The Story
This is an example from a PE-funded dairy venture I led as CEO, where we built a truly differentiated product: “Ghar Jaisa Dahi” — Dahi made without any milk powder, crafted only with condensed milk to deliver the natural, home-like taste consumers longed for.
Our plant was in Manesar (near Gurgaon), and the Factory Manager was deeply proud of what his team had created. His passion was evident every time he spoke about the dahi.
When I saw that passion, I thought to myself: what if he could actually go out and sell this product in the market? So I told him: “Why don’t you sell this to your local kirana where you normally shop for your daily groceries?”
He looked amazed and surprised. “Sir, how can I do it? I’m just a manufacturing guy.”
That’s when I explained: “Among all the people in this company, you are the only one who can go to a retailer and say, ‘I have made this product.’ The CEO cannot say it. The sales head cannot say it. The marketing head cannot say it. Even I, as CEO, cannot say it. Only you can say that. That is your advantage, that is your passion. Now go and sell.”
A week later, he came back glowing with excitement. He told me what he had said to his neighbourhood kirana shop owner
When the retailer heard this, he was pleasantly surprised. After all, it came from one of his loyal customers who regularly bought all his groceries from his shop. He also knew that this customer worked in a dairy plant — so he took him seriously and agreed to try it.
And that’s when the Moment of Truth happened: Wow! The taste was exactly like the dahi he set at home, and far better than other competitor brands he had stocked before.
That one experience convinced him to place an order for a crate — and that store remained a loyal customer thereafter.
The Story & Its Bigger Meaning
This is not just a story of a manufacturing head who managed to sell a product in the market. It’s about something much deeper: how passion, conviction, and a clear DUVP (Differentiated Unique Value Proposition) can turn even a technical manager into an authentic salesperson — and what that means for sales leaders everywhere.
The Deeper Messages
- Passion and conviction are non-negotiable. When you believe in your product, authenticity shines through. That conviction is the real sales pitch.
- DUVP turns conviction into confidence. A clear Differentiated Unique Value Proposition (“Ghar Jaisa Dahi” with no milk powder) gave the plant manager the credibility to speak boldly.
- Sales is not a department — it’s a culture. Every function, from manufacturing to finance, is part of the sales journey when they feel ownership.
- Titles don’t sell — ownership does. A plant manager with no sales background succeeded because he spoke from the heart as the maker of the product.
- Sales leaders must build conviction. If your salespeople aren’t 100% sure the product is good and different, the leadership hasn’t done its job of creating belief.
Questions to Ask
- Do your salespeople have 100% conviction that the product they sell is truly good and genuinely different from the competition?
- If not, have the sales leaders really done their job in conveying this message with clarity and belief?
- And do other non-sales functions — manufacturing, R&D, finance, service — also feel that they are part of the sales journey?
Because unless passion, conviction, and ownership spread across the entire organisation, sales execution will always remain fragile.
👉 Let us connect here to explore how to embed this culture of conviction that will deliver superior business results for your organisation
Dinkar Suri I Founder & UnConsultant I GASP Sales Academy
#SalesExecution #SalesCulture #Leadership #DUVP #SMEs #Startups #BusinessGrowth #ExecutionFocused