Life in the fast moving goods (FMCG) after IIM

Five stars-Money-Creativity-Glamour, isn't this what you always thought FMCG to be? I for one did, when I entered the gates of IIM Bangalore. Though I had come from a Engineering + Software Job background, this fascination of Sales & Marketing for a FMCG major, was what motivated me to become a part of this elite institute. I lived in this fantasyworld for the next 2 years, worked towards getting into one of the FMCG majors till the time I got into one. It was then, I realized that the dream was over.

Before you get any ideas, I must clarify that I still am working in FMCG sector and don't wish to switch to any other. Surprised? And that too after reading thus far? Yes, the dream was over but not shattered.

Yes, FMCG was nothing what I had dreamt of. Five Stars : Yes - ocassionally but then every other job comes with this perk; Money : Yes- but peanuts compared to a finance, consultancy or an IT job; Creativity: not much scope for first few years; Glamour-not initially.
You still must be wondering what this guy is at? Is he trying to de-sell FMCG to any MBA aspirant or is he trying to demotivate people to do MBA per se? Nothing, nothing of that sort. On the contrary, I am here to tell you to quit everything else and join this breed of people, but for the right reasons.
First, some idea on the roles and progression in first few years...Any marketing job comes with a package deal along with Sales. Any good company (barring P&G) would make you work in Sales field for 3-4 years before handing over the responsibility of any brand to you. Fresh out of the institutes, you undergo a management trainee stint for 12-18 months wherein you start from the bottom most level of the sales chain - the Territory Sales Incharge, who is responsible for handling distributors and his salesmen. This normally happens in the remotest of the civilizations and more often than not in places where you wouldn't know the local language. But then you'd say - I love travelling, I love meeting people, blah blah. All goes for a toss when you are left alone on the front. This, trust me, is the toughest period to survive. I wouldn't be wrong if put a 70% figure on the no. of people who quit FMCG industry, quit at this stage.
But as they say, you have to undergo grinding to come out a polished diamond. Believe me, if you can come of this stint successfully, you can pass any test with flying colors. After this you gradually move up the sales chain to Sales Officer, Operations Manager, Area Sales Manager before moving to Brands as Assistant Brand Manager for a few weeks. Some organizations make you go through rural, institutional or international sales stints.
Once you've gone through your stint, your coronation happens then - as Area Sales Manager, the ultimate king of an area/territory which normally ranges from half a state (geographical) to couple of states. This is when you realize that why in CAT (for IIMs), they check your speed and accuracy. Here, you are supposed to make quick decisions and more importantly the correct ones. One might say that this is true for any sector. But here, remember, you are a leader of a team of 10-15 members who have field experience of more than your age, and if you hesitate or make a wrong decision, you lose the respect and connect with the team.
From my almost 3 years of sales experience, I can safely infer that sales is all about people management. Your leadership style is all that matters, anything else is an added bonus. Almost whole of sales fraternity would agree with me that a fully motivated and committed team can achieve any sales target for you. You are the brain of the group and your team members would be your hands and your legs. A successful ASM would invariably be one who has a Fully Motivated and Committed Group (FMCG) of team members. Just to add, you also do sales trends, analysis, forecasting, competition tracking, new launches, relaunches, activations, etc. etc. for which you play around with tons of excel sheets and powerpoint presentations.
Who is fit for a sales role? - a person who can mix with people easily, an extrovert, doesnt mind travelling a lot, meeting people, understand people, has loads of patience, intellectually capable, adaptable, doesn't hesitate to take firm stands on some issues, all in all - traits of a true leader. But not everyone is made for sales.
If you figure out that you are not enjoying your job, my advice is QUIT the sector. Because sales (barring 1 or 2 organizations) is almost same all across. So if you are not enjoying the work in one organization, chances are that you wont be doing the same elsewhere. Ofcourse, I am assuming that your relationship with your boss is amiable :-) And trust you me, any and every sector will open its arm to embrace you if you want to switch.
But for those real cool dudes and the tough ones, this is the PLACE TO BE. Hope to cross my path with some of the very best of you. Cheers to the Sales community!!!!
(Dope on marketing role sometime later :-) )
* The author is an IIMB alumunus and has worked for a couple of global FMCG giants. The views expressed here are necessarily his own and do not have any relation whatsoever to the organization he works/has worked for.