My last hoorah.

The internship this summer has been such an awesome experience. It has been cool to see it bring together industrial distribution with a project that is really impacting people daily. It combined sales, people interaction, technological skills, and an end goal to make it a really neat project to be assigned to. I think we all learned very similar things, about cold calling, self-motivation and determination, and also just about representing a company and a product. I still don’t think I got used to being introduced as “Kristen, with Aidmatrix.”

I have learned a lot about the non-profit world in general. All the people I have talked with either work at free clinics, homeless shelters, churches, or other non-profits; I have loved talking to them and hearing how they became a part of it. It’s opened my eyes to things I either do or do not want to do in the future. Even if I do not always work in non-profit, it has definitely taught me skills that I will take with me in any field.

The sales aspect has been a great experience. I became very comfortable with cold-calling: calling on people I had never met, at places I had never been. At first that was the biggest challenge, but it became the biggest area of growth. I loved the meetings with people, and learned how to carry the conversation and listen sincerely, while also providing them with clear answers. I have probably learned the most from those interactions. I also learned from my mistakes; saying the wrong thing on the phone, not being as prepared as I should be, getting lost… It does get frustrating to have to find random places that you have never been and be on time; I think that is something we all had to overcome. :)

Being in Dallas has been a huge blessing because there are so many resources for clinics, as well as non-profits. Talking with Julie and getting more information at the beginning of the summer really helped to jump-start my contacts. They began as a whirlwind and I set up many meetings in the first few weeks. The last few weeks and clinics required more pursuit, because some people are just not as responsive. Near the end it picked up again; it was nice to hear people say that they appreciated my follow-up and persistence, because I times I just felt annoying. It was great to learn how to be patiently persistent.

I have also loved being able to come to the office and getting to see more of Aidmatrix. From the beginning I was just so impressed with the company and was excited to know that there are places like this; this office is full of intelligent, very outgoing people who are choosing to do something that is really impacting people around the world. It is definitely unique and we have all been blessed to be a part of it. Hopefully we have been able to forge the way ahead for these clinics and this program.