Research on SOL ( University of Karachi Presentation )
1. Company Introduction
School of Leadership (SoL) provides a platform for individuals to discover and utilize
their unquestionable ability to elevate their lives through conscious endeavor. SoL helps
brings about positive changes in people‟s (young and old) personal, professional and
social lives, which favorably impacts their families, organizations, communities and
society at large. SoL aspires to empower people through greater awareness of self,
others and their environment, so that they are better able to steer their communities and
organizations to higher levels of sustainable growth, impact and profitability.
SOL work with people in the education, corporate, public, government and social
sectors. Their interventions are designed to strengthen our institutes of education and
cater for our youth studying in schools, colleges, universities and vocational training
institutes. In addition, we also provide development programs for young professionals
who have recently embarked on their careers.
We believe that our youth can be trusted to shape their own destiny, inspire their
communities and craft a brighter future.
Historical Background:
Embarked on a 400-year vision in 2002, SOL is a movement led by the
youth, positively impacting thousands of individuals from diverse
backgrounds.
From workshops to seminars to conferences, SOL helps people achieve
breakthroughs in thinking and continue to shake attitudes. It encourages
people to use their freedom with discipline and responsibility; to do the
undone; travel the road less traveled; listen to their heart; and add their
flavor to the world. SOL urges our youth to think beyond the obvious;
beyond what a mirror, mirrors; beyond lines of fate and beyond
conventional boundaries.
Vision
SoL‟s vision is "Freedom with discipline." This implies individuals exercising personal
responsibility to enjoy economic, moral and social freedoms, whether in the form of
expression, action or thought, while maintaining respect for others and acknowledging
and appreciating diversity.
2. Mission
SOL mission is to "Cultivate distinction.” This means individuals becoming more aware
of what makes them unique and discovering their infinite potential. A clearer self
concept triggers in them the passion for continuous learning to tap into the immense
opportunities that lie before them. They achieve this by initiating a fulfilling life of
enterprise and contribution
Values
Integrity, Growth, Win/Win, Service
We conducted a survey through questioners and interviewed SOL staff and asked the
following questions , some of the questions remained unanswered and we are awaiting
replies . Some of the answers we found from our own comprehensive research.These
answers are also from our research
Competitive Analysis :
USP : Youth empowerment & Development Trainings ( no body is offering such fun
filled yet comprehensive development trainings)
1) What are their SOL major services ? Who do they sell them to ? Why do those
customers buy from our competitors rather than from SOL ?
SOL major services includes Learning and growth training sessions tailor-made for
youth( 14-24 years ) , for Corporate , for teachers and for women
SOL competitors includes Time Lenders ,
Other competeitor includes Ashraf Chaudary, RehanAllah wala, Abid Belly, Arsalan
Haleem, Imran owais Kazmi , Zeeshan Lakhpaty , Rahila Narejo, Sohail Zindani, Zahid,
Wali
2) What is SOL competitors reputation ? What do people say about our competitor
that causes them to appear to our potential customers as a more desirable
supplier of our product or service ?
3. Time Lenders have got a respected name, its trainings are filled with humour but
are more serious type , more towards Leadership development and to increase
productivity.
3) What is the perceived quality of their product or service ? On a scale of one to
ten( 1 to 10) , what is their quality ranking in the marketplace in comparison to us
? Customers always buy what they perceive to be the very best quality possible
for the amount they are prepared to spend. How do we compare with our
competeitors in this area ?
Time lenders , quality of service , as participants perceive is No1 . So many
participants in Pakistan and Dubai has benefitted from its Leadership and Time
Management trainings.
The difference between time Lenders and SOL trainings is Time Lenders is more
involved in building Character, the internal you , based on Islamic Sharia , to
adopt a principle centered approach , where as SOL works on the External you,
and develop core competencies to survive and thrive in the Marketplace.
Time Lenders quality Ranking can be regarding as in Top 3( no body is no 1 at
this stage in Pakistan )
4) What are our competitors prices for products and services similar to what we
offer ? Are our prices higher or lower than theirs ? Could SOL change the
competitive structure of our market by altering our prices in some way ?
SOL Trainings price range ( Rs 10,000 to 25,000 for just 1 or 2 or 3 days )is
similar to its competitors . Because of acute competition they cannot increase its
prices .As to our local market the price is already very high. Yes they can lower
its prices to cater the student‟s needs. As their USP is Youth Trainings Programs.
But due to high prices the students belonging to middle income groups cannot
afford. Yes they should lower its prices not only to gain Competitive Advantage
but it would be a great service for the youth
5 ) What kind of people do SOL competitors have as executives, managers, and
staff ? Are they aggressive about training and upgrading their people ? Do they
pay more to attract better people ? How can SOL position their company against
their competitors with regard to human resources ?.
Time Lenders is 4 person Trainers team
4. Experience and education level
Suleman Ahmer is CEO & The Lead Facilitator, is an Engineering graduate of the
University of Nebraska and his research with the US Air Force in Solid State Physics
culminated in published work.
Mr. Yameenuddin Ahmed Trainer : He trained thousands of executives in multinationals,
local companies, government organizations, financial institutions and educational
institutions, in Pakistan, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Qualification Bcom
Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder
Dr. Irfan is Vice President of PAF-Karachi Institute of Economics and Technology and
Dean of College of Engineering and College of Computing and Information Sciences.
Dr. Irfan Hyder did his MS and Ph.D. from University of Texas at Austin He has an a
MBA from IBA and a BE from NED University of Engineering and Technology.
Mr. Abdul Latif Bhangar
Abdul Latif works for Timelenders in the capacity of a trainer. He is an electrical
engineer and has been heading a petroleum consultancy firm for the past few years
SOL staff comparison
Kamran Rizvi, is founding director of School of Leadership and is also director at
Navitus, a leading OD consulting firm in the country. He facilitates workshops to
enhance managerial competencies. Topics include Inspirational and Visionary
Leadership, Out of Box Thinking and Corporate Reformation. devote his time to
designing and facilitating leadership programs for youth by serving on the boards of
School of Leadership (SoL) in Pakistan
He holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde , Scotland , where he majored in
organization development. He is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Inc., having
completed courses in Management, Executive Image, Effective Speaking and Human
Relations. He has attended a number of courses that include “Leadership for the 21st
Century”, at the J F K School of Government, Harvard University, Dr Peter Senge's “The
Learning Organization – Building a Sustainable Future”, and “Strategic Leadership and
5. Change Management” at the Wharton SMU Program, in Singapore. Kamran is an
approved training resource for members of YPO (Young President's Organization),
headquartered in the United States .
Saima Khan
Saima Khan belongs to the pioneering team that established the School of Leadership
(SoL) in July, 2002. She is the Chief Operating Officer at the School of Leadership and
Project Manager of the Young Leaders‟ Conference.
aima has completed the Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counseling by CCPD, UK
and is now a professional psychologist working with Guide – the counseling division of
SoL. She has done post graduate courses from University of Peshawar in English
Literature. She also participated in Management for Organizational Effectiveness (MOE)
by SoL, giving her a sound knowledge of business and management.
She facilitate the process of youth realizing their infinite potential and building self-
confidence to discover local and global opportunities .
A practical objectivist, Saima Khan, along with a host of other responsibilities, ensures
smooth operation of SoL.
The Trainers in SOL (Umair Jaliawala, Urooj Mazhar, Talha Iqbalare most young and
most of them are studying MBA) .They don‟t have much Corporate exposure and that is
the reason they are not inclined towards training CEO, Business Leaders & executives.
SOL is therefore using marketing gimmicks to attract youth or sales reps but cannot
train as good as time lenders who are good in training Business Leaders . Time Lenders
can effectively train Business Leaders but their training programs lack to attract youth .
SOL need to position themselves as Leaders in Youth training Programmes. It is only
possible if they lower their prices so that those students who cannot afford can avail.
5) What is the quality of their sales force ? Do they have excellent salespeople who
are thoroughly trained and professionally managed ? The company with the best
salepeople always sells more than the company with lesser quality salespeople.
SOL Sales force is better than Time Lenders . The sales team is young and
passionate and actively involved in social media networking.One of them is
6. Sarah Masood, she is quite active in generating new leads and convincing
others. I chat with her on face book.
Following is the extract from our chat
“I introduced her as a trainer, to join their Trainers force and send her CV ,
but she was willing to sell me her package “ train the trainer”
So you can see that she is even trying to sell he course instead of
facilitating me for interview “
Time Lenders Training force is not as good as compared to SOL .
One reason could be mostly their stress and efforts are the Middle-East Market.
The ratio of domestic overseas revenue, time lenders overseas revenue is much
more than domestic revenue.
But in my point of view the best sales force is of ashraf Chauday
You will find him online 18 hours a day. His facebook page is continuously
updated , even he is posting that he is reading books , writing all the intellectual
words in a very professional business English , even while imparting training
sessions he is frequently posting on face book. Not only facebook , he frequently
write blogs , write in business magazines , and he wrote the international best
seller in just 21 days as he told me.I came to know that by his recent II wonder
how this person get time. Then I dig deep and came to know that he hired a team
of sales force and professionals who write for him ashraf chaoudary name tag ,
and ashraf chaoudary pays them.
6) What is their competitive advantage ? What is their area of excellence ? In what
way are our competitors perceived to be superior to us, and what could we do to
offset that ?
Time Lenders Competitive Advantage is more towards more matured target
audience. Their Market Share is more inclined in Dubai. Although they enjoy a
significant Market Share in Pakistan major cities Karachi and Lahore.
7. To offset Time Lenders , it is required that SOL work stress towards more
matured target audience and train Business Leaders ,Entrepreneurs and
Business Executives.
7) Which training programmes target audience likes most ( segmenting them and
working more on them can become their USP and Strength )
SOL leaders need to answer and be cleared about the following answers to
the questions which are still pending :
1) What exactly is to be sold ?
2) To whom is it to be sold ?
3) Why will the customer prefer SOL service to that of our competitors ?
4) How are customers to be identified and attracted ?
5) How are they to be sold ?
6) By whom are they going to be sold ?
7) How much are we going to charge ?
8) How are we going to charge this amount ?
9) How is the product going to be paid for ?
10) How will the product be produced and delivered ?
11) How will it be serviced and maintained ?
12) How will all of these activities be monitored and managed ?
13) What are SOL specific , measurable long-term goals for sales and profitability ?
14)What are the specific objectives of sales, staffing,andcustomer development that
SOL have to achieve to accomplish their goals.
What are the various ways that SOL can meet their objectives and achieve their goals
? What is the best strategy for them in todays market?
8. 15) What should they do more of and really focus on to increase their sales profitability?
16) What should SOL start doing that they are not doing today? What opportunities are
available for them ?
What should they discontinue, and stop doing altogether, so that they free up resources
for more profitable activities ?
17) decide today to dominate your field to be the best in marketing and innovation in
your services ? What is the first step you should take ?
18) What are your best market segments ? Where are your highest probability
customers ? Who can benefit the most from using what you sell ?
19)How can SOL organize your business so that you concentrate your marketing and
selling efforts on those customers who can buy and pay faster than others ?
20) What additional products, services , knowledge, or capabilities will SOL need to
dominate markets in the months and years ahead ?
21) What should SOL immediately start doing more of or less of , to adjust to the current
market ?
Quantitative Goals
1) The level of sales volume that you want the company to attain within a year , two
years , or whatever timeframe you decide
2) Gross profit margins on sales
3) Net profit margins on sales
4) Return on equity invested in your business
Purpose of SOL : All organizations basic purpose is to earn profits. Their
secondary purpose is to enhance the productivity of youth. So that youth believe
in them and gain confidence
9. Market Analysis: Market is good for training sessions . There is increasing
demand; it is now becoming a fashion in the market for these training sessions.
Situation Analysis (PLC “Product Life Cycle ) : SOL is at growth stage. So
competition at growth stage is very tough .No single entity can claim to be Market
Leader today
As new players are emerging many companies which are offering training
sessions are in growth stage .
Apply Pareto principle 80/20 rule
what are your company 20% sales and marketing strategies giving 80% profitability?
what are our company 20% customers giving 80% sales?
what are our company 20% products giving 80% return ?
SOL Leaders needs to be very clear about the answers of the below mentioned
questions , and we are still following up for these answers
Current Scenario :
Marketing plan of any company goes with its four P‟s
• Product Line
Trainings for Youth , Corporate trainings , and training for women (so they
become effective and understand there is so much beyond beauty ) and for
teachers (OTAQ)
• Price
– Price is high and at par with the leading trainers
– SOL as they claim they are the representative of youth , but charge
around 15,000 to 30,000 for just 1 day or 3 days maximum. No middle
Income group youth can afford such hefty amount .We are already having
problems making ends meet.
10. – They ought to reduce their prices in this way they can get edge over their
competitors .By changing in price mechanism it will be a Win-Win situation
for them ( since they can outclass their competitors ) plus those who
cannot afford will benefit from them
–
• Promotion
– Little and random through advertising, exhibitions, social media (
facebook) & website but as such no planned strategy to build momentum
and strengthen brand name
• Place
– One office located in Clifton Karachi and recently launched in Islamabad
(they need to open office in Lahore to increase Market Share)
• USP
– Youth Trainings
– Teachers (OTAQ) , it can also become their USP and Competitive
Advantage
• Brand Recall
– Strong (But SOL is not the only brand that comes to mind, when one
wants seek training sessions )
• Sale Team
– Males and females
– Number:
– Attitude – Polite, positive, knowledgeable
Management : Kamran Rizvi, Saima Khan, Shireen Naqvi are well experienced well
qualified and are expert in designing and facilitating leadership programs for youth
Sales Team :
• Devoted and Passionate
Future Inspirations:
I. Increase Sales Volume
II. Strengthening Brand
11. III. International Presence
– Good News – Its possible
– Bad News – not all of this altogether
Rome wasn‟t built in a day!!
Focus on leading and legging factors!!
In business world every body wants to focus on „money‟ or financial returns,
however profit itself is a legging factor. What it means that it cant come from
itself, there are things/factors that „lead‟ to profits.
That's why branding comes prior to sales increase, stronger brands get you to
stronger numbers = profits
BRAND = is one word but it means a lot – quality, perception, share of heart,
share of mind, value chain, competitive position.
Pricing = yes and no – I will pay PKRS 5,000 for a Levis any day ....but paying
the same amount in Zainab market...no never, not if I am an average intelligent
consumer b/c I will pay for value. In other words BRAND = VALUE Consumer
receives.
Priority Order of implementation
I. Increase Sales Volume (start now!)
II. Strengthening Brand (start now!)
III. International Presence (Prepare now)
SWOT Analysis of SOL
Strengths
Youth Empowerment
Teachers training
Young & passionate trainers
Weakness:
Inexperienced ( they don‟t have much Corporate exposure , and are trying to
train Corporate executives)
Not well qualified ( mostly are pursuing MBA, they are just backelors or A-level
students with sound English skills only )
12. Where as time lender trainers are mostly not well educated and their qualification
is more towards engineering and technical side
Their training programs are entertaining , needs required to create pruprose , the
reason for being , that is to improve the productivity , upgrade personally and
professionally its target audience.
Opportunity
Market is still untapped
• A proper coherent multi channel marketing strategy can bring huge difference
• Highlighting synergies to maximize value for attendees
• SOL needs to have a strong link between after marketing strategy and target
audience.
•
Threats:
New players emerging in the market.
Difference between Pakistani Trainers and International Trainers and their level of
cooperation.
13. “Now Compare it with a trainer in USA , who even train judges , Business Leaders
and executives is so down to earth and see his level of knowledge , his passion
for books and learning . How much down to earth he is .”
14.
15.
16.
17.
18. As you can see the level of cooperation between a trainer in Pakistan of Time
Lenders and Renowned Trainer in USA . Yameen of time lenders instead of
helping me was asking me to become a trainer take all training sessions of Time
Lenders . It will cost me more than 1,50,000 Rupees . And the trainer in USA who
read a lot( read 30 books of only one author Brain Tracy ) and listen to 2000
hours of audio , much well qualified and was so cooperative with him . Pakistan
trainers are mean and feel insecure as they lack the courage, confidence as they
themselves are worthless.
19. Conclusion:
The trainers in Pakistan are not well qualified and lack having any corporate experience.
They are charging such a hefty amount due to just marketing gimmicks, which they
don‟t deserve. The trainings are not worthwhile and don‟t meet any objectives. The
trainees get entertained from motivational video clips (which they can themselves
search for “motivational video clips “on Youtube.com ) The training sessions lack
maturity, are full of entertainment, but lacks learning and development )
We cannot compare them with world class renowned trainers, Business Consultants
and Top Class authors like Stephen Covey and Brian Tracy .
As per Munawar Mirza “ our future is in very dangerous hands . If these are the trainers
then all the money we invest in their training sessions is going down the drain. With lack
20. of qualification and experience, being just O Level or A Level Qualified or diploma
holder or engineers cannot lift them to the level of trainers. Its much better to gain
trainings from IBA, from where we can learn and the certificate have some worth unlike
these trainers SOL ,T ime Lenders etc whose training sessions are just of 1 day usually
with no worth.