In a bid to take on competition from private operators, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has decided to outsource part of its marketing activity to private agencies across the country.

BSNL will appoint business associates for each of the 23 telecom circles to directly market and sell a range of its products including leased lines, broadband services, web hosting, server co-location, landlines and mobile phones. This is the first time that BSNL is attempting a direct marketing initiative. Until now, while BSNL advertised its services aggressively, customers had to approach the company for its products.

The business associates will be appointed on a commission basis. They will also be engaged by BSNL to provide customer support services, for which there would be an additional incentive.

The business associate will have to use its own distribution network for marketing BSNL products on an exclusive basis. Each associate will be given a set of mandatory targets.

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