Erse Kablo which has increased its brand value and awareness in the sector continues to give confidence to its customers by exhibiting a stable graphic of growth.

We have talked with Mr. Fikret Akkurt, the domestic marketing and sales manager of Erse Kablo about the sustainable growth performance of their marketing and sales network and his economic view about the year 2016?
How do you consider the concept of brand in relation to a good marketing and sales strategy in the sector? What kind of a path does Erse Kablo follow in the marketing and sales processes in order to increase brand awareness?
We have set up a new marketing and sales structure as a continuation of the corporate identity process that has been launched with the change of the logo in the first half of the year 2012. As of the beginning of the year 2013, we have restructured our corporate identity and form of management and adopted a marketing and sales model which prioritizes customer focused global marketing activities and competition. The main purpose of this form of structuring is to work out a series of concepts adopted by Erse Kablo like marketing, brand value, brand identity, brand awareness and confidence in the brand,, better and render the brand more valuable, ensure the consumer/customer to be aware thereof, let the brand be remembered and let the material and spiritual contribution of the stakeholders be understood. For that purpose we have defined targets for various dimensions of the structure of marketing , namely product, price, distribution (a strong dealer network), personal sales, advertisement, public relations, sales development. We have put into practice the processes of motivation and performance assessment by supporting our marketing and sales teams by means of training programs. We have put the modern understanding of marketing which prioritizes the expectations and needs of the customers rather than adapting a classical understanding of marketing activated the service, competition quality and production processes retrospectively. We have been successful in all our activities. As Erse Kablo we are aware that quality requires continuity in all areas and we are in the process of developing our activities accordingly. It is our first goal to carry the brand value of Erse Kablo even further.
In our day motivation and leadership factors are on the foreground. How do you ensure the motivation of your team?
First I would like to state that all what we do is incomplete without our feelings since we are all sensitive beings as a matter of our creation. We have to touch the feelings of our employees in order to create synergy and activate motivation. We operate a process beginning from election and recruitment in order to ensure permanent motivation. The trait of the candidates to which we pay attention in the first place is the desire to work and the excitement experienced in working and this is very important for us.
We explain the goals and purposes of Erse Kablo to the candidates and let them pass through a long process of orientation. Transmission of our corporate culture to our teammates is very helpful for them in many areas like how they should behave in the future and how they should apply the ethical rules. We set realizable goals by making correct appointments. We contribute to the personal and vocational development of our teammates by means of training program both in and out of the company. We operate the feedback process not from the subordinated to the superior but in both directions. In this way the success of the employees become good the real source of motivation. Social sharings, sense of belonging, intra-team activities as well as the happiness/adherence of the employees are among the indispensable components of our corporate culture.
We have put into practice the system of rewarding of success by determining the criteria of performance of each of our teammates working in the marketing and sales department. In this way you create a team the members of which have an identical point of view about the common goals and purposes but still maintains their own differences. In line with this approach, being transparent, reliable and fair and treating everybody equally becomes the basis of your philosophy. However the fact that equality changes in itself according to performance is the lies at the basis of the fair approach.
What do you think about leadership?
We need leaders in every process of change, period of development and at distressful times. The differences between the generations and putting the basic features of leadership into question on one hand and the strategies that change depending on technology and new business models on the other hand show that leaders must review and develop their own characteristic features.
According to me leadership is a concept which contains important headings like fair management, effectiveness, persuasion, trust, activation and expectations and puts forward the fact that you have responsibilities against the senior management, colleagues, customers, family and even your social environment and what you have to do to fulfill your responsibilities. For that reason you have to always think what the future will bring, develop yourself and create awareness by putting forward creative ideas and create added-value for the individuals and communities who believe in you. To achieve this, your personal development, form of management and desire to learn plays a great importance. One of the most important duties of a leader is to ensure that the company in which he works or its employees are not overcome by languor and loose their dynamic structure as a result of relaxation.
From the point of view of the vision of Erse Kablo which has been active in the sector for long years, what missions have you adopted for sustainable marketing and sales?
As Erse Kablo we determine our marketing and sales strategies on the basis of 3 yearly plans. It is among our plans to put the customer-focused approach of marketing, which we have launched in the year 2013, into a more detailed form. Our marketing teams determine the expectations and needs by reaching all segments of the market. Periodical, monthly and even weekly reports are submitted to us. We make an updated analysis of our product groups, stock levels, price levels, deficient aspects and take measures accordingly. Apart from these marketing and sales team shares information inside itself and regulates the flow of information between the dealers, customers and users and customers.
The activities in this regard are not limited to introductory activities and the activities directed at creating awareness and demand. At the same time, our marketing team provides consultancy services to the users about the selection of the correct cables depending on their field of use. We continue to meet all kinds of questions and demands of the project, industry and retail sector.
The dealership network of Erse Kablo is in a process of growth for the last three years. How did this situation effect the domestic marketing and sales performance of Erse Kablo? What are the main dynamics of growth?
First of all I would like to thank our esteemed customers and dealers who always trusted, believed, approved, used and sold Erse brand and never spared their support from us. I may count many factors contributing to growth like mutual trust, keeping the promise given, innovation, marketing communication and improvement of the post-sale services. But the main decisive factor that has led to the growth of our company has been the establishment of the dealership system through which it has been possible to offer to our customers better services and strong and flexible variety of product stocks, price advantage, advantages of commercial payments and the quality of those services. As a company we confirm the accuracy of our decisions through the support that we get from our customers, the increase of our marketshare and by deserving to rank among the first biggest 500 companies thanks to our new factory and amortization investments. At this point we can’t ignore the success of our export department.
In the first year of the dealership system many of our customers had question marks in their minds about service, concern, technical support, price and commercial conditions. These concerns were replaced by customer satisfaction and commercial partnerships as a result of joint efforts and visits. I may even say that the volume of trade between the companies has increased as a result of these efforts. The marketing and sales team of Erse Kablo has realized 13 thousand visits last year. We have become a big family together with our more than 250 sale representatives and 52 dealers. 22 members of our marketing and sale staff contact with almost all our customers in order to meet their expectations and demands.
How did the product groups under the sub-brand names of Ervital, Ervital Firesafe, Erflex and Erline effect the marketing and sale performance of Erse Kablo?
From the point of view of brand strategies, Erse Kablo has adopted the strategy of marketing a single brand and put its products on the market with different brand names for each if its products. Each of the brands of Ervital, Ervital Firesafe, Erflex and Erline has its own personality, market gaining and advertisement campaigns. In this context our goal is not only to create a commercial differentiation but also create a specific strategy for each brand and ensure that each brand realize ease of use, product development, documentation processes and marketing activities in their own product groups and complete the processes of demand and brandization by acting independently from Erse brand. In the existing situation this process is increasingly growing, our brands are becoming stronger and stronger in the sector with the every passing day and continue to attract demand under their own brand name.
To give an example we have put our fire-resistant cable group on the market under the brand ERVITAL in the year 2006 . Thereafter we were proud to be the first turkish company to receive the certificate issued by the german certification institute VDE . We have realized improvements by making technical contacts wit the prestigious supervision and Project companies in the sector . Our brand ERVITAL which has a say in the sector with its fire performance and quality is demanded with the brand name of ERVITAL abroad as well. ERFLEX is another brand of our company which represents the control cable group has been introduced to the market in the year 2010. Our brand which is directed at the industrial sector offers alternatives to the users by providing special solutions other than standart products.
On the other hand our ERLINE brand represents the data product group the investment for which we had completed last year The promotion and innovation activities for our brands have begun. We have started the feasibility study fort he second investment as a result of the intensive demand of the sector.
On which priorities do you focus when you prepare your strategic plans for marketing and sales? Profit, turnover or growth or market share? What do you think for the year 2016?
Of course all the factors that you have stated are included in our 3 yearly plans and among our priorities. However besides the proportion of these factors to each other, healthy growth, correct profitability, attainment of the desiredf market share the risk factor must also not be ignored as well. To given an example from the year 2015, while our market share and turnover was at the level that we have desired we had a profitability level which has been lower than expected as a result of the continious increase in the value of the foreign currency. We could not determine a target in terms of increase of turnover for the year 2016 as a result of the polticial and economic developments and our commercial concerns. From the marketing point of view, we continiously develop new strategies and enter into closer communication with our commercial and technical partners in order to create brand loyalty along with brand image and brand awareness .
What will be the main agenda of the market in the second half of the year in a environment of increasing competition? How do you evaluate the economic structure from the point of view of the cable sector?
I think all of you have followed the news published and announcements made according to which the Turkish economy has proven to be resistant against political turmoil. I also share this view. But we must also take into consideration the fact that every day something happens or a terrorist act is committed in our country which contributes to the environment of political uncertainty. And this situation creates an environment of uncertainty about how long the economy can continue to resist against adverse conditions.
Either investments are postponed or purchases are made at a minimum level and it is expected that the environment of uncertainty shall be replaced by a sound economy?
What is observed in the cable sector, just in all other sectors, is the emergence of a surplus of supply against the decrease in demand and an environment of intensive competition as a result thereof. Political crisis and economic developments experienced in the neighboring countries lead to decreases in the export amounts. The producers who suffer the problem of undercapacity drop the rate of profits in the domestic market while seeking new markets and try to save the day in this way. As a result of this situation the companies with a weak structure of capital incur economic difficulties as a result of sales without profit. The failure to receive payments from the buyers as a result of the postponment of their bankruptcy and the covering of the financial expenses of the companies of which activities have been stopped, which have fallen into economic difficulty and are in a state of insolvency make the problem seven worse. We also do not expect a big change in the second half of the year too but we do some preparations for the year 2017.
Finally what would you like to add as the marketing and sales manager of Erse Kablo?
Drawing your road map for marketing and sales and determining your strategies according to all variables in which you find yourself is important from the point of view of making progress. You can adapt to the changing world by means of the importance you attribute to research and development studies in order to create added value. Environment friendly, sustainable production and marketing strategies support our sales and ensure the satisfaction of our customers.
The impact of the motivation of the employees on the work performance is much more than estimated. In our day, we must put aside the product based marketing strategy and adopt the customer focused approach and we must adopt as one of our basic goals to create add value for the sector and customer groups to which we provide service. We must not forget the fact that the only thing that doesn’t change is the change itself.
Short headings…
Our work philosophy…
Confidence, transparency, discipline
Your life philosophy …
Let people be happy so that they can be happy
Your motto in life…
Struggle
Team means …
Believe and succeed
Your success formula…
I am in favour of supporting the proliferation and development of knowledge
by sharing my experiences. I believe in the necessity to be transparent,
decent and have an inquisitive spirit.
Which countries did you like…
I liked Barcelona. I wonder America.
The magazines that you have read…
Harvard Business Review, Capital, Brandmap and sectoral publications.