SG Corp is one of the largest distributors of tablets, mobile phones, accessories,peripherals and monitors. Established in 2007, SG Corp has its Head Office in Karnal,Haryana, Corporate Office in Delhi and 12 branch offices across India. With more than 100 employees, SG Corp has business associations with some of the big Mobile and Tablet brands. Shankar Sharma, CEO, SG Corp,in an interaction with Mobility magazine shares his company’s policy, plans and mission.
Please brief us about SG Corporate Mobility India Pvt Ltd, the brands and the products you are dealing. Please give us your focus for the coming 1 year.
SG Corporate Mobility Pvt Ltd is an ISO 9001:2008 certified distribution house that started in Karnal, Haryana and now operates across entire India. We have branch offices in 12 states and are into Distribution, B2B and Institutional sales of mobile phones, data cards, tablets, cameras and mobiles/IT peripherals. SG Corp is National Distributor for AOC (mobiles, tablets, phablets) and also deals in AOC LED and monitors for B2B. We are also Regional Distributors for LG, Lenovo & Asus mobiles and tablets & Dell tablets. For some geographies, we distribute Vivo and Oppo mobiles as well. SG Corp is one of the largest tablet selling and distribution house and we deal in all brands of tablets for B2B and institutional sales.
As a distributor of Mobile gadgets and accessories, what are the latest trends you notice and what are you doing to make best out of these trends?
The market for mobile gadgets and accessories is very dynamic and getting increasingly competitive. Indian brands have made their mark however are not able to capture the high end market where foreign brands have a stronghold. We are trying to keep our portfolio sufficiently varied to operate across the markets and we have a healthy mix of products to reach all kinds of customers. There is an increasing trend towards smartphones and the related accessories and we operate in all the sectors.
With so many brands and models flooding the market every day, even partners are confused. What are criteria you follow while choosing the brands you want to deal on long-term?
It is very important to be able to assess the brands in terms of its vision and readiness to sustain in the long term in the Indian market, so we are quite selective about whom we sign up with. For us, product quality and marketing are the most important criteria, followed closely by after sales service.
What new brands and products do you plan to add to your portfolio in the immediate future?
We are in talks with a couple of high end and well-known brands and hopefully we shall be able to disclose the names soon.
What challenges are you facing in general and how are you meeting these challenges?
Currently, with the proliferation of brands, the customer has a lot of options. The challenge therefore is make the products and solutions available at the right place, at the right time and at the right price. So, we focus on ensuring that there are minimum gaps in product placement. For this, we have dedicated manpower that is geared up to provide the required service and is eager to plug such gaps proactively. The other challenge is liquidity or money flow in our networks. These are actually perennial challenges in the distribution sector and being in this business we have to keep our back up plans ready to be activated at short notice. We are managing these quite well in our opinion.
Today, in the cut-throat competition, service is very important. What kind of service support are you providing to the end customers so that it will also place your down-line partners in a comfortable position?
We deliver our services to the customers anytime they feel it is convenient to them. The entire team is always ready to roll up the sleeves to ensure that the customer service is not impaired. For after sales service though the brands provide the technical support there is a lot of soft ‘communication’ that we have to undertake to ensure that the customers get satisfactory solutions to their issues or queries. Also, we are able to deliver stocks as promised in almost all the cases. We keep the customer informed of the movement with first time right documentation.
How do you motivate and ensure the profitability of your down-line partners?
By staying in constant touch, monitoring the customer’s requirements and the market potential, we are able to guide and motivate our partners. To keep healthy relations, we sometimes go out of the way and try to support partners with issues related to payments and ageing stocks.
What support do you expect from vendors? Are you getting the expected support? If not, what initiatives you want the vendors to take?
There are times when the partners require support that is out of our capacity. If the requirement is genuine, then we expect the vendors to pitch in with support. Usually, we do get the support.
Who are the vendors with whom you are very comfortable and why?
We are quite comfortable with our current set of vendors. Basically, the idea is that all of us are in the business for mutual benefit so if we think of and care each other in the due course of business, we make healthy relations. It is natural that the vendors that we are attached with for a longer time are in better comfort and vice versa. In case of the vendors that are relatively new, we have to give them a bit more time and deal patiently till they understand the circumstances and conditions better. I am happy that we are able to discuss the difficult topics with our partners, sometimes quite openly as well, and that improves the comfort level too. It is a give and take and we are here for the long haul. So our partners on both sides hopefully see it the same way.
What is your present growth rate and where do you want to be in the coming 2 years?
We are looking at more than doubling our turnover in this financial year. We are adding new businesses and recruiting more skilled employees to support our vision. We are stronger in North and in the coming two years we are looking to gain strength in other parts of the country.