Nazim Ali runs sales & services of Eureka Forbes with 52% valley market share
Marketing success
When Nazim decided to bid farewell to his family business of carpets to do something that he liked, it raised eyebrows from everyone in the family. “They would ask me if I’m out of my mind to do this door-to-door business of selling day to day appliances?” says 33-year-old Nazim Ali Koul, who now heads the Kashmir province operations of Eureka Forbes for sales and services through his distribution enterprise, MIDHAA.
For Nazim, the relationship of his enterprise with Eureka has been a journey of baby steps to a spot in Kashmir market where he is holding the 52 percent market share in home security systems and housekeeping equipment that include commercial and private items like water and air purifiers, commercial ride-on vacuum cleaners, camera security systems, portable water purifiers and much more in this field.
Nazim, who has done MBA in marketing and finance, did what he learned through his studies. He instead of going for already well built family business started his own distribution, marketing and sales company, MIDHAA through which leading multinational Eureka Forbes sat their foot prints in the state and are now leading in the market with 17 percent annual growth in Kashmir.
“When I started as a cub marketer with door-to-door direct sales and services in 2005, the use and concept of such appliances was new in Kashmir, in fact Eureka Forbes was first to introduce air purifiers in year 1997 while as others started the same post 2007,” says Nazim.
“When you provide pure water to patients who are not allowed to drink from tap water in cases of ailments like cancer, there is a humanistic touch to your work. My personal bonding with costumers has been a driving force to my work,” he says.
Hard work and dedication
During the years of unrest in 2010 and 2016, Nazim says, when all the companies would suspend the sales and service, they would work during the night so that his customers won’t have to suffer.
“As I told you that there are some patients who can’t drink tap water, we would get calls for service during day and we would attend to our customers during night time,” he says. “I’m lucky to have a dedicated team of youngsters in sales and services that made this happen.”
Nazim says that the dedicated people like Syed Suhail Kamli who heads the service operations has made it possible to work and reach to every costumer even during night hours of those years.
Nazim through the active online presence via social media and official company website makes a strong bond with costumers and stays available for them 24/7. “It is not only about the sale of products, it is about providing best service through dedication and hard work to the full customer satisfaction,” he says. But his active services team has made it possible to reach people in unrest, floods and every sort of situation.
Market
Eureka Forbes through Nazim’s MIDHAA has 52 percent market share with a healthy annual growth. Being the first to introduce major appliances like purifiers etc in Kashmir market gave Nazim an edge.
Currently Nazim is distributing Eureka Forbes vacuum cleaners, water purifiers, security solutions to all major government and private departments of the state.
“We have annual maintenance contracts with all the major private and public sector companies, where we provide our services to them,” he said.
Presently Nazim’s MIDHAA has service contracts with government departments, corporate houses, hotels etc.
“We also work with educational institutions and provide ride-on vacuum cleaners to all government hospitals like SKIMS and others,” he says.
Apart from this they provide services to the major religious places through Wakaf and other religious organisations. They hold the major market share in Kashmir and Ladakh.
Social work
Nazim’s has worked with many NGOs during 2014 floods and other incidents to provide help to needy. Nazim through Euraka Forbes has made a good contribution to the corporate social responsibility of the company which helped him to make a strong bond with people and institutions in the valley.
“During 2014 floods, we coordinated with public health engineering department (PHE) of the state and contributed to provide pure drinking water to people when all tap water was contaminated and harmful,” he says. Under the CSR, Eureka provides free sale and service of many appliances in Mosques, Shrines, Gurdawaras and other religious places.
Expansion
Instead of going for a government job or family business, Nazim is providing employment to dozens of youth in valley. Instead of operating from Srinagar only, Nazim is opening district wise offices across Kashmir districts with already functional units in Anantnag, Kulgam, Baramulla , Kupwara, Pulwama, Ganderbal and Sopore which allows him to take more youth onboard and provide them with employment.
Nazim has received a number of awards for his business success.