The impression that most B-school students have of the corporate world relate to blue collar jobs and executive style offices. I seriously think that today's global economic scenario is changing so rapidly that you constantly need to upgrade your skill sets.
By the time you pass out of a B-school, a lot of what you've been taught is obsolete and it helps to keep yourself updated through business magazines and journals.
My initial experience after I passed out from B-school and started working as a senior management trainee at HCL Infosystems, taught me the skills to adapt in a very tough corporate and business environment. Past the induction and the initial phase of settling in, reality hits us.
Some of us, who get into sales functions, realise that the key phases of the sales cycle we've been taught, skipped out on minor things such as diplomacy and relationship management, which are actually the ones that get you started. Interaction with channel partners who've dealt with company personnel for years can literally swirl you. In fact, your first tête-à-tête with a channel partner can be quite a learning.
A crash course on diplomacy and relationship management from your superior can bolster your confidence, and in a few months, you get a hang of it. Relationship management is key to your success in dealing with channel partners.
Another thing that they don't teach you in business communication is the "art of negotiation". You need this trait when you're interacting with purchase managers and even people, internally.
The purchase cycles in corporate accounts sometimes tend to be longer than expected. You need to get some experience in negotiations and commercial dealings, which, at times, help you to close the business in your favour and keep the customer also happy.
Ramanjeet Singh is Head, PC Division, Fujitsu India. He graduated from Graduate School of Business and Administration, Noida in 1999.