Final Thoughts

Well, now that the summer is coming to a close, it is interesting to look back and assess my time spent. This has been a fantastic summer of growth and opportunity which has provided me with enriching and valuable experiences. I will be heading into the ‘real world’ very soon (maybe too soon?) when I graduate in December, and I feel I have had a real taste of what it’s going to be like when I get there. I don’t believe that I can be one hundred percent prepared for the transition into life after college, but this summer has put me miles ahead of where I have been.
The success and failures of my summer sometimes feel like they are one in the same. A few of the things that I have struggled with have become my greatest accomplishments. In that case, I guess that means they aren’t failures at all. My successes include personal issues such as time management and self-motivation as well as social aspects of the job – cold-calling, meeting so many new people, and feeling the responsibility of being the face of the company. I really like meeting new people, but I get nervous when I have more responsibility than saying ‘hi’ and remembering their name. I question my knowledge of the company or our products, if I will be able to convince these people that what I’ve got to offer them is worth their time and extremely beneficial to them, and even if I am representing Aidmatrix in a way that would make the ‘clients’ feel positive about their experience with me/us. I think it was Keith who helped during training, and told us to think of it differently. He helped a good deal. He taught me not to think of it as a make-or-break experience, that if they don’t understand me for who I am and why I’m really there, then so what? He asked what was the worst thing that could happen? They don’t talk to me again! It’s no big deal, I’m not going to die, I’m not going to lose my job or have the incident permanently inscribed on my record that this person didn’t like me. It was comforting to hear that, and what helped even more was getting a couple meetings and calls over with. After I did that several times, I realized that Keith was right; it’s not so bad at all. I’m really not a newcomer to ‘sales’. I’ve waited tables in restaurants for nearly 4 years, and I feel the apprehension to some degree every time I go to work. It’s probably healthy for me to feel that way. But it’s really been great to finally take that salesmanship out of the restaurant and apply it to different areas. I feel much more confident that I’ll be able to know the right information and answer the right questions, and that I can be the face of the company.
To address the question of how my time was spent, I would have to say that the majority by a large margin seems to be pursuing people. Whether that includes trying to contact people for the first time, or getting back in touch to follow up or take the next step, it seems to me to be extremely difficult to get people to call or email me back. It has been one of the most frustrating things this summer for me. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned about that is that persistence pays off. If you continue to attempt to get a hold of people, you eventually will figure out an answer. It may be that the person is no longer (or never was) interested in our services, or that they have genuinely been very busy (this is the case a lot of the time with free clincs!) I’ve found that it is something that I just need to understand that this is the way it works sometimes. I can’t take it personally, I can only keep trying.
All in all, this has been a fantastic summer. I have learned a lot about myself and how I work, as well as a lot about the Big Wide World After College. I have especially enjoyed getting to learn about the fantastic things Aidmatrix is doing, and getting to know the interns and staff at Aidmatrix. I appreciate being given the opportunity to help make a difference in my community.