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Blind people are often raised into believing
that most tasks are beyond their control because of their visual
disability. However, people like Priyesh Jain of Netcore are inspirational
models for visually-challenged people and show the world that all
that blind people need is self-belief, says Srikanth R P
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| Priyesh Jain, Marketing Manager, Netcore
Solutions |
‘Failure is often a temporary condition.
Giving it up makes it permanent’. This proverb aptly describes
Priyesh Jain, a person born blind. Never one to accept that being
blind is a disability, Jain today does what most of his peers with
sight might find difficult. Currently Jain handles marketing at
Netcore Solutions, a firm whose core focus is in providing products
developed for open source platforms. While it is hard to imagine
that a person who cannot see can convince customers to adopt products
based on open source technologies, Jain’s sales record proves
otherwise. In just a span of six months since he took up the assignment,
Jain managed to sew up six major deals. While many visually impaired
have gone beyond the odds to succeed, Jain has taken his confidence
to a new level by venturing into the tough field of sales and marketing.
Ask the man himself and he nonchalantly says,
“I have always believed in my communication skills. Being
blind is not a disadvantage in this case as it forces the other
person to listen to my talk attentively. Also, as I cannot see the
other man’s expressions, my confidence level remains sky high.”
Jain’s communication skills were proved
when a long time Netcore customer decided to part ways with the
company. Jain was put on the task of convincing the irate customer.
While most people had given up, Jain managed to swing the deal back
in Netcore’s favour by doing a simple thing—understanding
the needs of the client and incorporating features which were present
in its competitor’s product.
While Jain today mouths tech jargons related
to open source as if Linus Torvalds was his next door neighbour,
the going was not so simple in the beginning. When he joined Netcore
in April 2003, he had no knowledge of computers. While initially
he started off with accounts, he knew that his strengths lied in
his communication skills. But as he did not have good knowledge
of technology, his communication skills could not be put to good
use. To overcome this, he started asking colleagues and partners
basic questions on different technologies. While this was tough,
Jain managed to understand the architecture of Netcore’s core
product to the extent that he could sell it.
Jain has been particularly dynamic on the phone.
Most people who interact regularly with Jain on the phone are stunned
when they realise that he lacks the gift of sight.
In fact, when he went to give a presentation
of Netcore’s product to a well known hospitality chain, most
people were sure that this was a gimmick by the company to attract
attention. But when Jain started giving the presentation, the management
was impressed. An employee who witnessed the presentation by Jain
says, “What impressed us most was the fact that he was technically
very well informed. Unlike other sales people, he was to the point
and very convincing about the product features. And yes, he was
adamant about the pricing.” While some of Jain’s colleagues
were afraid that his stand on pricing could make them lose the order—Jain’s
efforts managed to land the company one of the biggest orders for
its product. The client eventually decided to implement the product
across 50 locations in India.
Jain has also been instrumental in the development
of the company’s revolutionary new product called Pragatee,
an integrated product suite based on Linux. The revolutionary product
suite fulfils functions like e-mail, anti-virus, proxy, firewall,
anti-spam as well as acting as a file, print and database server.
Targeted specifically at SMEs, this product was conceived jointly
by Rajesh Jain, Netcore Solution’s managing director and Jain.
Today, the product has received rave reviews and is touted as one
of the best applications to hit the market from an Indian vendor.
Jain attributes his high level of confidence
to his family. During his childhood, his parents encouraged him
to be competitive just like any normal child. He showed his capabilities
when he finished BA with a gold medal. Later, he made a play called
‘Umeed’—based on nuclear warfare. He followed
this up by making a television film called ‘Roshni’.
Incidentally, this is the first play in the world to be directed
by a blind person and finds mention in the Guinness Book of World
Records. Today as you witness him jabbing numbers on his cell phone
faster than you can say them, and hear him talk about the virtues
of open source—you can hardly believe that this savvy marketing
professional has any disability. Though Priyesh Jain was born blind,
his never say die attitude gives him the vision that few well sighted
people possess.
srikanth@expresscomputeronline.com
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