Transparency with customers is the key, says KBS Anand of Asian Paints

He said talent in an organisation is a must and but it is not the only key component. The top management must give the talent the free to take decision and implement these decisions without fear. Anand shared how Asian Paints hired gold medallist from the renowned institutions in India and gave them freedom to take decisions and implement those without any fear. “This is one of the secrets of Asian Paints’ success,” he said.

He also stressed on the fact transparency with customers is the way to build a successful business. Giving the example of Asian Paints, he said, “Whatever Asian Paints has achieved today, it is because of the trust of its customers. Our dealers shared with me that they can rely on the representatives from Asian Paints. We earned that.”

Anand has spent more than four decades at Asian Paints and was recently awarded with Lifetime Achievement Awards from Indian Paints Association in Kolkata.

According to Anand, the key is to differentiate product offering from competition. “At Asian Paints, we worked on quality, service and on-time delivery and that’s why we could build a trust in the market. The relationship with your customers matters. Transparency with the customers is the key. The more you are transparent with the customers, the more value you will get. In the past, it was not easy to be more transparent because of lack of technology and communication but now it is very much possible,” he said. 

According to Anand understanding the market and its unique requirements is equally important. “Many overseas companies used to sell bigger paint cans in the market but the Indian market requires smaller packs, not those packs in gallon. We sold millions of 50-ml tins of paints because those met the unique demands of the Indian customer,” Anand said.