“Customer Mapping and Direct Selling for Mahindra & Mahindra”

A SUMMER INTERNSHIP REPORT

Submitted by

T VISHAL SINGHRoll no.167

(2015-2017)

Under the guidance of

Dr. Anthony Rose Mr. Mohit Agarwal

Internal FacultyIMED(BVDU)

Sr.Sales Manager(Mahindra and Mahindra)

Pune.

In partial fulfilment of for the award of the degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Paud road, Erandwane pune-411038E-mail:bvimed@gmail.com website:

www.imed.bharatividyapeeth.edu

1

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project entitled“Customer Mapping and Direct

Selling for Mahindra & Mahindra” is an academic work done by “T

VISHAL SINGH” and submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirement

for the award of the Degree of MBA from Bharati Vidyapeeth University,

Pune. It has been completed under the Guidance of Prof. ANTHONY ROSE

and Mr. MOHIT AGARWAL. The authenticity of the project work will be

examined by the viva examiner which includes data verification, checking

duplicity of information etc and it may be rejected due to non fulfillment of

quality standards set by the institutes.

Dr. Sachin S. Vernekar

(Director IMED)

2

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

This to certify that the project entitled “Customer Mapping and Direct Selling

for Mahindra & Mahindra” submitted to Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed

University, Pune in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the

degree of MBA is an original work carried out by Mr. T VISHAL SINGH

under the guidance of Prof. ANTHONY ROSE . The matter embodied in this

project is a genuine work done by CHIRAG CHOPRA to the best of my

knowledge and belief and has not been submitted before, neither to this

University nor to any other University for the fulfillment of the requirement of

any course of study.

_________________ __________________

Signature of student Signature of Guide

Designation:

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude towards my

mentor, Mr. Mohit Agarwal, for giving me this golden opportunity to work on

a live project, for guiding me and giving valuable insights of the industry, which

will surely help me in the future to succeed. It was a great learning experience

as I got an opportunity to learn the practical aspects of business. He shared his

pool of knowledge and experience. Also Mr. Mohit Agarwal, helped me a

great deal in making use of the right resources for successful completion of the

project.

I would also like to thank my faculty guide Dr. Anthony Rosewho had

alwaysbeen helpful in the entire period. Discussions and deliberations with him

haveenriched my knowledge to form my project in a better way.

Place: Pune T Vishal Singh

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INDEX

Chapter No. Title Page No.

1. Preface6

2. Introduction 7-10

3.

Profile Company Profile Product Profile Work Profile

11-1415-18

19

4.

Research Methodology Objectives of study Scope of Study Swot analysis Research Design Data collection Method Limitations of study Questionaire Fuel trial report

1920-2123-2425-2626-30

3132-35

36

5.Conceptual Discussion

News article IBEF report 2016 Initiatives by company

3738

6. Data Analysis and Intrepretation 39-45

7. Learnings 46

8. Findings and Suggestions 47-48

9.

Biblography 49

PREFACE5

Mahindra Truck and Bus division is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the

US $ 16.9 billion Mahindra group that provides an entire line of integrated

trucking solutions. The company has taken outperformance to the next level, by

creating trucks that are specifically designed for different applications and

deliver outperformance whatever be the business needs. From transit mixers and

bulkers to car carriers and refrigerated containers, Mahindra truck and bus

provides an entire line of integrated trucking solutions that help customers profit

by giving them the advantage of quick turnaround time and reliability along

with the assurance of Mahindra excellence in every aspect.

I was working for the Bus division. We basically had to target schools in the

Pune district. We had to study the buying behavioral patterns of the schools by

collecting primary data. We had to collect basic information of the school, the

decision makers of the school. Also see if they have any buses at present and if

they have then information of the buses like brand and number of buses. For

getting the information we designed a questionnaire in a way so that the

information is collected in a flow without wasting much time of the customers.

INTRODUCTION

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“The school-bus market is a rapidly growing segment. Of the 60,000 buses sold

in India annually, schools account for nearly 10,000. This segment has grown at

20 per cent the last five years. Among bus-makers, it is virtually a war out

there,” said Mr Anil Baliga, Director, Product Marketing Group, Eicher Trucks

and Buses.

The potential can also be gauged by the fact that there are three lakh schools

across the country. “Only one lakh have buses; which means 65 per cent of the

school market is still untapped,” he added.

Buses have become an incentive in parts of rural India where children end up

walking a few miles to their schools. To ensure that they do not stop studying

because of the distance factor, schools offer buses as an incentive for admission.

“We sent mails to about 10,000 schools in February. While a handful of big

chains adopt a centralised procurement system, we will have to canvass

individually for most others,” said Mr Baliga.

Volvo Eicher said it has a 20 per cent market share in the school-bus segment. It

focuses on 40-seaters, which are fast becoming popular. The company’s Skyline

range, with a price tag of Rs. 10.5 lakh plus, caters to the high end.

Mahindra Navistar, the joint venture of Mahindra & Mahindra and Navistar

USA, claims there is a shift in preference to smaller capacities of 15- and 25-

seaters. Mahindra Tourister, for instance, is one of the popular models in this

category.

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“We have a comprehensive school-bus marketing programme called Mahindra

School Fest through which we connect with over 65,000 schools across the

country,” said Mr Rakesh Kalra, Managing Director, Mahindra Navistar.

The company, which sold around 2,500 minibuses in April-July 2008, expects

50 per cent growth this year.

Safety, aesthetics and comfort are the norms of school buses. “The preference

for company-built buses is increasing. Elite schools also go in for add-ons such

as air-conditioning, and high-back and reclining seats,” said Mr Kalra..

What is mandatory for all school buses is a first-aid box, fire-extinguishers,

space under the seat for the school-bag, horizontal window grills and door

locks. In addition, they should be easily identifiable with the school’s telephone

number painted on the body.

Market leader Tata Motors retails its modified Starbus range, which is produced

at the Tata Marcopolo joint venture plant in Dharwad, Karnataka. The

company’s focus is on schools in the South. Recently, a chain in Andhra

Pradesh bought 82 Tata Marcopolo buses each with a seating capacity of 40 and

costing a little over Rs. 11 lakh.

Low-cost buses are also gaining ground as in the case of Volvo Eicher which

retails the Starline range for under Rs. 10 lakh. Similarly, Mahindra Navistar

also recently launched its 14-seater low-cost school bus called Vikrant.

As part of the marketing mix, promotion includes all activities that involve

communicating with the customer about the product and its benefits and

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features. Once a company has worked on the product and price elements, it is

time to start a conversation with the consumer about the product. This includes

raising awareness through different mediums to increase sales, as well as to

create and foster brand loyalty.

Information provided to the customer at this stage helps them in making

purchase decisions regarding the product. Often, there is substantial cost

associated with promotional activities. But since the result is often an increase

in sales or customer loyalty, there is thought to be long term return on this

investment. There are many ends that a company may try to reach through a

promotion including but not limited to an increase in sales, acceptance of new

products, brand equity creation and brand positioning, addressing competitor

actions and rebranding

Every business organization reaches to the customers through their goods or

services. To sell the products to the customers a number of activities are being

performed. This is called marketing and it is an important function. Marketing is

the performance of business activities that directs the flow of goods and services

from producer to the customer. It is the activity that directs to satisfy the human

needs through exchange process. Marketing starts with the identification of a

specific need of customers and ends with satisfaction of that need. The customer

is found in the beginning and end of marketing process. In marketing a large

number of activities are performed. For easy understanding these activities are

divided in 4 groups for products and 7 groups for services. These elements are

product, price, Promotion, placement for products and three additional elements

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for services are process, people and physical evidence. These are called

elements of marketing mix.

Mahindra is best known for utility vehicles and tractors in India, Its automotive

division, the company's oldest unit (founded in 1945), makes jeeps and three-

wheelers (not passenger "auto rickshaws," but utilitarian delivery and flatbed

incarnations). M&M's farm equipment sector, formed in 1963 during India's

green revolution, manufactures tractors and industrial engines. M&M also

produces military vehicles. The company has facilities located throughout India.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in

India. The company started manufacturing commercial vehicles in 1945. M&M

is the leader by far in commercial vehicle and the second largest in the

passenger vehicle market. The company is the world’s sixth largest medium and

heavy commercial vehicle manufacturing.

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COMPANY PROFILE

Mahindra Truck and Bus division is a wholly owned subsidiary and part

of the US $ 16.9 billion Mahindra group that provides an entire line of

integrated trucking solutions. The company has taken outperformance to the

next level, by creating trucks that are specifically designed for different

applications and deliver outperformance whatever be the business needs. From

transit mixers and bulkers to car carriers and refrigerated containers, Mahindra

truck and bus provides an entire line of integrated trucking solutions that help

customers profit by giving them the advantage of quick turnaround time and

reliability along with the assurance of Mahindra excellence in every aspect.

The heavy commercial vehicle product range has been engineered for Indian

requirements with the underlying philosophy of ‘Made in India, Made for

India’. In HCV segment, Mahindra Truck and Bus Division already have

reached more than 15,000 trucks on road. The company is in the process of

addressing every segment of the commercial vehicle market, from 3.5 tonne

GVW to 49 tonner GVW, with variants that meet the varying needs of

passenger transport, cargo and specialized load applications. The new range of

medium and heavy commercial vehicle is being manufactured at the new green

field plant at Chakan. The plant, which spans over 700 acres, has been set up

with an investment of over Rs. 4000 crores and is producing other Mahindra

products as well. This helps the Mahindra group to leverage the benefits of

synergies of an integrated manufacturing facility. The company offers 5 years or

5 lac Kms transferable warranty, which is an industry first and cost effective

AMC.

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In the Light commercial vehicle segment, Mahindra Truck and Bus division has

a market share of 8.9%. It is all set to further strengthen its position all across

India with over 125,000 vehicles already on the roads. The entire range of LCV

load vehicles and Buses are manufactured in the Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Facility at Zaheerabad.

Mahindra Truck and Bus has rapidly expanded its after sales service and spares

network which now includes 66 nos. 3S dealership, 90 Authorized service

centers and 2516 roadside assistance points; and spares network of 1322 retail

outlets to further improve the reach of support for customers on important

trucking routes. The company also has India’s first multi-lingual helpline, NOW

,which is manned by technical experts to provide instant support to customers.

The NOW mobile service vans and mobile workshops further add to the reach

and agility of the support network.

In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing

of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by

revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra group also received the

Financial Times ‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the Emerging Markets in

2013.

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Mahindra expects trucks, bus division to double market share in

2 years

Hyderabad: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd’s trucks and bus division expects to

double its market share in two years, a top company executive said.

Mahindra Trucks and Buses Ltd, which entered the heavy commercial vehicle

(HCV) segment three years ago, is a tiny player in the market dominated by

Tata Motors Ltd and Ashok Leyland, which have 55% and 30% market share,

respectively. Mahindra Trucks had 3.4% share of the market as of December.

The company is rapidly expanding its dealer and service network and is

innovating on new products to appeal to customers. Blazo, the latest truck

from its stable, features a fuel smart engine with three driving modes, seen in

some passenger cars. A truck driver can switch to different driving modes –

turbo, heavy and light – based on load and road conditions.

So confident is the company of its vehicle mileage guarantee that it is offering

to take back any Blazo truck whose mileage fails to compete against a similar

class vehicle under comparable test conditions.

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“That should hit the customer’s heart,” said Nalin Mehta, managing director

and chief executive officer.

Acceptance of Mahindra’s commercial vehicle products has increased over the

past few years and the overall HCV market is growing, Mehta pointed out.

Mahindra has sold more than 17,000 trucks since inception.

The truck and bus division is also investing Rs.600-700 crore to develop

intermediate and light commercial vehicles.

Currently, it makes commercial vehicles in 3.5 to 7 tonne category and 25 to 49

tonne truck segment. It will fill this gap by entering the intermediate

commercial vehicle segment and is developing 8 to 16 tonne vehicles, Nalin

said. This is a new category for the company. It’s also developing a new range

of trucks in 3.5 to 7 tonne commercial vehicle segment.

Apart from Blazo, Mahindra currently has the Truxo range of multi-axle trucks,

Torro tippers and Traco tractor trailers. The new vehicles will be ready to hit

the market in 2.5 years, Nalin said.

The company is also undertaking rapid expansion of its after-sales network by

opening 74 dealerships, 90 authorized service centres, 2,900 roadside

assistance service points. It’s also expanding spares network of 1,777 outlets to

compete better against well-entrenched rivals such as Tata Motors, Ashok

Leyland and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, which sells the Bharat

Benz branded medium and heavy duty trucks and buses.

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The heavy duty trucks are made at Mahindra’s Chakan facility near Pune while

some of the light commercial vehicles are manufactured at its Zaheerabad

facility near Hyderabad.

Yogendra Kalavalapalli

Product Profile

I. Tourister Cosmo Bus :

The Tourister Cosmo Buses of Mahindra are powerful, efficient

andcomfortable with attractive looks available in 16, 20, 32 & 40seater. The

bus is designed to save more money in many different ways as follows:

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Performance and Technical specialization:

Fuel efficient CRDe BS III engine for better pick up

Unmatched fuel average with 1600 bar pressure leads to better

atomization of fuel

Low Noise, Vibration in Saloon Area

Over Drive gear box to help achieve higher road speed at a lower engine

r. p. m

At least 10 % better in fuel efficiency as compared to any of the

competitors.

Specially optimized suspension, power steering for 32 & 40 seater and

air brakes

Style, Comfort and Safety:

Follows all the norms of school bus stated

Multiple piece metal fascia for longer life, safety, reparability, Low

maintenance

Larger Windscreen - for better visibility

Curvy Stylish Appearance with captivating front & rear fascia

Metal fascia in multiple pieces for safety & easy maintenance

Peep Window for better driver visibility

Large rear window and Bigger Sunken dickey with gas stay rods for extra

storage

100% insurance claim in case of accident

Interiors:

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Roomy and admiring interiors with different Dual tone fresh color

combination on seats for regular and school bus

4-way adjustable driver seat and quarter window for ventilation

Ergonomically designed seats with padded hat rack

Full length first foot step and low entry step for students

Metal bag rack below the seats in school bus with sports kit rack

Service:

NOW : India’s first multi lingual 24*7 on road assistance service

80 dealerships with fully covered workshops

NOW mobile service van with all fast moving parts and tools

Easily available spare parts

4 free service and warranty available

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II. Tourister Excelo Bus:

The Tourister Excelo buses are economical yet comfortable range of

Mahindra. It is build to deliver performance with great fuel efficiency and

new style. All other features are quite similar to Cosmo range with slight

differences to make it more economical.

Better pick up with CRDe engine

Better fuel combustion which cuts down fuel wastage and emissions

Better pulling power

9 piece front fascia metal body

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Pnuematic brakes in 32/36 seater

Attractive interior with single tone seat colour

First aid kit and fire extinguisher

Grey vinyl flooring with small button type pattern

Work Profile-

Marketing and market research.

Direct Selling and Consumer feedback.

The internship span was a wide experience of working in a MNC. It was started

from Market research right from designing the questionnaire to dividing the

district of Pune into different hubs. Also we had to decide our target customers

and the approach had to be decided. We were 8 interns at the beginning in

which there were 5 senior interns from PUMBA and 4 junior interns from

Bharti Vidhyapeeth College. We had 1 junior intern working with us and the

area of Pune was divided into four hubs. Also we prepared a questionnaire so

that we can gather information from the customers and study the behaviour of

the customers. So that we can decide our plan to approach them.

Objectives and Scope of Study

The study has been under taken to analyze the customer satisfaction towards all

variant of Mahindra Motors in Deoghar (Jharkhand) with a special reference to

the M&M motors, the other objectives are:

To gather information about customer satisfaction toward Mahindra and

Mahindra Motors in the geographic region of Deoghar (Jharkahnd).

19

To know the customer perception about features, low maintenance cost

and looks of Mahindra and Mahindra Motors.

To know the customer satisfaction about the safety and comfortable

Vechiles of Mahindra and Mahindra

To provide suggestions, in improving the customer satisfaction and the

company sales and profitability

To know the customer satisfaction towards the after sales service offers

by M&M.

Business Development and Sales for Mahindra & Mahindra in Pune

district.

Market research and study of behavioral patterns of decision makers of

schools.

To understand buyer and purchase hindrances along with post purchase

issues.

To satisfy the customers by understanding the problems and solving

them.

Enhancing Awareness

The primary objective was to create more awareness of various products of

Mahindra in the Bus segment and also to tell them about our cutting edge

innovation in Engine through CRD engine that has direct and measurable

impact on mileage and performance of the vehicle.

Creating Interest

The aim here is to identify a need that the product fulfils and make sure that the

customer recognizes this need as something that is unfulfilled for them.

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Providing Information

Here the aim is to give necessary information regarding the product, its benefits,

features and usage to the consumer. Unique features and benefits have to be

explained. The new feature on the existing product has been highlighted

Stimulate Demand

The company seeks to enhance its sales through promotion. Because of the fall

in the sales than usual, the aim here is to get them back up to target level by re-

engaging old customers and encouraging new ones to try a product out. In other

instances, the aim may be to increase sales further at certain times of the year

such as near a major holiday. Free demonstrations or special deals may be used

to reach these ends.

Differentiate product

As the company has many competitor in the market the unique features which

Mahindra buses offer has to be explained so that the product can be

differentiated with the other brands product. The focus here remains on those

features, functionalities or benefits that may not be offered by a competitor or

may not be offered so well.

Reinforce the Brand

One basic aim of a promotional activity is to further strengthen the brand and its

place in the market. This helps turn a first time purchases into a life time

purchaser. This can also help create advocates for the product from within the

customer base.

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FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE ORGANIZATION

Mahindra and Mahindra have rolled out the 15,000th truck from its Pune plant.

With this, it plans to refurbish its heavy vehicle business. In addition to this, the

company also aims to invest Rs 700 crore to expand its light and intermediate

commercial vehicle segment. This will enable the automaker to become a full-

range player in the Indian auto market.

"The CV industry has seen an upturn over the last few quarters which is a good

sign. At Mahindra, we have been steadily growing and are taking aggressive

steps to become a full range player," Rajan Wadhera, president and chief

executive of Truck & power train & head of Mahindra Research Valley,

Mahindra & Mahindra told The Economic Times.

The company has also aspires to expand its network to 80 3S dealership from 66

currently, 173 authorized service centers from 93, 2516 roadside assistance

service points and a retail spares network of 2,000 outlets.

In FY-15, Mahindra & Mahindra posted a growth of over 50% by selling over

3500 units. The good performance is continuing in FY-16 as well.

The market of medium and heavy trucks has grown by 23%, wherein Mahindra

Trucks and Buses has managed to outpace the market with a growth of 32.33%

in the first quarter by selling over 1000 units. The company's sales in the light

commercial vehicle space have, however, have declined slightly by 2% with

sales 1429 units in the first quarter.

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The Indian automaker has crossed a sales milestone of 1.25 lakh units of light

commercial vehicles on Indian roads as well.

Nalin Mehta, chief executive officer & MD, Mahindra Truck and Bus Division,

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. told the financial daily that out of the 6,000

customers using Mahindra's trucks in various applications across the country,

30% of them have opted for repeat purchase.

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strength:

(a) Trust people are having in the brand name Mahindra motors.

(b) Strong relationship with dealers

(c) Number of authorize service station is in good number than that of

competitors

(d) Product is based on CRD engine which are successfully running on roads.

(e) Most of the market is credit driven so easy finance provided by Mahindra

motors (Mahindra finance) itself and others is an edge over competitors.

(f) Stylish when compared to Tata product.

(g) More spacious than Tata product.

(h) Safer than SML product.

(i) The size of fuel cylinder is large. Therefore to go number of times to a

petrol pump for filing.

Weaknesses:

(a) Availability of spare parts23

(b) Average is less than that of Eicher product.

(c) Maintenance cost is high.

(d) Rising cost of raw materials resulting in law margins. Therefore high

discounts cant be offered.

(e) Cost is higher than SML buses.

Opportunities:

(a) Improving road infrastructure.

(b)Standard of living of country people are improving day by day because of

increasing per capita income so there is a chance of spreading the business

in every nook corner of the city.

(c) Lenient norms for generation of permits.

Threats:

(a) Demand contraction due to market up heaval.

(b) Strong presence of TaTa and SML buses.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A research process consists of stages or steps that guide the project from its

conception through the final analysis, recommendations and ultimate actions.

The research process provides a systematic, planned approach to the research

project and ensures that all aspects of the research project are consistent with

each other.

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Research studies evolve through a series of steps, each representing the answer

to a key question.

INTRODUCTION

This chapter aims to understand the research methodology establishing a

framework of evaluation and revaluation of primary and secondary research.

The techniques and concepts used during primary research in order to arrive at

findings; which are also dealt with and lead to a logical deduction towards the

analysis and results.

RESEARCH DESIGN

I propose to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand the full

impact and implication of the industry, to review and critique the industry

norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I feel remain

unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in the next stage of

exploratory research. This stage shall help me to restrict and select only the

important question and issue, which inhabit growth and segmentation in the

industry.

The various tasks that I have undertaken in the research design

process are :

*Defining the information need

*Design the exploratory, descriptive and causal research.

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RESEARCH PROCESS

The research process has four distinct yet interrelated steps for research analysis

It has a logical and hierarchical ordering:

*Determination of information research problem.

* Development of appropriate research design.

* Execution of research design.

* Communication of results.

Each step is viewed as a separate process that includes a combination of task ,

step and specific procedure. The steps undertake are logical, objective,

systematic, reliable, valid, impersonal and ongoing.

Data Collection Method :-

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

The method I used for exploratory research was

* Primary Data

* Secondary data

PRIMARY DATA

New data gathered to help solve the problem at hand. As compared to secondary

data which is previously gathered data. An example is information gathered by

a questionnaire. Qualitative or quantitative data that are newly collected in the

course of research, Consists of original information that comes from people and

26

includes information gathered from surveys, focus groups, independent

observations and test results. Data

gathered by the researcher in the act of conducting research. This is contrasted

to secondary data, which entails the use of data gathered by someone other than

the researcher information that is obtained directly from first-hand sources by

means of surveys, observation or experimentation.

Primary data is basically collected by getting questionnaire filled by the

respondents.

SECONDARY DATA

Information that already exists somewhere, having been collected for another

purpose. Sources include census reports, trade publications, and subscription

services. There are two types of secondary data: internal and external secondary

data. Information compiled inside or outside the organization for some purpose

other than the current investigation Researching information, which has already

been published? Market information compiled for purposes other than the

current research effort; it can be internal data, such as existing sales-tracking

information, or it can be research conducted by someone else, such as a market

research company or the U.S. government.

Secondary source of data used consists of books and websites

My proposal is to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand the

full impact and implication of the industry, to review and critique the industry

norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I feel remain

unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in the next stage of

exploratory research.

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DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH

STEPS in the descriptive research:

Statement of the problem

*Identification of information needed to solve the problem

*Selection or development of instruments for gathering the information

*Identification of target population and determination of sampling Plan.

*Design of procedure for information collection

*Collection of information

*Analysis of information

*Generalizations and/or predictions

DATA COLLECTION

Data collection took place with the help of filling of questionnaires. The

questionnaire method has come to the more widely used and economical means

of data collection. The common factor in all varieties of the questionnaire

method is this reliance on verbal responses to questions, written or oral. I found

it essential to make sure the questionnaire was easy to read and understand to all

spectrums of people in the sample. It was also important as researcher to respect

the samples time and energy hence the questionnaire was designed in such a

way, that its administration would not exceed 4-5 mins. These questionnaires

were personally administered. 28

The first hand information was collected by making the people fill the

questionnaires. The primary data collected by directly interacting with the

people. The respondents were contacted at shopping malls, markets, places that

were near to showrooms of the consumer durable products etc. The data was

collected by interacting with 200 respondents who filled the questionnaires and

gave me the required necessary information. The respondents consisted of

housewives, students, businessmen, professionals etc. the required information

was collected by directly interacting with these respondents.

DETERMINATION THE SAMPLE PLAN AND SAMPLE SIZE

TARGET POPULATION

It is a description of the characteristics of that group of people from whom a

course is intended. It attempts to describe them as they are rather than as the

describer would like them to be. Also called the audience the audience to be

served by our project includes key demographic information (i.e.; age, sex

etc.).The specific population intended as beneficiaries of a program. This will

be either all or a subset of potential users, such as adolescents, women, rural

residents, or the residents of a particular geographic area. Topic areas:

Governance, Accountability and Evaluation, Operations Management and

Leadership. A population to be reached through some action or intervention;

may refer to groups with specific demographic or geographic characteristics.

The group of people you are trying to reach with a particular strategy or

activity. The target population is the population I want to make conclude an

ideal situation; the sampling frames to matches the target population. A specific

resource set that is the object or target of investigation. The audience defined in

age, background, ability, and preferences, among other things, for which a given

course of instruction is intended.

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I have selected the sample trough Simple random Sampling.

SAMPLE SIZE:

This involves figuring out how many samples one need.

The numbers of samples you need are affected by the following factors:

* Project goals

* How you plan to analyze your data

* How variable your data are or are likely to be

* How precisely you want to measure change or trend

* The number of years over which you want to detect a trend

* How many times a year you will sample each point

* How much money and manpower you have

SAMPLE SIZE

I have targeted 150people in the age group above 21 years for the purpose of the

research. The target population influences the sample size. The target

population represents the Delhi regions. . The people were from different

professional backgrounds.

The details of our sample are explained in chapter named primary research

where the divisions are explained in demographics section.

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ERRORS IN THE STUDY

Interviewer error

There is interviewer bias in the questionnaire method. Open-ended questions

can be biased by the interviewer’s views or probing, as interviewers are guiding

the respondent while the questionnaire is being filled out. The attitudes the

interviewer revels to the respondent during the interview can greatly affect their

level of interest and willingness to answer openly. As interviewers, probing and

clarifications maximize respondent understanding and yield complete answers,

these advantages are offset by the problems of prestige seeking, social

desirability and courtesy biases.

Questionnaire error

The questionnaire designing has to careful so that only required data is

concisely reveled and there is no redundant data generated. The questions have

to be worded carefully so that the questions are not loaded and does not lead to

a bias in the respondents mind

Respondent error

The respondents selected to be interviewed were not always available and

willing to co operate also in most cases the respondents were found to not have

the knowledge, opinion, attitudes or facts required additionally uninformed

response errors and response styles also led to survey error.

Sampling error

We have taken the sample size of 150, which cannot determine the buying

behavior of the total population. The sample has been drawn from only National

Capital Region.

31

QUESTIONAIRE

Name of

School

Decision

Maker

Address Name and

Mobile no. of

Decision

maker

No. of Students Transport

Incharge

NameE- Mail Transport

incharge

Mobile no.Survey done

by

School

Details given

by

1. TRANSPORT FACILITY

No. of school buses owned by schools

No. of school buses owned by contract/outsourced:

Sr. No Name of contractor Mobile no Buses owned of brand32

12345678910

2. Which type of transport service do you have for students?

Minivans

School buses

Others (specify)

3. How many students travel by bus everyday?

4. Are you satisied with after sales services with brands you own?

Brand Mahindra Sml Tata Eicher forceYesNoDo not

own

5. Which brand and size of school bus do you have?33

Seating Mahindra Tata Sml Force Ashok

leyland

Eicher TOTAL

16202532364046&abov

eTOTAL

6. What factors do you regard is the important for purchasing?

(rate 1-9 , 1 being most and 9 being least important)

Price

Product features

Fuel eficiency

After sales service

Brand image

Operating economics

Seating capacity

Dealership

Reference

Other (specify)

________________________________________________

7. When was your last purchase and future plan?

34

Last purchaseYear of purchase

Brand

No. of buses and seating

capacity

Future planYear of purchase

Brand

No. of buses

Seating capacity

8. Are you aware of Mahindra range of buses?

Yes

No

9. Would you recommend Mahindra buses?

Yes

No

Fuel trial reports-

35

In order to compete with the competition every company has some USP. For

showing the customer that how good our company is or how better are we than

out competition. Likewise our USP was fuel efficiency. But by just telling the

customer that our bus is the most fuel efficient bus he won’t agree so we had

back to back trials. With our competitors buses and then we took reports from

the customers who had satisfied by the results.

Image of fuel trial report-

School name- JSPM school, Tathawade.

Transport incharge- Mr. Sunil Kolte.

Route – From Tathawade to Lonawala and back.

CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSION :-36

News articles IBEF report March 2016

Statistics for Automotive Industry:

In order to keep up with the growing demand, several auto makers have started

investing heavily in various segments of the industry during the last few

months. The industry has attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) worth US$

14.32 billion during the period April 2000 to December 2015, according to data

released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

The auto industry produced a total 19.84 million vehicles in April-January

2016, including passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, three wheelers and

two wheelers, as against 19.64 million in April-January 2015.The Indian small

and light commercial vehicle segment is expected to more than double by 2015-

16 and grow at 18.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the next five

years. The light commercial vehicles (LCV) market - both passenger and goods

carrier is estimated to register a sales growth of around 20% during FY 2012-

FY 2015.

Investments and Initiatives in Automotive Industry:

Some major investments and developments are made by companies like

Mahindra, Mercedes Benz, General Motors, Ford, etc.

Also the Government of India has taken some major initiatives apart from 100%

FDI under the automotive route like

37

Plans to setup a separate independent Department of Transport to handle

all issues related to this industry.

In Union Budget 2015-16, Govt. announced a credit of Rs.850,000 Cr to

farmers to boost tractor sales.

The Automobile Mission Plan (AMP) for the period 2006–2016,

designed by the government is aimed at accelerating and sustaining

growth in this sector.

Fig. 1: Total Production of Automobiles in India

38

DATA ANALYSIS and INTREPRETATION

1. Division of PUNE District into 4 hubs -

For visiting the schools in the Pune region we had to plan in such a way

that the district had to be divided among 8 interns for that we divided

Pune into 4 hubs.

TABLE 1 : Division of schools in pune region

HUB TOTAL NO. OF SCHOOLS

Hub1 380

Hub2 383

Hub3 475

Hub4 431

TOTAL SCHOOLS 1669

FIGURE 1

380

383

475

431

Hub1Hub2Hub3Hub4

39

2. Number of interested customers in pune region to buy

mahindra bus.

It is derined by creating BUCKET LIST using SALES FUNNEL

5 Bucket list –

The 5 Bucket list was the list of the customers who had a big fleet of

vehicles. So we made a list of such customers after gathering information

from various other lists.

TABLE 2 : Total no. of targeted schools

Total Number of schools 1600

Number of schools having fleet more

than 6

100

Targeted schools 80

FIGURE 2

1600

10080

Total Number of schools

Number of schools having fleet more than 6

Targeted schools

40

3. Total no. of Lost deals out of targeted customers ?

This was the list of customers to whom we could make a deal last year.

There were many reasons for that like the customer was not happy with the

company, he had some financial issues, we lost to the competition etc. So we

made a list of such customers so that we could approach them this year and

crack the deal.

Table 3 : Total no of deals lost

Targeted schools Lost deals80 40

Figure 3

targeted schools

lost deals

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Series1

41

4. Are you satisfied with mahindra bus?

Table 4 : percentage o Satisfied Customers

Yes No

78% 22%

Source: Questionnaire

Figure 4

Series1

Interpretation 1:42

The sample drawn on probability basis shows that 78% of the customers

were satisfied with Cosmo variant and only 22% were not satisfied with Cosmo

variant.

Observation:

Most of the respondents approached were satisfied with mahindra cosmo

bus

Table No: 5 Factors affecting customer satisfaction towards Mahindra

cosmo bus

Factor No. of Respondent Percentage

Features 18 12%

Low Maintenance 51 34%

Comfort 27 18%

Style 24 16%

After Sales Service 30 20%

Source: Questionnaire

Figure:543

18

51

27

24

30

satisaction factors

Features Low Maintenance Comfort Style After Sales Service

Interpretation 2: The sample drawn on the probability basis clearly shows that

34% (51respondents) are the opinion that low maintenance is the satisfaction

factor and 20 %( 30 respondents) of them who view After Sales Service as a

vital factor for customer satisfaction. Followed by Comfort which corresponds

to 18 %( 27 respondents), Style with 16%(respondents) and only 12%(18

respondents) of them view that feature of Cosmo as satisfaction factor.

Observation: Majority of the respondent are of the idea that low maintenance

of the top most feature contributing to customer satisfaction followed by after

sales services comfort style and features As such, Mahindra should focus on the

aspects, which will enhance the customer satisfaction and thus the market share.

List of schools having requirement in June –

44

While visiting schools we came to a conclusion that most of the make decisions of buying in the month of June. In the month of June the admissions are almost done and the buying decision of buses depends upon the number of admissions that take place during the academic year.

Table no. 6 : closed deals

Total data no. of schools 1669After sales funnel 856Willing to buy this year 160Targeted schools 80Total schools planning to buy in june 24Total estimated no. of buses required 40

Figure 6

Total data no. of schools

After sales funnel

Willing to buy this year

Targeted schools

Total schools planning to buy in june

Total estimated no. of buses required

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

Series1

Learnings –

45

Understanding the working of an Automotive giant through dealer’s

network.

Opportunity to work on a live project.

Helped me in developing my leadership skills and team building.

Opportunity of working and understanding functions and processes in a

research team of India’s top quality vehicle manufacturing company,

Mahindra & Mahindra Truck & Bus Division.

This project spanned the Market Research Cum Sales concepts. This

project also involved learning’s about Purchase Procedures and general

working of service touch points for the customers.

Understanding and learning practically the efforts involved in decision

and strategy making, factors involved in strategy formulating.

Opportunity to work in a diverse workgroup and developing

communication and soft skills by working with people across cultures.

Opportunity to meet the loyal clients of Mahindra and know about its

market capacity and getting valuable feedback from them.

Pitching the product according to the behaviour and body language of

the customer.

Planning in a systematic way, and approach towards a particular

problem.

Got an opportunity to learn details about the working of the buses.

CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS46

The attempt at changing mind-sets was divided up into two challenges. The first

to move negative perceptions to neutral and the second to move neutral

perceptions to positive. An integrated press and public relations plan was

devised and rolled out to address the first challenge and communicate the

changed company and product to the audience. Factory visits, meetings and

interviews with designers and engineers, motor shows, sponsorships, displays at

public arenas and well planned advertisement campaigns were part of this

strategy. These efforts helped reduce the strong negative image and create the

basis for further shift towards a positive image.

In attempting to address the second challenge, the company needed to

encourage consumers to think about buying the product. This is not possible

only through advertising for example, but needs a focus on building up the

brand and what it stands for. This was done by emphasizing Mahindra’s brand

values through cars that were practical, reliable, functional and robust. This was

also reiterated through a focus on quality and value for money for the customer

among other things.

Mahindra should withdraw Maximo Van from Market or should provide

economic replacement with new modified Maximo so that existing customer of

Mahindra product could be satisfied. These efforts helped reduce the strong

negative image of Mahindra and create the basis for further shift towards a

positive image.

Mahindra Company has to implement good customer relationship management

47

strategy that enhances customer satisfaction level. The company can undertake

R&D to improve the existing feature which field help increase in the customer

satisfaction. The company should promote about the entire feature offered by it.

As majority of the respondents are satisfied with the safety and comfort feature

of Mahindra Cosmo, the company should maintain the same standard and it is

suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the negative opinion

among the consumer.

As such, Mahindra should focus on the aspects, which will enhance the

customer satisfaction and thus the market share.

48

REFERENCES & SOURCES USED

Company’s Manual

R.M.Lala, The Romance of ,

John Bramham, Manpower Planning,

Bernard Ungerson, Recruiting & Selecting Personnel,

M Pearn& R Kandola, Job Analysis,

www.Mahindra Truck And Bus Division.com

business.outlookindia.com

Marketing Management by Philip Kotler

www.autocarpro.in/analysis.../ india -sales-analysis-cy2015 -

commercial - vehicles -1031 3 .

49

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