The Power Of Positivity

Eureka Forbes Managing Director & CEO Marzin Shroff shares his story of the sea change positivity has brought about in his life and how he is transforming the 37-year-old direct sales company into an omni-channel organisation

- Priyanca Vaishnav

When one thinks of the icons that marked the growing years of every 80s and 90s kid, Eureka Forbes makes a quiet appearance in the milieu. First a vacuum cleaner that made its way to the weekly deep cleaning in the household way back in the 80s. Then, an Aquaguard occupied prime real estate in the kitchen. Before you could fathom how such a young brand became so intrinsic to your existence, there it was, making sure your relationship was going to be long and strong, pervading the air purifiers and security systems space as well.

Eureka Forbes has built and grown categories that didn’t exist before. Since the single-brand company was launched, selling water purifiers — “at a time when paying for water would have been a matter of mirth,” Marzin Shroff, the company’s MD & CEO, thinks aloud — Aquaguard water-filter-cum-purifier (electric water purifiers) today generates significant revenue for the Eureka Forbes business with over 17 million purifiers just serviced each year, that’s 46,000 pieces a day. “In every category we operate, we are market leaders. In terms of brand recall, these brands are likely to make cola giants envious,” Shroff brims with pride. The story of Eureka Forbes’ reach alone is legendary. “We enter a kitchen every second to service a water purifier (post sales),” he tops the idea with a flourish.

But when it comes to both home cleaning and water purifiers, the arena is packed with homegrown and international competitors and cheap locally made imitations jostling for the space. So how does the head of the oldest Indian direct sales company distil its clear path amid the chaos?

FRIENDS FOR LIFE