Summer Internship Project Report

On
“Purchase Behavior and Lead Generation for
School Buses: Study of Mahindra and Mahindra
in
Dehradun & NCR”

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE

AWARD OF DEGREE OF
POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
2018-2020

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Mr. Amit Dhyani (Industry Mentor) Achint Pal Singh

Mr. Pankaj Priya (Academic Mentor) PGDM (Marketing) ‘A’

18DM012

Page | 1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents Page No.

Acknowledgement..................................................................................................................4
Letter Of Authorisation............................................................................................................5
Academic Guide Declaration...................................................................................................6
Letter Of Transmittal...............................................................................................................7
List Of Tables, Charts & Exhibits......................................................................................................8
Executive Summary.................................................................................................................9
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................11
1.1 Rationale of the Study................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.2 Analysis of the Commercial Vehicle Segment.........................................................................................................11

1.3 About Mahindra and Mahindra................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

1.4 About Mahindra Trucks and Bus Division (MTBD).................................................................................................15

1.5 Types Of School Buses.............................................................................................................................................16

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW/CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT......................17

CHAPTER 3 OBJECTIVES & RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................20
3.1 Objective of the study:............................................................................................................................................20

3.2 Scope of the Study..................................................................................................................................................21

3.3 Research method adopted......................................................................................................................................22

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION..............................................................23

PART A 4.1 Dehradun Territory- April 4 to June 4.................................................................23
4.1.1 Fleet Bifurcation For Dehradun Territory............................................................................................................24

4.1.2 Educational institution’s bifurcation on the basis of No. of buses......................................................................25

4.1.3 Analyzing the key factors responsible for Purchasing.........................................................................................26

4.1.4 Bifurcating the Leads generated by the Time of Purchase..................................................................................27

4.2 AHP Analysis: Dehradun Territory...................................................................................28

CHAPTER 5 SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENNDATIONS AND CONCLUSION..................................32
5.1 Results And Conclusions.........................................................................................................................................32

5.2 Learnings................................................................................................................................................................33

5.3 Recommendations & Suggestions..........................................................................................................................34

 ANNEXURE...........................................................................................................................36
6.1 Questionaire(For Ahp Analysis)..............................................................................................................................36

6.2 Questionaire..........................................................................................................................................................45

6.3 Hot And Warm Leads For Dehradun Territory........................................................................................................46

6.4 Testimonials............................................................................................................................................................47

Part B Closure of Sales…................................................................................................................ 49

BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................................52
 certificate of Internship

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have put in efforts to do this project. However, it would have not been possible without the kind
support and help of many individuals. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude towards them.

I would like to gratefully acknowledge the contribution of all the people who took active part and
provided valuable support to me during the course of this project. To begin with, I would like to offer my
sincere thanks to Mr. Gagandeep Singh Behl, Area Business Manager (UP- West and UK) for giving me
the opportunity to do my summer training at a reputed brand like Mahindra and Mahindra. Without his
guidance/support, and valuable suggestions, the project would not have been accomplished. I would
also like to thank Mr. Amit Dhyani, Sr. Sales Manager, Mahindra and Mahindra who constantly guided
me and helped me in this project. I would like to extend my warm regards to Mr. Dheeraj Mishra,Mr.
Abhinav Choudhary and Mr. Pranshu Agrawal, Sales Manager- (UP- West and UK) without his support
and help, I would not have been able to complete the project.

I also sincerely thank Dr. Pankaj Priya, my faculty mentor at BIMTECH, who provided valuable
suggestions, shared his rich corporate experience, and helped me script the exact requisites.

Achint Pal Singh

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 LETTER OF AUTHORISATION

I, Achint Pal Singh, a student of Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), hereby declare
that I have worked on a project titles “Purchase Behavior and Lead Generation for School Buses: Study
of Mahindra and Mahindra in Dehradun & NCR” during my summer internship at Mahindra Trucks and
Buses Division(MTBD)-Mahindra and Mahindra in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the Post
Graduation in Management program.

I guarantee/underwrite my research work to be authentic and original to the best of my knowledge in

all aspects of the process carried out during the project tenure

My learning at Mahindra and Mahindra, under the guidance of Mr. Amit Dhyani, Senior Sales Manager,
Mr. Gagandeep Singh Behl, Area Business Manager(UP- West and UK) and academic guide, and Dr.
Pankaj Priya, Associate Professor at BIMTECH has been truly enriching.

June 25th, 2019

Achint Pal Singh

PGDM (Marketing) ‘A’

18DM012
 ACADEMIC GUIDE DECLARATION

Date: 5th July, 2019

This is to certify that Mr. Achint Pal Singh, Roll no. 18DM012, a student of PGDM (Marketing),
BIMTECH, has worked on a summer project titled, “Purchase Behavior and Lead Generation for School
Buses: Study of Mahindra and Mahindra in Dehradun & NCR” at Mahindra and Mahindra in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the Post Graduate Diploma in Management program.

This is his original work to the best of my knowledge.

Dr. Pankaj Priya

Associate Professor,

Chairperson-Marketing Area,

BIMTECH, Greater Noida.

 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

Date: June, 25th, 2019

Mr. Amit Dhyani,

Mahindra Trucks and Buses Ltd.,

Mahindra Towers,1st Floor, 2A

Bhikaji Cama Place,

New Delhi-110066

Dear Sir,

Re: Summer Project Report

Attached herewith is a copy of my summer project report “Purchase Behavior and Lead Generation for
School Buses: Study of Mahindra and Mahindra in Dehradun & NCR” which I am submitting in order to
mark the completion of a 10-week summer project at your organization. This report was prepared by me
using the best of practices and summarizes the work performed on the project and is being submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for award of diploma.

I would like to mention that the overall experience with the organization was very good, and helped me
to know how look is carried out in real practice with the help of your esteemed organization. I feel
honored that I got an opportunity to work with Mahindra and Mahindra, a company of great repute.

I hope I did justice to the project and added some value to the organization. Suggestions/comments
would always be appreciated.

Yours truly,

Achint Pal Singh

Birla Institute of Management Technology

 LIST OF TABLES & CHARTS

Particulars Page
No.

Table One: Segment wise Domestic Market Share(IBEF Report) 12

Figure 1: Technical Specifications(Mahindra Brochure) 15

Figure2: Seating Capacity (Mahindra Brochure) 16

Table Two: Fleet Bifurcation 24

Bar Graph: Fleet Bifurcation 24

Table Three: Bucket List Bifurcation 25

Graph: Bucket List Bifurcation 25

Table Four: Purchase Priority Bifurcation 26

Graph: Purchase Decisions 26

Table Five: Types of Leads(Cold, Warm, Hot) 27

Graph: Count of Leads 28

Table 1: AHP Analysis 29

Table 2: AHP Results 30

Bar Graph: Alternative wise Global Weight 30

Bar Graph: Criteria Ranking (in % age) 31

Graph: Combined Analysis 31

Figure: Suggestions(LinkedIn) 35

Figure: Sales Funnel (LCV’S & HCV’S)(Dealership) 49

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In this era of fierce competition, every competition has to deliver its best products at a fairly competitive
price so as to sustain in this dynamic market. As it has been rightly said by the laureate Hilary Mason “It
is a huge competitive advantage to see in real time what’s happening with your data.” Mahindra and
Mahindra are a renowned name in the automobile industry and is well known for its durable,
environment friendly and fuel-efficient variants across many automotive passenger and commercial
vehicles.

Mahindra Trucks and bus is the commercial vehicle segment of the company segmented into Light
Commercial Vehicles (LCV’s) and Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV’s). The company is less known for its
school buses in India because they have been lately introduced. The objectives of the study were to
generate enquiries for the company in the LCV- school buses segment, enhance Mahindra’s brand
image, creating interest and providing relevant information about the company’s product in the
segment and also to differentiate it from the competitor’s offerings. The market research and
sentiments of the customer were to be studied to determine the major factors responsible for purchase
decisions.

The company inducted in the school bus segment also because Feb-July is considered as a boom period
for school bus sales. The company intended to get a ready updated database of the various
schools/colleges in the Uttarakhand and UP(West) region and also expected us to generate new leads
for the division by cold calling. The working started in the Dehradun area, which is known as the mecca
of schools and colleges in the entire region.

In the initial two months, data was collected by cold calling and also to make the prospects known about
the company’s offerings. The target audience mainly consisted of school owners/Principals, Transport
Managers, Drivers, Administration staff. Reviews with the company daily, weekly and fortnightly reviews
with the company followed by regular trainings with the staff. The training helped gain deeper insight
into school bus features, general & technical specifications and various types of queries that we may
encounter on field visits at the respective positions.

In the last two weeks, once enough ground practical experience was gathered to deal with different
customers, exposure was given to the main step of the sales process i.e. the closure of the deal. Closure
of the warm and hot leads shared by the company were of the Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida
region. Training about the process was given, the price quotations of various segments of buses was
shared. This was a challenging task to close a deal but was full of useful insights of the company. For the
closure of the deal one of the company official accompanied at all times to guide in case of any problems
faced while dealing with the client.

In the end, data collected from the Dehradun market will be compared with the data available with the
company to check if there is any notable increase in demand in the market from the sampling done.
Based on the result, areas will be categorized based on demand and penetration. Strategies based on
the requirement will be made to increase sales and distribution network of the area. The results will also
suggest if the campaign has any positive effect on the sale and whether it should be done in other
regions.

An initial survey of the target audience mentioned above as well as the industry experts to develop a
basic understanding of the various issues involved in the purchase of school buses. Based on this
understanding a detailed structured questionnaire was formulated (annexure -2). In order to elicit the
key criteria impacting the purchase behavior for school buses AHP was employed by the researcher.

Major learning’s from the project have been that one must have a good number of stories in store for
whatever skill one wants to be known for and what one is selling. To put it simply: “Facts tell, stories
sell." At the end of the day, the customer wants to know how the product being offered will benefit
them. The importance of meeting the target audience rather than simply reading a persona document
and thinking that one knows them was learned the hard way. The schools visited in Dehradun were
about 151 schools and converted consisted of about 40 warm and hot leads (Annexure 3) and 4 leads
were taken to the verge of closure in NCR region.

As it is rightly said that “a sales team armed with content that has been inspired by their own insights is
a sales team than can effectively close deals.” The sales pitch prepared improved with experience in the
field and as time passed by. It helped a lot attempting to close deals with context learned from practical
experience.
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale of the Study

Competition these days has become an important part and parcel of every organization and across all
sectors and industries. The commercial sector in India is also growing at a fast pace with new
technological advancements improving the quality of the industry at a larger pace. Domestic sales have
been growing at a CAGR of 26.1 per cent in the last five years in the Commercial Vehicles Segment.

A similar study about the market survey and lead generation was undertaken for the Mahindra Trucks
and Bus Division (MTBD) in the Dehradun region (The School Hub of India). The company is in its baby
steps in this division as compared to its rivals having decades of experience in this division. All the
leading companies are using difference techniques for promotion like advertising, publicity, sales
promotion, personal selling and packaging to serve different objectives. The task that was expected was
to focus on personal selling by analyzing the prospective market of the area, deliver knowledge about
the Mahindra school buses, in particular to the various schools and colleges and also to generate fresh
leads for the area. Though the company has an established brand name for other divisions and people
trust the Mahindra so I was required to spread the product knowledge to the potential customers
(generally schools, colleges, tour operators &contractors) and also to generate some business for them.

The starting of the sales process begins with lead generation and ends with closing the sale. During the
last 2 weeks of the internship the most important task of closing the sale which involved closing pre
generated hot and warm leads provided by the company of the NCR region so as to give us exposure of
handling work in metropolitan Tier-1 cities as well.

1.2 Analysis of the Commercial Vehicle Segment

As per 2018, India has been considered as one of the 4th largest auto market with sales increasing 9.5
per cent year-on-year to 4.02 million units (excluding the 2 wheelers) . India is also considered the 7th
largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. This has been possible because of the presence of
established domestic and international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and a strong market
in terms of both, the domestic demand and exports. Overall automobile exports reached to about 4.70
million vehicles in 2019, implying a CAGR of 8.15 per cent between FY13-19. In The financial year 2019,
commercial vehicles recorded the fastest pace of growth in domestic sales at 17.55 per cent year-on-
year, followed by three-wheelers at 10.27 per cent year-on-year.

(Source: IBEF Report 2018)

Two-wheelers made up 70.9 per cent of the exported vehicles, followed by passenger vehicles at 14.6
per cent, three-wheelers at 12.3 per cent and commercial vehicles at 2.2 percent. Demand for
commercial vehicles increasing due to high level of activity in infrastructure sector. Ashok Leyland has
planned a capital expenditure of Rs 1,000 crore (US$ 155.20 million) to launch 20-25 new models across
various commercial vehicle categories in 2018-19. Mahindra& Mahindra is also targeting on
implementing digital technology in the business so as to keep up with the ever-changing business
environment.

The Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) that focussed on automobile financing, are expected to
witness good credit growth, on the back of robust automobile sales, especially commercial vehicles (CV),
and expectations that the recent trends will continue. The government focus on infrastructure, rural
areas and macro environment will lead to 300 basis points (bps) rise in vehicle finance growth to 15 per
cent over the FY18-20 period, compared to 12 per cent over the previous three financial years,
according to CRISIL Ratings.

Within CVs, light commercial vehicle growth is strong, led by traction in sectors such as fast-moving
consumer goods (FMCG), e-commerce and growing demand for refrigerated trucks. Demand for the
used-vehicle segment, too, remains strong and positive from the lender’s perspective, as the segment
offers higher margins.

Umesh Revankar, MD & CEO, Shriram Transport Finance (STFC), says while the CV sales were at peak in
2012, the downturn that followed has created a pent-up demand. Now, good monsoon, reasonably
good economy and government spending on infrastructure are expected to boost sales. He expects sales
over the next three years to be strong, both in rural and urban areas. Leapfrogging from BS IV to BS VI
would require heavy investment by the automobile companies, which might reflect in higher prices for
vehicles but the used-vehicle segment has a steady price, which will help maintain margins.

1.3 About Mahindra and Mahindra

The journey of the company began with getting into the steel business in the early 50’s, and over time,
they have expanded to 22 key industries today. The company as of today is a US$20.7 billion enterprise
rendering best quality services over 7 decades in over 100 countries with over 150 companies, with a
strong workforce of about 250k people. Rapid changes in the agricultural practices pushed the company
into the sector before agricultural revolution began in India. The company is also regarded as the key
torch-bearers of the IT Revolution in the country. The company is currently focusing on developing
renewable alternate sources of energy because they believe that energy conservation would not only
ensure a better future but also help the country, communities and the world at large.

Mahindra & Mahindra was incorporated in 1945 by the brothers J.C. Mahindra and K.C. Mahindra and
Malik Ghulam Muhammad in Ludhiana, Punjab by the name Mahindra & Muhammad to trade steel.
Following the Partition of India in 1947, Malik Ghulam Muhammad left the company and immigrated to
Pakistan. In 1948, K.C. Mahindra changed the company's name to Mahindra & Mahindra. Building on
their expertise in the steel industry, the Mahindra brothers began trading steel with UK suppliers. They
also won a contract to manufacture Willy’s Jeeps in India and began producing them in 1947. By 1956,
the company was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, and by 1969 the company had entered the
world market as an exporter of utility vehicles and spare parts.

By 1994, the Group had become so diverse that it undertook a fundamental reorganization, dividing into
six Strategic Business Units: Automotive; Farm Equipment; Infrastructure; Trade and Financial Services;
Information Technology; and Automotive Components. The new Managing Director, Anand Mahindra,
followed this reorganization with a new logo in 2000 and the successful launch of the Mahindra Scorpio
(a wholly indigenously designed vehicle) in 2002. Together with an overhaul in production and
manufacturing methods, these changes helped make the company more competitive, and since then
the Group's reputation and revenues have risen noticeably. Currently, Mahindra & Mahindra is one of
the 20 largest companies in India. In2009 Forbes ranked Mahindra among the top 200 most reputable
companies in the world.

In January 2011, the Mahindra Group launched a new corporate brand, Mahindra Rise, to unify
Mahindra's image across industries and geographies. The brand positions Mahindra products and
services as aspiration, supporting customers' ambitions to 'Rise.'

Purpose:

The company’s made humanity’s innate desire to Rise our driving purpose. They challenge conventional
thinking and innovatively use their resources to drive positive change in the lives of their stakeholders
and communities across the world, to enable them to Rise. This purpose is why we exist, come to work
every day, and strive continuously in delivering our promise. They see challenges as possibilities and
challenge conventional thinking. The company relentlessly seeks to break fresh ground through
alternative thinking and ingenious use of resources. They try to improve and transform the lives they
touch. They help the customers & committees and to Rise.

Values:

During the time of rapid changes and turmoil within Mahindra post liberalization called in for setting up
core values for the company. The core values include professionalism, good professional relationship,
customer-first, quality focus and many more on the list. The company believes in hiring the most
appropriate people for the job and giving them freedom to work and an opportunity to grow.

The company is considered as an ethic-centric organization and also keeps in mind the welfare and
growth of the community at large. The company follows an internal metric called the “Customer as
Promoter score”, the score helps in measuring the success of the business by creating a level of
customer centricity. The company puts quality to the forefront, not just in the commodities offered but
also in their actions and interactions with outsiders.

1.4 About Mahindra Trucks and Bus Division (MTBD)

Mahindra Truck and Bus Division is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the US $20.7 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. With high performance
vehicles, agile after sales service, extended warranty and several other brand benefits, Mahindra has set
a new benchmark in the Indian Trucking industry.

Mahindra Truck and Bus provides an entire line of integrated trucking solutions that helps customers
profit by giving them the advantage of quick turnaround time and reliability along with the assurance of
Mahindra excellence in every aspect. The HCV product range has been engineered for Indian
requirements with the underlying philosophy of; ‘Made in India, Made for India'. The company offers 6
Years or 6 Lakh Km Transferable Warranty, which is an industry first and a very cost-effective AMC,
lowest cost of ownership and a powerful insurance package, MCOVER.

In the LCV segment, Mahindra Truck and Bus Division has a market share of 9.4%. It is all set to further
strengthen its position all across India with over 1,85,000 vehicles already on the roads. The entire range
of LCV Load vehicles and & Buses are manufactured in the Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. facility at
Zaheerabad. The NOW mobile service vans and mobile workshops further add to the reach and agility of
the support network. Some products of the company are:

 HCV Range
 BLAZO (Haulage) 25T, 31T & 37T GVW BLAZO (Tipper) 25T & 31T GVW BLAZO (Tractor) 35T,40T
& 49T GCW
  ICV Range
 FURIO 6.5T to 16T.
 LCV Range
 LOAD - Load King OPTIMO (4.5-6.9T GVW), DI3200 JAYO (4.5T GVW)
 BUS - COMFIO, COSMO, Tourister Excelo (15, 25,29, 32, 36, 40, 41, 46, 55-seater buses)
 BLAZO Range- BLAZO 25, BLAZO 25 TIPPER, BLAZO 31 8X4 TIPPER, BLAZO 31, BLAZO 35, BLAZO
37, BLAZO 37 COWL, BLAZO 40 TIP TRAILER, BLAZO 49.

1.5 TYPES OF SCHOOL BUSES

Mahindra EXCELO

The company truly abides by the tagline that the future of our nation depends on their children,
therefore they intend to leave no stone left unturned in their education or their protection. Keeping this
in their hearts the company has built the new machine Mahindra EXCELO School Bus - a smart
automobile that is high on safety and light on pocket for the buyer and also engineered to perfection.

Source: Company website

A few features of the vehicle are a brand-new style, host of safety features, fuel-efficiency, a premium
build quality and low maintenance are a proof of this. The machine has more than the required features
to be compliant with the government regulatory safety standards. Which means, it is not only ready to
run but also makes every trip to school and back as safe as possible. The company offers power steering
in 32,36 and 40 seaters.

Mahindra COSMO
The new Mahindra COSMO school bus reflects the company’s philosophy of outperformance in more
ways than one. Its brand-new style. Host of safety features. Established fuel efficiency. build quality and
low maintenance are proof for this. Most importantly, it has all the features to become compliant with
the regulatory safety standards which means it is not only ready to run but also makes every trip to
school and back as safe as possible.

Source: Company website

The bus offers power steering in 32 and 40-seater buses as of now. The USP’S of this model are a 4-way
adjustable driver seat, soft cushioned door handle and an inclined grab rail at step partition, utility hook
for bottles, utility dickey at the rear and a sports kit carrier.

Mahindra COMFIO

The Mahindra COMFIO school bus aims at making a world of difference to school-going. A wider build
promises extra seat with wider gangway. There’s plenty of leg room in the bus. The superior suspension
takes the rough out of rough roads with a full-length footstep made for easy and safe entry and exit and
the best in class ventilation among its class for its young ones. Most of all, the COMFIO comes with a
host of safety features that meet the regulatory safety standards that are necessary to make every trip
to school and back as safe as possible.

The bus is equipped with the advanced BSIV-CRDe engine helps in generating optimum power and a
superior fuel economy. The bus guarantees lowest Noise, Vibration or Harshness (NVH) among its class.
The bus offers the highest seating capacity in the class. It is made only in T32 and T40 model platforms
with seating capacities of 36+D, 41+D, 44+D, 47+D,56+D and 63+D.
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW/CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT

Every day, our nation's 440,000 public school buses transport more than 23.5 million children to and
from school and school-related activities. Mahindra Trucks and Bus Division (MTBD) follows a Business 2
Business selling process for selling its school buses as the sale takes place between to organizations.

Business to Business Marketing Definition: -

“Business Marketing is the practice of individuals, or organizations, including commercial businesses,

governments and institutions, facilitating the sale of their products or services to other companies or
organizations that in turn resell them, use them as components in products or services they offer, or use
them to support their operations”

B2B marketers often sell to buying committees with various key stakeholders. This makes for a complex
and sometimes challenging landscape, but as data sources become more robust and accurate, the ability
to map out committees and reach buyers with relevant, personalized information is greatly improving.

The really important things that needs to be remembered at all times include that a business buyer will
never not going to shop for pleasure but to increase efficiency, performance and hence profitability.

From restricting to value-based marketing, for the last 60 years multifarious books and articles are
accessible in the Indian economy and business domain. Some circumstances safeguarded the implicit
monopoly of Indian marketers. Market share was directly proportional to the capacity of the marketers.
B2B marketer’s job was mainly restricted to “networking” with the buying center members and
managing the use of cash and gifts to procure orders. Unification of “production and selling”
orientations was extensively practiced.
BEHAVIORAL MODELS

1. Perceived Risk Model – The behavioral equivalent of the constrained choice model is the Perceived
Risk Model, which takes into account both unreliability and the payoff from different product choices. If
the buyer recognizes greater degree of risk arising from the choice of one product over another, the
buyer can always opt for the less risky one unless the benefits provided from the chosen one is not less
than the other one.

2. Self-Aggrandizement Model- This model suggests that the buyer can self-serve himself by buying the
product that benefits the buyer in financial or other ways. In this the individual needs of buyer are
focused instead of the needs of the organization. To inhibit such focus, laws, morals and ethics have
been invoked.

3. Ego Enhancement Model – An alternative on the self-aggrandizement model is the ego enhancement
model where no material benefit is provided to the individual buyer but is
madetofeelspecialbythesalespersonfondlingwiththeirego.Itmayseemacceptableat 30 once, but it can
still lead to decisions that do not pay stress on the problems faced by the organization trying to solve by
purchasing the product.

4. Dyadic Interaction Model – This model considers not only the buyer but also the seller. The buyer
and the seller constitute as a twosome and there exists a distich interaction of the market transaction
between the two. The straightforward insertion of the seller in the problem-solving process of the buyer
advocates that people from both the organizations connect in the course of the buy decision and
product choice which leads to such interactions.

5. Buying Influences Model – This model includes individuals at the higher and lowers hierarchical
positions alongside individuals at the same level from different departments in the organizational
hierarchy. According to this model in the business market the buy decisions are made by the group of
individuals at different positions from several departments in the organizational hierarchy.

6. Lateral Relationship Model – This model includes more individuals from various departments of the
organization by expanding the buy decision. The Lateral Relationship Model considers the needs of the
buyers more than the needs of the purchasing agent when it comes to buy decisions in the business
market. The choice of the product is done by the representatives from other departments, where they
have to put the evaluative criteria which should be different from that of the purchasing agent.

The criteria’s chosen for AHP analysis are price, after sale service, easy availability of spares, annual
maintenance cost and reliability. The researches made for the school bus segment made in India were
very less and therefore some researches in the foreign countries were assumed which had similar
objectives. For the choosing of the criteria’s important for school bus purchase various researches were
made in form of primary data collection and references derived from past journals and papers.

Apart from the primary research for the criteria considered that was ‘Reliability’, the paper ‘Child safety
research in school buses’ by Linda B. McCray sought to describe the status of safety of young children in
school buses and the formulation of new government norms. The government of India has also made
various amendments related to the security with new norms coming up each passing day. Nonetheless,
given their importance to posterity, further research is warranted.

The above research and the paper ‘Pupil Fatalities on Public Transit Buses: A comparison with school
buses’ by Lidia P Kostyniuk focused on using standardized quality spares and parts in school buses to
avoid impact of accidents and increase safety among buses which is also the case in India, wherein now
the customers have to focus on the easy availability of spares, the maintenance of the bus and also the
after sale service. The norms of the government pose restrictions on maintaining a bunch of safety
features in school buses. The criteria of ‘Price’ was chosen from the primary study as it is considered as
the main aspect in the purchase of a commodity and it is the final aspect around which the purchase
decision revolves.

CONCLUSION: An in-depth study of available literature followed by an experiential survey on industry

experts provided the researcher the various key factors impacting the purchase behavior of school
buses. The published journals and primary data collected helped in formulating the results of the tool
used. To give suggestions for the company attempts were made to gather data from published sources
so as to try and find useful uses from the same.
 CHAPTER-3
OBJECTIVES
&
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Objectives of the study:

As part of the marketing mix, promotion includes all activities that involve communicating with the
customer about the product and its benefits and features. Once a company has worked on the product
and price elements, the next step is to begin a conversation with the prospective customer about the
product. This includes raising awareness through different mediums to increase sales, as well as to
create and foster brand loyalty.

 Enhancing Brand Awareness: The primary objective was to create more awareness of various
products of Mahindra and Mahindra in the School Bus segment and also to tell them about the
cutting edge new innovation of the CRD engine that has direct and measurable impact on
mileage and performance of the vehicle and also a bundle of safety norms to protect the
youngsters.
 Criteria Identification: The major criteria’s responsible for the school bus purchase were
identified and reported so as to analyze trends by applying the AHP.
 Providing Information: The aim was to give necessary information regarding the product, its
benefits, features and usage to the consumer. Unique features and benefits had to be
explained. The new feature on the existing product was highlighted and the new entry to the
school bus segment “Comfio-the luxury school bus” was to be promoted as a whole.
 Creating Interest: The aim here was to identify a need that the product fulfils and make sure
that the customer recognizes this need as something that is unfulfilled for them. The need was
also to be depicted as something better than the competitor.
 Enquiry Generation: 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 well established competitors in the market, the
unique features which Mahindra buses offer had to be explained so that the product can be
easily differentiated with the competitor’s offerings. The focus here remained on the
functionalities or benefits that may not be offered by competitor or may not be offered so well.
 Reinforce the Brand: One basic aim of a promotional activity was to further strengthen the
brand and its place in the market. This helped turn a first-time purchase into a life-time
purchaser. This can also help create advocates for the product from within the customer base.

3.2 Scope of the Study

The scope of the study encompassed reaching out to existing customers and to exploit potential markets
and penetrate into untapped areas as well. It also involved Market Segmentation and anticipating and
creating a demand across the below categories:

 Schools and Colleges

 Independent Contractors
 Tour Operators
 NGO’s, Government Institutions etc.

This involved generating an interesting and interactive sales pitch, giving LIVE demos of the various
products and offerings of Mahindra School Buses to potential customers who showed interest in buying,
competitors comparison so as to persuade the customer, generating leads and also closing the same so
as to be well equipped with the entire cycle of selling a product right from cold calling to closing the deal
and accepting the payment.
3.3 Research method adopted.

The main task of the internship was to generate leads for the company wherein the tool used for data
collection was a Structured Questionnaire (Mentioned in the Annexure). It was chosen so as to clearly
understand trends in the market and also to gather uniform insights from the customers to as to
generalize the strategies for the area. The questionnaire served the purpose for initial survey and
general analysis about the market.

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)was introduced by Thomas Saaty in 1980 and is a very effective
statistical tool for dealing with complex decision-making problems. It aims at reducing the complex
decisions to a linear series of pairwise comparisons between criteria’s and then synthesizing the results.
The AHP is capable to work with both subjective and objective aspects of a decision. In addition, the
process also helps in telling the consistency and of the decision maker’s evaluation of the situation, thus
helps in reducing the bias in the decision-making process. The criteria’s used in the study are Easy
availability of spare parts, Price, After Sales Service, Annual Maintenance cost, Mileage and Reliability
which were developed by primary analysis and by published research studies The main part of analysis
was to use Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP) to judge the importance of the responses gathered from
the audience through questionnaires and to determine the most beneficial of the brands based on their
criteria’s chosen according to the customers.

AHP uses two steps by determining the rankings of the alternatives and then assigning different weights
to the decision criteria. The AHP generates a weight for each evaluation criterion according to the
decision maker’s pairwise comparisons of the criteria. The higher the weight, the more important the
corresponding criterion. Next, for a fixed criterion, the AHP assigns a score to each option according to
the decision maker’s pairwise comparisons of the options based on that criterion.
The higher the score, the better the performance of the option with respect to the considered criterion.
Finally, the AHP combines the criteria weights and the options scores, thus determining a global score
for each option, and a consequent ranking. The global score for a given option is a weighted sum of the
scores it obtained with respect to all the criteria. For the ease of operations, we are considering only six
criteria’s (Price, Mileage, After sales service, Easy Availability of Spares, Annual Maintenance Cost &
Reliability) and five major competitors (Mahindra, TATA, SML, Eicher& Force).

PART A
 CHAPTE ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION

4.1Dehradun Territory- April 4 to June 4

Dehradun is known as the “school capital of India” and a student has galore range of options to pursue
his education in Dehradun with over 200+ schools/colleges in Dehradun itself. Got an opportunity to
connect with the learned-gentry of the place which made the research work and lead generation much
easier and valuable. Because of this the learnings multi-folded to a much greater extent. This improved
dedication towards the work helped bring out a total of 151 visits and generate about 45 fresh leads for

the company which was the highest among my peer group.

For the first eight weeks of the project with the company, the task was to visit various schools, colleges,
transporters and travel agents to generate fresh leads for them particularly in the school bus segment
and also to gather primary data for the company from the visits that may help us analyze the market
conditions and help the company strategize plans and policies accordingly depending on the specific
needs of a particular geographic area. The company expectations were to analyze the key person
responsible for making purchase decisions for the schools/colleges (in my case generally the Principals,
Chairman/Directors and in some cases Transport Managers as well). Additional responsibilities were to
record the present fleet bifurcations of the various educational institutions so visited, their latest
purchase and the reason of shift to a new bifurcation different from the earlier, if any.

Daily visits were to be recorded on a daily follow up worksheet maintained by the company and also on
a google form on a regular basis. The following analysis under this sub chapter have been prepared
keeping in mind the allowable data that was allowed to be shared as per the regulations of the
company.

4.1.1 Fleet Bifurcation for Dehradun Territory

From the data gathered in the daily follow up worksheet, fleet bifurcation data was extracted and tried
to represent the market leaders and market followers in the school bus segment in the Dehradun
Territory.

Table:2
Serial No. Company No. Of Buses
1. Winger/Tata Magic/Maruti Van 126
2. Mahindra 12
3. Tata 195
4. SML 214
5. Force Motors 32
6. Ashok Leyland 13
7. Eicher 41
Total 633
Bar Graph:1

ASHOK EICHER WINGER/TATA

FORCE LEYLAND 6% MAGIC/MARUTI VAN…
5% 2%

MAHINDRA
2%

SML
34%

TATA
31%

ANALYSIS: As, it is clearly evident that SML has proved to be the Market leader in the Dehradun
Territory with a total of around 215 school buses followed by Tata Motors with 195 school buses.
Mahindra ranks lowly to about 15 buses running on roads in Dehradun and needs to follow aggressive
selling strategies and learn from the market leaders so as to capture this market which has a large scope
of growth in the years to come.
4.1.2 Educational institution’s bifurcation on the basis of No. of buses

The company follows a 5-bucket system policy wherein it segregates its customers on the basis of the
no. of buses they have. Segregation of collected data was to be divided on the basis of the bucket list
wherein a customer would fall into. Different buckets are said to have a different policy in which a
company deals with its clients. The following buckets are explained below:

 Bucket 1 (Existing Customer): If the customer has less than 10 buses and at least 1 bus of
Mahindra, then he is considered in Bucket 1.
 Bucket 2 (Competition Customer): If the customer has less than 10 buses and no bus of
Mahindra at all, then he is considered in Bucket 2
 Bucket 3 (Super Key Accounts): The customer should have greater than 10 buses may be of
any company (having a Mahindra bus is not a compulsion)
 Bucket 4 (Tour operators/contractors): This bucket includes independent private contractors
and tour operators rendering bus services to schools.
 Bucket 5 (Upcoming Customers/Potential Customers): This includes customers that have
potential to buy but do not own any bus as of now.

The data collected from the daily follow up spreadsheet for the Dehradun Territory has been analyzed to
derive the outcome mentioned below:

Bucket Numbers Count of Customers

Bucket 1 8
Bucket 2 79
Bucket 3 7
Bucket 4 6
Bucket 5 3

90 79
80
No. of Customers

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
8 7 6
3

Bucket 1 Bucket 2 Bucket 3 Bucket 4 Bucket 5

Bucket List
ANALYSIS: It is clearly evident from the above results that the company has the major potential
customers in Bucket 2 which means that most of the customers are competition customers. The above
analysis also shows that the majority of the educational institutions also possesses school buses and
hence can help us generate business easily by persuading them.

4.1.3 Analyzing the key factors responsible for Purchasing

Based on the customer responses and feedback, the following six factors evolved which seemed to be
responsible for determining the customer purchase behavior. The majority if the respondents interacted
fell under one of the factors which affected them the most before planning the purchase. All the factors
are closely knit together and was a bit difficult for the respondents to choose among any one of the
factors.

Priority Response
Price 41
Mileage 18
After Sale Service 26
Easy Availability of Spare Parts 30
Annual Maintenance Cost 27
Reliability 9
Total 151

Purchase-Priority Responses
Reliability 9

Annual Maintenance Cost 27

Easy Availability of Spare Parts 3

0
After Sale Service 26

Mileage 18

Price 41

0 10 20 30 40 50

ANALYSIS: The above results clearly indicate that price is the major contributor to the purchase behavior
followed by the annual maintenance cost, easy availability of spares and after sales service which are
more of less very close. Though all the factors are relevant but customer preferences could be chosen
effectively to deal with different customers differently, and managing a user customized sales pitch.
4.1.4 Bifurcating the Leads generated by the Time of Purchase

The company divides the visits into three major categories as per their nature and time of purchase.
They are:

1. Cold Leads: It includes those visits wherein either the customer is not in position to incur a
purchase, he is loyal to some other player or has recently purchased new vehicle and is in no
need of more in near future. Generally, if the time of purchase according to a customer is more
than 15 months, it is generally classified as cold one.
2. Warm Leads: They are leads which are expected to be converted within next 3-4 months. The
customer may be interested in purchasing in future but he may not be sure of the time of
purchase at present.
3. Hot Leads: They are the leads wherein the customer is all set to purchase a bus within the next
2-3 months. These leads generally need to be closed at the earliest and quotations and regular
follow up is required so as to close the deal at the earliest.

Types of Leads Count of Leads Generated

Cold 100
Hot Lead 10
Warm Lead 29

Count of Types of Leads Generated

120
100
100
Visits

80

60

29
40
10
20

0 Cold Hot Lead Warm Lead

Leads

ANALYSIS: In the Dehradun territory there is an ever-increasing demand of school buses as new
educational institutions are continuously coming up. During my tenure of 2 months in the area around
10 hot leads were generated for the company and about 26 odd warm leads (expected to be converted
by July-August). The hot lead included about a requirement of 8-10 new buses by the customers.
4.2 AHP Analysis: Dehradun Territory

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)was introduced by Thomas Saatyin1980. It is an effective tool for
dealing with complex decision making and it may help the decision maker to set priorities and make the
best decision. It aims at reducing the complex decisions to a series of pairwise comparisons, and then
synthesizing the results, the AHP helps to capture both subjective and objective aspects of a decision. In
addition, the AHP incorporates a useful technique for checking the consistency of the decision maker’s
evaluations, thus reducing the bias in the decision-making process.

The AHP considers a set of evaluation criteria, and a set of alternative options among which the best
decision is to be made. It is important to note that, since some of the criteria could be contrasting, it is
not true in general that the best option is the one which optimizes each single criterion, rather the one
which achieves the most suitable trade-off among the different criteria. The AHP generates a weight for
each evaluation criterion according to the decision maker’s pairwise comparisons of the criteria. The
higher the weight, the more important the corresponding criterion. Next, for a fixed criterion, the AHP
assigns a score to each option according to the decision maker’s pairwise comparisons of the options
based on that criterion. The higher the score, the better the performance of the option with respect to
the considered criterion. Finally, the AHP combines the criteria weights and the options scores, thus
determining a global score for each option, and a consequent ranking. The global score for a given
option is a weighted sum of the scores it obtained with respect to all the criteria.

1. Easy availability of spare parts

2. Price

3. After Sales Service

4. Annual Maintenance cost

5. Mileage

6. Reliability

Total Visits= 151(Dehradun)+10(Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida)

Leads Generated= 40

Hot Leads=11

Warm Leads=29

The below analysis has been performed on excel and the results have been solved using the excel solver
and the results so obtained have been interpreted below:
Table 1.

After Sale Easy Avail. Of Annual Maintenance

Price Mileage Reliability
Service Spares Cost

0.223 0.118 0.187 0.243 0.127 0.102

CI= 0.013

RI= 1.188

CR= 0.011

Interpretation: The target audience mainly focuses on easy availability of spare parts for buying the
buses followed by price of the bus and the least importance score was obtained by reliability and that
maybe because they assume that a brand like Mahindra must have kept reliability at its core
importance. The major clients in the Dehradun area desired for less costly and easily available spares so
as to keep their fleet in operation for maximum time.

Table 2.

Interpretation:

According to the above outcome the final ranks for the five alternatives when compared to the criteria
shows that TATA has secured the highest rank as per customer responses and Mahindra ranks at 4 th
pace, just ahead of Force Motors. SML is also a sought-after brand and according to the analysis it ranks
third overall.
Analysis:

The charts depicted below have been prepared from the above solution table 2.

Fig.

Alternative wise Global Weights

8%
16%

20%

37%
19%

MahindraTataSMLEicherForce Motors

Interpretation: The global weights includes results obtained from pairwise comparison matrix of sll
factors for given alternatives.TATA is clearly leading the market by having a good word among buyers
decision making process.People in the Dehradun trusted the brand and had easy availability of spare
parts and plenty of mechanics available to make the vehicle moving

Fig.

Criteria Rankings in (%age)

10%
22%
13%

12%

24%

19%

PriceMileageAfter Sale ServiceEasy Avail. Of Spares PartsAnnual Maintenance CostReliability

 Interpretation: In the Dehradun region as per AHP analysis people prefer affordable vehicle with easy
availability of spare parts along while making their decision for purchase. This shows that the two factors
play a very important role and hence should be focused upon by sellers to persuade customers.

Fig.

Criteria and Alternatives Combined Analysis

0.500
0.400
0.300
0.200
0.100
0.000

Mahindra Tata SML Eicher Force Motors

Alternatives
Price 0.219Mileage 0.118After Sale Service 0.188 Easy Avail. Of Spares Parts 0.243 Annual Maintenance Cost 0.129Reliability 0.102

Interpretation: Final results of the AHP analysis done on the six criteria mentioned in cluster chart above
depict that Tata ranks pretty high on all the six chosen criteria. Though the scores of six criteria is more
of less same for different alternatives, but Mahindra and Force ranks quite low on the criteria rankings
which show that they are less preferred and less relevant choices for customer’s purchase decision
making process. Mahindra to pay attention to almost all criteria’s chosen for the analysis.
 CHAPTER-5

SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENNDATIONS

AND CONCLUSIONs

5.1 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Mahindra is a new entry into the buses and trucks segment with TATA, Eicher, SML and Ashok Leyland
ruling the market over several decades. Mahindra believes in serving quality to customer without only
focusing on selling numbers as a whole. As per the response of the AHP analysis it was found out that
TATA is the most trusted brand among customers in the Dehradun region, though the no. of sales of
buses in the region for selected schools for primary survey is highest for SML. This shows that TATA is
considered as the market leader, and Mahindra being a new born to this industry needs to work on the
criteria’s considered for AHP wherein people have trust in it because of its powerful build in passenger
vehicles and also its best in class and quality of engines.

Mahindra has an overall market share of about 15% in the overall bus market in India, and is trying to
grow by building more and more loyal customers. The buses are equipped with latest technologies and
fuel-efficient long-life engines, which is often considered as the main reason why Mahindra prices are a
bit high than the competitors.

Some of the unique features/USP’s offered by the Mahindra buses, that makes it better than its rivals
are mentioned below:

 Mahindra is the only bus manufacturing company that provides MDI 2.5L and 3.3 L NEF BS-IV
CRDe Engines that will be compatible with the latest BS-VI norms to be introduced in April,
2020. This would help the company to be on the forefront to capture an increased demand in
future where the rivals would be focusing on upgrading their engines according to the BS-VI
norms.
  The company has come up with a free exclusive 3 Year Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) for
all new customers which is expected to save up to Rs 87,000 as compared to the rivals. The AMC
includes 1-year standard+2 years extended warranty on driveline-Engine, Gearbox, Rear axle.
 The tyre size in Mahindra Buses is said to be of 8.5cm radius and is a latest technology radial tyre
which provides the same comfort and ground clearance as that of a 9.35 cm radius nylon tyre
provided by competitors (i.e. Ashok Leyland).
 Mahindra guarantees a better average of its vehicles which is at least 1 more than the rest so as
to maintain economy with comfort for the customers.
 As per the latest norms of the government, it is mandatory for all school bus manufacturers to
provide a full door emergency exit with adequate space for readily accessible emergency exits.
This will reduce the seating structure in buses by 2-3 seats, whereas Mahindra buses are still
designed in such a way so as to offer at least 2 seats more than competitors.
 The company offers a one of a type multi-faced metal fascia which splits the rear end of the bus
into 9 parts for cheaper maintenance.
 The buses are equipped with a patented full-length low entry footstep for extra safety of the
young passengers.
 To ensure safety the buses have a 3.5 mm thick foam used over the seats with chin guards and
an anti-skid vinyl flooring with silicon carbide particles to keep the young riders safe.
 The chassis thickness for Mahindra for the T15- T29 platforms is 5mm for T32 and above
platforms it is 6mm which is approximately 25% more than the same platforms of different
competitors. The more the thickness of the chassis the better the performance of the vehicle.

5.2 LEARNINGS

 Tried to give the customer a true picture by comparing our product’s benefits with that of
competitors.
 Learnt how to talk to drivers and principals differently in a way such that both could be utilized
to the maximum amount for our business.
 Made me strong to face failures of response and not a good gesture shown by the school
administration.
 Got to know that majority people are unaware of the fact that Mahindra makes buses as well.
 Got to meet some Mahindra buses dissatisfied customers and tried to resolve them with the
help of the dealership.
 Some experienced gentry in the bus segment helped me with some promotional strategies that
could be followed by Mahindra to gain it dominance in this aggressive market of Dehradun.
 The local contractors and traveling company owners prefer to buy the chassis from the company
and build the body customized to their needs at a cheaper rate from outside.
 Touch with some leading transporters of the city helped me generate a few leads of some
school owners looking in to purchase new school buses.
 The interactions with spare part dealers in the city gave me a broader view of the fact why the
competitors in the market are continuously able to increase their market share.
  I also learnt about the new changes norms and regulations set up by the government with
respect to the sale of school buses in future.
 I also got to experience the major drawbacks of Mahindra as per the experiences of various
customers which makes it a less prominent player among the school bus category.
 Trying to gain more user insights by working in a new area i.e. Delhi NCR and also working for
the closure of the sale was one of the most important learning of my internship process.
 I was given adequate experience of working in educational hub cities, metropolitan Tier 1 cities,
villages, religious places which gave me a broader exposure to deal with different kinds of
people segmented by their geography.

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS & SUGGESTIONS

Uttarakhand is known particularly for its holy pilgrim sites wherein people visit the place in large
numbers. Some recommendations are as follows:

1.Char Dham Yatra: The company should focus on setting up exclusive Mahindra Rise spare part
checkpoints at various locations on the less motorable and less easily accessible routes to the holy
shrines of Karamat, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamnotri Hemkunt sahib etc. with continuous movement of
recovery vans throughout the route so as to give them a hassle free journey and also gain sympathy and
a positive attitude of the customers. This is being done at a massive scale by TATA’s (The Oberoi’s,
Dehradun) throughout the season. The most common spares of both LCV and HCV vehicles can be made
available to the customers in minimal time.

2.Mussoorie Checkpoint: Mussoorie is considered as the heart of the capital of Uttarakhand and is
overcrowded with tourists coming from far off places during season time. Some sort of on call fast
service delivery for LCV’s and HCV’s breakdown would bring in a lot of positive image for the company.

3.Promoting interest of drivers, contractors: The main stakeholders for our school bus division are the
tour operators’ contractors, drivers etc. therefore they should be treated as part of the company.
Special seminars in their regional language (generally Hindi) should be conducted to explain product
features to customers and to persuade them in the way they understand as they play a very important
role in the purchase process of buses by potential customers. They should be recognized and rewarded
at regular intervals and incentivized for their contribution to the company’s profits.

4. Mahindra Multi-purpose Bus (For Niche Market): One of the best schools have already been present
in the city but now well-established schools/ trusts from various cities are planning to open their
branches in Dehradun as this place has very good climate, scenic views and a potential to grow. The
company could start one its kind in the segment multipurpose bus wherein the bus could be designed
with a kitchen in the bus to provide packed morning breakfast and snacks to kids while travelling, so as
to reduce the early morning hustle bustle of parents. Generally new schools in the area are opening up
on the outskirts of the city which may require children to commute for hours. This is already being
practiced by a leading school branch in Bihar.
5.Jhanda Ji Festival: It is a yearly event organized in Dehradun on occasion of Guru Ram Rai ji’s first visit
to the place, wherein people pour in to the valley in large numbers from different parts of the country
particularly from Punjab. The company could focus and tap the crowd by providing free vehicle checkups
for small problems for heavy and light commercial and passenger vehicles. The company can target on
bus drivers particularly for this occasion.

6.Now 24x7 services: The main problem in Mahindra buses as per customer has been continuously poor
quality of after sale services, therefore the company needs to work in for best in class service quality
within adequate time to win customer’s trust again. NOW's '24X7 Expert on call' is India's first multi-
lingual helpline manned by technical experts to provide instant support, 24X7 for its trucks and buses
anywhere, along with the service van which is a unique facility reaching out to broken down vehicles
anytime, anywhere. Increasing their frequency could benefit us.

7.Breaking the stereotype: Sales officers and driving commercial vehicles are generally treated as men-
oriented jobs, but the company can make these duties gender neutral and should promote their product
as the same. They could promote their product based on emotional connectivity with customer.

A similar example has been promoted by Mahindra and Mahindra earlier for one of its Blazo trucks
range with a lady driver Yogita Raghuvanshi driving the truck for the past 15 years. This could help in
generating empathy and attention of the target audience. It has been statistically proven that women
are better drivers than men and we could give incentives to buyers buying buses for lady drivers.

(Source: LinkedIn)
 ANNEXURE
Questionnaire(For AHP Analysis)

Please compare the decision criteria and circle your Answer using the scale below:
1=Equal; 3=Moderate; 5=Strong; 7=Very Strong; 9=Extreme
What is the relative Importance of ‘Price’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Price Mileage
98765432123456789

After sales service

Price 98765432123456789
 Easy availability of
Price 98765432123456789 spare parts

Annual
Price 98765432123456789 maintenance
cost

Price 98765432123456789 Reliability

What is the relative Importance of ‘Mileage’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Mileage After sales service
98765432123456789

Easy availability of
Mileage 98765432123456789 spare parts

Annual
Mileage 98765432123456789 maintenance
cost
Reliability
Mileage 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘After sales service’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

After sales service Easy availability of
98765432123456789 spare parts

After sales service Annual

98765432123456789 maintenance
cost
After sales service Reliability
98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Easy availability of spare parts’ with respect to other?
 Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Easy availability of Annual

spare parts 98765432123456789 maintenance
cost
Easy availability of Reliability
spare parts 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Annual maintenance cost’ with respect to ‘Reliability’?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Annual Reliability
98765432123456789
maintenance cost

Taking into consideration ‘Price’what is the relative Importance of ‘Mahindra’ with respect to other
alternatives?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Mahindra Tata
98765432123456789

SML
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Eicher
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Force Motors
Mahindra 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘After sales service’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Tata SML
98765432123456789

Tata Eicher
98765432123456789

Tata Force Motors

98765432123456789
What is the relative Importance of ‘Easy availability of spare parts’ with respect to other?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

SML Eicher
98765432123456789

SML Force Motors

98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Annual maintenance cost’ with respect to ‘Reliability’?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Force Motors
Eicher 98765432123456789

Taking into consideration ‘Mileage’what is the relative Importance of ‘Mahindra’ with respect to other
alternatives?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Mahindra Tata
98765432123456789

SML
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Eicher
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Force Motors
Mahindra 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘After sales service’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Tata SML
98765432123456789

Tata Eicher
98765432123456789

Tata Force Motors

98765432123456789
What is the relative Importance of ‘Easy availability of spare parts’ with respect to other?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

SML Eicher
98765432123456789

SML Force Motors

98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Annual maintenance cost’ with respect to ‘Reliability’?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Force Motors
Eicher 98765432123456789

Taking into consideration ‘After sales service’what is the relative Importance of ‘Mahindra’ with respect
to other alternatives?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Mahindra Tata
98765432123456789

SML
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Eicher
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Force Motors
Mahindra 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘After sales service’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Tata SML
98765432123456789

Tata Eicher
98765432123456789

Tata Force Motors

98765432123456789
What is the relative Importance of ‘Easy availability of spare parts’ with respect to other?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

SML Eicher
98765432123456789

SML Force Motors

98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Annual maintenance cost’ with respect to ‘Reliability’?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Force Motors
Eicher 98765432123456789

Taking into consideration ‘Easy availability of spare parts’what is the relative Importance of ‘Mahindra’
with respect to other alternatives?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Mahindra Tata
98765432123456789

SML
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Eicher
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Force Motors
Mahindra 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘After sales service’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Tata SML
98765432123456789

Tata Eicher
98765432123456789

Tata Force Motors

98765432123456789
What is the relative Importance of ‘Easy availability of spare parts’ with respect to other?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

SML Eicher
98765432123456789

SML Force Motors

98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Annual maintenance cost’ with respect to ‘Reliability’?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Force Motors
Eicher 98765432123456789

Taking into consideration ‘Annual maintenance cost’what is the relative Importance of ‘Mahindra’ with
respect to other alternatives?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Mahindra Tata
98765432123456789

SML
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Eicher
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Force Motors
Mahindra 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘After sales service’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Tata SML
98765432123456789

Tata Eicher
98765432123456789

Tata Force Motors

98765432123456789
What is the relative Importance of ‘Easy availability of spare parts’ with respect to other?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

SML Eicher
98765432123456789

SML Force Motors

98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Annual maintenance cost’ with respect to ‘Reliability’?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Force Motors
Eicher 98765432123456789

Taking into consideration ‘Reliability’ what is the relative Importance of ‘Mahindra’ with respect to
other alternatives?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Mahindra Tata
98765432123456789

SML
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Eicher
Mahindra 98765432123456789

Force Motors
Mahindra 98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘After sales service’ with respect to others?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Tata SML
98765432123456789

Tata Eicher
98765432123456789

Tata Force Motors

98765432123456789
What is the relative Importance of ‘Easy availability of spare parts’ with respect to other?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

SML Eicher
98765432123456789

SML Force Motors

98765432123456789

What is the relative Importance of ‘Annual maintenance cost’ with respect to ‘Reliability’?

Increasing Importance Increasing Importance

Eicher 98765432123456789 Force Motors
QUESTIONAIRE
This questionnaire was a structured questionnaire to collect primary data
1. Institute name and details
2. Point of contact personnel details (Owner, Decision Maker, Fleet Manager, Driver)

3. Schools expansion plans if any and what are they?

4. How does the fleet operate and who looks after the bus service in the school?

5. Fleet Details (Brands, Model, Seating Capacity, Total no. of buses)

6. Buying plan (Purchase cycle and if they are thinking of buying then what is their timeline for the
same.)

7. Last purchased bus and reason for the same.

8. Which model (Starline, Skyline, Cosmo, Excelo etc) and at what price?

Key Buying Factors

9. After sales experience (with respect to servicing and insurance claims)

10. On a Likert scale from 1-5 (1-very bad, 5-very good) ask them to rate their existing fleet on these
parameters (Price, Mileage, Easy Availability of Spare Parts, Reliability, Annual Maintenance Cost,
After Sales Service) and which one criteria matters you the most?
HOT AND WARM LEADS FOR DEHRADUN TERRITORY
SR. NO. HOT LEADS LOCATIONS
1 OLYMPUS HIGH SCHOOL GMS ROAD
2 LATIKA ROY FONDATION (NGO) VASANT VIHAR
3 JASPAL RANA INSTITUTE PONDHA
4 PRAKRITI VALLEY SCHOOL JHAJRA
5 BRISTOL PUBLIC SCHOOL RAJAWALA
6 BEEHIVE (PG)COLLEGE SELAQUI
7 DOON GROUP OF COLLEGES BINDAAL/SELAQUI
8 BLUE MOUNTAINS SCHOOL SAHASTRADHARA ROAD
9 SHIGALLY HILLS GIRLS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PURUKUL GAON
10 KASIGA SCHOOL PURUKUL GAON

SR. NO. WARM LEADS LOCATIONS

1 GRAPHIC ERA UNIVERSITY CLEMENT TOWN
2 RAJAN TRANSPORT CO. ARHAT BAZAAR
3 MINERVA INSTITUTE OF MGT & TECH CHAKRATA ROAD
4 ITM DEHRADUN CHAKRATA ROAD
5 DOON PRESIDENCY(CONTACTOR) PREMNAGAR
6 DOON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Curzon Road
7 CHANDRA BUS SERVICE SAHARANPUR ROAD
8 SHIWALIK INSTITUTE OF AYURVED AND RESEARCH JHAJRA
9 VANTAGE HALL GIRLS RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL DOONGA
10 HIMALAYAN INSTITUTE RAJAWALA
11 DOON CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL RACE COURSE
12 UNIVERSAL ACADEMY TURNER ROAD
13 DOON YUDHISTHERA SCHOOL RAMGARH
14 BALA HISSAR/OXFORD SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE DALANWALA
15 SUNRISE ACADEMY RAIPUR
16 GRD COLLEGES, DEHRADUN RAJPUR
17 NIMBUS ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT JHAJRA
18 TOUCHWOOD SCHOOL SAHASTRADHARA ROAD
19 DOON GLOCAL SCHOOL SELAQUI
20 GREENWOOD HILLS SCHOOL MOTHROWALA
21 THE MONTESSARI SCHOOL RAJENDRA NAGAR
22 FLYFOT PUBLIC SCHOOL BANJARAWALA
23 AMIT SIR'S DOON DEFENCE ACADEMY SAHASTRADHARA ROAD
24 SIDDHARTHA LAW COLLEGE SAHASTRADHARA ROAD
25 BAJAJ INSTITUTE OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED RAJPUR ROAD
26 DEEP BOYS HOSTEL PONDHA
27 AVANTIKA BOYS HOSTEL PONDHA
28 MAYA GROUP OF COLLEGES SELAQUI
29 OXFORD CAPS (5 PROPERTIES) PONDHA
TESTIMONIALS

“The company needs to educate local drivers and transporters about the product
 over regular conferences, season and Mussoorie highway during season time. Promotion of the product is
install free check points for needed, same was done by SML when it started its operations in Uttarakhand’’
spares during the Char Dham
-Tour Operator

“The vehicles produced these days are not as strong as used to be produced earlier,
Mahindra is known for its rough and tuff Bolero and hence the similar quality is
expected from the buses as well. M&M buses are very less prominent in the market
and also not recommended by drivers, service stations, etc due to costly
maintenance of the vehicle”

-School Admin Officer

school bus market therefore the company should play upon its USP’S. There is a lot of negative buzz in the market that Mahindra buses fail

“The safety of the children and a good quality powerful engine with low
maintenance cost are the main objectives that go into buying a bus, prices
are secondary.”

-Principal
“The company’s bus is of a very strong build and has a very powerful engine and
provide adequate safety for children. The only issue faced till date is that of servicing
with the agency and less availability of spare parts.”

-Driver (Mahindra Bus User)

 Part B

Closure of the Sales

(8th June-22nd June2019)

During the last two weeks of the internship the task set was to try and convert the already generated
hot and warm leads allocated by the company for the Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida territory. The
closing procedure for the company followed the following steps:

1. Calling the prospective customers and to book a meeting with them to get more clarifications on
the deal.
2. The next step was to visit the prospective customers personally along with one of the company
officials to either put forward the price quotations to the customer or to arrange for a demo for
the customer if needed.
3. Regular follow up and demo if needed was to be given and the complete practical orientation of
the bus to the customer was to be made.
4. After the orientation, efforts were required to negotiate with the customer and try and close
the deal at a win-win situation.

Sales Funnel

It aims at visually describing the sales process from initial point of contact(cold calling) to the final
closing of the sale. It uses the metaphor- ‘leaky funnel’, which offers a seller the opportunity to “drop”
sales. At some point, some sales are dropped from the funnel if the customers are uninterested or not
responding. It aims at checking the potential customer’s readiness to make a sale take place. Moving
down this sales funnel the time required for closing a deal lessens and chances of sale increase.

For heavy commercial Vehicles (HCV’S) For light Commercial vehicles (LCV’S)

SOURCE: SHREYANS AUTOMOBILES (Dealership)

Often barriers occur in the sales funnel process and once they are resolved the potential buyer moves
down the funnel. To measure results analyzing the sales matrix is important so as to get a clear picture
of the closing of a deal. The sales funnel could be modified as per need when the user gains certain
experience of the same.

STAGES OF SALES FUNNEL

 Lead/ Suspect: It include people not spoken to and if someone fulfills the criteria for a potential
customer then he is considered as a lead.
 Prospect: A person/potential customer who has agreed to the criteria’s required for the sale and
is interested in the product. The company gave us around 30 pre-generated hot and warm leads
of the Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida area.
 Qualified prospect: Verification is done whether prospects needs the product, whether he has
sufficient finances arranged for the same and if the decision maker is easily accessible. It is
considered as a difficult task. I brought around 4 leads to this stage.
 Committed: It is the stage where the prospect has made up his mind for purchase and asks for
quotations, asks details for closing the deal. I was a part of 3 deals that reached this point.
 Transacted: A sale has transpired when a contract is signed by both parties. From a
salesperson’s perspective, the fulfillment of the contract is the responsibility of other parts of
the organization, and the salesperson can now focus on the next opportunity. I could not
possibly reach this stage but my one of my deals was very close to this stage and might close by
July,2019.

Analysis of sales funnel

I was a part of three deals that reached the Stage 4 of the sales funnel and are expected to be closed by
June,2019. The deal for the Elite college falls under the category of qualified prospect and will soon be
contacted in July, for further decision making.

Sr No. School Name Area

1 American international school Omega 2. Greater Noida
2 Maple Canadian school Gamma1, Greater Noida
3 MBS International school KP-1 Greater Noida
4 Elite college Knowledge Park 3
TESTIMONIAL

“The bus is a bit too high for the school as it may pose problems for entry into
localities, though the quality of the bus is good. The driver is also satisfied
with the performance of the bus in the demo and I would prefer to buy a
diesel engine with power steering model with pre-installed camera and basic
accessories needed to make the bus compliant with all government
norms.”- Owner(Greater Noida)
 BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES

 Child Safety Research In School Buses

Linda B. McCray and John Brewer (February 12, 2012), Paper Number 05-325

 Pupil Fatalities on Public Transit Buses: A Comparison with School Buses Lidia Kostyniuk (University of
Michigan, Transportation Research Institute)

 Comparison of In-Use Operating Costs of Hybrid-Electric and Conventional School Buses

Journal of Transportation Technologies, 2012, 2, 158-164 doi:10.4236/jtts.2012.22017 Published Online
April 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/jtts) Shauna Hallmark, Robert Sperry Centre for
Transportation Research and Education, Iowa State University, Ames, USA
 Road safety in school transport
(H:\TISpt\Projecto\577-Roadsafety\Final Report\RSST_finalreport_v1.3.doc) Study by tis.pt in
collaboration with cow, harry, systema etc.
 Business Manoeuvring Model Of B2B Selling Processes, Retrieved From:
www.Emaraldinsight.Com

Books referred:
Peter Chisnall, Marketing Research, Edition 6th, 2002.
Me Daniel, Gates, Marketing Research, Seventh Edition, 2007.
Business Research Methods, Pearson Publishers, by Naval Bajpayee

Sites visited:

www.mahindra.com

www.ibef.org

www.autobei.com