Hi everyone, I’m Ben - New Biz Sales placement at ProspectSoft. I study Business Management at Swansea University, and I’m loving my placement year so far. I’ve been at ProspectSoft for over 6 months now, which is hard to believe as it’s absolutely flown by! It certainly hasn’t been the placement year I expected with a pandemic getting in the way of normality; however, it has still been an amazing experience. This has mainly been down to the ProspectSoft team, who have made sure us placements feel very welcomed and comfortable throughout.

As early as looking at potential Universities and courses, I was sure that undertaking a year in industry was an adventure I wanted to take on. The main reason for this being that I was very keen to gain some real-life experience in the working world. In my opinion, being able to have some professional experience under my belt when leaving University was crucial.

At the beginning of the year, all us placements had 4 weeks of full-on training. This was a really great start to the placement, as it allowed us to learn everything we needed to know about ProspectSoft, the industry and how the company operates as a whole. We attended training sessions with various members of the ProspectSoft team, and they were all very helpful which ensured we settled in quickly - the advice and knowledge they shared with us was invaluable.

Once the training had finished, I started in my role as a member of ProspectSoft’s Sales team (eek!). Since getting stuck into the role, I’ve been working on a number of exciting and challenging tasks - and I’ve certainly been kept very busy! Throughout the week, I attend daily Sales meetings, which are a great way to have any questions answered, discuss how Sales are performing and have a general catch up. These meetings have been the perfect way for me to expand my knowledge of Prospect, whist allowing me to have anything I’m unsure of answered.

One of my first major tasks was to test Prospect’s eCommerce solution, which was a very interesting experience to say the least! It enabled me to gain a real world understanding of the importance of eCommerce, and the benefits it brings to businesses. One of the main advantages of a product business having an eCommerce presence is that they’re able to open 24/7, allowing customers to make purchase on the site at any time.

My role has definitely been fast-paced and has only got busier since testing the eCommerce solution before Christmas! Since then, I’ve taken on many tasks that have covered a wide range of business needs – this has meant that I’m always kept busy, and I’ve never been sat around twiddling my thumbs!

Below are just some of the exciting tasks I’ve been working on so far: 

• Liaising and working with Free Trialists 
• Learning about our eCommerce offering and helping sell the solution!
• Following up on Prospect’s Free Trial Marketing campaigns
• Carrying out various Lead Generation tasks 
• Working on my own Sales opportunities and supporting the team on larger deals

Being in a Sales role, a big part of it is liaising and working with potential customers. I’ve really enjoyed this as it means I’m always speaking to new people and learning about their business. This allows me to work with them effectively as I can interpret their requirements and business challenges, and articulate key benefits to help them overcome these current pain points.

All of these tasks have allowed me to be independent and get on with the job. This is one of the great things about being a placement at ProspectSoft. You’re treated the same as permanent employees and are given great amounts of responsibility. As such, this has allowed me to really challenge myself and get stuck into meaningful tasks within the Sales department.

One of the things I’ve found most interesting and useful is the business knowledge I’ve acquired throughout my placement. Working as a Sales Assistant for a business operating in the SaaS industry has been a fascinating and eye-opening experience - particularly in a pandemic where software is so critical to business growth and success.

As well as this, I’ve loved being able to gain a deep understanding of concepts such as up-selling and the benefit of using RFM analysis to enhance business success. I’ve learnt so much during my time here so far, and I know that this will help me massively throughout my University degree and future career.

Overall, it’s fair to say that I’ve loved the experience of working within of the New Business Sales team at ProspectSoft. It’s given me a great insight into a professional workplace and the world of software. I’d strongly encourage anyone at University to consider a placement as part of their degree. My Sales placement has helped me improve upon many skills, such as my adaptability, independence, time keeping, sales knowledge and attention to detail. And that doesn’t even cover it all! With all that I’ve learnt at ProspectSoft, I now feel prepared for a professional career post-University.

Like what you hear? Check out what’s involved in our action-packed New Business Sales role now!