I am currently undertaking my 13-month Undergraduate placement within the Sales department at ProspectSoft, and as I approach the final 3 months of my placement its only now that I realise just how quickly the time has passed! Working in such a dynamic industry and an even more dynamic workplace, full of chances to experience all aspects of the business, really makes you lose track of time.

In the New Business Team at ProspectSoft, I have been at the forefront of the business, having a direct impact on the sales process. My role typically involves building a pipeline of new business opportunities for the business, and nurturing leads into becoming paying customers. I would definitely say that this has been both brilliant and challenging! Being tasked with adding valuable new customers to our ever-growing customer base of over 350 different clients has required me to be very self-motivated and driven in order to find suitable opportunities and build these relationships. As I’ve progressed through my placement year, I’ve enhanced my selling technique and refined different skills in areas such as communication, customer service and B2B relationship building.

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of my role has been the fact that ProspectSoft is undergoing some massive changes and has been actively developing its new Prospect 365 Web UI platform throughout my year here. In turn, this has meant that I’ve had to demonstrate an ever-changing product to potential clients - discovering new capabilities and features in our software every day and actively learning about every aspect of the new system in order to accurately present it to my potential prospects. At first, this was very challenging but as I’ve progressed I’ve been able to cultivate new skills and competencies to tackle the fast-paced nature of my role as a Sales & On-boarding Assistant.

It’s not all office-based sales though! I’ve also had the chance to attend an exhibition - The Business Show in London, where I was able to meet hundreds of potential clients and present our software face-to-face. This was a great learning experience as I was able to adapt the sales skills I’d picked up on so far and put them into practice in a different environment.

Due to changes in our product, there was a shift in our sales strategy, and recently we’ve become much more focused on attracting new customers that are a great fit for our software – otherwise known as our ‘yellow circle’ customers. This has meant I’ve had to be incredibly selective in the prospects I choose to contact and requires me to conduct thorough research into their company and the products they sell before making a personalised pitch of Prospect 365. This has been another challenging aspect of my role, but the friendly and supportive atmosphere at ProspectSoft helps me still on a daily basis to tackle any job I have. Everyone is always willing to go the extra mile to help and answer questions to ensure I fully understand everything I have to do.

Overall, my time here at ProspectSoft has been incredibly fun, insightful and valuable to me and I’d encourage anyone who is considering doing a placement at an SME like ProspectSoft to go for it! This is a credit to the professional, friendly and nurturing environment that ProspectSoft provides to all placement students it takes in each year.