Advising on the Indian Market

Expert market advice sought by the Australian Trade Commission

Sanjiv R Mahajan · AUSTRADE · Australian Trade Commission

AUSTRADE sought my advice on the market potential and marketing strategy in India for an Australian technology company.

The correspondence documents an early international advisory role and my firsthand knowledge of the Indian technology market.

Context

Advisory in the 1980s

In 1987, AUSTRADE, the Australian Trade Commission, approached me for my assessment of the Indian market potential for an Australian technology company's micro-photogrammetric system.

By then, I had substantial firsthand experience of the Indian technology market, working with technology companies, customers and distribution channels and developing a practical understanding of how international technology products could be positioned and commercialized in India.

AUSTRADE's Senior Trade Commissioner, Mr. J.P. McCaffery, requested my “expert comments on the market potential”, noting that they would be of “great value” to the Australian company in deciding its marketing plans.

After receiving my advice, AUSTRADE confirmed that my comments had been forwarded to the company and expressed the hope that they would “go a long way in deciding their marketing strategy in India.”

Two letters from the correspondence are reproduced below (signatures deliberately blurred).

AUSTRADE letter to Sanjiv Mahajan dated August 20, 1987 requesting expert comments on Indian market potential — AUSTRADE · Australian Trade Commission · August 20, 1987

AUSTRADE letter to Sanjiv R Mahajan dated November 12, 1987 confirming his advice was forwarded to the Australian company — AUSTRADE · Australian Trade Commission · November 12, 1987

Retrospective

An early record of international market advisory

This correspondence provides documentary evidence of international market advisory work early in my career: assessing the commercial potential of an unfamiliar technology, interpreting the Indian market for an overseas company and contributing to decisions about how that company should approach the market.

The assignment required more than knowledge of the technology. It required judgment about market potential, positioning, customers, channels and the commercial realities of entering and competing in India.

That experience became part of a much broader international career. Over the decades that followed, I would build businesses, enter and develop markets, commercialize technology and advise companies and leadership teams across multiple countries on strategy, market entry, growth and transformation.

Nearly four decades later, the fundamental questions remain remarkably similar:
Is there a market?
Where is the opportunity?
How should we enter?
How should we position ourselves?
And what will it take to succeed?

About the Author

Sunjyiev Mahajan is an entrepreneur, board director, strategist, advisor and writer. For four decades and across 43 countries, he has helped organizations anticipate change, reduce uncertainty, and make better decisions. Working at the intersection of strategy, technology, governance, and human behavior, he also advises and writes on trust, decision intelligence, and the future of AI, with a particular focus on how organizations can turn intelligence into better decisions and measurable outcomes.

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