ACKNOWLEGEMENT

This is to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have helped me for the successful
completion and presentation of this project.

I am highly indebted to my project guide Mr. Suraj.B who has provided me the opportunity to
prepare the project. He has helped me in channeling my efforts in the right direction. He has
guided me to meticulously carry out each phase of the project.

I would like to thank Ms.Divya kotyan , principal ,KLE college of Business Administration-
BBA and Computer Application-BCA ,Dharwad

I would like to thank Ms. Nitu Revankar, from KLE college of Business Administration-BBA
and Computer Application-BCA ,Dharwad and also my mentor who have encouraged and
helped me from the beginning to develop the concept ideas to pursue in legit way, her valuable
guidance and kind supervision given to me throughout the course which shaped the present work
as its shows.

I thank my friends who have directly or indirectly helped me to complete this project report.

I also acknowledge my gratitude towards my parents and members of my family, who has
always supported me morally as well as economically.
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

From the last few years the technological advancement and increased users of internet made
everthing easier for everyone .

We all knew without education we are nothing so to get education we have many options but
mostly we follow tradition way of education from attending a regular class .Whereas new new
way of getting education is online education / virtual education / e-learning

The report is based on consumer perception towards Upgrade Education Private Limited. This
project is essential as a part of course requirement of the students, Bachelor in Business
Administration (B.B.A)The basic purpose of the project is to examine selected elements, which
have influence on customer perception towards Upgrade Education Private Limited.

In this project the perception of students on online MBA when compared to offline MBA.so, we
can get an an idea which is more preferred by the society. To know their perception and
preference we constructed online questionnaire via google forms to get faster fill up at there own
convenience.
 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

Customer perception can be generally defined as customer’s awareness, consciousness and

impression toward a company or its offers. It can also be defined as Consumer perception is
defined as a process by which consumers sense a marketing stimulus, and organize, interpret,
and provide meaning to it. The marketing stimuli may be anything related to the product and/or
brand, and any of the elements of the marketing mix.
Customer perception can be easily affected by promotional event, media and personal
experiences. For instance, the advertising or reviews of online learning platform can influence
the customer perception toward the quality and service of the education.
There would be high tendency of positive customer perception if the learning has good brand
image, therefore, the key driver of success educational industry is to build and manage strong
branding. Positive emotions are expected to occur when an advertisement or review portrayed to
the customer is a familiar brand to the customer.
The communication between customer would probably influence the consumer decision making.
The communication between customers simply means the review or comments of the product
and services made by consumers.
The study on consumer perception was carried towards “Upgrade Education Private Limited”. The
main aim of study was to know the consumer awareness and consumer perception towards
Upgrade Education Private Limited .Therefore it is necessary that the providers has to understand
the perceptions of customer so that they can meet the expectations of the customer .
 Industrial profile

The education industry is expanding rapidly and its many businesses are eager for
new talent, including experienced professionals and enthusiastic individuals just
entering the workforce. The education industry can be described as the collection
of organizations and businesses that provide products and services aimed at
enhancing the quality of education in society. 

The education sector employs an enormous amount of graduates. It covers the

three main areas of the school, further and higher education, as well as education
that take place in non-school or college settings. The main area of work is teaching
and lecturing, but there are other roles, particularly in education advice and
development. Local authorities are the largest employers in this sector, but there
are also a large number of independent schools, as well as colleges and
universities. A teaching degree/formal education is a requirement for most jobs in
this sector, but there are some opportunities to teach without this, for example
teaching English as a foreign language.

The two biggest economies India and China present huge opportunities for the
Education Industry. Take the example of India alone where the education market
constitutes of people with a median age of 25 years, has a target base of over 550
million people below the age of 25 years. This means that the number of people in
India needing primary and secondary education alone exceeds the entire population
of the USA. Since these students will be seeking higher education in India over the
next decade it illustrates the sheer size of the Indian education market

The beauty of a virtual classroom is that you can learn practically anything! Some
programs require practical skills, such as training to become a healthcare worker
(nurse, doctor, etc.) or a tradesperson. However, most theoretical knowledge can
easily be obtained through online learning. 

Some of the most popular courses are those for the IT industry, such as computer
science and data science courses. Digital marketing is also a popular topic these
days, as well as all different kinds of management. You can also find courses to
improve your soft skills, such as communication, leadership, teamwork,
organization, and similar skills that aren’t necessarily tied to a specific job or
career. 
 COMPANY PROFILE

INTRODUTION

With exponential growth in the number of internet and smartphone users in India, turning online
to get one's tasks done is now mainstream. Education too falls under this umbrella. Online
tutoring has many benefits such as economical courses, flexible schedules, and 24/7 access to get
doubts and queries cleared. This has made online learning popular among all age groups.
upGrad, a Mumbai-based startup, is bringing the best out of the online education segment.

upGrad has tied up with world-class institutes to facilitate access to career-oriented courses and
assist Indian students and working professionals who want to upgrade their careers. With the last
funding round of August 9, 2021, of $40 million, led by Temasek Holdings, IFC, and IIFL,
upGrad's valuation crossed $1.2 billion and made it the third unicorn in the Edtech space.

UpGrad - Company Highlights

Startup Name- upGrad

Headquarters - Mumbai

Founders - Ronnie Screwvala

Mayank Kumar

Phalgun Kompalli

and Ravijot Chugh

Founded -2015

Networth- $1.2 Bn Valuation (August 2021)

Revenue - $40.04 Million (INR 302 crores) in FY21

Funding- $360.99 Mn (December 2021)

Parent Organization UpGrad Education Pvt. Ltd

Website - upGrad.com

upGrad Education Pvt. Ltd. is an online higher education company that provides programs in the areas of
data, technology, and management to college students, first-time job seekers, and working professionals
and empowers them to reach their peak potential. These programs are designed in collaboration with top-
notch universities like IIIT-B, BITS Pilani, MICA, Cambridge Judge Business School, and many others.
To enhance the learning experience further, a comprehensive ecosystem has been built which includes,
but is not restricted to, one-on-one mentoring , peer-to-peer learning, industry networking, and expert
career guidance. This ensures a holistic approach to gaining the maximum out of the programs offered.

Mission

To provide opportunities to individuals to advance their professional journey through rigorous online
programs that offer personalized support, developed in collaboration with best in class faculty and
industry professionals

Vision

Building careers of tomorrow

 upGrad - Industry Details

As per an IBEF report, the higher education market in India stands at USD 102 billion. If we consider the
online higher education market, it stands at USD 247 million and is expected to grow by 8X to reach
USD 1.96 billion in 2021. Techavio’s industry research report pegs the online education market in India
to be worth about USD 18 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of around 20% over five years.

The total enrollment in higher education in India has been estimated to be 34.6 million, the Gross
Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education is 24.5% for the age group of 18-23 years, and distance
enrollment constitutes about 11.05% of the total enrollment in higher education programs. The perception
of recruiters towards online degrees in India has also changed since UGC permitted eligible universities
to offer degree courses online. This decision is a revolutionary step towards propelling the online
education sector in India.

upGrad - Tagline

“Interestingly, we had registered the company under the name of UEducation when we started. Very soon
we conducted an exercise with an external agency to determine our brand name and logo. Through that
exercise, we came upon the name - upGrad,”

UpGrad Team and Workforce

upGrad has a workforce of over 2,000 employees and has plans to add another 1000 employees in FY21.
The company has recently strengthened its senior leadership team to capitalize on potential opportunities
in the online education sector

upGrad - Work Culture

upGrad’s vision revolves around ‘building careers of tomorrow’. The learning experience it delivers is at
the core of its business. The upGrad team constantly strives for excellence and has a high degree of
passion and pride in whatever it does. Some of the main highlights of upGrad's work culture are:

- Encourage transparency and creative thinking

- Promote up skilling

- Open culture

- It supports innovation

- It is committed to building careers of tomorrow

UpGrad - Competitors
- Byju's

Coursera

Edureka

Simplilearn

Unacademy and more.

However, there are certain features that set upGrad apart from its competitors. One of the main USPs is
the hand-holding provided to each learner. This practice is called ‘student mentorship’ and the team
behind it is known as ‘Student Success’ at upGrad

Target market

The target market for Upgrad is pretty similar to that of Simplilearn. Upgrad is again targeting mostly
working individuals between the age of 23-45 who are looking to upgrade their skills through online
learning. Upgrad’s fees is higher as compared other similar online teaching platforms so they are again
primarily targeting individuals from Tier I and Tier 2 cities..

Products and Revenue models

Upgrad has very few courses in its arsenal right now. Currently it only offers 4 courses including:

- PG in Digital Marketing and Communication

- Product Management Certification Program

- PG Diploma in Data Analytics

- Entrepreneurship Certification Program

Revenue Stream:

Upgrad earns its revenue from the courses that people buy from its platform. The Courses range from
anywhere between 25,000 to 2, 25,000 (plus taxes). Also, Upgrad has another revenue stream where it
offers training to corporates which includes online programs and offline workshops.
 Courses Introduction

The company provides the courses into 3 different segments :

 Data
 Technology
 Management

Data is the information collected from various sources. It is concerned with gather accurate and
proper knowledge about the problem that is in hand. Formally there are 2 types of gathering
information namely primary data and secondary data. Two methods have been used to collect the
relevant data, which are essential for the study, they are: The collection of primary data during
the course of doing experiments in an experimental research but in case we do research of the
descriptive type and perform survey whether sample survey of census survey. Then we obtain
primary data either through a direct communication with respondent or questionnaire. For this
research secondary data was collected through various sources like, Websites,
JournalsMagazines, Articles, Books and Project reports are the main sources for secondary data
in this research. Population for this study is the target population like, Parents, Students and
Teachers who took decision while choosing college or school.
Sales process
The term “sales cycle” describes all the sales process steps, starting from the first customer contact to
closing the deal and follow-ups. Simply put, it’s a potential client’s journey from recognizing they need a
product to making a purchase. And since the sales process is a journey for a prospect, it’s a roadmap for
a salesperson
1. Preparation & Research

Salespeople need to know about their product, target customers, industry, and
the unique value their brand provides. Good preparation is the foundation on
which the rest of the sales process is built.

Research your competitors. What can you offer that is different?

Spend some time in your customer’s shoes too. What are the core problems your
buyer personas usually experience? And what are the benefits of your product
that can address those problems?

Skim through your company’s knowledge base to learn how your colleagues
solve pain points, handle objections, close deals, and generate repeat business. If
you don’t have a knowledge base, talk to the top performers, and ask to shadow
their sales calls.

2. Prospecting

Finding customers is one thing. Engaging the right ones is another.

You can find potential customers from many sources including your CRM

database, social media, industry events, and online search.

Your sales and marketing teams should agree on an ideal customer profile and
screen potential clients based on this benchmark. This enables your team to
allocate limited resources to high-value leads.

This is the stage at which you’ll need to qualify your prospects, and see whether
they fit your profile. Don’t skimp on this. Most salespeople say this is the hardest
part of the whole process, so this is where you need the most effort.
3. Research

Now you’ve identified a potential customer. Great! But you still need to do some
discovery to determine if they actually need what you’re selling. If they do, you
need to decide if your company is the best fit for them.

This stage of the sales cycle enables sales professionals to create tailored
solutions that increase the likelihood of closing a deal.

4. Approach

This is the point where you get their attention. This is about identifying the
correct point of contact, and finding a way to speak to them which makes them
think you have something worth buying. Whether it’s offering a free sample, or
posing questions that demonstrate your expertise, it’s about getting in front of
someone.

This stage isn’t just about getting attention, though. This is when you need to
understand what makes them tick, so you know which product to actually put in
front of them. Active listening, empathy, note-taking, trust-building, and
following up are great skills to deploy in this stage.

5. Pitch/Presentation

This is the step in the sales cycle where you articulate the unique value your
customers will experience if they purchase your product or service.

You can do this by connecting their needs and wants to the corresponding
features and benefits your product provides.
 While preparation and product knowledge play important roles in this stage, you
still need to continue to put your customer first. It is a common mistake to focus
too much on what you’re selling, and not enough on your buyer.

You can act as a trusted advisor during this step by referring back to what you
learned during Research and Approach, and listening closely to your prospect.

6. Objection Handling

Rejection and objections are common in sales. Any salesperson who lacks grit
and the ability to roll with the punches will soon be out of the game.

This is one of the most underestimated stages of the whole sales cycle. The
ability to handle objections and pushback is one of the key things that allows a
salesperson to reach the close of a deal.

To manage objections effectively, practice empathy and regularly process the

situation from the customer’s point of view.

7. Closing

This is usually where you finalize the sale, and all your work is reflected in your
company’s top-line revenue.

This step commonly involves sending a proposal or a quote covering the tailored

solution you are offering.

You may also need to negotiate the contract or get signatures from multiple key
decision-makers in your prospect’s organization.You will need to make sure you
get through the approvals process.Attempts at closing aren’t always successful. In
 that case, you can execute a follow-up plan, request a referral, or schedule the
lead for future re-engagement.

8. Follow-up

The sales cycle does not end after the first sale. Paying customers are great
candidates to be prospects for your other services. By maintaining excellent
customer relationships, you can up-sell and generate repeat business more easily.
Nurture customers by keeping them updated about new services, and regularly
asking for feedback on how you can serve them better. Don’t be afraid to ask for
referrals either. You’ve earned them at this point! There may be other sales
process steps you follow, but you must include these seven. They’re critical to
your success.