Out of Box Thinking
Amit Gupte
Accomplished Leader in Sports Management and Business Development | 27+ Years of Experience in Strategic Leadership, E-Learning Innovation, and Operational Excellence"
#mysalesexperiences #salestipsforfreshers
Marketing departments of IT Education Institutes had their own traditional methods of generating walk-ins way back in 1996. New paper ads, leaflets, banners etc. But what if the courses offered were for hardware and Networking that too CNE... you can imagine the hardships faced.
Most of the students who went for IT courses opted for Software Engg courses. Couldn't blame them as it was "THE TREND" in mid nineties. A news paper ad could generate inquiries for Software courses but not for Hardware and Networking institutes. We used to release an advt and wait patiently for inquiries to walk in. If that didnt work, banners were installed across the city ( there were no restrictions then) and again play the waiting game. This is used to lead to frustration as very little response was achieved.
Then one day, I decided that if inquiries dont come to us, we will go to them. We made a list of all Engg colleges around Pune who offered Computer Engg. Part of these students were definitely my target for networking courses. Then we personally made slides (we used slides projectors then) talking about what is networking, what are its industry usages and so on. Learnt all the technical jargon's from a faculty and off we went. Since we knew more than the students on networking (from the marketing point of view), the seminars went of very well. You can say they were a hit. The work paid off. We started getting inquires for crash courses in networking. Batches started filling faster than before. And also unexpectedly, we started getting invitations to conduct such seminars in colleges around Baramati, Ahmedanagar etc. So along with admissions, we were also the "Industry Expert for careers in Networking" Icing on the cake....
It was a very small idea, but it paid off. Luckily, the sales team today are equipped with lots of databases, technological aids and easy access to communication methods unlike when we started. But try thinking outside of what you are taught in you organisation to generate leads and see the difference. You will have another steady flow of inquires apart from your traditional methods to help you with you goal.
All The best