We were on a mission ....

Insights from the Interview and Educational Trip

30^th December 2010. This date shall go down in history as the class of BMR 3114 Selling and Sales Management BM 350 finally went on an educational field trip to Kuala Lumpur. We were required to indentify a company of our interest that is located close to Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur and interview its manager to get to know more of the sales strategy, operations and activities and most importantly, understand the sales force and methods that are being applied by the company.

At precisely 10.00am, we gathered at Multimedia University’s infamous roundabout as instructed by Mr. Jason Lam( THe man in the middle of the picture with a peace sign). All handsomely decked in formal clothes, we took off, gladly leaving behind the campus that we constantly have to face every single day. This trip gives us a breather as well as a break from our usual daily routine of having to go to an enclosed class room. The 2 hour bus ride didn’t felt like it was long at all as our beloved lecturer was busy entertaining us with all of his real life true stories. I am glad he is willing to share his stories because at times, I find it to be very much relatable to my very own real life situations. Although so far it seems like it has been all play and no work, honestly speaking, my team has got our targets set and locked down. Our target and goal of the day is to interview the Senior Account Executive of 7-11, Mr. Ta Chee Hoi.

The moment we reached Times Square, we immediately contacted Mr. Ta to reconfirm our interview that was set to be at 3pm. He gave us the green light and there we were, rushing off into the mall to make sure we look our best after a 2 hour bus ride. Our presenters even practiced outside of the toilets while the others went around the mall looking for a gift for Mr. Ta. The gift was to be given after the interview ends as a token of appreciation.

At 2.45pm, we made our way into the building where the 7-11 office was at. After a formal meeting with Mr. Ta, he led us to another floor where the interview would be held. This is one of the most eye-opening events that I noticed during our meet. This is because, instead of using the lift like a Senior Executive would, he insisted on using the stairs. This shows that Mr. Ta himself is a down to earth person regardless of his post in 7-11 and doesn’t mind using the staircase to get to another floor. This is definitely something we could learn as future leaders. Our interview commenced after all our members and Mr. Ta himself settled down in the meeting room. Below are the tasks that have been assigned to each member during the interview:

1)

Marilyn : Interviewer 1

2)

Chin Kee Siang: Interviewer 2

3)

Aaron Gan: In charge of probing

4)

Chan Chin Yoong: In charge of probing

5)

Elysia Tay: Jotting down answers

6)

Ooi Yen Nee: Jotting down answers

7)

Kay Lim Li Ping: videographer

8)

Tan Kiat Chiang: photographer

9)

Grace Boon Hui Qin: Jotting down information for 7-11’s introduction

10)

Goh Chee Kuang: Jotting down information for the report

The interview went well and ended after 40 minutes. Although Mr. Ta is not exactly from the sales department, but being the professional he is, was able to answer most of the questions we have provided. At the end of the interview, Mr. Ta gave us samples of mineral water produced by 7-11 and with that;

We ended the interview session with a picture with Mr. Ta himself as seen in the appendixes provided.

Neatly packing our books and slipping our files into our bags, we changed and got ready for the highlight of the trip which is to go shopping!

I must say, everyone was relieved that the interview was over as we finally got to loosen up and go have fun.

The group had lunch together at Times Square’s Mr. Teppanyaki which serves delicious Japanese cuisines and then parted ways as some headed back to their hometowns whereby the others wanted to shop for clothes.

We hung around Pavilion and Sungei Wang as the girls shop while the guys being the gentleman that they are, carried the girl’s bags.

Time flies when we’re having fun because before we know it, it was time to go home.

You’d think that the bus ride on the way home would be quiet as all of us are tired, but you are wrong. The bus was still filled with much excitement because via this trip, we were able to make new friends and foster those who were already friends to begin with. We shared our experiences on the bus as well as the goods that we managed to purchase while we were busy shopping.

Although we were a little exhausted after all the walking, but I must say that we definitely made the best out of this trip. I would like to put aside the little obstacles we had to go through in order to get an interview in Kuala Lumpur and think of how the team worked together as one to make the whole process productive yet fun at the same time. I would also like to thank our lecturer, Mr Jason Lam for believing in what is best for the students which is to combine academic and the practical world that we one day will face once we graduate. With this, I would like to end this report with my favorite quote of all times (stolen by my own blog):

T.E.A.M= Together Everyone Achieves More

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Henry Ford.

You know what?










Sucess sure did took care of itself ;D