Four internship lessons and reflections from SeeUnity
This blog was originally written by SeeUnity’s summer intern, David Olson.
Finishing my junior year of college brought the realization that this was going to be my last summer as a college student. I was excited to get a taste of what the professional world was like. Throughout my summer, I learned many things and got the chance to demonstrate previous job and college experiences. The following are some lessons and reflections of my summer at SeeUnity.
1. It’s the little things
A lot of times the little things are the big things. A value that I have had instilled in me since I started working and in college sports has been to show up early ready to work. Another is bringing a good attitude with you every day and getting to know your coworkers. Little things, like the Monday morning sales meetings, where the company CEO and the Sales and Marketing staff have conversations around things they did over the weekend reminded me of the importance of relationships in business. My experience in this internship has reaffirmed my belief that taking time to get to know your coworkers and doing the little things correctly will lead to success.
2. You aren’t expected to know everything
The first couple days of my internship consisted of gaining an understanding of the solutions SeeUnity provides well enough to talk to industry experts. Reading whitepapers and touching base with my co-workers allowed me to improve my knowledge of the industry and what we can do to solve potential customer’s problems each day. Asking questions to understand the solutions, as well as the way to approach situations, was a valuable learning experience. For instance, a simple question like “what is the social media strategy?” to the marketing team, allowed me to understand how I was going to approach curating content to share.
3. B2B and B2C sales are different
Many times, when selling in a B2C situation, customers come into your store or office looking for a product. Most of the time they know they are going to buy a type of product, like a TV for example. The selling part comes when you get them the perfect TV for what they watch, plus sound solutions and accessories. Business to Business was a different experience for me. When businesses have a problem, they don’t always know how your solution will help them. Showing them how your solution will add value to their organization is important. Learning the differences and techniques needed to transition to business sales was an extremely valuable lesson.
4. Don’t be afraid to fail
Some days after I had identified a good lead, I would call to discuss how our solutions can solve problems they are having. With calling comes rejection. Sometimes in the form of someone just hanging up on you, other times they just have no interest or time to talk to you. Calling is a numbers game. Remembering that eventually someone will pick up allowed me to keep bringing my best to every dial and conversation.
Throughout all the experiences I have had in my college years and now finishing this internship I have realized that I am ready to tackle what comes next. There is nothing that I am looking forward to more than building a career and making a positive impact in whatever I decide to do.
