COMPETENCY BASED STRATEGIC STAFFING

POOJA SUTRADHAR
REG: 2018JULB07012

The fragrance industry's rapid growth is attributed primarily to the advent of functional
products with characteristics such as perfumes and deodorants. The earliest scents known to
Indians were the healing scents introduced through Ayurveda. Ayurvedic remedies
recommending the use of aromatic herbs and fragrant plants for well-being, hygiene,
treatment of ailments, beauty and age-control is well known even today. It has been a
traditional country so far but now things are just about to change in a hurry. The fragrance
industry in India is one of the largest in terms of production, consumption, import and is in
the process of taking off as more youngsters wear a fragrance in the form of perfumes and
deodorants. At present, the Indian fragrance market is set to grow; and offer innumerable
opportunities for new entrants to grow in this market.
MUMBAI, the city of dreams, houses many celebrities, business tycoons, in short, high
networking individuals. Launching a luxury product like perfume will be a great opportunity
for the company to earn revenue, attract customers, and create a brand name as well.
Product differentiation is a marketing strategy which acts as a competitive advantage over its
industry rival. To make it a sustainable advantage, the company’s product should be unique
in terms of everything. Our fragrance company is launching a Perfume for the premium
section which not only has natural fragrances of rose, lavender, lime, vanilla, chocolate,
cocoa but are also made of those extracts. These will be priced around some 500-1000 rupees
according to the quantity. The fragrance will last for 15-20 hours and isn’t harmful when it
meets skin.
The job role that our company is looking for is of a Product Manager. From product concept
to launch to growth, you're responsible for devising strategies that ensure your product stands
out from competitors and solves the immediate and long-term problems of your target
audience.
COMPETENCIES REQURED
The job role of a Product Manager would require the following key competencies:
1) Knowledge about Fragrances
It’s very necessary to have adequate knowledge about the constituents of the product since he
is the one who’ll plan strategies for differentiating the perfume from its competitors. Enough
information about the processing, manufacturing, raw material requirements is also
important. Knowledge about competitor’s product is also necessary to assess the market.

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 2) Creative Thinking
Strategies of product promotion must be innovative and appealing. Hence, the manager must
be innovative as well communicate the required information to the customers so that they
purchase our product.

3) Proficiency in Research and Analysis

This refers to your ability to apply logic to solve problems and to get the job done. product
roadmap decisions should be data driven, not based entirely on your intuition (no matter how
well-honed that intuition is). Data can help alert product managers to opportunities or threats
in the market. It can guide them to the right places to focus development resources, and it can
even help them validate product and feature ideas before allocating resources into them.
He/she should be able to conduct market research, to use (or build) tools to compile and
analyse data and to interpret all the data these tools generate.

4) Customer Service and Experience

This is the ability to anticipate a client’s needs and respond to them in a timely and courteous
manner. This is especially useful when applying for a customer service position. He/she must
deliver extremely good experiences to make the customers loyal to the brand.

5) Forward Thinking

Presence of mind is necessary to deal with any mishap that may happen during after or before
the launch of the product. It’s necessary for the manager to accept all the criticisms patiently
and act accordingly. This is also important for handling difficult problems.

6) Decision Making

This not only refers to the ability to make decisions, but also the way you take responsibility
for every decision made. Knowing how to prioritize, and how to respectfully turn down
requests that could upset your product’s strategic priorities, is an extremely valuable skill.

7) Empowers Others

There will be people working with him/her. You not only boost employee confidence, but
also give them the freedom to complete their tasks by delegating the work.

8) Evaluation

This shows your ability to evaluate according to standard methodologies and policies.
Sensitivity towards fragrances is important as it will help to identify if there’s any need to
change the contents or other issues.

9) Excellent Communication

This is less to do with talking and more on using language effectively in order to gather
information and facilitate exchange of ideas that would yield results. Since the product is
going to be launched in Mumbai, a city full of High Networking Individuals, it’s necessary

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for the manager to be smart, fluent in the local as well as in English and Hindi language,
should know proper body gestures and postures and maintain a healthy conversation.

10) Flexibility

This shows his/her ability to adapt to whatever changes that happen in a company without
losing focus on your goals. This also includes your ability to apply his/her knowledge to any
new circumstances at any point of time from product con

11) Interpersonal Awareness & Interpersonal Relations

This refers to a show of empathy, where the manager listens well and respond to others in a
non-threatening way. Exhibits understanding and respect of others to achieve and maintain a
harmonious working relationship.
It’s important to keep the employees happy and satisfied so that they can better in the front
end as well as the back end.

12) Leadership

In addition to leading a team, this core competency also refers to your ability to establish a
team and promote strategies to achieve a common goal.

13) Persuasive Communication

You not only have the skills in oral and written communication, but also the ability to convey
your message and influence others.

14) Project Management

The ability and knowledge to bring together all aspects of a project that are essential to its
timely and efficient completion.

15) Product Management

Captures and translates user needs into deliverables. Able to define the minimum viable
product and make decisions about priorities. Writes stories and acceptance criteria. Capable
of working with a range of specialists in multidisciplinary teams.
• Design • Developing Value Propositions
• Developing Cases for New • Driving Product Strategy
Products/Features • Documentation
• Developing Pricing Frameworks • Evaluating Advertising Proposals
• Developing Strategies for Product • Managing Risk Through the
Launches Product Cycle

16) Operational management

Able to manage the operational process of designing and running a product or service
throughout its entire life-cycle. Able to implement best practice in new product or service
development and knows how to plan and operationalise the stages of new product or service

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development. Able to overcome operational constraints to deliver a successful product or
service. Works closely with other operational delivery teams

17) Ensure market driven direction

A key aspect of a product manager’s role is ensuring long term customer satisfaction. This
can be achieved by ensuring product is guided by the market’s and customer’s needs. The
product manager must not only have an ‘intimate’ understanding of customers, but must be
the champion for the customers and advocate for the market within the organization

18) Guide product ‘fit’ and function

To deliver for the customer’s needs, and drive competitive advantage for the organization,
product managers must create a superior product and offering. This requires solid technical
and operational knowledge and skills. Product managers must drive technical product
specifications with a view of ‘what’ the product must do and not necessarily the ‘how’.

19) Time Management

Managing the time efficiently is also one of the key competencies.
ALIGNING THE CORE COMPETENCIES WITH CORPORATE STRATEGY
For aligning the competencies with the corporate strategies, the following can be done:
1) Identify the corporate strategies
The four important corporate strategies are:
• Building brand reputation • Improving production skills
• Increasing financial gains • Maintaining competitive advantage

2) Defining the performance results for achieving them

For building brand reputation, the product manager still must have excellent
communication skills, good analytical skills and ensure a market driven by customer
satisfaction.
For improving production, its necessary to manage the product efficiently.
For maintaining competitive advantage innovative skills

3) Identify the competency areas for measuring the performances

How does a product manager handle a situation when the product sale is low after the
launch or may be how does he appeal the customers to position his product? This can
be judged by accessing his analytical and management skills.

4) Evaluate if there are any skill gaps like communication fluency, or time management
skills and then set related goals to fill the gaps.

5) Design and develop training for achieving the learning objectives.