Lafarge holds retailer-dealer workshop on expanding local businesses
Saturday, 17 August 2013 00:00
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Entrepreneurs in the Colombo and Gampaha districts were hosted to a presentation on the manner in which they could expand their businesses by thinking out-of-the-box and exploring new opportunities in new and emerging markets in Sri Lanka.
At two successive workshops conducted by Lafarge Mahaweli Cement Ltd. for its retailers and distributors in the Colombo and Gampaha districts, Chandana Gunawardane, a well-known trainer in self-empowerment, broadened the horizons of their knowledge by enlightening them on less-travelled paths that entrepreneurs should take.
The workshop for the Gampaha district retailers was held at Hotel Clarion, Kiribathgoda, and the workshop for Colombo district retailers was held at Solis Hall in Pitakotte. More than 600 retailers and distributors of Lafarge took part in the two workshops.
Addressing the gatherings, Chandana Gunawardena commented that with the conclusion of the war, the north and east markets had opened up for entrepreneurs, both local and overseas. “Some top-notch overseas entrepreneurs, even before the conclusion of the war, visited the north and east in search of investment opportunities. It is important for local entrepreneurs too, to get a foothold in these newly opened up markets, as there is immense potential in them. If you learn to be proactive and don’t lose sight of these opportunities, it will enable you to grow to new heights,” he asserted.
He also added that Sri Lanka needs to adopt a new business culture where the customer is treated with greater respect. “When a country has a business culture, businesses will develop and that will result in the development of the country. Countries that were way behind Sri Lanka three or four decades ago have surpassed us and their formula for success was nothing but business development.
“No country in the world has developed without developing its entrepreneurship. In that sense, every entrepreneur has an extricable responsibility to develop him or herself. You, as entrepreneurs, should think of new formulas and strategies, without warming the seats inside cubicles,” the trainer stressed.
Importance of the family unit in the context of business, he added, is something that all businessmen should be aware of, regardless of their scale. Family will always ensure ‘checks and balances’ and that will eventually lead to success. Especially in this part of the world, family creates a great value in one’s life. Businessmen sans values will hardly sustain themselves, Gunawardena noted.
Apart from the educational aspect at the workshops, dealers and retailers of Lafarge also had the opportunity to interact with each other and share experiences. At the same time, it provided them an opportunity to have a fruitful dialogue with senior officials of Lafarge and bring areas of concern to their notice.
Those who participated in the workshops also appreciated Lafarge’s initiative to evaluate the performance of dealers and retailers and incentivise them based on performance. This, they said, would give them impetus to reach higher goals and develop the standards of their service.
Susantha Perera, Head of Sales and Marketing of Lafarge, stated that the core objective of this event was to communicate the company’s corporate vision across Lafarge’s distribution channels and give recognition to their customer base. “We take this opportunity as a chance to appreciate the retailer base that sells our products to the market and guide them on how to optimise their business opportunities,” he said, adding that Lafarge is a brand that envisages the continuous development of all its stakeholders.
Entrepreneurs in the Colombo and Gampaha districts were hosted to a presentation on the manner in which they could expand their businesses by thinking out-of-the-box and exploring new opportunities in new and emerging markets in Sri Lanka.
At two successive workshops conducted by Lafarge Mahaweli Cement Ltd. for its retailers and distributors in the Colombo and Gampaha districts, Chandana Gunawardane, a well-known trainer in self-empowerment, broadened the horizons of their knowledge by enlightening them on less-travelled paths that entrepreneurs should take.
The workshop for the Gampaha district retailers was held at Hotel Clarion, Kiribathgoda, and the workshop for Colombo district retailers was held at Solis Hall in Pitakotte. More than 600 retailers and distributors of Lafarge took part in the two workshops.
Addressing the gatherings, Chandana Gunawardena commented that with the conclusion of the war, the north and east markets had opened up for entrepreneurs, both local and overseas. “Some top-notch overseas entrepreneurs, even before the conclusion of the war, visited the north and east in search of investment opportunities. It is important for local entrepreneurs too, to get a foothold in these newly opened up markets, as there is immense potential in them. If you learn to be proactive and don’t lose sight of these opportunities, it will enable you to grow to new heights,” he asserted.
He also added that Sri Lanka needs to adopt a new business culture where the customer is treated with greater respect. “When a country has a business culture, businesses will develop and that will result in the development of the country. Countries that were way behind Sri Lanka three or four decades ago have surpassed us and their formula for success was nothing but business development.
“No country in the world has developed without developing its entrepreneurship. In that sense, every entrepreneur has an extricable responsibility to develop him or herself. You, as entrepreneurs, should think of new formulas and strategies, without warming the seats inside cubicles,” the trainer stressed.
Importance of the family unit in the context of business, he added, is something that all businessmen should be aware of, regardless of their scale. Family will always ensure ‘checks and balances’ and that will eventually lead to success. Especially in this part of the world, family creates a great value in one’s life. Businessmen sans values will hardly sustain themselves, Gunawardena noted.
Apart from the educational aspect at the workshops, dealers and retailers of Lafarge also had the opportunity to interact with each other and share experiences. At the same time, it provided them an opportunity to have a fruitful dialogue with senior officials of Lafarge and bring areas of concern to their notice.
Those who participated in the workshops also appreciated Lafarge’s initiative to evaluate the performance of dealers and retailers and incentivise them based on performance. This, they said, would give them impetus to reach higher goals and develop the standards of their service.
Susantha Perera, Head of Sales and Marketing of Lafarge, stated that the core objective of this event was to communicate the company’s corporate vision across Lafarge’s distribution channels and give recognition to their customer base. “We take this opportunity as a chance to appreciate the retailer base that sells our products to the market and guide them on how to optimise their business opportunities,” he said, adding that Lafarge is a brand that envisages the continuous development of all its stakeholders.
Entrepreneurs in the Colombo and Gampaha districts were hosted to a presentation on the manner in which they could expand their businesses by thinking out-of-the-box and exploring new opportunities in new and emerging markets in Sri Lanka.
At two successive workshops conducted by Lafarge Mahaweli Cement Ltd. for its retailers and distributors in the Colombo and Gampaha districts, Chandana Gunawardane, a well-known trainer in self-empowerment, broadened the horizons of their knowledge by enlightening them on less-travelled paths that entrepreneurs should take.
The workshop for the Gampaha district retailers was held at Hotel Clarion, Kiribathgoda, and the workshop for Colombo district retailers was held at Solis Hall in Pitakotte. More than 600 retailers and distributors of Lafarge took part in the two workshops.
Addressing the gatherings, Chandana Gunawardena commented that with the conclusion of the war, the north and east markets had opened up for entrepreneurs, both local and overseas. “Some top-notch overseas entrepreneurs, even before the conclusion of the war, visited the north and east in search of investment opportunities. It is important for local entrepreneurs too, to get a foothold in these newly opened up markets, as there is immense potential in them. If you learn to be proactive and don’t lose sight of these opportunities, it will enable you to grow to new heights,” he asserted.
He also added that Sri Lanka needs to adopt a new business culture where the customer is treated with greater respect. “When a country has a business culture, businesses will develop and that will result in the development of the country. Countries that were way behind Sri Lanka three or four decades ago have surpassed us and their formula for success was nothing but business development.
“No country in the world has developed without developing its entrepreneurship. In that sense, every entrepreneur has an extricable responsibility to develop him or herself. You, as entrepreneurs, should think of new formulas and strategies, without warming the seats inside cubicles,” the trainer stressed.
Importance of the family unit in the context of business, he added, is something that all businessmen should be aware of, regardless of their scale. Family will always ensure ‘checks and balances’ and that will eventually lead to success. Especially in this part of the world, family creates a great value in one’s life. Businessmen sans values will hardly sustain themselves, Gunawardena noted.
Apart from the educational aspect at the workshops, dealers and retailers of Lafarge also had the opportunity to interact with each other and share experiences. At the same time, it provided them an opportunity to have a fruitful dialogue with senior officials of Lafarge and bring areas of concern to their notice.
Those who participated in the workshops also appreciated Lafarge’s initiative to evaluate the performance of dealers and retailers and incentivise them based on performance. This, they said, would give them impetus to reach higher goals and develop the standards of their service.
Susantha Perera, Head of Sales and Marketing of Lafarge, stated that the core objective of this event was to communicate the company’s corporate vision across Lafarge’s distribution channels and give recognition to their customer base. “We take this opportunity as a chance to appreciate the retailer base that sells our products to the market and guide them on how to optimise their business opportunities,” he said, adding that Lafarge is a brand that envisages the continuous development of all its stakeholders.
