Third-year students in a professional selling course recently took their class and book learning to the streets to make a difference with Volunteer Kamloops. And in doing so, most of the 44 students learned a lot more about life and themselves than they expected.
“Thanks to Volunteer Kamloops and Sheena van Dyk’s instruction, this didn’t feel like an assignment. I took it as a real life experience,” said student Jaffer Haider.
Business faculty member Sheena van Dyk said selling teaches a number of challenging lessons that can be difficult to accept.
“In selling, you have to overcome the fear to ask for the order and get over the fear of rejection,” said van Dyk. “You learn not to take the word ‘no’ personally. You learn that you may have to change your approach or change your game plan. Sales is nothing without practice.”
For three weeks this semester, students helped Volunteer Kamloops (VK) raise money and awareness through bottle drives, a telemarketing campaign, and knocking on the doors of local businesses. VK directors provided students with individual support and attention as community mentors for the class project.
The VK mentorship was key in guiding students to their individual success, said van Dyk. Additional seminars and presentations were coordinated outside of class time, and used role modeling to demonstrate confidence in approaching businesses and community members. The directors further complemented van Dyk`s instruction by offering guidance and suggestions, and in some cases, had students shadow them when making cold-calls.
Through applying skills of conversation, listening, and asking for the order, the group raised $3,200 and perhaps as much or more in one-on-one publicity.
Volunteer Kamloops matches people who want to volunteer with volunteer opportunities offered by the more than 80 local non-profit organizations who are registered members. VK strives to match skills and needs in order to create the best fit.
Sean Simpson, president of Volunteer Kamloops, and says the experience was a win for everyone involved.
“The money raised is wonderful, but of greater value is the work the students did to help increase awareness of our organization,” said Simpson. “Assignments like this give back to the community in more than just tangible ways.”
