I am returning from a short 1 day official trip to Bangalore. I was there to attend a focused group discussion. The objective of this group discussion was to help us outline a marketing strategy for one of our organization's project management certifications. It was an intense and fruitful discussion and we are hoping it will throw some light on our future course of action.
I am sitting in the plane at this moment, heading back to Mumbai. But what is consuming my thoughts right now is not what should be my next course of action (read, marketing strategy). Its the cab driver who has just dropped me off at the airport. Iqbal is the cab driver and this is not the first time he has dropped me off at the airport.
Every time my Bangalore visit gets confirmed, the next call goes to Iqbal for confirming the airport pick up. Its not just me, but all my colleagues traveling to Bangalore make use of his taxi services. I have been with PMI now for the last 3 and half years and every time me or my colleagues have flown to Bangalore, its always Iqbal's taxi. So much so that even Ashish (my hubby) and Aparna (my sis) have used his services for their local travels in Bangalore. They have also been happy with his services and further referred him to their peers and colleagues.
Now you may wonder, what's so special about this Iqbal? Why is he so popular and sought after? Let me answer that for you.
First, he is always punctual and reliable - he will always shows up on time, come hell or high water. Second, he is very resourceful - he will always find a way out of the maddening Bangalore traffic and drop you at the airport in time, even when you expected to miss your flight. Never have I or my colleagues missed a flight from Bangalore. Last but not least, he is extremely courteous and respectful. He always has a kind word to say. All these 3 characteristics have not only made him popular with with us but also helped his business grow through referrals as you can see.
Three years back, he used to work as a driver with Meru, the taxi fleet service. The next time when I met him, he had quit Meru and had started his own Taxi service with a brand new Logan. Later, the following year he had purchased a second Logan, which was being driven by his brother.
And this time when I met him, he had even better news. I heard him express that he was getting tired and stressed driving around the busy roads of Bangalore. He had plans to give up the taxi business in the next 3-4 years.
Cooking had been his life long passion and so he had plans to start a catering business soon after that. He said he was just waiting for his children to complete their education so he could then hang up his driver's boots forever and proudly don the chef's hat. A scene he had been dreaming off for very long.
Having seen him on all my intermittent visits to Bangalore, he had truly come a long way in a short span of time. His future plans did impress me and I am sure that just like his taxi business has gone places, his catering business would also sell like hot cakes. I can only imagine his mouth watering signature dishes getting word of mouth publicity all across the Silicon valley of India and beyond.
So, here I am sitting in the flight and thinking about Iqbal, who has been not just our typical 'go to' cab driver in Bangalore but a very successful marketeer too. He has through referrals and word of mouth marketing, not just built a successful business for himself but successfully planned for an early retirement to follow his lifelong passion.
All I can say is, one doesn't always need focused group discussions, market surveys and reams of research material to provide you key insights. We can indeed find them in the most unusual places.
Thank you Iqbal and wishing you Godspeed for your future plans!!!
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