I have been privileged to closely work in a supporting role to the partners while starting the new training company; More Than Training Company (MTTC). I started over the summer between my Sophomore and Junior year of University, as well as over my Christmas holiday, while completing my BBA at Averett University in the United States. During this supporting period I have been able to see, understand and learn about B2B Sales, influencing communications, leadership, entrepreneurship, and about staging customer experiences. It has been really fruitful and pleasant working together with the partners at MTTC, and learning about different companies in contrasting industries, as well as about the people working in these various roles. Even though all the partners are substantially different, have individual ways of working, operating, and communicating, one thing brings them all together: the end goal of where the company is going (vision and mission). One partner is super driven, disciplined and on top of even the smallest details, another one is astonishingly creative and shines like a star when getting kick-started, and a third one is constantly meeting people, playing golf and all kinds of hassle in between.
My first six months working with MTTC have been extremely beneficial to me (and hopefully to the team). In addition to having a good time I have got valuable learnings in the various fields, been pushed forward, guided, and challenged to learn on various levels in a growth environment. These learning curves have been accelerated by exclusive discussions, being part of the training workshops as well as other unique occasions.
To be able to efficiently support the team in the different aspects, I quickly had to learn about and how to use different tools and softwares such as Hubspot CRM as well as creating and editing web pages in addition to communicating through other digital marketing platforms. Furthermore, I have also got an understanding of what kind of challenges different people in the workforce, leaders and companies face. The importance of a good work culture filled with trust, embracing each other’s differences (strengths and weaknesses) and the positive effects it brings to the quality of work, even when having overly filled calendars and striving for something special. When creating something exceptional, you cannot operate in accordance with any norms or standards, and have to dare to be different and learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Being able to see and to be part of the entire life cycle of sales all the way from prospecting leads to contract negotiations, was something I do not believe I could have done in many other organizations. In addition, I was lucky to later even see when the closed deals were transformed into projects. One aspect of things I supported with was booking appointments. Even though I previously did not really like cold calling, it is a key aspect in any kind of sales. Therefore, I wanted to become efficient at it, and even though it felt uncomfortable in the beginning, I quickly got a grasp of it with great support and guidance for making it more than just traditional cold calling. With the strategic use of digital marketing, personal branding, and having the out-to-in mindset of not selling anything, but trying to help others, and making the primary goal not just getting a booked appointment, but leaving the other person with a good feeling after the call. With these guidelines it all changed for me, and I was suddenly able to book even the most demanding appointments with significantly better success while enjoying it! Creating a good feeling for both parties is essential for magic to happen.
In addition to meeting the objectives of this supporting period I was able to meet a lot of new and exciting people, expand my network and build special relationships. One of the most important things I have learned is that it is essential to be truly interested in people and in what they do. If you are only out to make a sale you might often succeed at it, but building strong and trusted relationships with that other person will be far more rewarding in the long run. The most rewarding things, as well as deals are not made overnight, and that trust built over months and years might be the only thing differentiating you from your competitors. Every encounter with other people no matter if it is a past, current or prospective customer, as well as what you post on digital platforms all build up your reputation, and might be the deciding factor if other people want to do business with you.
Not only is it advantageous to be interested in other people, but it is essential in order to understand how various industries work. A good deal of companies in different industries are connected at the end of the day, understanding how these work together, as well as knowing the right people on the different levels in companies is what builds your competitive advantage.
Lastly, I learned the importance of listening. There is a tremendous difference if you listen just to reply, or if you actually try to comprehend what the other person is telling you. In general, things are good when the customer is speaking, and if you listen closely as well as asking the right questions at the right time, the customer will tell you everything you need to know about their needs, concerns, and in the best case even the solutions to them. Then all you need to do is translate what you have been told into your own words, and simplify the issue so that the other people in that organization can understand it as well.
I have been excited and thankful for this opportunity to grow, learn, support and operate in an environment of possibilities. A culture where creating collateral success like there is at MTTC is essential for staging stunning experiences for customers, partners, and even in this case for an “intern”. Quite frankly, this far I have been part of planning and organizing a golf tournament, playing (a lot) of golf with customers (while getting paid), and “carrying” presents to customers. I was part of some extremely interesting lunch meetings with customers where I really had no idea what they were talking about, just wondering why I had to sign such a strict NDA. Already looking forward to next summer!
