“It all depends on how you work and not where you work”
With that quote in the back of my mind, I joined Reboot systems as a marketing summer intern in Delhi. Reboot systems is a startup based out of Hyderabad which deals with the refurbishment of computers hence decreasing the e-waste generated. The venture was interesting and new to me. As they say, a startup is a good opportunity for any individual to explore the various aspect of a company’s management. I was in for the three months of loaded learning which gave me an experience that converted into a life time opportunity.
My designation was Assistant Manager-Sales and Business Development. I was into the procurement department wherein I had a role of client development—get new clients, maintain old clients, business deals and negotiations. Initially I did not have any strategy or a plan to set for the market. It took me some time to understand the approach towards the market and the only mantra on my mind was to match the company’s vision and customer’s expectation. I learnt that mismatch of these two can lead to disappointment of both. The journey started with cold calls. Cold calling is pretty critical and something you can’t be afraid to do if you are dealing with customers. You have to do it to find the customer, understand what he/she wants and their expectancy, which is the way for long term sustainability of the company in the market.
As I proceeded with my internship, the learning became more refined. My field of work included meetings with business houses (small startups to MNCs like Bharat Petroleum). This sector gave me insights on importance of relationship between clients and identifying the right customer that play a vital role in closing a deal. Every time I fixed a meeting with the client it was made sure that I was selling the idea of my company. The realization was that it takes a lot of meetings and negotiations regarding price, logistics and delivery. I was sometimes perplexed whether to go for the deals which were taking more than couple of weeks to even get a meeting fixed. Soon I learnt that a deal with a client doesn’t happen overnight, and longer time period for any to convert, is absolutely a part of B2B dealings. Also, have empathy, gratitude and respect for every position in the company.
Another valuable aspect for a startup is the customer of your product. After understanding the importance of customer I believe that Customer service should not be just a department but should be inculcated in the entire company as they are the source of both negative and positive feedback and also word of mouth which is very powerful. Rightly said Customer is God.
“The only two people who can give you real feedback about your product are people who just purchased it and people who have just cancelled.”
No journey is complete without failures and challenges. Among the various follow ups, no replies and deal cancellations was an unavoidable part. Sometimes deals get cancelled when they are on the verge of being closed. I figured out the problem and realized that it was important for me to narrow down my target segment. It is very important to sell your idea to the right customer. Every day was a new adventure in a sense that it was a mixture of plans and uncertainties which made my internship an experience worth sharing.
Like they say, “
A good job isn’t something that you go out and find, it is something that you discover while you’re working”- Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, I was rewarded with a pre- placement offer which made it worth reliving the experience.
Cheers to IMT Hyderabad!
Esma Masaud Siddiqui
PGDM-Marketing & Analytics
2013-15