My first day of ITC’s Summer Internship Programme, KITES started with a royal induction programme at ITC Windsor Hotel, Bangalore. This was followed by another induction programme, which introduced us to ITC’s work culture, their success stories and a teaser to the challenges that awaited every management intern the coming two months. We joined our respective project locations after that and it was an exciting rollercoaster ride!
I was sent to the Kolkata Marketing Branch, Trade Marketing and Distribution Division, ITC Kolkata. My project involved benchmarking technology solutions that enable business processes for wholesalers and distributors and in market operations. Over the next two months I incorporated changes in ITC’s Distributor Software and Employee Mobility Solutions, and also implemented changes in the entire workflow of delivery process management. The suggested plan is being rolled out pan-India in ITC.
Tackling challenges
Being in the busiest branch of ITC in India, it was extremely difficult to get inputs, whether it was from the executives or the managers. So, it is your perseverance and patience that keeps you on your feet and lets you do the best each day and get the required data and guidance from everyone around.
The toughest task during any sales internship is to collect the data from the market. You need skills to convince, negotiate and get competitor data, which forms the backbone of your project, anyway possible. It took me three weeks in market to collect relevant information and benchmark them against the competition. This process creates a launch pad to unleash your plans and recommendations.
The most critical part of an internship starts when you have rolled out a pilot programme with your ideas and insights. Unless you follow it up daily it is going to be very difficult to see the desired results and hence, I ensured I did that.
I made sure I prepared my daily and weekly reports (as a PowerPoint presentation) irrespective of whether my mentors went through it or not which was the key during my final review. It also made my job much easier when making my final presentation.
I received a pre-placement offer from ITC and I believe in the end it is your passion towards your work and the relationships you form with every stakeholder during your internship that makes the difference.