Sales-Link Inc. is launching an exciting internship program with Rutgers University just as we end the first quarter of 2020. Susan Walsh, President and CEO, Sales-Link, Inc. has a genuine love of mentoring young people interested in sales, and since our home-base is in Freehold, New Jersey, near Rutgers University in New Brunswick, there is an opportunity for students to participate in one-on-one mentoring with her, in addition to electronic meetings. Walsh has always aspired to inspire others in sales, and last year created an official Sales Mentoring Program toward that goal.
For the internship program, Sales-Link is seeking well-spoken, smart, computer-savvy, energetic and responsible Computer Science or Biomedical and Health Sciences students to work virtually as Business Ambassadors tasked with helping to link pharmaceutical companies with various testing companies, Functional Service Providers, and CROs in the pharma, biotech and diagnostic industries. They will be introduced to the sales processes that have made Sales-Link Inc. the success it is today and will be privy to Walsh’s methodology, born of decades in Pharma and Biotech sales.
“Many people who work in the life sciences don’t always have an understanding regarding the importance of the business side of the industry,” says Walsh, “so this is a great opportunity for Biomedical and Health Science students to learn the behind-the-scenes process that is necessary for the success of the businesses they will one day be working for,” she says.
An important part of the training is to familiarize students with Sales-Link’s customer relationship management (CRM) tool, Pharma BDI, so that they may search in the company’s database of over 500,000 verified contacts. There are opportunities to learn how the call center works, how email campaigns are organized and conducted, and why the methodology behind sales is so important for successful outcomes.
Because a social media presence is so important in today’s market, interested students may have the opportunity to learn more about how branding and the influencing aspect of business is structured and monitored. Metrics and analytics are more important now than ever, and computer science majors, in particular, may be drawn to that facet of Sales-Link’s initiatives.
Dashboards and data visualization help tell the stories that are presented by data collection and provide creative projects for students who enjoy making sense of metrics. A lot goes into creating compelling client presentations and reports, and the ideal intern for Sales-Link’s analytics department will be proficient in Excel, familiar with Tableau, and curious about the latest software products that are out there competing to be the next best tool.
While it is important for an internship program to provide good training at the onset, self-motivation, hard work, and personal drive are what will propel the perfect candidate forward. By definition, most Rutgers upperclassmen fall into that elusive category, and Walsh and her team are looking forward to the youthful energy that new interns will no doubt bring to the table.
For students, it is a big plus that the internship is conducted virtually. Besides the obvious advantages of being able to work from their dorm rooms or home offices around their heavy school schedules, it is also a huge benefit to gain experience in participating in electronic meetings, video conferencing, group work chats, and learning to become comfortable in virtual settings.
“I’m super excited about the quality of the candidates that have applied to our internship program so far,” says Walsh. “It’s going to be difficult to not take them all on. They are bright and enthusiastic, and each has something unique to offer. It gives me great comfort and hope to see the talent that is coming down the pike in the life sciences,” she continues. Indeed, these students and others like them are the future of our industry, there’s no doubt about that.
Visit the Rutgers-New Brunswick Handshake platform to learn more about Sale-Link Inc.’s internship program or to apply for an internship.