“The more people I know and have a relationship with, the more opportunities I have.”
Cameron James, a University of Iowa junior, has already learned the key to success through the Dardis Classroom to Career internship program and his future career. As a member of Team Iowa, Cam continues to use this summer experience and the skills he learned in the Dardis Academy to form new connections and make the most of current relationships.
As a former intern for a local financial services company, he knew that many of his colleagues would benefit from the quality Dardis professional clothing, so he made a visit to his old office.
“I’ve been able to be successful selling a lot of clothing solely because of the relationships I’ve built with the people there,” he said.
For Harmony Kapp, a Missouri State University sophomore, perseverance and organization is crucial to building quality business relationships.
“Successful territory management is being on top of things and sticking to a specific schedule,” she said, especially with many busy professionals not responding to emails or voicemails.
Western Illinois University senior Giuliano Rizzi follows that same mentality when approaching his territory of Illinois.
“During the internship, the one thing I learned about managing your territory is that you have to put yourself out there and talk with as many people as possible,” he said. “The more people and companies you talk to, the more you are going to succeed.”
Giuliano has had to address his fear of public speaking, and through the internship, he has been able to overcome this challenge to be successful now and later in the business world.
“With the confidence that I gained, I was able to meet and talk to people that I never would have talked to if it wasn’t for the internship,” he said.