Over the summer, PiF had a class of Sales Development Interns who were college Sophomores and Juniors looking to gain real-world experience and learn more about working in sales. Chris, Shailey, Cam, and James were all wonderful additions to the PiF sales team and contributed to our continued organizational growth as well as the team culture.
While they will be sorely missed once they all return to school this fall, we’re so grateful for the 10 weeks we were able to spend with them, and wish them the best of luck for their upcoming academic year.
Before they wrapped up their time with PiF, we asked them to share some reflections on their internship experience as well as plans for their future careers.
Chris Gately
Stonehill College '24
Major: Marketing
What made you decide to apply to this internship?
There were a couple of key things that played a role in my decision to apply to this internship. The first was it being an in-person internship, which was very important because most of the internships were online and I felt like those would not be beneficial to me as I find out what I want to do in the future and what career path I want to pursue. Going off of this, I did not know what office life would be like so I wanted to meet people in the same field and build relationships with them. In an online internship, I felt like it would have been harder to make those relationships, and also you lose accountability if you are not in person.
What do you envision your future career to be? Did this internship change your hopeful career path?
Before my internship, I saw myself either going into the sales or marketing fields. I did not know which one so after talking with my advisor at school he recommended I try sales and if I like it go for it. And I will say, after this internship, I really want to go into sales. Having the opportunity to learn from everyone really helped and having resources in case we did not know what to do was great. The training program really helped me a lot in trying to figure out the best way to make (sales) calls and how to handle objections, both in person and over the phone, and talk about all of the different products and services PiF offers.
What’s the thing that surprised you the most about your internship?
What surprised me the most was how different people could be on the phone. Like, you could get someone who would listen, and then get someone who would be mean for no reason. Also, I thought more people would pick up the phone but that was not always the case. Aside from that, the amount of knowledge that I gained from this experience will be helpful throughout my career, as well as how much I learned about sales and the sales process in a short period of time. I also learned how to use sales tactics in conversations with people in real life.
Are there any practical skills you’ll take away from this experience? What are they?
Yes, I learned how to talk to people better over the phone and how to “keep them ok”. Not just when selling, but using some of the tactics for sales can help you in normal conversations, which will definitely be of benefit in the future. I also learned that in sales you have to sell curiosity and not just the product. Learning about the upfront contract (a Sandler sales technique) really helps people understand what is going to happen before you start the demo, and can allow you to address any questions or concerns right away. Learning and understanding my expectations as a member of the sales team through CAP standards (conduct + activity = performance) is something I will take away with me and use it everyday life. I learned that the more you are disciplined to complete something, the more likely you are going to excel in whatever it is.
What is one thing you loved about PiF’s culture?
I loved how all the people make it easy for you to succeed and help you if you are stuck on something. Also how the team works together and gives each other pointers on their deals and how they help each other during their demos. The way that they use friendly banter is awesome. It lightens the mood sometimes while also saying you need to perform as well. I also liked how the office could have dogs come in. This definitely helped in case you needed a break.
Shailey Harris
University of Maine '23
Major: Communications
Minor: Media Studies and Child Development & Family Relations
What made you decide to apply to this internship?
When the past spring semester was coming to an end, I started thinking about what my next steps would be for the summer before my senior year. Getting work experience from an internship was the goal, so I began applying to a number of companies in hopes that I would hear back, making a decision as to which would be the best fit for me. When applying at PiF Technologies, the initial aspect that stood out to me the most was having the opportunity to be in an in-person role. Having the experience to learn in a workplace environment rather than a remote position was really important to me. I also liked that I would be able to work with a team of interns, allowing us to learn and compete with one another. Without these two key factors, I believe that this position would have been vastly different.
What do you envision your future career to be? Did this internship change your hopeful career path?
I envision myself to use the skills that I have learned in this internship and apply them in my future career. In terms of the specific path, it is hard to say where I will end up or essentially what I will “be when I grow up.” Looking back on my summer experience in a Sales role, I do see myself choosing this path which is all in thanks to this experience. Before coming to PiF, I had limited knowledge of the Sales world and didn’t know how much this summer would influence my perspective on a possible career choice.
What’s the thing that surprised you the most about your internship?
This opportunity in and of itself surprised me in many ways. As a Communication major, I didn’t really know what to expect coming into a primarily Sales role with others having previous experience and/or in business related programs. However, this did not stop me from “keeping up” and gaining more knowledge about the Sales world than I ever could have imagined. I really surprised myself in my capabilities of working hard and identifying my strengths in the workplace. Overall, what surprised me the most is how much I will take away from this summer and that I can be successful in an unexpected area.
Are there any practical skills you’ll take away from this experience? What are they?
Through the abundance I have learned in the past ten weeks, I have gained practical skills that not only I will use in my future career, but during my daily life. Concepts like the “upfront contract” and the “CAP’ acronym are ideas that can help me to succeed in experiences throughout my future career. Looking at CAP in particular, I understand how Conduct and Activity equals Performance. When learning this idea in the first few days here at PiF, I didn’t realize how much this would play a factor in achieving target call numbers or staying engaged in order to grasp the most I can.
What is one thing you loved about PiF’s culture?
Choosing one thing is the challenge to this question. I really enjoyed the culture of PiF and the welcoming community of people that helped me strive during this experience. The friendly environment of people and furry faces of the office dogs made it that much more enjoyable to come into the office everyday, working with one another and knowing that resources were always there to help. Without the abundance of support from the team in many different areas, I don’t know if this summer would have had the same impact that it did.
Cameron Homsey
Endicott College '23
Major: Business Management
What made you decide to apply to this internship?
My passion has always been with sales, so with this being a sales-focused internship it really sparked my interest. I did not have any knowledge of the tech and software sales industry, but I was very intrigued to learn more about it. I also had a friend that worked here for a short stint of time that told me it would be perfect for what I was looking for with school, as mine requires an internship, and personal growth. Ultimately, for the summer, it was exactly what I was looking for, a great mentor, Bill, and a work environment for me to learn in.
What do you envision your future career to be? Did this internship change your hopeful career path?
I envision my career path to be in sales. I have a passion for it and I don’t really envision myself doing anything different. Before this internship I was really set on the Healthcare industry and doing sales there. After doing this internship I definitely would consider doing sales in this industry as I enjoyed selling the AP automation tool and other products. So yes, This internship has changed my career path a little as I would consider another industry.
What’s the thing that surprised you the most about your internship?
The thing that surprised me most about this internship was how diverse our experience was. Not only did we have training with Bill (Chief Sales Officer) for sales, but we also had training with Marissa (Digital Marketing Specialist) and Hannah (Marketing Manager) on marketing and Paul Vitale (from Ricoh) for sales and Ricoh training. We also sat in on software demonstration’s and learned in actual, real sales situations. Lastly, the experience of going out into the field and having rejection was a great learning experience for me. I was surprised at how many different ways there was for us to learn and gain skills in the sales field.
Are there any practical skills you’ll take away from this experience? What are they?
I learned a copious amount of skills and knowledge not only for sales but for work and life. The sales skill that I found very helpful and interesting was “STC” which is “selling through curiosity”. Using this method and terms like “tell me about,” “help me understand,” and “just curious” can help keep the customer okay. Something I am also taking away is the CEOT acronym. CEOT means Consistent Effort Over Time. If you apply this to your career you are bound to have a successful career. I also have always struggled with time management but from being around Bill and Katharine (PiF Sales Account Executive) and talking to Paul from Ricoh, I have learned skills that, for me, are very important. Using calendar blocks and planning the work week out, whether on Friday or Sunday night, are just two of the many examples I have picked up on.
What is one thing you loved about PiF’s culture?
There were a lot of aspects of the PiF culture that I loved, but two really stood out to me. The first was how accepting everyone was. I came in very shy, but everyone was very welcoming with all of us. I was also very pleased with how everyone was so accepting of mistakes. I felt like everyone here cared about me and my progress. The willingness to help me learn from my mistakes and not judge them was also greatly appreciated. Lastly, the dogs in the office. I am a dog lover so seeing the dogs in the office everyday made the experience that much better.
James Nash
Southern New Hampshire University '23
Major: Business Administration
Minor: Accounting
What made you decide to apply to this internship?
I was given notice of this internship through one of my best friends’ fathers. He actually was trying to convince his son to apply to it. Then he asked me what I was doing for the summer and at that moment I was only landscaping. I had applied to a couple of other companies but did not hear back from them. I decided to just apply to one more because “why not?” I also liked the idea of how it was local for me.
What do you envision your future career to be? Did this internship change your hopeful career path?
Before coming to work for PiF I always had an interest in sales. I just didn’t really know what type of sales I wanted to go into. I applied to about 5 sales internships this past October. I always had an interest in sales because I like the idea of commission based salary. This internship, for me, set in stone that I want to stay in sales for my future.
What’s the thing that surprised you the most about your internship?
To be completely honest, I didn’t really know what to expect coming into this internship. I had heard through some of my friends’ experiences, how some internships had worked but this was nothing like that. But, from what they had explained this internship was structured in a better way than their experiences.
Are there any practical skills you’ll take away from this experience? What are they?
One of my biggest skills I took away from this internship was learning how to read and talk to different types of people. Throughout the training we received from all of our different resources, we had the opportunity to learn from people who have 30+ years of experience. That alone say a lot for me and the experience I was able to receive.
What is one thing you loved about PiF’s culture?
One thing I loved here at PiF technologies is the atmosphere in the office. Everyone always brings positive energy into the work environment which I really enjoyed. I feel like I was able to get comfortable with the office environment being like this quicker than usual. Also, team-building socials are fun as well. Learning about other co-workers outside hobbies is always interesting.
