SEC-S30W6: People who motivate | Mr. Atul Agnihotri, My Seminar Manager |

I have more than one person whom I can give credit for my growth but I consider Mr. Atul Agnihotri for being my mentor and guiding me that helped me stand straight during my first sales speech. He was my Area Manager during my first posting in North India as well in charge of seminars in the region.

I have couple of photographs with him one in India during 1991 when we visited a hill station, Nainital with his family.

(This photo of mine was taken by my wife, Mr. Agnihotri and his wife sitting in the background, 1991)

As I was reading your contest post dear @marvinvelasquez reminded me of my seminar address I delivered at my first sales conference where hundreds of the C.E.Os, Chief Engineers and maintenance engineers of various top industries and companies and other prominent invitees were present as our customers.

Now I will tell you how his invaluable advice, how to keep my nerves and encouragement transformed my confidence, helping me deliver with impact. In fact, he shaped my speaking skill and also inspired me to face public during such an occasion. I am thankful to him for believing in me and making me strong to reach to the top of the ladder.

That was long ago so I have one photograph of that seminar.

(Taken by a photographer)

It made all the difference and I'm truly fortunate to have him as my guide and would like to give you the full story of that first seminar to show my leg shaking experience and how I came out of those traumatic moments.

It was during the beginning of my career as a sales engineer in a multinational in collaboration with Germany and Switzerland more than 40 years ago. Our company was in manufacturing welding equipment and special electrodes and I had just returned doing my onsite training from Bangalore and was assigned a territory consisting of two big states namely UP and NCR.

The company decided to hold a seminar inviting all the distributors, dealers and customers mainly the big industrial houses of that particular region where I was appointed. We were booked in one of the best five star hotels in the city where I was posted so I was supposed to take care of bookings etc too.

Then the seminar day came and it brought with it the responsibility and anxiety that was taking over on my nerves. My general manager and other senior managers including the seminar manager had already arrived and staying in the same hotel where the conference was scheduled.

The stage was set. The seminar hall was overcrowded with almost 700 top-notch people from various industries in the area. The drinks and snacks were being served to the invitees as my seniors spoke one after the other and took their place.

I was the junior-most at that time and my number to speak was in the end but trust me my legs were shaking when my name was announced by the seminar manager. I approached the stage, I wished someone would say- Hey enough of speeches, time for lunch. But no, I was not that lucky.

By the way, I knew more than half of the crowd as I had been meeting them during my visits to their companies for business-related meetings for the last six months or so but I could not look even at them. Now I don’t remember what I spoke despite my 4-5 days of rehearsing and revising the entire speech many times over. I was like, "Was this cheering for me and my speech?"

Support of my seminar manager was crucial and if it was not for his motivation and encouragement, I would never be able to speak, fortunately, my seminar manager was there close by so somehow I managed to deliver my 6-7 minutes' speech. If you ask me now I know nothing how I did it at that time, but I realized I was done with the job only when I heard the loud cheering and clapping from the crowd.

This one when he visited, The National Arboretum Canberra in 2021 and my two coworkers accompanied him to a picnic spot.

(This photograph was taken by another coworker, Mr. Agnihotri is in extreme right and I am in the middle, 2021)

In my long career as a sales professional right from grassroots level as a sales engineer to the top as GM Marketing, I give it to Mr. Atul Agnihotri, my seminar manager who happened to be my Area Manager North Zone at that time.

I invite @josepha @enrisanti and @bijoy1 to participate in this contest