Is Your Diwali Scheme Being Ghosted?
by Aftab Sheikh
October 22, 2026 | 02 min read
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Diwali is on November 8, and every brand has a scheme ready. Whether it works depends on a conversation that almost never gets measured: the one between a salesman and a retailer, at the counter.
Systems today show plenty about the visit and almost nothing about the conversation:
- The rep reached the outlet (GPS, time on site), but not what was said in those minutes.
- The order value, SKUs and lines per bill are recorded, but not whether the scheme was ever mentioned.
- Scheme redemption shows up at month end, but not why the retailer said no.
By the time redemption numbers arrive, the festive window has closed.
So one of India’s biggest names in its category asked Marshal to listen. For one week, across North India, Marshal analysed 4,266 conversations between 44 salesmen and their retailers. It measured conversation quality, brand KPI adherence, objection handling and sales execution, for the team and for each salesman.
Diyas on, scheme off
Active schemes were pitched in 689 of 4,266 calls, which is 16.2%. In 84 of every 100 calls, the scheme never came up.
Reps were reacting, not leading
When schemes did come up, retailers raised 949 objections on them, and about 94% were resolved. But the retailer had to ask first 426 times, about 45% of the time.
When asked, reps resolved almost every objection, so they know the scheme. What is missing is the habit of opening with it. The data shows what happened, not why, so it could be priorities, incentives or confidence. The cost is hidden: a retailer who never asks never hears about the scheme.
Same pitch, every counter
We scored every call against KPIs set by the brand. The full report shows how each brand and category performed, which KPIs rarely made it into the conversation, and what that says about where reps spend their time. It goes down to the individual salesman and the individual SKU, so you can see who is pitching what, outlet by outlet.
Hear what your counter is saying
Bizom Marshal captures rep-retailer conversations during outlet visits and turns them into structured insights across local languages, without changing how reps sell.
With Diwali on November 8, there’s little time to act on what’s really happening at the counter. Discover what these conversations reveal about scheme awareness, retailer responses, and opportunities to improve execution before the festive rush.
Click here to request the full report.
– RIO
