What is the motive behind adopting such a strategy?
We have set aside a goal for ourselves, whereby we will be opening as many as 100 branch offices across the country by 2010. The most economically viable way to do that is to first appoint a sales representative in the region and then convert it into a branch office. It is not difficult to open 50 new branches, but we also need to ensure that we test the feasibility of the location first, or else it will involve too much of a risk. This way, we will get sales from the very beginning, and also get to know whether the location can sustain itself when we add stock, commercial and technical support. At the moment, we have 57 branch offices in India. In another three months time, we will be opening as many as 30 new branches in the upcountry locations, as the growth lies in these regions itself. How have you revamped your strategies to ensure greater support to the channel? The economy is in such a position where there is a need to revisit our policies. We have adopted a strategy, whereby w
