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By Aleem Faizee

Sometimes back in 1997, people, all over the country, were struggling to get the auto rickshaws unless they pay the heavy “awn”, the “unnecessary extra money” to the dealers. Pagariyaji arranged the immediate delivery of auto-rickshaws to 101 families in Aurangabad in association with Bombay Mercantile Bank without taking any extra charges.

We asked Vivek Joshi, working as Manager with Pagariyaji since last more than eighteen years, why Pagariyaji defied the market and took all these efforts and he responded in this way, “To know why Pagariyaji took all these efforts, one needs to meet him. Once you meet him, you would wish to meet him again and again. You would find him a very lenient kind of person, does not seem to be running after anything. Still, very ambitious! Very innovative in his ideas, in fact a thinker and a man with a rare sense of hospitality!”

And when we met Pukhraj Pagariya, the 62-year old Chairman of Pagariya Auto Center, an ISO 9001:2000 Company in Jalgaon, we could not rebuff Vivek Joshi’s observations. What fascinated us the most were Pagariyaji’s innovative marketing strategies that took Pagariya Auto Center’s sales to number one position in the country on many occasions, not only now when he is working with Bajaj Auto, but also when he used to work with Kinetic Engineering. Equally fascinating were the moments when he himself described his novel marketing strategies in his own style.

Rajdoot motor cycles, a brand from far away place like Punjab was so popular among our villagers; it kept me wondering for long. A little research revealed to me that since Rajdoot is having its mechanics in every Indian village, people prefer it when buying a motor cycle”, described Pagariyaji with shining eyes, leaned further towards us and then continued, “It brought into my mind a very nice idea. The idea was to search for the honest, hard-working and skilled mechanics in Jalgaon and adjoining villages. And in order to do this, I wandered village to village and town after town.”

For months, he visited many places in and around Jalgaon; everywhere, he met the Surpanch and few other people and asked them a very simple question, “Tell me, who is the best and reliable mechanic in your locality?” In this way a list was prepared that had the names of good mechanics. Pagariyaji himself arranged special training programs for all of them and urged them to take care of his vehicles in their respective localities. The arrangements worked with expected results.

A little later, Pagariyaji kept brand new vehicles in their small shops without taking any security-deposits from them. “It raised their confidence further. Furthermore, keeping vehicles in ready-stock became prestigious for them. It raised their status in their respective localities. The small-time mechanics started working as my sub-dealers and took my sales to new heights”, recalled Pagariyaji in a pleasant tone.

Riding on the hard-works by his sub-dealers, Pagariyaji proved his marketing skills, “We sold Kinetic Luna like bicycles and sold Kinetic Sparks when no dealer in the country was able to sell”, recalled Vivek Joshi.

By now Pagariyaji’s sales had become proverbial not only in the locality but also in the country. Bajaj Auto wanted Pagariyaji to join the elite group of its dealers. After an initial reluctance, Pagariyaji ultimately decided to tie up with Baja Auto Ltd. But for his sub dealer across Jalgaon and adjoining areas, it did not matter. For them, it was just immaterial weather Pagariyaji is selling Kinetic or Bajaj; they had such a great faith in him that whichever vehicles he sent to them, they sold them for Pagariyaji.

With Bajaj Auto, Pagariyaji’s sales reached to even newer heights. At that time Bajaj was not known in the market for motor cycles and when it launched its 4s Champion bikes, the dealers faced tremendous difficulty in selling Bajaj bikes. “Customers were just not ready to accept Bajaj bikes in comparison with other brands. But I mastered in selling these bikes as well and no one in the country could reach to my sales target for three years”, recalled Pagariyaji.

With the launch of Bajaj Kawasaki, Pagariyaji broke all previous records and sold this bike like anything. When he sold 7776 Kawasaki bikes, Rahul Bajaj himself came to hand over the bike key to 7777^th customer and what he said while doing this is still sweet to Pagariyaji’s ears, Rahul Bajaj had said, “Maal banana to her koi janta hai, per mall bechna hamein Pagariaji ne sikhaya. (There is no dearth of manufacturers. But how to sell the goods, we have learnt it from Pagariyaji)”

Today Pagariya Auto is a trusted name not only in two and three wheelers, but Maruti four wheelers also. At Aurangabad, when Pagariyaji opened a showroom offering Maruti’s four wheelers as an exclusive Maruti Dealer, his Maruti sales brought cheers, like Bajaj and Kinetic, to Maruti as well.

And for all his success, although, Pukhraj Pagariyaji gives credit to his after sales support, for which many times he replaced the whole vehicle and many more times dismantled the brand new vehicle for spare parts, it seems, the effect of his name might have played at least some role. “Naam mein kya rakkha hai?” one may dispute, but is this the Topaz-effect of his first-name Pukhraj that attracts people to this legendary man? May be or may not be, one keeps on wondering.

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