest in
my MIP work and guided me all along, till the completion of the project by providing me
with information and constant motivation throughout the project.
I am thankful to Mrs. Ruchita Jain and Mrs. Khyati Vyas from the KAM Team, for their
unlisted encouragement and moreover timely support & guidance throughout the project. I
am also grateful to the BD team at Gurgaon (Mr. Chandra Prakash, Ms. Neha Jaiswal, Mr.
Pawan Panwar & Mr. Kushal Mamgain) for teaching & interacting with me and helping me
during site visits.
I express my gratitude to the entire team of 4PEL. Every interaction with every member at
every step of the MIP has enriched my knowledge. I profoundly thank everyone for the trust
they have shown in me, and for making me feel as a part of them.

Thank You,
Sandesh Prabhu

(iv)
 List of Figures
1.1 – 4PEL presence across India
1.2 – 4PEL client small list
1.3 – Founders (L-to-R): Mr. Saif Dhorajiwala, Mr. Vikas Saluguti, Mr. Vivek Subramanian
1.4 – 4PEL project for RSWM
1.5 – 4PEL project for Skoda
1.6 – 4PEL project for Ferrero
1.7 – 4PEL project for Ultratech
1.8 – 4PEL project for SPAR
1.9 – 4PEL project for JNU
1.10 – Sales Funnel

2.1 – Rooftop Solar Capacity Addition

2.2 – Sector-wise Solar Consumption
2.3 – C&I industry chart

3.1 – Execution Timelines 4PEL

3.2 – Project Workflow 4PEL
3.3 – 4 sector reports
3.4 – Access DB
3.5 – Castings Manufacturer in Kolhapur
3.6 – Engines Supplier in Kolhapur
3.7 – Brewery in Ghaziabad
3.8 – Warehouse in Ghaziabad
3.9 – Logistics Park in Greater Noida

List of Tables

1.1 – CAPEX v/s OPEX

1.2 – Sanity Checks
1.3 – Risk-Significance-Spend & Risk-Significance-Value Models
1.4 – Treacy & Weirsema’s Value Drivers
1.5 – Buyer Roles
1.6 – Outbound v/s Inbound Marketing
1.7 – Demographic & Firmographic Fit
1.8 – Sales & Marketing Questions
1.9 – Buying & Selling Processes
2.1 – The C&I Industry
3.1 – Buyer Roles & Motivation
3.2 – Email Marketing Campaign Results

(v)
 Abstract

According to USNREL, the energy from the sun that hits the earth every day is
enough to meet our planet’s needs for 24 years! The mission is to capture this energy &
convert it into electricity at a reasonable cost.
Growing at a CAGR of 88% in India, Solar PV is one of the many ways in which this
energy can be harnessed. India’s Solar boost has helped in achieving grid parity a couple of
years ago and now is seen as a feasible alternative to mainstream electricity supply. Many
organizations from the C&I sector who pay the industrial rate of grid-electricity are
considering the benefits of using Solar.
Under these opportune conditions, it is very important for a Solar Developer to
understand the mindsets of the people making & influencing these considerations. It is
important to establish a position of trust and credibility. Given the intense competition and
the race for bagging contracts, it is also important to understand the market and formulate
strategic approaches to winning it.
The need for Key Accounts Management arises at such a juncture. It may make
perfect business sense to appoint a team to focus on a few 20% of those C&I prospects who
can generate 80% revenue for you. Key Accounts Management, or KAM, is a holistic
approach which involves many aspects of relationship building, client management, lead
generation, benefits selling, etc.
This report picks up one of these aspects: Lead Generation. In B2B markets, this
process first involves a detailed research of the sectors. As the solar market is geographically
dispersed too, it is essential to be updated with the existing state laws and incentives offered
by Government.
The entire project focuses on such efforts for effective lead generation. This report
discusses tools like E-mail Marketing, preparing databases, preparing sector analysis reports
and how they can be used in unison to optimize a lead generation campaign. The report also
entails my experience in 4PEL wherein I tried to implement these tools for the organization’s
lead generation objectives.

(vi)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements (iv)
List of Figures (v)
List of Tables (v)
Abstract (vi)
1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………….8
1.1 About the Company………………………………………………………………..9
1.2 Purpose, Scope & Limitations…………………………………………………….11
1.3 Sources & Methods………………………………………………………………..12
1.4 Literature Survey…………………………………………………………………..14
2. Industrial Analysis……………………………………………………………….16
2.1 About Solar Industry………………………………………………………………17
2.2 The C&I Segment………………………………………………………………….19
3. Internship Activities…………………………………………………………...…20
3.1 Buyer Personas…………………………………………………………………….21
3.2 Sector Reports……………………………………………………………………...23
3.3 Access Databases…………………………………………………………...……..24
3.4 E-Mail Marketing Automation………………………………………………….....25
3.5 Cold Calling……………………………………………………………………….25
3.6 Meetings & Region Visits………………………………………………………....26
3.6.1 Meetings with Prospects………………………………………………………....26
3.6.2 Meetings with Channel Partners…………………………………………………26
3.6.3 Visit to Kolhapur…………………………………………………………………27
3.6.4 Visit to Ghaziabad………………………………………………………………..28
3.7 Support Activities…………………………………………………………………..29
4. Reflections on the Internship & Conclusion…………………………………….30
References
 Chapter 1
Introduction
 About the Company:

Fourth Partner Energy

Founded by three partners in 2010, Fourth Partner Energy believes that the customer,
supplier, employee, financier or any other stakeholder is the ‘Fourth Partner’ and therefore is
a focus of all their business activities
Solutions:
1. Tin Shed & RCC Roof Solar Solutions
2. Car Port Solutions
3. Ground Mounted Solar Solutions
4. Solar Pump
5. Off-grid & Hybrid Solutions
6. Floating Solar Solutions
7. Open Access & Power Trading Solutions
Presence: 4PEL has completed 1800+ solar
installations pan-India, and has a presence
in over 23 states. Their installed base of
distributed solar has exceeded 165+ MWp.

The company is also venturing in Global Markets,

with affiliates in Nepal, Sri Lanka, UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and other ASEAN nations

The Fourth Partner Advantage

4PEL’s robust execution, strong supplier relationships & innovative financing solutions
enable them to deliver the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry.
CAPEX OPEX
Pay upfront system cost 4PEL pays system cost
Client owns solar plant Client only pays per unit cost
No monthly payments Pre-agreed price lock-in

The company provides complete solar solutions enabling its clients to derive meaningful
savings over grid prices by adopting clean energy. 4PEL is ISO 9001:2008 & 14001:2015
certified, and a ‘Category A’ certified Channel Partner of MNRE.
Clients: 4PEL has worked with 100+ corporate houses, the top C&I companies with a global
presence & also educational institutes like JNU, SIES, Symbiosis, Manipal & IIMs.
People: 4PEL now has 270 employees working pan-India. There are 10 offices across the
country, with Hyderabad being their Head Office. The company is funded primarily by TPG.
The founders are Mr. Saif Dhorajiwala, Mr. Vikas
Saluguti & Mr. Vivek Subramanian. They have
previously managed a half a million dollars PE
investment fund and have extensive expertise in
the fields of investment banking. The management
team consists of eminent professionals: some have
previously managed a startup themselves, ex-
defence officers, senior executives at MNCs,
MBAs from IIMs, ISB, INSEAD, and NMIMS.
Culture: Employees at 4PEL are driven, hardworking, talented & extremely professional at
what they do. The work environment is pleasant, and everyone is encouraged to be
themselves. This primarily revolves around the fact that the employees have a sense of
responsibility and thus are not micromanaged. The managers themselves are very supportive
and understanding people.
4PEL follows an open-door policy. This has allowed ideas to flow freely across the
organization. Skill-development is a highly focused activity in 4PEL. Employees are
encouraged and invested in to take up courses for both personal & professional development.
The Mumbai office has developed a habit of having lunch together at the conference room.
This paves way for interesting conversations and ultimately increases team bonding. The
office design is something the employees are proud of – it was envisioned and designed by
the team itself, and it has ensured a very open & satisfying work atmosphere. The team
believes in simplicity, and efficiency. These values are reflected by the Founders themselves.
And they happen to be placed in the hearts of all employees too.
Projects:

RSWM Skoda Ferrero India

6.75 MWp 1.15 MWp 1.5 MWp

Gulabpura, Rajasthan Aurangabad, Maharashtra Pune, Maharashtra
Ground Mounted Car Port Tin Roof
Textile Client Automobile Client FMCG Client
Ultratech SPAR JNU

1.00 MWp 585 KWp 500 KWp

Pan-India Hyderabad, Telangana New Delhi
Ground Mounted Tin Roof RCC Roof
Cement Client Engineering Client Government Institution
Purpose, Scope & Limitations
The purpose of my MIP was to understand the strategies & tactics companies deploy to
enhance their relationships with other companies in B2B market. The suppliers’ market
catering to the development of renewable power plants is a highly competitive one, and
relationship building plays an extremely vital role in the very survival of the company.
In lieu of this, I worked extensively with the Key Accounts Management (KAM) team. The
team had identified certain areas for me to focus on during my internship.
The objectives of my internship were:
1. Developing an understanding of the Solar B2B market
2. Understanding the techniques of conducting effective Sector market research
3. Preparing subsequent sector reports & databases
4. Observing the buying process & stages
5. Understanding how lead generation takes place in KAM accounts
6. Setting the e-mail marketing campaign
7. Improving my knowledge on various Solar tools & techniques
8. Meeting prospects & clients and understanding their requirements

Sources of Data
The process of Lead Generation naturally requires the involvement of reliable and abundant
data. The two types of data were collected
1. Primary Data
- Visits to industrial areas
- Business cards exchanged by employees
- Personal interaction & meetings
- Inquiries generated by networking at Events

2. Secondary Data
- Reference books & Newsletters
- Annual Reports of companies
- E-mail Databases
- Directories of Manufacturer Associations

Limitations:
a. Internship duration was 18 weeks, which limited the penetration in new markets
b. It was difficult to see conversion first-hand, given the long buying cycles
c. Effective tracking of leads was a problem because of geographically dispersed
markets
 Literature Survey – Key Accounts Management

Defining what is a Key Account and holding the definition’s congruence within the team is
the building block of KAM. At 4PEL, KAM Accounts are defined as the ones which give or
may potentially give us profit. An account with a potential solar capacity above 3 MW is also
included in the list.
KAM is not a short-term sales drive – implementing a KAM strategy is unlikely to see any
benefits on the bottom line in short term. KAM is a means to achieving key supplier status.[1]
In short, KAM is a means to achieving your objectives, not an objective or an end in itself.
Some possible objectives may be:
1. Customer Retention – building barriers to entry
2. Entry to new Customers & Markets – overcoming barriers to entry, generating leads
3. Growth with Existing customers – finding new opportunities, repeat orders
4. Managing clients with cross territory presence – global account management
Sanity Checks
Sr. Objective Market Opportunity Resources
1 Customer Retention Do you have a competitive advantage? Do you have the right team?
Can you secure key supplier status? Is it deployed correctly?
2 New Entry Do you have unique value proposition? Is the team Sufficient?
Which customers would consider it? Is it deployed correctly?
Are your competitors failing anywhere?
3 Existing customers Are you at full capacity with them? Is the team still looking?
Are they creating new needs? Do you penetrate depts.?
4 Cross territory Do such customers exist? Is your business globally
presence Do they want global services? oriented?
Are they organized to operate globally? Will teams work into it?

My role in 4PEL was aligned more to the objective of entry to new customers & markets.
This meant tapping the market opportunities after conducting some extensive field & market
research. These two models were effective in understanding:

The Risk-Significance-Spend Model The Risk-Significance-Value Model

High High
Risk / Significance

Risk / Significance

Strategic Strategic Managed Partnered

Security Partner Supplier Supplier
Tactical Tactical Arm’s Length Welcome
Make Easy Profit Supplier Supplier
Low Relative Spend High Low Total Value High
Using Treacy & Weirsema’s Value Drivers in KAM
Sr. Driver Content 4PEL Perspective
1 Operational Doing what you do, well Impressive Project Timelines, Solid
Excellence Effective processes, accurate data engineering team, strong HSE Policy
2 Product Providing the best, leading-edge R&D Team, innovative solutions for
Leadership products or services solar
3 Customer Ability to identify with specific Helpful financial solutions including debt
Intimacy customer needs & match products financing, bespoke services to accounts,
accordingly risk sharing

The Key Account Management Plan:

1. Determine KAM expectations
2. Identify obstacles
3. Ensure resource allocation & support
4. Market Segmentation
5. Customer Classification
6. Customer Distinction Strategies
7. Ensure systems are in place
8. Develop relevant skills & capabilities
9. Prepare key account plans
10. Continuous Review & Improvement
Selling to DMUs (decision-making units) - In many cases, the decision to install solar is not
taken by a single individual but by teams of people. There are 3 types of DMUs:
1. Authoritarian DMUs – CEO, CFO
2. Consensus DMUs – Decision made by some democratic process e.g. institutions
3. Consultative DMUs – Appointed decision maker will take decisions based on opinion
What is the buyer’s role?
High
Specifier Lead
Interest

Gatekeeper Service

Low Involvement High

The Human Side of Sales

We sell to human beings, not computers. The purpose of KAM is to develop more intimate
relationships, to increase trust, and thereby enhance long-term security. Deep down many
technical & commercial factors is the personal rapport between the buyer & supplier that will
make the difference. Focus on their personal needs, persuade through involvement & earn the
right to proceed. We should ask the right questions and listen to their answers with intent.
Literature Survey – Lead Generation
Lead generation is a marketing process of engaging & capturing interest in a product or
service for the purpose of developing a sales pipeline & ultimately gaining new customers. It:
1. Increases brand Awareness
2. Builds relationships
3. Drives your sales funnel
4. Closes deals
The days of faceless corporation are over. Buyers want to engage with you as they would
engage with a friend. You can create tremendous rapport with your customers through
storytelling, great branding & creative lead generation tactics.

Inbound marketing Outbound marketing

- Content Marketing - PPC advertising

- Website - Content Syndication
- Blog - Direct Mail
- Social Media - Event Marketing
- SEO - Inside Sales
- Email Marketing
- Lead nurturing & scoring

What is a good lead?

The definition of a good lead is very essential to the foundation of a successful lead
generation program. Organizational alignment is important: if someone from BD thinks
something is a good lead & the Pricing team vehemently disagrees, we have a problem.

Demographic Fit Firmographic Fit

Gender Location Revenue
Experience State Cr. Rating
Title Income
Age Company Size PAT
Specialties Industry Roof Type
Education
Culture Roof Age

BANT
-Budget: Is the purchase budgeted?
-Authority: Does the respondent have decision authority?
-Need: How important is the product to the company?
-Time: When will the customer be able to buy
 3. SETTING LEAD GENERATION GOALS

Sales Questions: Marketing Questions

1. What is your average sales price?
2. What is your average sales cycle?
3. What are your revenue goals per
quarter?
4. What is your win rate?
5. How many influencers usually
influence a sale?
6. How do you define an
opportunity & what steps are
involved to move it to a sale?
7. What do you do with leads that
do not turn into opportunities?
1. What lead generation programs are you currently
participating in?
2. Do you have a content plan?
3. How active is 4PEL on social media channels?
4. What happens to new leads when they enter your CRM
system?
5. What happens to those that don’t convert right away?
6. What is the ROI of your lead spending? What is your cost
per lead?
7. Do you have a marketing automation platform?
8. Do you have a lead scoring & nurturing platform?
9. How are you tracking metrics currently?
10. What is the conversion rate from leads to opportunities?
11. What is your success rate?

Crafting Your Road Map[2]

4 Questions-

1. What are your marketing objectives for the next few years?
2. Where do you think you have gaps in your current marketing mixture?
3. What new channels have you been dying to try?
4. What is your budget?

- Generating awareness
- Acquiring prospects
- Nurturing prospects
- Qualifying sales readiness

A typical buying & selling process appears like this:

Sr. Buying Process
1 Identify Need
2 Research Solutions
3 Develop shortlist
4 RFP & RFQ
5 Review
6 Negotiate
7 Vendor Selection
8 Install & Use
9 Upgrade
Selling Process Seller’s Objective Campaign Type
Arouse Interest Interest Ads, PR
Identify who needs it Be known Ads, PR, SEO, Blogs
Create Preference Be shortlisted DM, Email, Telephone
Propose Specifically Winning Proposal F2F sales
Attempt to influence Create Preference F2F, Podcasts, Webinars
Negotiate Preserve Margins F2F sales, inside sales
Compare to competition Win F2F sales
Enhance usage Satisfy Support personnel, website
Identify Need Up & Cross Sell Conferences, SEO, Telesales
 Chapter 2
Industrial Analysis
 About Solar Industry

Indian rooftop solar market has grown rapidly at a CAGR of 88% in the last 5 years.
Government policies have focused on cost reduction of rooftop solar plants through
incentives in form of cheaper debt, capital subsides, accelerated depreciation & tariff top-ups.
Solar Power plants can be:
1. Grid-connected
2. Off-grid (will require battery backup)
Most solar developers prefer using panels of Indian make, mainly because of a Safeguard
Duty of 20% levied by the Govt. of India on imported makes.
According to a recent Bridge to India report, capacity addition in the 12-month period ending
September 2018 is estimated at 1538 MW. Total installed capacity is estimated to have
reached 3399 MW. [3]

Rooftop Solar Capacity Addition Sector-wise Solar Consumers

1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Until 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
2012
Industrial Consumers Commercial Consumers
Rooftop Solar Capacity Addition Public Sector Consumers Residential Consumers

Source: Bridge to India report

Net Metering
These schemes enable the off-taker of electricity to achieve a credit from state utility. This
happens when he generates excess electricity with onsite his solar system & feeds it into the
grid. Net metering policies vary with state rules & mandates. In Maharashtra, Net Metering is
available onsite when the contract demand is below 1 MW.
The government also provides TOD benefits and other energy banking options for certain
levels of consumers. One can seek a TOD benefit by offsetting his demand against the TOD
free zones. Some of trends in solar now are:
- The industry is now focusing more on Open Access & Power Trading
- Ground mounted & Utility Scale Solar are slowly gaining traction for C&I
- Criteria for due diligence will elevate, making it difficult to secure debt financing
Tracing of the best practices in Solar Energy:

1. Site Audits – A team of design experts & site experts visit the desired rooftop
location. They collect inputs such as shadows, inclinations, roof type, roof feasibility,
etc.

2. System Design & Detailed Engineering– The collected information is passed to the
design team who evaluate key factors like irradiation, inverter stringing patterns,
walkway designs, and placement & tilt of panels among several other considerations.
They take help from various data softwares like PVSyst, SolarGIS, BitCell, etc.

3. Financing – Once the designs are approved, the pricing is done and a bill of materials
(BOM) is created. A cost-benefit analysis is done and metrics like ROI, IRR are
calculated. This BOM must be approved by the Pricing Team. The Pricing Team
considers various aspects involving the financial performance of the off-taker, their
sector trends, and other legal aspects.

4. Procurement – After BOM approval and approval of the client, the procurement team
chooses vendors from whom they can purchase in concurrence with the BOM costs.

5. Installation & Execution – Once site clearance is granted by the off-taker and all
specifications are agreed upon, the Service Team takes over the project to install the
solar power plant. The company maintains a strong HSE policy and a regulatory
framework to ensure zero accidents during execution phase

6. Quality Inspection – Periodic & surprise quality checks are conducted once the
execution begins. This involves checking whether the HSE policy is adhered to,
inspecting the procured materials while & after installation and understanding &
benchmarking the deliverables.

7. Statutory Approvals & Commissioning – While the other processes are working on
the foreground, a liasioning team gets the approvals from the SLDC and other nodal
agencies, which includes other approvals like net-meter too. The timelines for this
vary according to state norms & complexity of the project

8. Project Handover – Once the execution is complete, the project is handed over to the
client (CAPEX)

9. Monitoring & Maintenance – The company conducts regular activities of monitoring

& maintenance as mandated by the EPC contract
 The C&I Industry

Area Industries
1 FMCG, Railways, IT, Chemical, Power, Retail
2 Cement, Energy, Automobile, Metal, Textiles, Engg., FMCD
3 Pharma, Petrochem, Hospitals, Telecom, Mining, Agriculture
4 Construction, Paper & Pulp
5 BFSI, Education (8)
6 Service, Media
7 None
8 Hotels, Gems & Jewellery Sustainability
Agenda
(7)
For a solar perspective
The Commercial & Industrial Segment can be
(2) (3)
classified as amalgamations of being energy
(1)
intensive, having a sustainability agenda & Energy
of having a non-cyclic demand. Intensive (5) Non-cyclic
(4) (6)
Each sector in the C&I segment has its
own nuances. They use their own
technical jargon. They have their own
targets & growth drivers.

As a Key Account Manager, it is essential to build rapport with such users. Knowing about a
prospect’s industry and their pain points helps build a case for understanding them better.

For C&I Segment, grid tariffs are very high – around Rs. 13/unit for the state of Maharashtra.
The concept of rooftop Solar plant is quickly gaining popularity because most companies in
C&I operate on large premises, and thus there is abundant rooftop space to utilize to meet
their captive requirements.
Furthermore, with help of debt financing, some companies can provide OPEX Model, which
essentially means that the C&I user will have to put in no upfront investment. The user must
just pay at a per-unit cost (which currently is around Rs. 4.5/unit) and all other investments
are in the scope of the Power Producer. The above amounts to considerable savings in
electricity bills for the C&I consumers, which forms a very lucrative proposal for them. In
lieu of this, many such consumers are signing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the
Solar Companies for a certain tenure (about 15-25 years)
For the Solar Developer to fixate on the per-unit cost, a lot of factors come into play. This
requires the complete analysis of irradiation factors, understanding of the off-taker
organization, their credit rating, market trends. Negotiations also play a vital role once the
pricing ranges are given.
 Chapter 3
Internship Activities
3.1 Buyer Personas

Before embarking on the Lead Generation activity, it was essential to understand Buyer
Personas. When it comes to installing a Solar power plant at their premises, I understood the
following:
a.) Who is the Buyer?
Given the C&I sector we are catering to, top companies often put up a task force comprising
of individuals with expertise in their respective fields. The company regularly interacts with
people with designations of the order as:

Designation Role Motivation

Senior Engineer
Factory Head
GM or VP (Purchase)
Sustainability Manager
CEO, CFO or COO
Exec. Assistant, Receptionist
Specifier Asks how we are different from competitor
User Wants to ensure plant productivity
Purchasing Agent Rewarded for buying efficiently
Influencer Wants to ensure it makes his job easier
Decision Maker Focused on bottom-line results
Gatekeeper Protects the boss from salespeople

The reason for such a high degree of involvement is that an average solar power purchase for
energy intensive companies might involve capital expenditures to the tune of 4 to 5 crore
rupees. The nature of B2B marketing, however, must change with the involvement of such a
diverse task force.

b.) What information do they need before buying?

When it comes to Solar Energy, after a week’s work I immediately understood that Buyers
want to equip themselves with as much information as possible to decide what is best for
them. You don’t need to educate the average C&I Buyer anymore about the benefits of using
Solar – they already know it!
Some buyers, however, needed to be educated about the workings of the OPEX model, O&M
policy, and the Net-Metering and Deemed Generation clauses.

c.) When do they buy?

Top MNCs generally have a Sustainability Agenda which underlines their goals and allocates
yearly budget for the fulfilment of the same. A buying committee generally shortlists vendors
after budget allocation. This process takes places after a couple of months of commencement
of a new financial year, once the committee has carefully researched its solutions and
prescribed certain specifications. The committee may also take help of an outside agency to
develop these specification criteria.
 d.) How long is their buying cycle?
A typical buying cycle for a solar power plant is around 7 months from the date of inquiry.
Various considerations like having a lean decision-making system, laying the initial
groundwork & ROI calculations and other liaising efforts greatly influence the buying cycle.
Execution Timeline: Typically, a 1000 kWp solar power plant can be completed within 8-10
weeks from the receipt of confirmed order and site clearance.

1 MWp - GROUND MOUNTED 1.5 MWp – TIN SHED 2.5 MWp – RCC 2.5 MWp – CAR PORT
Ultratech Ferrero SDMC Vizag Smart City

e.) How do they buy?

The buyer, in most cases, has laid out the specifications of the type of solar plant they want.
This is done after a capacity assessment is conduct. They might take some consulting help
while they prepare the tender or specifications list. RFQ sheet is passed around to secure the
best proposal. In such cases, vendor qualification criteria are set up based on project
experience and completion history.
In case of Government buyers or PSUs, tenders are floated and the bid which best matches
their requirements as awarded the contract.

f.) What is the work till project handover?

This aspect was important for buyers because of the keen interest they show in ROI and other
metrics to measure the success of the installation. A typical project workflow by 4PEL looks
like this:
3.2 Sector Reports

My MIP focused on publishing Sector Reports. These reports were aimed at providing the
very busy Sales team a gist of the Sector – that would come in handy when they are on
business meetings. The following Sectors were covered in the duration of my MIP
1. FMCG
2. IT
3. Automotive
4. Paints
5. Petrochem
6. Cement
7. Metals
The report covered a brief overview of the sector, key growth drivers, a SWOT table, the
value chain of activities surrounding the sector, key clusters, and a brief analysis of the sector
leaders. The sustainability agendas of these leaders were also briefly studied.
3.3 Access Databases

In combination with the Sector reports was the Access DB – the sector leaders were mapped.
However, a total of only around 200 data points could be prepared. The database had
capabilities wherein classification could be done state-wise, industry-wise, or solar capacity-
wise as well. An advanced search of the company name would enable us to find out what
states are its manufacturing units located in, with its exact address. Access DB also has
attachment capabilities, so we attached an image of the unit’s rooftop too to understand what
kind of roof and how much solar capacity can be installed. Fields of contact person, email,
designation and other personal details were also added.
Additional capabilities can be inserted to the database by adding fields of firmographic
details required for due diligence (revenue, PAT, Credit Score, Roof type, etc.) which will be
useful for qualifying leads.
IGCC Database: The company is a member of Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. This
database was focused on the C&I segment. Members of the IGCC have a unique membership
ID which can be used as a reference to initiate contact
North Industrial Areas: This Database consisted of Industries in Ghaziabad and Bhiwadi
region. Around 120 entries were generated, with help of Directories and information from
Google.
Warehousing DB: This database was generated with the help of contacts built when my
industry mentor had delivered a speech at a warehousing event.
Industrial Contacts DB: This Database was generated out of industrial business cards which
were exchanged by our employees at different occasions.

This database was useful for e-mail marketing and other insights finding. The layout of the
DB was as follows
3.4 E-mail Marketing Automation

4PEL had access to a database of around 2000 contacts which comprised of key personnel
heading functions of top MNCs. By importing these contacts from Excel to Access DB, we
could send each one of them customized mails. Following were the results of the E-mail
campaign:
Sr. No. Response Particulars Number Percentage
1 RFP/RFQ 9 0.45%
2 Asked for a meeting 27 1.30%
3 Asked for a call 17 0.85%
4 Already have worked 7 0.35%
5 Acknowledged 5 0.25%
6 No present requirement/interest 5 0.25%
7 Undelivered 142 7.10%
8 Inquiry 8 0.40%
9 Leave/Looped In others 38 1.90%
10 No Reply 1742 87.15%
Total 2000 100%

Number of Leads generated = 59

Lead Conversion Rate = 2.9%
The customized mails could be sent via the Mail-Merge wizard in MS Word, which can be
directly integrated with Outlook. A few CTAs were present in the mailer text in order to
explain the buyer the benefits he will obtain when he adopts solar.
Post this database, we found out databases from other sources too and kept the campaign
going to further generate a few more leads.

3.5 Cold Calling

E-mail Marketing, as we all know, will rarely convert lukewarm prospects into leads. To tap
this prospect pool effectively & efficiently, some amount of cold calling must be done.
Because of this, I started cold calling some potential clients. Most people I encountered on
call belonged to either of the 3 categories: willing to buy & actively considering options, not
sure about buying but willing to consider options
I called around 50 potential clients. Of them, 7 asked for a site visit, 4 asked for meeting face-
to-face for discussion, and the rest did not respond with a present requirement.
Learnings from Cold Calling –
1. You must be patient & be willing to listen to the prospect’s objections & concerns
2. You must find the best way to quickly educate the prospect about how he will benefit
3. You must prepare a quick & effective pitch to target the prospect’s pain points
3.6 Meetings & Region Visits
I was fortunate enough to be present in many meetings, wherein I could understand both the
technical and the managerial nature of the business involved. Following instances of
meetings were common:

3.6.1 Meetings with Prospects & Clients

Some highly qualified prospects ask for a site visit to obtain an exact solar plant evaluation.
In such a case, a request is passed to the design team wherein engineers evaluate exactly how
much savings can be achieved when a solar plant of the designed capacity will be installed.
In some cases, companies hire consultants to carry on these evaluations, and directly float a
tender or RFQ to solar developers. Deals of this nature involve two stages: technical
specifications and commercial specifications. Negotiations generally are initiated in the latter
stage.
Initial meetings with the decision makers or influencers typically involve sharing their
requirement and plans. In this meeting, the clients want to know about 4PEL and its
operations and policies. An effective presentation instantly builds credibility and trust in such
cases.

3.6.2 Meetings with Channel Partners

Channel partners are an important part of the business in 4PEL. The company treats their
channel partners with respect and ensures that they maintain a fair share in the business.
Channel Partners can be any of the following:
1. People/organizations who bring in qualified leads
2. People/organizations who perform EPC but cannot pursue OPEX
I had the opportunity of being present in few channel partner meetings. The factors discussed
in such meetings include:
- Letting them understand the qualification criteria
- Discussing & Negotiating Commission and other terms
- Discussing payment procedures
- Reaching an understanding & signing the Channel Partner Agreement

Above and all, trust & openness are the two qualities the company looks for and expects from
their Channel Partners. This has ensured smooth business being carried out on that front.
 3.6.3 Visit to Kolhapur

I visited the industrial areas of Kolhapur in a brief period of 3 days. This visit was organized
around a few prospect inquiries. Sensing the enormous potential of the industries in the
vicinity of these prospects, I decided to pursue cold visits there.
Kolhapur is rightly called the Sugar Bowl of India – with maximum number of sugar,
spinning and textile mills spread throughout the district. Apart from the famed Kolhapuri
chappal, the district is also famous for foundry technology & casting factories.

Areas visited in Kolhapur

1. 5-Star MIDC Kaagal
2. MIDC Shiroli

Castings Manufacturer Engines Supplier

This prospect was the top supplier of a famous cleantech MNC. Their The company was an
captive energy requirement was enormous because of furnaces of huge automotive components
capacity in their premises. Before pursuing the entire project, they were manufacturer. The rooftop
opting Solarizing their Admin Building as a pilot project to gauge returns feasibility & credit was poor

Learnings:
Some of the learnings of this visit were:
- Choice of language plays an important role in gaining trust among the directors
- Few companies want to be first, many companies want to jump on the bandwagon
- Effective presentations help to build the business case quickly
- Lead Qualification quickly helps in categorizing the type of prospect
- The 400kV substation nearby makes load-sharing an important aspect
Outcomes & Follow-up:
Effective targeting of the industries in Kolhapur would require keeping a constant watch on
the developments along their industrial corridors. As most industries are not owned by
MNCs, cost economics play an important role in the decision making of the prospect.
 3.6.4 Visit to Ghaziabad

I worked with the Gurgaon office for a period of 10 days. The developments were of varying
levels – from deciding on partnering with a vendor for roofing to personally going on cold
visits to nearby areas.
Therein, I prepared an Access DB for Key Industrial Areas in the North. My mentor had
listed out various industrial estates in the vicinity (involving states of Uttarakhand, UP,
Rajasthan and Haryana) and asked me to research as much as possible on the same. However,
I could complete only 120 data points from 2 regions – Ghaziabad & Bhiwadi. We decided to
approach the prospects to understand if they have any requirements.

Areas visited in Ghaziabad

1. Sahibabad Industrial Area
2. Bulandshahr Road (BSR) Industrial Area
3. Loni Road Industrial Area

Brewery Warehouse Logistics Park

An interesting case wherein Loads of warehouses are Sometimes, industries who want
the prospect’s factory was nominal – they include Solar but do not meet the due
shut down for a while and light loads which find their diligence criteria have to be passed
are was re-opening soon. usage mostly during night- off as unqualified leads. This logistics
They are planning to time. The paradox is that park was such a case – the state rules
consider Solar for their these facilities have ample regarding consumption & net
captive requirement rooftop space for Solar metering were not favourable

Learnings:
After meeting around 30 companies in Ghaziabad with the help of our BD Manager Kushal
Sir, I learnt many important things. Some of the key takeaways were:
- How to approach the decision maker or influencer
- How to understand their requirements & pitch to them accordingly
- How to establish a position of trust in the prospect’s mind
- How to understand the buying mentality & behaviour of the prospect
 3.7 Support Activities

Apart from the above-mentioned tasks, I performed a few support activities. Some of these
were:
Consumption & Billing Analysis:
This is a small part of technically qualifying a prospect. From the prospect’s contract demand
and other load patterns, we would find out from their bills how much solar capacity should be
installed and be looking at their roof size, we would find out how much solar capacity can be
installed. I performed the CBA for 15 companies during my tenure, some of which had
around 100 location pan-India

Data & Sanction Load Analysis, Project Experience Sheet

This analysis was completed for two key accounts. This involved mapping the rooftops
against their sanction load to understand the savings and passing the tests of vendor
qualification for the clients

International Markets
The international business team was starting to venture into ASEAN markets. I briefly helped
the team by making a small contribution as to find the entry procedures, key areas and
companies in Vietnam, Indonesia & Thailand. This information provided some help to the
team while they prepared their reports.
 4. Reflections on the Internship & Conclusion

My learning ability grew manifold at 4PEL. Supported by a very able & motivated
team, I always found there was so much more to learn every day! Working with 4PEL
accentuated my belief that corporate life is indeed interesting. The team was filled with
positivity & a feeling of righteousness, and the process of lead generation and sales
automatically becomes easier if you believe in the services an organization offers.
With 4PEL, I inculcated in myself a sense of responsibility and thus learnt to take
ownership of my work. I also learnt a few interesting things about my own work ethic.
Working for renewable energy had always been my aim and this was realized by this
opportunity.
I learnt how companies go about taking their decisions, how do salespeople work
around with it and how their relationships develop with every meeting. For a successful
marketing campaign, I learnt that working with unity and direction makes all the difference!

References
[1] – Key Account Management – Peter Cheverton – 3rd Ed. – Kogan Page Limited
[2] – Maximizing Lead Generation – Ruth P. Stevens – Pearson Education
[3] – Bridge to India Report
[4] – 4PEL Corporate Profile (June)