Scaling distribution for maximizing impact

Our client, a B2B impact company based in Bangalore and backed by series-B funding, provided solutions to improve student learning outcomes for affordable schools. The company experienced remarkable growth in South India, saturating the market rapidly. Nevertheless, its presence in the North region was not as successful, serving a limited number of students and incurring high costs. Despite this, the North region was viewed as a vital area for future growth, but the leadership team was wary due to past lacklustre performance.

The process

Sudhanshu, known for his ability to independently scale businesses, was brought on board to expand the North India market in the publication industry, which is known for being a challenging, highly discount driven and price-sensitive market. Upon taking charge of the region, Sudhanshu assessed the current situation, including customer demographics, team dynamics, and obstacles and opportunities. He identified issues with the team's motivation and the company's delivery performance, which, despite being acknowledged, had not been addressed.

The Actions

To enhance operations, the team adopted a two-step strategy:

Improving client engagement to secure existing business and acquire new business.
Implementing a change management program to tackle the timeliness of service issues raised by customers.

In parallel, the team established a channel distribution network to penetrate big accounts, increasing their reach five-fold. This led to the quick expansion of the company's presence in multiple regions such as Eastern UP, Western UP, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

The Outcome

800%

Growth

85%

Renewal %

The region experienced a staggering 800% growth within two years, the most rapid expansion seen by the company in its early years. Additionally, renewals were at a high 85% and the regional ROI at 140%. Improved processes led to a decrease in excess ordering and returns, which were reduced to less than 5%, a best-in-industry performance. This success also had a positive effect on collections, which reached 100% by March 2020, before the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown. This region was the only one to achieve such impressive results.