BATman Chronicles – My BATB journey and key takeaways

BATman Chronicles – My BATB journey and key takeaways

It all started with Battle of Minds 2018. My friends and I decided to try our luck in the key pipeline for future talents of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB); in hopes of acing the competition and get the all-expenses-paid trip to the company’s headquarters in London. However, our adventure came to an abrupt end in the quarter-finals and that was the end of the road, or so have I thought. Soon enough, I got a phone call and fast forward a few weeks, there I was – a half nervous, half confident fresh graduate about to get enrolled in BATB’s highly sought after Global Graduate Programme. Only a handful get to be recruited as a Global Graduate and even a lesser few get to stay in the long run. Reason – the Management Trainee program of one of Bangladesh’s leading MNCs have absolutely no room for error. You either go big or you go home. 

Being young, wild and enthusiastic, I jumped at the challenge - and eventually learned these valuable lessons

Reality Checks

Material possessions don’t really matter in the long-run – In my own opinion, 6 out of 10 university freshers often fall for the “I have a car and a chauffeur now” trap. Yes, it definitely seems very James Bond-ish to cruise through the town with your own (it’s the company’s car to be very honest) well-maintained, slick vehicle and a chauffeur at your service 24/7, but bear in mind that the attraction tends to fade away over time. So, if BATB is your career choice SOLELY for earning money and getting an elevated lifestyle – then you might want to rethink your purpose. 

Living away from your family isn’t always fun – Yes, staying in a new city, living in an apartment of your own does seem to be very enchanting. However, after waking up alone in a deserted house for 5 days straight, you will soon realize how much you miss your Mom yelling at you, or the mere sight of your Dad watching TV. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say.

Life is not fair – Deal with it, my friend. You are no longer a university kid anymore. Life will be throwing some serious roadblocks at you, and BATB won’t be an exception. Your Boss will be angry without any reason, your colleagues might get into an argument with you, deadlines, stretched targets, quarrels, screams, long nights – prepare to embrace it all. Remember, if it was easy, everyone would have been doing it. 

Real-life Competencies

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Stepping outside my comfort zone – I remember being at the NSU campus on September – studying hard for midterms and completely immersed in group projects. On the first week of November, I moved to a city 124 kilometers away from Dhaka – with nearly 200 people working directly under my command and a daily target of selling 2.1 million sticks. No, I was not out of my comfort zone. I was A FEW LIGHTYEARS away from my comfort zone! But looking back, I think it was those initial moment of being confused, blank and scared that pushed me to rise up to the occasions and deliver accordingly. It’s indeed true that BATB throws you to the wolves and helps you to return; leading the pack.

Understanding the true essence of Marketing – Being an undergraduate majoring in Marketing, I was taught a wide variety of courses – ranging from Advertisement, Brand Management to even Consumer Behaviour. But never has any textbook ever taught me how to be a salesman, how to directly convince a retailer to buy 10 extra packs or how to motivate my sales force to chase a near-to-impossible sales target. This raw art of creating value for multiple audiences was something that I mastered by working in BATB; something that my role as an ‘on-the-field’ employee has taught me.   

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Multitasking, Discipline and Resilience – I really don’t think 24 hours a day is sufficient for someone working in a company as dynamic as BATB. I woke up at 7am, went to market visits by 9:15am and returned to the office by 5pm for some more desk work. The company squeezes every penny out of you. And I’d say it’s fair. Because it makes you understand the true value of money and why you should always keep your feet on the ground. Yes, the grueling routine might take your sanity away, but it does help in shaping up a formidable work ethic in you.

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Nurturing everlasting bonds and appreciating life – In terms of BATB’s geographic demarcation, I was in charge of a territory named Faridpur. Faridpur has four other neighboring territories; which were collectively termed as an Area. My colleagues aka my Areamates all (luckily) belonged to the same age group and had quite a few things in common – with the most significant one being this – we were all Dhaka-boys who moved into new cities, right at the very beginning of our careers. All 5 of us had similar homesickness and similar apprehensions. And that’s what eventually made them turn into my family. We laughed together, chased sales targets together, and in sad, lonely days – missed our homes together. BATB doesn’t give you ordinary colleagues, it gives you a band of brothers.

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Being ME no matter what – Being isolated in a completely new town gave me enough time to self-reflect my own life choices. I began to open up to my own self and started weighing my own strengths, weaknesses and my long term life goals. I eventually came to terms on my own self – realizing the fact that my true potential lied in brainstorming ideas rather than executing instructions. I realized that I always had a penchant to understand how brands on online platforms get to cater to audiences. Things that my career at BATB was not offering me at that moment, which finally led me to take a complete leap of faith – leaving the company and starting to work on things that I’ve really been passionate about. I had to leave a revered job, a high potential career to settle for a company where I will be doing the exact things that keep my soul ticking. 

I left.

My current role at the highest circulated English newspaper of Bangladesh enables me to re-strategize the company’s business model, strengthen the revenue channels and innovate new ideas for long-term growth – things that have always fascinated me.  

So should YOU - a young undergraduate - aspire to join BATB?

YES – if you have that immense hunger to work with the brightest minds of the country, get trained by global experts and explore the very best facilities (monetary and skillset) that a company can possibly offer to freshers.  

 NO – if you do not have an avid interest in trade marketing, have an interest in other areas of work and if you're extremely homesick. If you want to stay with your family and have a work-life balance as a priority.

But my biggest advice for you, based on both the good and bad sides of my 8 months journey, will be this:

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. 





Syed Sadat Hasan

Sales and Marketing Professional

5 年

Thanks a ton Bhaia for sharing these insights!?

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Nawshad Kabir Ananda

Crafting Stories through Brand & Communication ? Strategic Brand Building ? MBA Grad from IBA, DU ? Brand & Communication ? Ecommerce ? Growth & Marketing Consultant

5 年

The writeup was candid and mindblowing <3? Best of luck for your future endeavors.?

Ashikul Islam

BRB rebuilding myself | Ex- Reckitt | Ex-Uber

5 年

This is just mind blowing stuff!

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