Looking back now.. (Part 7)

This is the 7th part of the series where each member of the Core Committee Business Development 2013 known as "The Dogfather" describes and writes about how the last 3 months have been for them as a part of this dynamic team.

This part in the series has been written by Natasha Singh.

CCBD, Our side of the story

On the night of 3rd May, 2013, the OC announcements were to come. One by one, they erupted, causing a rippling thunder. It was around 3.30 in the night that the last, the BAAP of all announcements arrived. A team of 8 people was formed to work with Naina to raise for all events. Geetanjali - my co CCVP, Akriti, Shubhankar, Rishika, Mayuri, Meher and Saurabh, the best were handpicked to work in this team.

I look back at the team then, I look at it now. So much has changed, so much has evolved. From training to extensive cold calling to actual meetings with both big and small companies, we went through various phases of high and low and a million emotions.

Enthusiasm, rejection, passion, rejection, faith, rejection, hope, rejection, demotivation, anger. REJECTION became constant. Our resources dried up, databases squenched.

Just when we were about to die, a wave of motivation hit us.We decided to do anything in our power to attack back. And we did in the form of walk ins! That is where the actual experience came. Dealing with over-friendly marketing managers to very stern, even rude ones, we marched in from small companies to big ones.

We stood there four months back, we stand here now. For others, we are still at the same place. For us, CCBD has been a new adventure everyday, a new learning everyday and we stand today with an enriching experience that others tend to overlook.

Since the first day, CC has been like a war, its members like soldiers. We had marched forward like an army, we were shot at, we got wounded, yet that did not stop us and we got back to our position, guarding our post.

The entire CC team has been a big inspiration and motivation and each member has contributed extensively. These 8 people have driven me to keep working with a smile. No one else could have handled this post as well as this amazing bunch of people. So proud of each one of these soldiers!

All that I am left to say is, "The fight is still not over."

Looking back now.. (Part 6)

This is the 6th part of the series where each member of the Core Committee Business Development 2013 known as "The Dogfather" describes and writes about how the last 3 months have been for them as a part of this dynamic team.

This part in the series has been written by Meher Dang.

Core Committee Business Development 2013

Sometime in the middle of may the first CC meeting took place. I was thoroughly excited to be a part of something that was being called the "baap" of all OCs, little did I know about the responsibilities and the importance of it until I met Naina our EBC.The strong bond between all nine of us started right then at the first meeting at Dunkin which was all about making us feel special as well as to prepare us mentally for shit loads of work that we will have to do in order to get even small number of tangibles.

All geared up, our next meeting was six hours long where we were properly trained as to how to deal with difficult clients, MC clients, clients with whom we messed up things in the previous years on the phone and in meeting, something apparently done for the first time. This whole concept of training us was brilliant and even though initially we might have not seen the impact of it on our work, soon enough when we were reasonably into our work facing all those high profile, reasonably busy and  many a times rude people I could see how every little thing that was taught to me was being put to use! While the response overall was rarely bad as our product was undoubtedly good we were just not able to bring in tangibles. Naina was getting more restless day by day since she herself was under pressure, we worked harder understanding the need of the hour, there were positive responses and a couple of meetings fixed, loads of rejections too but we kept on working.

The LC had lost faith in us but the faith Naina had in us kept pushing us forward.

It clearly was a roller coaster ride, one day of depression,another of mania but we all worked as a team helping each other out, trying to cheer each other up in crisis situations (oh there were many), well, to put it simply we had each other's backs, regardless of the opinions the LC had formed about us depending only on hear-say and nothing more. The amount of learning and exposure i have got here, the brilliant people i have met and just the entire journey has been so interesting and by far one of the most amazing things that have happened to me in AIESEC.

Looking back now.. (Part 5)

This is the 5th part of the series where each member of the Core Committee Business Development 2013 known as "The Dogfather" describes and writes about how the last 3 months have been for them as a part of this dynamic team.

This part in the series has been written by Saurabh Verma.

Core Committee Business Development 2013

*tring tring* Hello, im saurabh, manager business development AIESEC. This is regarding a propo...*beeeeeeeeeepp*

                            *Haanji..kya...AIESAA? Hum ese kaam nhi karte ji* 

                            *We can only Help you in Kind!*

                            *Don't dial this number ever again*

                            *Lets have a meeting tom morning sharp 10 am*

Damn, I've got this.! :D But no! 

Started off in may, A team with a huge responsibility ! Raising money for all 5 events!!! :O targets of 25Lakhs, (coming down to 10 Lakhs :p), Making proposals with deliverables, making a database of all the biggies (and some not so reputed ones :P). It all seemed soo exciting, but, wait for it! 

At first it seemed easy, do-able.We had our induction, mock calls, still seemed easy and rather fun.! Just call them up, set meetings, negotiate and get the MOU signed. But as the actual work started, when the contacts started getting exhausted, when i had to post "no tangibles" in my updates almost every other day, reality came crashing down, and "CC kuch kyu nhi kar rhi?" was what every other OC member asked.! I felt broken, started losing faith, started falling down, but we had our amazing ccvps to bring us back! and that's where i learnt an important lesson, it's about the choices we make, its about getting up than giving up! And we still haven't given up.! We've just been learning, getting better, stronger after every call, every pitch, every meeting now, becoming a better seller!.

And even after soo much of disappointment, appointment breaks (along with match breaks :P) ,we're still here, working each day, giving in our best to make sure the events go flawlessly, because each one of us feels the ownership towards the events, and towards the responsibility we have taken. And our main strength lies in this team, A team of highly self motivated people, who have got each other's back! and we compliment each other's weaknesses! 

Mayuri with all the contacts sneaked in :p!, Aakriti, the after BT meeting setter !, Rishika, never seen a more passionate pup!, Shubhu: never saying no to anything (even if it means a chill-out before his major, or going for 2 meetings at the same time schdeuled at gurgaon and noida, taking up all opportunities :p) , Meher: always being soo cheerful and inviting us at her home for meetings! :p ,and our ccvps, Geeta-ma: who makes sure none of us falls down, always keeping us motivated, always having faith in us, and Naughtyyy(bt): Being a strong support and binding us all close, who knows how to get work done! and to complete this team, The Godfather, Naina, who literary leaves the client dumbstruck when she holds an appointment and starts negotiating. We couldn't have a better Godfather, and a better team!

Every member completes this team.!

From being nobodys in BD, we've come a long long way! and there cant be a better BD learning experience than this CC BD, where you face all the possible challenges.!From making that first proposal, to waiting outside a company's office for hours for the meet. From cold calling to walk-ins. From Noida to Gurgaon. From Philips to Durex! we've covered it all, and I feel honoured and lucky to be a part of this best learning experience ever.

And with all the enthusiasm we have, everyday we wake up, worried about the events, scheduling our appointments, calling more contacts, doing our best to get in the tangibles, hoping to deliver the promise we made in our interviews, to live up to the "manager, business development" in our signatures.! And thats how BD works. You just got to wait for it!