The LiveC Coffee Club

In its storied past, General Motors Co. built refrigerators, locomotive engines and a gamut of auto parts before dumping those businesses in a long-running battle to return to profitability.
The 112-year-old automaker is making money again and back in the business of building product for others, this time developing green power trains for the future while the nation reckons with rising climate change concerns and a coming wave of electric vehicles.
Moving to commercialize its ultium-branded battery and Hydrotec fuel-cell technology could give GM a leg up in a competitive market, more cash flow for these expensive programs and make a Detroit automaker known for its Chevy trucks into something it's not really been considered — a tech-savvy company leveraging its vehicle manufacturing might to compete (or do business with) just about any Silicon Valley heavyweight.

Is your Name (Identity) & Personality (the way you carry yourself & how you treat & engage with your tribe), rated above your Title.

If the Answer is YES, Great! you are on the Right path.

If not, there is something missing and it desperately needs your attention.

You don't wanna be hiding behind your Title OR Designation, do you?

Are your subordinates respecting you only because of your Title & not because they really want to.

If Yes, then it is not a Good Headspace to be in, isn't it.

I feel every manager out there should introspect & ask themselves this question. If they do, they will get their Answer.

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An Original from the "Talent Search Authority".

Learn to be a Master in your Trade

A Sale begins, when a customer says No.
A prospective Business opportunity is all about keeping that Conversation going.
If the conversation is happening, your hopes are Alive.
If the Conversation is not happening, then the opportunity is Dead.

It is important for any Business Development executive OR Sales person to be emotionally connected & truly believe in his/her Product/Service to be able to genuinely connect with potential customers to be able to Convince & Sell effectively. So much so, that the Customer realizes that your Brand Loyalty is coming out of personal experience and it is Genuine.
I say this because, you can't fool people for too long if you yourself are not convinced OR don't believe in your Product or Service that you are trying sell.

Sell with Passion & Promote with Integrity.

Focus on Long Term relationship selling.
Don't be Short sighted, look outside of Transactions.
Stay connected for as long as you possibly can.
Find creative ways to Stay in-touch.
Because if you follow this method, you are bound to experience greater success.

Social Media is Great for Marketing and to communicate with unprecedented number of people, at the click of a Button.

Let me Bust a Myth along the way.
People say that Introverts can't be Good Sales guys. I don't entirely agree with that narrative.
In my opinion, an Introverted person has to only Focus on two things, Preparation & Strategic Story telling.

The most common mistake that new Entrepreneurs make is setting unrealistic expectations.
Many people who have done that, have fallen flat on their Face.
When you are starting something new, you can't expect to throw some Beans and in a month's time dream of growing it into something Big.

Just push yourself to go all out and don't limit yourself in any shape or form.
Think Big but give yourself time. Remember, the bigger you can think and align your Strategies, the farther you are going to go.

It is Super important to build New Skills and to be Tech Savvy.
But remember not to repeatedly Spam your Customers with unwelcome cold emails.
Don't go mad with countless Drip Email campaigns, you are only going to infuriate your Customers.
Don't call your Prospective Clients without them knowing the Agenda of the discussion.
Start with an Email communication and then follow-up with a call. Customers appreciate this method more often than not.

Dream Big, Think Big, KYC, Get your Emotional Intelligence right and be Awesome

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Another Original from the "Talent Search Authority"

Tata Motors aims to have the widest portfolio of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the domestic market, a move aimed at helping the company muster greater market share in the passenger vehicle segment, according to a top company official.

The auto major, which currently sells models like Nexon and Harrier in the SUV segment, is also looking to overhaul its entire sales, after sales and service verticals to enhance the overall buying experience for customers.

"The move to shift to SUVs is very clear. There is a shift happening towards the SUV segment not only in India but globally also. In 2015 the share of SUVs in the domestic market used to be only 15 per cent but this year it is around 30 per cent," Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Business Unit President Shailesh Chandra  told.
It is therefore imperative that whosoever has greater share of SUVs in the portfolio will have a greater pie, share of the market, he added.
"So we have taken note of that sometime back and accordingly targeted to have the widest SUV portfolio," Chandra said.

Both Nexon and Harrier were doing great in the market in terms of sales numbers, he noted.

"Harrier has seen a significant jump from what we were doing last year on the back of the new automatic version we have come out with. Nexon did its highest ever sales last month and I hope it continues to do well," Chandra said.

The company is now gearing up to roll out two new models in the portfolio.

"Going forward two additional models are going to come- Gravitas and Hornbill (code names). Gravitas will be a seven-seater SUV while Hornbill will be a sub-compact SUV so we will have four SUVs in our portfolio which would be the widest portfolio," Chandra said.
Hornbill with a very aggressive position at one end and Gravitas at the other end, the company with four products would be well poised to tap the growing trend towards SUVs, he noted.
"It would help strengthen our market position and sales in the coming years," Chandra said.

The company plans to launch the Gravitas during the last quarter of this fiscal. It is yet to fix a date for the Hornbill introduction.

Chandra said the company is focusing a lot on improving the sales and aftersales experience for its customers.

"For us it is one of the key areas on our agenda to transform. A whole bit of work has started with focus on how we can enhance the whole experience. The employees are being imparted soft skills apart from technical training," he noted.

The company is also focusing on the issues with its dealer partners including their financial health and profitability, Chandra said.

"There have been instances of too many channel partners in one territory. There have been issues, so we are comprehensively going territory wise and seeing the health of the network. The second focus is reach and penetration, whether it meets our growth aspirations which we have for that specific territory," he noted.

The company has over 800 dealerships for its passenger vehicle portfolio across the country.

The Electric Vehicle race is likely to intensify with South Korean Hyundai planning to develop India-centric products in the future. After the launch of its Kona eSUV Hyundai is keen to up the ante in electric mobility with some new generation vehicles that would deliver better range and yet would be affordable, something Indian customers prefer.
Riding high on the success of its SUVs, South Korean carmakeris planning to bring a mass electric vehicle to further strengthen its product portfolio and position itself as a smart mobility solution provider. It is currently developing a mass electric vehicle to take on the competition
"Currently EV segment is kind of a nice segment. So, we don't see any deep pulling demand in that area. However, if more mass-market products are introduced in the segment it will surely gain traction. So we are preparing and developing a mass-market electric vehicle for India." said Seon Seob Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India.

However, Kim emphasised that the research & development team is working on the most suitable body type for the Indian market in the electric vehicles class and the development is futuristic based on the needs of Indian customers.
People aware of the matter are of the opinion that Hyundai India will most likely bring a mass-market electric SUV in the coming years.

HMIL is one the mass market brand which has launched electric SUV Kona in India. The company has so far sold 453 units of Kona till September since its July 2019 launch.

The company which has pioneered in bringing new technologies such as connected and electric has planned investment of over $40 billion into innovation, new models, and technologies for electrified and autonomous vehicles.

The huge investment coupled with an all-electric platform will play a crucial role in realising Hyundai's future target - introducing 44 electrified models by 2025, with sales projected to touch a total of 1.67 million marks annually. With this bulk launch, the Korean carmaker intends to be one of the world's top three EV manufacturers by 2025.

In its blueprint to take on the Indian market, the carmaker will take the heavy localisation route to make electric vehicles affordable and mass-centric. It is currently working with many suppliers to localise electric vehicle parts to achieve a high localisation level of 90 percent. Moreover, for critical parts such as batteries, the carmaker is talking to potential suppliers such LG Chem. Even today HMIL localise some plastic parts and other parts of Kona to counter the recent hike in customs duties.

Greeting from Live Connections...⁠
⁠
"With warm wishes for a very happy birthday and sincere thanks for your hard work throughout the year..

#liveconnections #livec #live_connect #connections #weplacepeoplefirst #birthdaywishes #teamsprit

The Indian economy continued to gain steam in October, shaking off the effects of the pandemic-induced downturn, as manufacturing activity rose to the highest level in 13 years.

The IHS Markit India purchasing managers' index (PMI) for manufacturing increased to 58.9 in October from 56.8 in the previous month, a positive signal for overall economic growth in the fiscal third quarter. Readings above 50 indicate expansion from the previous month. Firms boosted production at the strongest pace recorded since late-2007 while the upturn in sales was the strongest since mid-2008.
The economy picked up speed in September as demand for mobile phones, home appliances and cars surged after a prolonged slump during the festive season when consumers usually make big-ticket purchases.

Companies are convinced that the resurgence in sales will be sustained in the coming months, as indicated by a strong upturn in input buying, said Pollyanna De Lima, economics associate director at IHS Markit.

"Levels of new orders and output at Indian manufacturers continued to recover from the covid-19 induced contractions seen earlier in the year, with the PMI results for October highlighting historically sharp monthly rates of expansion," Lima said in a statement.

The IHS Markit index is compiled from responses in the second half of the month from around 400 manufacturers, which indicates the direction of change compared with the previous month.

IHS Markit said that growth was led by the intermediate goods category, but there were also robust expansions in the consumer and investment goods sub-sectors.

Manufacturers indicated that the ongoing relaxation of covid restrictions, better market conditions and improved demand helped them secure new work in October, IHS Markit said. New export orders, too, rose at a quicker pace, one that was the most pronounced in close to six years, said the company.

Greater production needs led to another monthly increase in input buying among Indian manufacturers. Moreover, quantities of purchases rose at the quickest pace in just under nine years.

Tyre maker CEAT has said it will supply tyres for Royal Enfield's 350-cc Meteor 350 motorcycle launched on Friday.

CEAT will be the official tyre supplier for all variants of the Meteor 350 bike with its Zoom Plus range of tubeless tyres to be installed in Royal Enfield's latest offering, the company said in a release.

In the past, CEAT has associated with Royal Enfield by supplying tyres for Bullet Classic 350, Bullet Standard/Electra, Classic 500 and Himalayan models of its bikes, it said.

"CEAT is thrilled to be the official tyre supplier of the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. Our long-standing association with them reiterates our commitment to provide superior quality products. With time, our partnership with Royal Enfield has only grown stronger and we are confident that it will continue to be fruitful even in the future," said Amit Tolani, Chief Marketing Officer, CEAT Tyres.

Royal Enfield, part of Eicher Motors, on Friday launched its all-new cruiser bike Meteor 350 at a starting price of Rs 1.76 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai).

The Meteor 350 will be available in three editions, - the Fireball, the Stellar and the Supernova. All editions are fitted with alloy wheels and tubeless tyres as standard, giving riders convenience and peace of mind, especially on long journeys, Royal Enfield said.

While the Meteor 350 Fireball will be available at a starting price of Rs 1,75,817, the Stellar comes at Rs 1,81,326 and the Supernova at Rs 1,90,536 (all ex-showroom Chennai prices), it added.

One of the best Miniseries from the recent times.

One Season - 7 Episodes.
Excellent performances from all around. Fast paced. And different.
Anya Taylor-Joy has given a fantastic performance throughout the episodes.
Worth a watch. Don't miss it.

Volkswagen AG's truck unit Traton SE has agreed to pay about $3.7 billion for the outstanding shares of U.S. truck maker Navistar International Corp in a deal announced on Saturday that would extend its reach in North America.

Finalisation of the deal comes after Traton said on Oct. 16 it had agreed to raise its bid for Navistar to $44.50 per share, up from $43, as it closed in on an acquisition that would create a global manufacturer.

The agreement which brings Navistar together with the MAN, Scania and Volkswagen trucks brands is in tune with trends in the truck industry which has been seeking ways to share the costs of developing low emissions technology.

Traton already holds a 16.7% stake in Navistar and at the increased offer price Traton would be paying about $3.7 billion for the shares in Navistar it doesn't already own, valuing the U.S. business as a whole at around $4.4 billion.

Major shareholders in Navistar including Icahn Capital LP and MHR Fund Management LLC have agreed to vote in favour of the deal, the U.S. truck maker said in a separate statement https://bit.ly/3ezUrUS

The Volkswagen group will give Traton a loan of 3.3 billion euros, repayable over 12-18 months, to fund the deal.