For the past few months, I have been working an entry-level sales and marketing job at a relatively large business solutions company. My major is marketing, with a specialization in digital marketing, so this job has been an incredible opportunity for me to gain real-world experience in my field. I love my job! I have learned so much from my time working there. If you plan on working in a similar field, I hope that you can benefit from my experience, and use this knowledge to gain a better understanding of what you may encounter in your future career.
The Basics of the Job
At first, the demonstrations were more complicated than I thought they would be. We have many tasks that we were in charge of including setting up product demonstrations, promoting the products using specific selling points provided by manufacturers, and engaging with customers about the products. Then we would be encouraging customers to purchase the products, receiving feedback from customers about the products, and communicating that customer feedback to the manufacturers among other things. Most often this was done by giving samples, coupons, and/or information pamphlets to customers to encourage them to try the product for themselves.
The Importance of Small Details
There were a lot of things that seemed small and insignificant but were actually very important. For example, we almost always had to set up signs for our demos which needed to be at a certain height on our demo stations. Later I learned that the height they were set at was at eye level for the average shopper (the ideal height for people to view the product promotion). The more I worked the more I realized how important even the subtle nuances of the job actually were and how they could affect a customer’s overall perception of your demo.
How to Get Good Feedback
One of the important roles of my position was communicating feedback about the featured products from customers to manufacturers. This is incredibly important because companies need to ensure they are truly satisfying the needs and wants of their customers. That said, sometimes customers will try a product and say what it is they think you want to hear rather than how they feel about the product. This is not good feedback.
I have learned that whenever you ask what a customer thinks about the product you should be sure that they feel like they can be honest. Avoid using tones that make it seem like you are expecting positive feedback and instead use neutral tones when asking what customers think. Also, try asking questions like “Is there anything about the product that stood out to you?” or “Is there anything that you think the company could do to improve this product?”
These are just a few things that I have learned while working in sales and marketing. There are many more aspects that I could talk about. If this article was helpful or if you would like more content like this let Her Campus know on our Instagram @HCLouisianaTech.