The past
few weeks have been challenging but so much fun!:)
Last week I
wasn’t standing in a lecture theatre [or even recording a virtual eClass]
lecturing students about what is sales is [or worse still citing definitions of
sales]. I was out on the streets of Amsterdam showing, coaching [with Pepperminds], motivating and
helping my media marketing students actually sell NRC
Next subscriptions.
Why has it been a challenging few weeks? Learning by doing is still in its
infancy even at Applied Science Universities [HBO] and you know what happens
when you go against the status quo and do something innovative and different! It
isn’t an easy ride to say the least. Actually doing real assignments for
real companies is one of the 5 ways I outlined in a new
strategy canvas for the HVA to create a win/win situation for the HVA and
its stakeholders [students being one of them and the business world being the
other]. Plus solving the age old issue of marketers and sales people clashing, will be easier when tackled earlier rather than later, while marketers are being educated.
Why was it on the flip side so much fun? Normally you experience students in
a classroom or in one-on-one coaching moments [they are very different in both
these situations/ locations!] Now I got to see the students in action!
That was loads of fun. Once the students were busy on the streets having
conversions with people walking by, they moved from a mental state of “I really don’t want to be doing this” to
“Wow I am getting good at this, I really
want to make another sale today”. I was really proud of them!! Not only did they learn loads, they also sold 350 subscriptions to very satisfied customers. Gosh if only I could experience that more
often, it would make being a part-time teacher even more rewarding.
Well I had
more great news for my media students this week. The new account management
assignment selling advertising space for the paper Z!Krant [The Big Issue of Holland] via an eBay auction, is the ultimate answer to the most common
complaints from students about their study and assignments. “Not another assignment about the biggest publisher of magazines in Holland!” …. “I would prefer to sell for a charity rather
than a commercial organization!”… “Selling face-to-face is so 2008, we should be selling via social media!” … “We should be doing projects that are innovative and refreshing!”
I wonder if
this week is going to be as challenging and/or as fun as last week??? Surprise me!!
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