24
Coast to Coast
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
RUSS BERRIE INSTITUTE
Producing sales leaders with a difference
On a trip to Qatar to get
hands-on training and to
get a feel of the country’s
booming economy, it was
revelation time for this
team from New Jersey
CONTACT US
Qatar Tribune —
Editorial: Phone: 4422077
Fax: 4416790
Administration & Marketing
Phone: 4666810
Fax: 4654975
P. O. Box: 23493, Doha
RAKESH PANDEY
EDITORIAL: editor@qatar-tribune.com
pressreleases@qatar-tribune.com
COMMERCIAL PRESS RELEASE:
qtpressreleases@qatar-tribune.com
ADMINISTRATION: admin@qatar-tribune.com
ADVERTISEMENT: advertising@qatar-tribune.com
CIRCULATION: circulation@qatar-tribune.com
CLASSIFIED: classifieds@qatar-tribune.com
DIAL DOHA
Fire
Ambulance
Police
999
Electricity
Water
Hamad Hospital
Childs Emergency Centre (Al Saad)
Rumila Hospital
Women’s Hospital
Airport Services- Enquiry
Airport Services-Operator
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways (Airport)
Gulf Air
Gulf Air (Airport)
Immigration & Passport Department
Traffic Department
Water Emergency
Electricity Emergency
Weather Forecasting (Admn)
Drain Centre
Municipality (Doha)
Ministry of Education
Qatar Television (QTV)
Qatar Broadcasting Service (QBS)
Qatar University
Postal Department
SriLankan Airlines
Oman Air
Oman Air (Airport)
991
991
4394444
4393333
4396666
4396666
4622999
4656666
4496666/4496000
4496688
4455444
4656318
4890333
4890666
4325959
4677601
4656590
4687894
4336336
4941111
4894444
4894444
4852222
4464000
4322628/4369910
4320509/4321373
4626835
A team from Russ Berrie Institute for
Professional Sales based at William
Paterson University in New Jersey, USA,
were recently on a 10-day trip to Qatar. Led
by Robert M Peterson, chair and associate
professor, the aim of the visit was to provide
a hands-on training to its students in skills
of sales, as well as to let them have a feel of
the vibrant and booming economy of Qatar.
The sales leaders, as the students of the
institute are called, also took the opportuni- Lara el Ghazal and Prof Robert M Peterson, and (below) Josh Schiller and Joe Nyamwange
ty to get a candid feedback on their sales in Doha on Sunday. (UDAYAN NAG)
abilities from corporate executives, obtain a
real-world business knowledge and develop
contacts with a wide range of companies
seeking to hire bright sales professionals.
In fact, the main aim for setting up the
institute was to produce sales leaders to
cope with the changing dynamics between
buyers and sellers in the present times.
Talking to Qatar Tribune, Prof Peterson
said, “Proliferation of information, mobility
of the work force, ease of communication
and the globalisation of markets have
altered the way we live and work. The overriding requirement in the fast-changing
scenario is to churn out sales leaders who
can add value to the customer’s business.”
The Russ Berrie Institute for Professional
Sales (RBI) was established by Russ Berrie,
the chairman and chief executive officer of
Russ Berrie and Company, Inc, to elevate
the profession of sales with programmes for
students and business professionals. The
institute was a culmination of Berrie’s
dream of setting up an academic course
that had the potential to take sales to new
heights, as also to enhance the prestige of
Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
sales professionals. Just three weeks before Jersey garage.
From a humble beginning, RBI has come (AACSB), the institute offers unique and
his death he donated $6.2 million to the
institute, which was initially set up in a New a long way. Accredited by Association to world-class courses in sales promotion.
DOHA
Visitors wax eloquent about
Qatar’s beauty, salesmanship
Art meets fashion at Banana
Republic’s store in Villaggio
Get set for ‘Summer 2’
collection coming next
week, with more style
and even more colour
CHETANA SHAHIN
Designer brand Banana Republic
hosted a special evening for selected
guests at its elegant Villaggio store on
Monday to give them an exclusive preview of its summer collection. Exquisite
oil paintings from GlobalArt also went
on sale, marking a rare melange of art
and fashion at the chic store.
The summer collection includes dresses, short skirts, shorts and blouses for
DOHA
women; suits, shirts, jackets and ties for
men; along with accessories such as big
bags, belts and jewellery. The clothes are
available in muted shades of red, green
and blue in cotton, silk, linen and even
monogram. Besides the new colours, the
styling, especially for the suits, is also
more casual. The price range is QR69 to
QR1,950.
“We launched the collection last week,
and the response has been tremendous.
Our dresses are selling really well. And
the men are lapping up the casual suits,”
said Nader Manasfi, the store supervisor.
Sipping exotic fruit juices and squash
and dining on delicious canapes, the
guests walked through the rails of
delightful new-season offerings, with
many picking up a few essentials just in
time for the party season.
For the first time, the store has also
associated itself with art promotion. The
GlobalArt collection includes beautiful
paintings by artists from China and Italy,
available in many sizes and costing
between QR750 and QR1,500.
“GlobalArt is proud to be a part of this
event. We have our paintings displayed
here with the new Banana Republic collection. This kind of art promotion is
very new to Doha. The market needs
such events to promote art,” said
Andreea Iurniuc, the marketing manager
of GlobalArt.
Banana Republic is set to launch a
‘Summer 2’ collection next week, which
will include brighter colours and more
styles, Manasfi said.
(From left) Lara el Ghazal, Josh Schiller, Wadeh Kazan, general manager of consumer agencies, Ali
Bin Ali Group, Joe Nyamwange and Nick Hernandez.
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
Invitees to the special viewing of Banana Republic’s summer collection, go through the ware on display at the store.
Prof Peterson said, “We employ innovative methods to teach our students. We
offer an integrated curriculum which is
taught by a seasoned sales faculty. We
believe in behavioural-based learning in
which students learn by doing.
Participating in numerous plays and simulations throughout the course prepares
them to tackle the toughest of conditions.
Our students graduate with an e-portfolio
on DVD containing samples of their sales
role plays, sales proposals and sales portfolios.”
The Institute adopts cutting edge technology to teach its students. Robotic digital
cameras record students delivering presentations, one-way mirrors allow live viewing
by instructors, plasma screens offer instant
review opportunity and personal DVDs
allow self critique and promotion capabilities.
The institute’s ‘Corporate Alliance
Program’ too has become a major hit
among companies with a forward-looking
approach. Enumerating its virtues, Prof
Peterson said, “The programme is intended
to serve as a vehicle for forming mutually
beneficial partnerships between businesses
and RBI. It leverages and facilitates both
parties’ strengths and resources, exchange
of personnel, experience and knowledge,
development of innovative modules, and
advancement of the sales profession.”
The RBI’s National Sales Challenge, a
three-day competition in which top sales
students participate, is watched keenly not
only by students but also the corporate
firms. “The RBI Sales Triathlon is another
event which has become very popular. In
this contest, our students demonstrate
their mastery in sales skills and knowledge
which is judged by business executives. It
provides firms an opportunity to build relationships with the next generation of sales
professionals and beat the sales talent
crunch that is a recurrent phenomenon
now,” said Prof Peterson.
The placement record of the institute is
excellent. To borrow Peterson’s statement,
it is ‘150 percent’. So if you want to be the
sales leaders of tomorrow and move faster
in the modern global market, consider joining the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional
Sales.
(MANEESH BAKSHI)
DOHA Sales leaders from Russ
Berrie Institute for Professional
Sales, who were on 10-day tour to
Qatar, came calling to Qatar Tribune on Sunday to share their
experiences about the several
leading institutions, corporate
companies and people they interacted with during the trip.
The students – Lara el Ghazal,
Josh Schiller and Joe Nyamwange
– besides their professor Robert
M Peterson were all very pleased
with the people and the land.
The most vocal of the group,
Lara was born in Qatar and
hence she had a lot more to say.
“Coming after several years, I
found Doha quite a different
place. With the economy on the
fast track, this is a place to be in,
especially for a sales personnel
like me. It offers an excellent
opportunity for all of us to get a
feel of real-world business and
put our knowledge to practice.
Qatar has really become a business hub where all leading global
firms are keen to set up shop. The
vibrancy of the place and the people is seen to be believed,” she
said.
During the tour sponsored by
Summit Financial, the students
“T
he hospitality
offered in this country
is excellent. The tour
has provided me an
opportunity to
acknowledge and
appreciate the rich
culture of the land.”
— Joe Nyamwange
visited several top companies
and institutions in Qatar including UDC’s The Pearl-Qatar project, Ali Bin Ali Group, Qatari Diar,
Blue
Salon
and
Qatar
Foundation.
For Josh Schiller, who had
come to Qatar for the first time, it
was once in a lifetime experience.
“I always wanted to visit this
country as I knew it was perhaps
the birthplace of salesmanship.
Since I had heard a lot about
Qatari merchants, I was keen to
know how they did their businesses. I visited the Old Souq and
even indulged in haggling over an
item I did not intend to purchase.
It was a very enriching experience,” he said.
When Joe Nyamwange’s parents were told that their son
would have to go to Qatar they
were filled with trepidation. But
Joe was not afraid, rather he was
very excited. “My family was worried about my safety as they had a
lot of misconception about this
country. But it is all false. Qatar is
lovely and the people are marvellous. Qataris have passion for
their culture and their country.
The hospitality offered in this
country is excellent. The tour has
provided me an opportunity to
acknowledge and appreciate the
rich culture of the land. In fact,
Qatar is similar to us in some
ways. Just as we are on the verge
of an on exciting career prospect
after completing our course from
a reputed institute, Qatar is on
the threshold of becoming a
major economic player. I do not
have words to express the incredible experience I have had here,”
he said.
But it was the non-academic
engagements which excited Prof
Peterson the most. “A ride on the
camel was breathtaking. I can
never forget it. The sand dunes
we saw were beautiful and they
are a true gift of nature. We ate a
lot of Arab and Indian delicacies.
The taste still lingers in my
mouth. I wish to visit Qatar again,
sooner than later,” he said. RP