IPL 3 - Sports & Entertainment

Yes IPL 3 HAS BEEN A Big Big Hit, and going by the way things look, IPL – 4 promises to already rake in much greater moolah…Imagine this, Team of Pune & Cochi (Rs 3000 crores +) have got sold for more than the combined value of all other 8 teams in the IPL……Vow !!!

Is IPL truly a reflection of the Changing nature of the One of the greatest sports in the History of the World , or is at a reflection of the changing times. The flavor, mood , ecxitemen t quotient of the Changing times that we all live in. The excitement levels are raised to such a level, than One tends to Imagine what would be the fate of the Game of Cricket few years down the Line ?

And who is at the Forefront of bringing about this Revolution, & being touted as the Harbinger for one of the Most defining Periods for Sports Entertainment – Well India it is…. Full marks to Mr Modi for Coming out with this Concept,, Who would have ever Imagined in their wildest Dreams, that some of the Greats, who had hung up their boots would return back to play for One of Our State Teams…. The great Shane Warne , Captaining the Rajasthan Royals, Andrew Symonds, Vow never Imagined Goras fighting amongst their Team Mates, to Play for the State Team of India. That’s the Power of Sports. It can Overcome all Boundaries, of Nations , Religion, ethnic groups, even language in some cases, to focus on one single agenda & that is have a great game. Fight for a good win & lose well – thats the sportsman Spirit

I recount earlier that, Getting a Call for the counties Club Cricket used to be a Great Honor for the Indian / Asian Players. Now things have Changed, India is no Longer the 3rd world Country in Cricket either. Today, PLayer not getting a Call for the IPL teams may tend to feel left out or doubt their Salability in this Nano Version of cricket & We at India are at the Centre of the Revolution that is Sports Entertainment.

This will definitely do a lot of good for Grooming the Young talent in the Country , as it gives a lot of newcomers great exposure of the highest Standards, and the Pace is so lightning, that any young guy with strong survival Instinct will be geared up really fast. Talking of Sports Entertainment – This is the New Buzz!!!! Sports Today is not only for the Game, But definitely for the Sheer Economics it generates. All sports which do not have great entertainment value practically have little commercial value, that’s what would explain the state of most of the Sports in the Country ( Shooting, Badminton, Weight Lifting etc)… Take the Good Old Sports of wrestling….. Sumo wrestling is the National Sports of Japan, Its been Quite Popular in India as well , Dara Singh & King Kong Bundy Encounters are legendary, But n o where in the World does Wrestling evoke so much fanfare, Aplomb , Craze than the American Brand of Free Style Wrestling – WWE. They really kept their tryst with the changing times, The Organization was earlier called WWF ( World wrestling Federation, now rechristened to WWE World wrestling Entertainment . I am a Great WWE Fan & have been Following the Program for the last 16 years. I know most of the matches are fIxed, but who cares ? They present it like 1 Hour Soap Operas, with each serial ending & keeping Viewers about what will happen next week… This is what entertainment is all about, & combined with the adrenaline of Sports – The sport Entertainment Business is definitely going to grow bigger & bigger (IPL is just one example, How the Passion fo Sports & the Frenzied entertainment can bring about a revolution like never before )

This is sure to open up many new avenues – IP L example again ( There is a TV Show for shortlisting Cheer leaders , There will be soon Cheer Leader Grooming Institutes, IPL Parties post every match ( Every Party has a 10 Minute fashion show) There is a Big Host of allied Business that will take off with this, & I am sure all of us will no Complain, Fans wont, TV Audience wont, Business involved in these other aspects definitely wont, Who doesn’t Like Entertainment & Money, But what about the Sport ? If its truly about Cricket, the Game – then what about the Real Cricket ,The Test Cricket, which always was & will be the Real Pinnacle of Cricket…may be its not too exciting Like a T-20….Then what is Sports entertainment about ?Is it about Sports ? Is it about Entertainment ? Or is it about the money ?

Think about It !!!

Sales - Normal Job or Science

Surya Udai, Sales man ki lage, Surya Ast, Sales Man Mast ( Meaning that with the dawn of the Day, the sales Guy begins his Toil & once the Sun Sets, he can relax & get ready for the next morning )

These & many more wisecracks are often Linked with this profession. The Recent Bollywood Movie – Rocket Singh – had a Dialogue between Ranbir Kapoor & his college Friends, that "Jisse Koi Job Nahin Milti, who sales main jaata hain….May Be ? No Body Knows..But do we all get what we plan for & aspire fro in Life. How many of us can claim that we have crafted our way, Our career with Pin Point Perfection & each step , succession timed & executed……every few I can bet…Remember “ Man Proposes GOD Disposes”

I still feel that this Profession has not got its due respect. May be it doesn’t have the glamour associated with a Advertising & Marketing Job (Of course a Shirt – Trouser combo can be no match for the Skimpy Clothing of a Sexy Model , Or for that matter shirt- trouser combo can never look as cool as the T-Shirt Jeans / Free style dressing Culture of Advertising / Or the seemingly Intellectual world of the Marketing Strategist (Big words for a Big world)

Or may be it doesn’t have the Novelty of a Doctors profession. They are healing the world right, not to forget how the Medical Business ( Yes it’s a Pure Business – Society can wait), has gotten itself into a dirty rut of Power , Money , Deceit. How the Powerful nexus of Doctors / Hospitals/ Pharma Companies / Testing Labs, Medical Insurance companies are treating millions of Innocent people who have their health & life at stake. Its also about medial Tourism, India today boasts of the Highest Number of Medial tourists,, people who come to India to get treated ) May be it lacks the Charisma of a Teachers Profession ( Shaping the Society, Is it ?) with booming business of Home Tutions / Coaching Institutes, all there to make money out of the promise to make careers. May be it doesn’t sound too Intelligent as a Finance & Accounting Job, Number crunching, juggling, analysis, Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet etc

May Be this Profession is too basic. All of us are part of the Sales Cycle, as Consumers, as Buyers. Our daily lives are all encompassed by this very basic activity – The TV we watch, The Fridge, AC, Bed, Furniture, The food we eat, Cold Drinks, all these are possible because there was somebody to do this basic job for us, & made things so easy & so simple. That s why some of us feel that this is a very mechanical profession, & not too great skills required to do so. But we forget that in Life Simple things are the easiest to miss. “ Its so simple to be happy but so difficult to be simple”

Sales is also quite Simple. It’s a simple Psychological Process – The Great part about this beautiful process Is that No Buyer ever made a Bad Purchase in the world to begin with. Think about it, would you ever purchase a Product or Service, if you feel it is not good or serve your purpose or you felt you were getting a raw deal…Never !!!!(Purpose may be anything on the earth) So All Purchases in the world are good Purchases, that’s why the Buyer purchased it in the first place. Which suggests that There is a Great Skill Involved in the Sales Process to evoke that feel – that Good feeling in the Buyer.. In other words it is called a Win – Win Situation. When there is a feel-good emotion. Feeling of buying the right product, service, getting the right deal, getting the right product, that’s where the Sales happen , and this my friends is a psychological process (it may be emotional / rational)

All Purchases in the world provide some satisfaction to the buyer, it may be a need based satisfaction, requirement, desperation, emotional, comfort, longing, desire, fear, anything. This is the worst example to make things clear, buying life drugs for your ailing / ageing mother also provides some kind of satisfaction to the buyer, knowing this would give temporary relief to the mother

Consumer Buying Behavior is the most complex one in the world to understand. No Other Business or industry does one have too deal with so many emotions, thoughts, so many different reasons for one to buy & Handling all these feelings definitely requires great skills – which you learn only in the Profession of Sales

The Highs of closing a Deal against all Odds, the Lows of not making the Numbers happen, Oh Boy it is one of a Roller Coaster Ride. The adrenaline rushes, the pressure, the kick of meeting a Prospect & closing gives quite an extraordinary high.

Sales is all about Pitching. All of us are always pitching something or the other or are being pitched some thing or the other, to name a few, Schools , Colleges, Institutes pitching themselves to get the best & Brightest students. Hospitals trying to pitch themselves to attract the Sickest / Most Critical Patients, Gyms pitching themselves to get the fattest customers, Girls family pitching themselves to the Prospective groom & His family, All of us pitching ourselves for the next Promotion , salary Hike. Its all never ending…….

So this Process is all encompassing & so engrossed ion our day to day lives & habits, that we are all pitching & trying to sell . So to all the Rocket Singhs of the world , keep selling & Rock On !!!!!!