It is said that “Nine” is a sacred number representing completion, fulfillment, wisdom and leadership. And that it’s a magical number, since when multiplied, 9 always reproduces itself.
Be it “navaratri” or “navagrahas”, number nine has a mystical connotation in the Indian psyche from ancient times. It is said that there are 9 choirs of angels in the Christian angelic hierarchy; and Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
Coincidentally, the core mission of every enterprise, irrespective of its scale and complexity, is encapsulated in a 9-letter word, ‘Wellbeing’: the wellbeing of its founders, shareholders, employees, stakeholders, investors, partners… And this in turn, is dependent on the wellbeing of the enterprise’s ‘Customers’ or ‘Consumers’, another 9-letter word.
More so, in the realty sector, where an ordinary family literally sinks, albeit invests, their lifelong savings into acquiring a home. So customers have a nagging question in their mind – have the manufacturers taken care of their wellbeing? And can customers enjoy the promised ‘Solutions’ (9): be it products, services, whatever?
And in a tech-dominated age, where Solutions expected by consumers can become obsolete in a jiffy, customers are our real ‘Pay-givers’ (9); not employers nor investors. There are hundreds of examples of companies with magnetic founders, esoteric products, dazzling brand launches and unbelievable valuations evaporating into thin air—because of giving short shrift to the enterprise’s faceless, nameless ‘Custodian’(9).
In fact, even at the risk of sounding simplistic, there is a lot of sense in stating that a definition of the hyper-used term “Marketing” (9 letters) can be condensed in four words: ‘Nurturing’ ‘Delighted’ ‘Consumers’ ‘Gainfully’—each keyword comprises 9 letters.
By the way, those who are involved in the construction sector, be it a local builder from Trivandrum or a realty giant from Thane, they can see another type of 9-connection. They follow basic business ‘Processes’ while hunting for the elusive ‘Home-buyer’. The search starts for ‘Enquiries’, ‘Prospects’, ‘Fieldwork’, followed by ‘Site-visits’, ‘Follow-ups’, ‘Referrals’– along with the active support of ‘Catalysts’(financier). Depending on the scale of the project and the wallets of the promoters, money is invested in ‘Promotions’ across ‘Platforms’. Noticed the play of 9-magic?
But in all this exciting business-mix, customers want to be reassured of the ‘Integrity’ of the player. In the real estate business, where reputations of small and large companies have been demolished due to unethical practices—and with the highest courts of the land pulling up errant builders, it is all the more important that the image of the business is not sullied because of a few rotten apples. And RERA is a step in that direction.
Essentially, whether your ‘Ecosystem’ is B2B, B2C, C2C, or C2B, the 9-letter path to success remains the same: a growing ‘Community’ of ‘Customers’ who feel ‘Wonderful’ due to your focus on their ‘Wellbeing’.