Firstnaukri: Hello Everyone, Thanks for logging in. Let us welcome Mr. Amol V Pawar to this interactive session. Request Mr. Pawar to give his opening comments and open the floor for student questions.
Amol V Pawar: Hello Everyone, Thanks for joining us today
QED Baton is a pioneering company in the field of Demand Generation especially focused on technology space. We are very proud of our journey so far and very excited about the future. I hope you understand more about career opportunities in technology sales in general and QED in particular through this interaction today
Trisha: hello Sir, Good afternoon, can you pleas let me know are you hiring right now?
Amol V Pawar: Hi Trisha yes we are looking to hire fresh graduates currently from non engineering background for our Lead Generation & Appointment setting practice. You may want to take a look at open positions on our career site : http://careers.qedbaton.com/ and apply for relevant positions of your choice
Trisha: Can you please brief us about your company?
Amol V Pawar: Sure Trisha. QED Baton is a young enterprise with close to 400 employees. We are mainly focused on Lead Generation, Appointment Setting and Research activities for global technology companies. We work with leading tech product companies helping them achieve a better return on their marketing & sales investments
Ashwini Ahinsak Jadhav: Hello sir, I am a final year Engineering student. How should I look forward for the jobs in marketing field.
Amol V Pawar: Hi Ashwini Marketing is a specialized field which requires specific understanding of the market domain apart from the product knowledge. You may want to start in sales first and then move into marketing. Given your technical background, you may want to focus on companies in your current specialization and join their sales team.
Ashwini Ahinsak Jadhav: sir, as you explained to trisha you are looking for students from non-engineering side. As i asked earlier too, do students from engineering side have opportunities in here?
Amol V Pawar: Yes we do hire engineering students however we have already closed our hiring for fresh engineering students for now. We are now looking to hire non engineering graduates. You may get in touch with us by September this year to recheck. You may also explore opportunities with our sister companies namely - LeadEnrich and DemandFarm
Trisha: Sir I have done BBA from IP university, what are the positions open for me?
Ashwini Ahinsak Jadhav: so don't you provide training for the same. As in I am not much of this engineering field, cannot get along much :(...And as per experience I have been doing great in marketing , management , pub
Amol V Pawar: Trisha & Ashwini...We do provide sufficient training to fresh graduates who join us. The current open positions are mainly in our Lead Generation practice. In this you are required to make upto 250+ calls to mid-senior level executives in various companies mostly in North America with a view to get them to agree to receive a particular white paper. The white paper is related to specific technology/platform/service our clients are targeting on the given industry domain.
Amol V Pawar: In this role you get to understand current technology trends and this role gives you an opportunity to interact with mid-senior level executives from diverse location/s and industry verticals
Anirudh: hello sir, what is technology sales?
Amol V Pawar: Good question Anirudh. As the name suggests its simply about selling technology . This is largely Business 2 Business (B2B). Our target audience is from any industry vertical wherein technology can help solve a relevant business problem. For example - We could work with an IT product company which is focusing on European banking sector
Kashish Saxena: How should I prepare for a career in technology sales & what will be the career path?
Amol V Pawar: Kashish, to be successful in technology sales one needs to definitely have sales flair and an understanding of basic technology trends shaping a particular industry. If you understand a specific domain for example - banking & finance that would be an added advantage.
Amol V Pawar: The career options are limitless, you could start as Lead / Demand Generation executive with us and depending on your interest and performance can either grow in individual or team based roles
Krishna: What technology do you work on. I am an engineer from kochi
Krishna: can you brief us about the type of products your company sells?
Amol V Pawar: Krishna...QED Baton sells products/services on behalf of its clients. We work with leading technology companies and hence work with wide variety of products & services across various geographies.
Koyel: SIr i have done MBA and a 2014 passout, how can i apply to your company?
Amol V Pawar: Koyel - You can take a look at current open positions on our company website and then apply for relevant positions on the same. http://careers.qedbaton.com/
Chang: Sir do you do campus drives? i am in my final year of BA from Delhi university?
Amol V Pawar: Chang - yes we do look at campus drives however I am afraid at this stage we may not be looking at campus drives outside Pune. If you are willing to work with us in Pune, kindly apply via our career website and my team will get in touch with you
Deepak: Hi Sir, I'm a B.Com graduate with 4 yrs. work exp. looking for opporturniy in Ops dept. Is there any position open for me ?
Amol V Pawar: Deepak - Ops department is a very broad term - is there anything in particular you have in mind? Most people who would join us would start in the Delivery function and then move into Ops and other functions internally after spending sufficient amount of time with us.
Amol V Pawar: Since you have 4 years of experience - I suggest you send your profile to careers@qedbaton.com and we can have your profile evaluated for a suitable position
Anirudh: Do you hire for software testing? what re teh technologies your work on?
Amol V Pawar: Anirudh..we dont particularly work on software testing and if you are looking at career in software testing then you may want to consider companies focused on that. We are sales & marketing organization focused on technology sales.
Ram : I am from Bombay and finsihed my Bsc this year, how can I apply to your company?
Ravindra Kumar: Sir i'm a student of b.tech final year do you have any oppurtunity for me
Amol V Pawar: Ram & Ravindra I have already answered similar questions earlier in the chat and request you to look at the same
Rakesh: How is B2B marketing different from marketing to consumers?
Mudit: What will Technology sales careers look like in the future? How will technology continue to shape this field? And what's the best advice for someone who wants to grow their skill set.
Amol V Pawar: Mudit & Rakesh--- great questions.... B2B is different from B2C in many ways. Key difference being the buyer is more informed in B2B typically than in B2C. For example- you may buy a bike but may not know too much about technical aspects of the bike while in B2B since you buy to solve a particular business problem you are likely to know more technically than otherwise
Amol V Pawar: The career in B2B sales is very exciting as it allows you to grow along with the organization. You are essentially the first point of contact with prospective customers and can create positive lasting impressions about your organization. If you are looking for a career in technology - sales as an option has not been fully explored and we invite you to join.
Garima: Hello Sir, I am a BBA graduate. What technical skills should I have to apply for technological sales profile?
Amol V Pawar: Garima -- You may not have specific technical skills as long as you have a flair for sales and show understanding and appreciation of technology we have internal mechanisms to ensure that you are trained effectively
Neha: I am interested in sales, what clients do you deal with?
Neha: Are they from India or abroad?
Amol V Pawar: Neha I cant disclose names of all our clients but a few noteworthy ones that are also listed on our website are- Hexaware, Calsoft, Mphasis. 80% of our current business is from North America and we have a significant part of our efforts focused on that market.
Amitabh: Do you provide any training to the candidates
Amol V Pawar: Amitabh -- we have a strutured induction process which lasts for 4 working days. This provides you with basic information about various aspects of the job that you must know and are expected from you. Post this 4 day training you are put on job training which lasts for typically a month. During this period you are provided with enough & necessary support by experienced individuals in the team
Ankit: what is the startings salary you provide to freshers?
Amol V Pawar: Ankit -- The starting salary to freshers is INR 15K fixed + Incentives + Night shift allowance. Our incentive structures are drawn up in a manner to optimize on your performnace. They are one of the best in the industry
Babita Sharma: Sir, I'm working as a HR Consultant(freelancer). I wanted to move into corporate HR. Please guide.
Amol V Pawar: Babita -- Corporate HR is typically a function within large organizations wherein one is focused on creating policies and processes for the entire organization. You may want to look at companies with multiple locations within or outside India who may need such profile.
Anirudh: what is the training period in your company?
Amol V Pawar: Anirudh please refer to my answer on earlier question in this regard
Karishma: Hello Sir, I am pursuing MBA. My question is it better to start career in small scale company and then proceed to bigger company or the otherwise?
Amol V Pawar: karishma I would recommend you start with a small organization as the learning opportunities offered in smaller companies are immense and you get exposure to various aspects of the organization in a relatively shorter period of time as compared to a larger organization
Ashwini Ahinsak Jadhav: Is the salary implemented for training period also?
Amol V Pawar: Ashwini -- yes the salary is applicable from the day you join us even if you are in training
Varun: I am a BCA student and interested in sales, but skeptical to join as i think if i dont meet my targets i will be fired. Please guide.
Amol V Pawar: Varun - Performance is key to survival in any corporate environment irrespective of the role you perform. Sales is very simple function where results matter and count. Its either or in sales while in some other functions it may be a little unclear. I would strongly advise that get in sales only if you believe you have the right skill and attitude to succeed.
Rakesh: Aren't Key Account B2B sales more relationship driven ? How would a product like DemandFarm help ?
Amol V Pawar: Rakesh you are right. all B2B sales are largely driven by relationships and also on your performance. DemandFarm would help organizations to identify specific aspects of their current customer relationship to identify white spaces and ensure you are able to identify opportunities within your key accounts.
Sudheer: Does QED provide opportunity to enhance skills while working?
Manoj: How does B2B sale happen in QED, over the phone ?
Deepak: When we talk of sales a lot of travelling is required, does it hold true for QED?
Amol V Pawar: I am very happy with the quality of questions coming through! Thanks!! QED Baton is service organization and hence we do focus on our people and their skills. We look at what opportunities we can provide them to continue to enhance their skill sets. Since we are 3rd Party service provider, working with us in Technology sales on behalf of our clients does not involve any travel as we engage with prospects over phone/skype etc.
Garima: In terms of growth and learning, is startup a better option than an established firm?
Amol V Pawar: Definitely startup or smaller organizations especially when its growing setup like QED Baton, it provides you with tremendous opportunity to learn and grow with the organization.
Akash: Do you have offices in any other city other than Pune?
Amol V Pawar: Akash at this stage we operate only from Pune. We also have a sales office in USA
Samridh Singh: What's the profile you are currently hiring for & as I am a BCA Grad will the Sales profile be suitable for me? What will be my additional learning in this profile?
Manohar: Sir my english not strong, but i am good in studies, i got 83.4% in BCA , how I join you? is compulsory english required?
Amol V Pawar: Strong English Communication Skills is a prerequisite for the role for you to work with us. As Lead or Demand generation executive with QED you would get ample opportunities to learn about various B2B sales techniques and understand technology trends in various industry domains
Manohar: I dont get job because english is not good but i can learn if training is given. what i do?
Amol V Pawar: Manohar I am afraid you would first have to improve on your english communication skills as now a days for most corporates that is a fundamental requirement before you join any organization
Manoj: What is the hiring process for your company?
Garima: do you also hire students from Delhi NCR location?
Abhishek: Do you take any kind of test for hiring freshers?
Akash: How many rounds of interviews do you conduct before hiring
Amol V Pawar: We are open to hire individuals from any part of India as long as they are willing to work in Pune. The hiring process is simple wherein we conduct about 3 to 4 rounds of interviews and there are no specific tests being conducted.
Shuchi: Sir do you do lateral hiring? I have done BSc and working for Inverto and have experience with foregin clients in B2B sales for last 3 years? What scope do I have
Amol V Pawar: Sure We do hire lateral and request you to send your profile to us at careers@qedbaton.com
Garima: should I also pursue MBA in marketing/IT for better opportunities?
Amol V Pawar: Garima that would be your personal decision but any additional qualification from a reputed institute would only enhance your career prospects
Amitabh: As you deal with American clients do you provide voice and accent training to your associates
Amol V Pawar: Amitabh we do provide basic VNA training however if you have good english communication skills we believe you would be able to perform well on the job
Satnam: Can a graduate with the certification course in marketing apply for the profile, secondly, is it possible to start with Technology Marketing instead of Technology sales?
Amol V Pawar: Satnam as I mentioned earlier you have to start in Sales first and then move to marketing related activities. However if one has specific B2B marketing experience then we can look at the person moving into marketing activities directly
Akhil: Is their any opportunity to work on-site in your company?
Amol V Pawar: Akhil -- if you are referring to opportunity for our resources to travel on our client locations across the globe the answer is NO. We are not into software development but sales & marketing and hence such opportunities are very limited if at all.
Ashwini Ahinsak Jadhav: what all rounds are included in the interview rounds?
Amol V Pawar: Ashwini --- HR Round -- Delivery Round -- Hiring Manager Round and then senior management round are typically the 4 rounds of interviews the candidate will go through
Firstnaukri: Thank You Amol for your insightful views. Thanks everyone for logging in. Tune in to Firstnaukri Net-Engage for more such events in future.
Amol V Pawar: Thanks First Naukri for organizing this and giving me the opportunity and thanks to all of you who logged in and asked very relevant and interesting questions. I hope we get an opportunity to work with most of you.
