A customer centric approach enables business growth: Abhijeet Sonar, Hansgrohe Group

Abhijeet Sonar, head, marketing, India and SAARC, Hansgrohe Group says that when one understands the requirements of the customer, one needs to follow up. He also said that “When one works towards a customer centric approach, that's when you see business growth.”

Edited Excerpts

Can you list your favourite quotes on marketing and leadership?

I love art and design. Hence for me, the key mentors or coaches would be Michelangelo, sculptor and painter, and Leonardo da Vinci, polymath. Michelangelo once said, ‘I saw the angel in the marble and carved it until I set him free.’ It's such an impactful statement from one of the best sculptors in the world.

Then there’s Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Apple. He is a role model for innovations and marketing. He has said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do so.”

Victor Frankl, Austrian neurologist, psychologist, and holocaust survivor has also said something amazing: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”

My other favourite is Coco Chanel, French fashion designer. We know Chanel as a brand which has been around for many decades. Today, they do very little marketing and advertising. It is purely dependent on the brand equity it has built over the years.

In your free time, what kind of marketing-related content do you look at?

We are in the business of colours. So for me, it's all about seeing what are the latest fashion and design trends in the market, what are the latest colour schemes, etc.

I think fashion, design, business are all intertwined together.

Who are your favourite creators and what draws you to them?

My favourite is Leonardo da Vinci. There is one quote of his which I am attracted to, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” The other person I look up to is Coco Chanel, followed by Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, Enzo Ferrari. Then there’s Philippe Starck, who is a design visionary. He has said, "The only acceptable style is freedom."

What is your fitness routine like?

Fitness is something that I am really taking care of right now. There are many roles one plays in life. Like that of a father, brother, son, or husband. At work, one plays a role model, or a coach. But, do we look after our health enough?

I never miss my workouts. I focus on strength training and on the core. A lot of youngsters want to bulk up, but don't focus on the core. I believe it's important to do that.

What’s your favourite weekend like?

I love to drive and listen to music. I love to go to concerts too.

I love walking in the forest as well, where I enjoy being among the trees and the flowers.

What do you watch on weekends?

Movies and documentaries.

Any work or life hack you swear by?

It's important to enjoy what one does. When one understands the needs of the customer, it's important to follow through on that. When one works towards a customer centric approach, that's when you see business growth.

Also, it's important that we know what we’re talking about, and be humble and polite.

What is your advice to avoid personal and professional burnout?

When you are at home looking after your kids, you are a parent. When you’re at your sister's for a cup of coffee, you’re the brother. With your wife, you’re her partner.

The key is to understand that we play different roles, which have their boundaries. So, when one role is over, we need to move on. I think it's important to know where to detach and where to exit.

What are you reading? Any recommendations?

I am reading Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried. Even American author Seth Godin has said that one may ignore this book at one’s peril.

A piece of advice you would like to share with Gen Z?

Balance, intuition, and intelligence. Focus on intuition because it is the gut. Please get out of the house. Please be connected with nature. Have faith. Believe in yourself, be consistent, and disciplined.

What's the best advice you've got in life?

I read somewhere that you have to know what you are not to know what you are. People often introspect about themselves without knowing what they are not. When you know what you are not, that's when you realise who you are.

Read More: CMO Weekender: Federal Bank CMO MVS Murthy on life and work, success and failure