It started on a stressful afternoon in the month of September, the days that we dearly call "the Summers". Surprisingly, the GD and interview were the exact opposite of stressful. All that was required was good points, composure, confidence and also a knack for selling.

As Tata Steel says, we don’t just make steel we also make tomorrow, I was lucky enough to work on one such brand under the tubes division called Tata Structura. My project had two great points about it, which ironically made it not so easy. One, an entirely new market and product SKUs with which anyone in the company had had little to no exposure, and the other, the entire west market-Maharashtra & Gujarat- to cover with very different business methods and market scenes.

With a benign Chemical Engineering background and some tad bit of information about Iron and Steel processing, I landed at the Sales Head Office in Mumbai. The small team at the tubes division made sure that I get everything I need to start with but it was the canteen guy's menu reading session and the cup of coffee that arrived every now and then that brought me to ease. It took me some time to read and process tonnes of information, understand the project and reach a point where I could actually begin the real work. This is where you understand why your professor chooses that 20-page case to read overnight!

However, actually looking at the products and small meetings with other departments let me come to terms with the deliverables. The thing about core industries is that it involves a bit of technicality, even in a domain like Marketing, and no written report can tell you as much as an experience can.

The kind of freedom that I got to plan and execute the project made me very confident about my work from the beginning. After several discussions and planning, the fun began. I started the market visits in Mumbai, meeting various stakeholders ranging from dealers to heads of logistics and marketing in big firms. I learned a few important things here.

First, never be hesitant to make that call; the worst that can happen is you will hear a no. That will help you face rejection.
Second, observe a lot, be determined, ask questions even if you think it you won't get the exact answers. It will always lead you to the required direction.
And lastly, enjoy what you are doing. Each person you talk to will have something unique to tell.

At the end of the fourth week, I moved to Ahmedabad. The stark difference in the distribution channel and the idea of business at the two locations made me unlearn and learn again. I got to explore the pre-engineered building industry in Gujarat which in itself was the technology of tomorrow. And if you are in Gujarat, how can you miss the food!

The next step was to compile the data. The process of analysis was quite extensive but everyone in the team was very helpful. Regular discussions with the other intern let me learn more about the brand. We could help each other which also made survival in those last few weeks much easier.

I was assigned two mentors. My first mentor was in the Mumbai office, who was an MBA from another premier B-school. She was handling a lot of things and still would spare time whenever I asked for. I also had the chance to interact with the regional manager with whom I had numerous meetings discussing his vision for the product. I was never short of work or contacts but still, there was never any spoon feeding.

My other mentor in Ahmedabad office was the senior manager with an experience of a decade spread across different brands and divisions. His collection of database and knowledge about every small process was unbeatable. Then, there were snippets about early days, relationship management and survival tips in the competitive sales environment. He was keen on helping out even on Sundays for which I cannot thank him enough.

To sum up, a successful internship must end in applause but also in a lesson, not only about work but also about life, especially the one that we all are planning to lead - yes 'the corporate life'. This was one of those Summers.

Kanupriya Phalke

Summers At Tata Steel - Kanupriya Phalke, IIM Indore