Tesla Motors Appoints New Senior Vice President To Lead Sales

Tesla Motors hired a new vice president for its North American sales.

The American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors has appointed a new sales head. Tesla news reported that the automaker has recruited an ex-executive, Ganesh Srivats, of the British fashion house, Burberry, as its senior vice president (SVP) of North American sales, a step indicating that CEO Elon Musk intends to expand the Californian business’s retail operations.

Since 2009, Mr. Ganesh has held retail and strategy position for the fashion firm and was recently working as its senior vice president for retail in the Americas. Tesla news today disclosed that the organization’s selling strategy differs from others, who benefit from the services of independent dealerships, as it relies on unconventional advertising schemes and internet-based selling mechanisms.

Tesla is also known for owning its retail network. A professor of marketing at New York’s Stern School of Business has welcomed the development, as he exclaimed that this makes all sense in the world. He added that the South African born entrepreneur’s company is not a vehicle manufacturing organization, but a luxury firm.

The electric vehicle pioneer’s recent decision should not surprise the stakeholders of the high-tech world, as it had previously proclaimed to recruitment new executives to head its regional sales operations. Press sources stated that CEO of the Luxury Institute, Milton Padraza, has stated that Mr. Ganesh introduces a customer center approach for businesses. He added that it is about long-term relations. 

Burberry dominates the field of developing client relationships. Tesla Motors news informed that the smartphone manufacturer, Apple, previously took a similar decision when it appointed the fashion company’s CEO, Angela Ahrendts, as head of its sales operations in 2013.

Tesla has recently stated that it intends to sell 500,000 cars by 2020, according to official sources, and it is about to introduce its Model X. Industry experts are of the view that the decision has been taken to help it to achieve its sales-related objective, as Srivats is an experienced marketing professional who has contributed to the capacity of the European organization.

It is probable that the appointment of the new executive would send a threatening message to its rivals, who might be forced to follow its footsteps. The entrance of the former Burberry SVP in the company might improve the motivation levels of its sales team, which can learn from the achievements of the entrant.

The management of the organization should now introduce the marketing strategy to the newly recruited official and try to utilize his marketing potential in the best possible manner to benefit from his qualifications and expertise. It should also refrain from repeating the similar mistakes, which has caused challenges and problems to the company, e.g. withdrawal of defected cars from the market. However, Mr. Musk seems positive about the future.