field sales Review

I met some great people during my 10 weeks summer internship. It was challenging but i did enjoy it and i learnt a lot not only about the comapny but for myself as well. I definitely enjoyed building relationships with clients and practicing my selling skills in the field.

The nature of the job is connected with spending quite a lot of time on your own in the field but the fact that there were another 18-19 people who are experiencing similar challenges,being able to share this on a day to day basis made me appreciate my colleagues. Any time i had a contact with my manager, mentor or other colleagues i always felt appreciated and my opinion was valued.

I have received a one to one with my manager on a weekly basis where i had a chance to address any issues or questions that i have as well as to receive feedback about my performance. In addition, everyone was assigned a mentor who was there for us throught the internship. Last but not least, you collaborate with a buddy who is an SDR (sales development representative). He/she is playing a vital role in your day to day tasks. Overall, i felt that my manager, mentor and buddy were always there for me. They were not only supporting me during my internship but also guiding me throught my time in pepsico.

You work towards meeting targets but how busy you are depends on yourself. Some days can be busier than others. If you want to exceed your targets and show an outstanding performance your day can become extremely busy but this depends on yourself.

During the summer internship you are left to work with minimal supervision meaning that you have ultimate responsibility for what you do. For example, you are responsible for pre planning your routes for the following day, looking for the most time efficient journeys. You get a car that you are responsible for. On the top of that, you are responsible to provide a great customer service while meeting with clients. All the sales numbers during your the summer internship are your responsibility as well.

I believe that the skills i developed will be extremely useful not only for my degree studies but also for my career evelopment. Understanding how field sales work at a large multinational organisation, creating and mantaining relationships as well as time management are all skills that i have developed during my internship.

The headoffice is very welcoming and warm. The atmosphere is pleasent to work in. Everyone is to some extent busy but if you need help the people are always ready to meet up and have a chat or discussion.

The internship was organised in two parts. Week one is when you receive your sales training and you get briefed on what your tasks will be during the first few weeks. The first part of the placement included selling pepsico products to cafes and delies. The second part of the internship was more about merchandising, building relationships with independent retailers and engaging them with our loyalty scheme. Final week is a week in head office where all the interns are spilt in group and undertake various challenges. There was another week in head office between the first and second part of the internship.

You get a training in sales and an opportnity to role play and overcome any obstacles you might face in the field. You get to meet and speak to senior management where you can receive an insight into their daily routine. There is a leader board every week which allows you to compare your performance with the rest of the interns and motivates you to improve your capabilities.

Everyone who has undertaking the summer field sales internship has an opportunity to be invited to undertake an ACP (accelerated career programme) wich is 3 and a half years and offers unlimited opportunities withing the company. Also, during the weeks spent in headoffice you have an opportunity to meet people from various departments and find out more about their job roles as well as what do you need to do to reach there.

Pepsico offered the summer internship to 19 students and all of us were really close during the 10 weeks. We communicated on a daily basis and shared expriences. Everyone was friendly and really helpful when some support is required. If there are students placed in the same geographical area you have the opportunity to meet up and socialise.

I was based on the south coast which was the area between brighton and bournemouth. Every day i had an opportunity to work in a different town. There were not other students based around me so i did not have a chance to socialise very often with the other interns which was a shame. However, living in portsmouth is relatively inexpensive in comparison with london or other parts of the UK. The company respected my preference of location.

The social life in portsmouth is generally good when all the students are there. However, during the summer when all the students are gone its a little bit like a ghost town. There are 3-4 big clubs where you can have a great night out.

There was an opportunity to volunteer during 3 festivals. You get to sell juice and engage with the consumer as well as to enjoy the night at the festival after work. You go with 4-5 other interns and camp during the festival. Apart from that there were not other activities outside work that you can get involved in.