TaskForce (Jan'03 - Jun'03)

Company: Inmark Consulting

Period: Jan 2003 - Jun 2003

Industry: Servicios B2B

Division/Department: TaskForce / Sales

Job Position: Sales Executive

Description

Shortly after finishing my degree, I began looking for my first job. I was certain that I wanted to start in the commercial field before moving into marketing, as this was something recommended to me whenever I spoke to a marketing professional.

A few months later, I had the opportunity to work for a TaskForce team responsible for transferring Vodafone’s fixed-line customer portfolio to Affinalia, the company that had acquired it. This project required me to quickly get up to speed with the telecommunications market as well as the workings of various phone networks.

My role was purely commercial, and my objective was to acquire as many clients (companies) as possible for the new operator, Affinalia. This acquisition could be achieved through two channels:

• New acquisitions via cold calling: This involved visiting industrial areas and even commercial zones to introduce myself to business owners and convince them to switch their fixed-line phone services to Affinalia. This task was challenging and tedious since Affinalia was barely known as a mobile phone operator. However, I managed to close several deals.

• Transferring contracts: This was the easiest way to secure new sign-ups. I started with the database provided by Affinalia, reaching out to purchasing managers to schedule a visit. Once I had several appointments in a particular area, I would drive over and spend the day going from meeting to meeting, trying to persuade them to switch to Affinalia. Often, the quality of the database entries was very poor, with either incorrect data or records of people who claimed never to have been Vodafone clients. Nevertheless, this channel yielded the highest success rate, with up to one successful sign-up for every three visits.

Learnings

At TaskForce, I primarily learned how to sell. The work was tough, as clients often disregarded me or didn’t take the time to listen, and I had to be persistent and overcome obstacles to close the sale. The majority of my salary was commission-based, so it was essential for me to step up and secure contracts.

During this time, I also began to develop my competitive spirit. I felt challenged whenever one of my colleagues had closed more contracts than I had in a given week. I would set to work to make sure that the following week, I would be the one to stand out above the rest.

Skills acquired

- Negotiation skills

- Sales habilities

- Customer orientation

- Organization 

Reasons for change

Once the project with Affinalia ended, thanks to my strong performance, I was offered a position on a TaskForce team for Gas Natural, a more prominent brand. However, my interest was more focused on joining a consumer goods company where I could eventually transition into marketing so I decided to accept SA DAMM job offer.