Why TOM is like marriage
It takes a lot of effort to get it to work, but if you’re enthusiastic you can get pretty comfortable after a while. However, attempts to bring in technology and innovation will probably be met with resistance.
Why LCA is like hooking up with a sectionmate
It can be a bit uncomfortable, but we’re willing to give it a try while we’re here under controlled circumstances with limited options. Once we leave HBS we’ll probably never think about it again.
Why TEM is like picking someone up in a bar
It’s something we all think we’re good at, even if we’ve never had any experience of it, and if you’re lucky you’ll end up with a Texan Angel rather than a venture capitalist.
Why BGIE is like teenage sexual experimentation
You have to get your basic technical skills in place first, but once you are confident you will find yourself applying them all over the place in a variety of situations that you have very little prior knowledge of, often in foreign countries. However, once you get some feedback you will probably be disappointed at how badly your efforts were received.
Why NEG is like looking for a serious significant other in your class
RCs start trying it for the first time after Spring Break, ECs only do it if they have tried all of the other options that they were considering.
Why MKT is like starting to date for fun
You have to think about:
-Target customer: it is important to at least specify basic demographics such as gender and approximate age, but you could get more sophisticated and bring in things like income bracket and previous purchasing behavior.
-Brand image: the key here is consistency i.e. coming across as a sophisticated, intelligent and sensitive guy in class is all very well, but don’t ruin it by getting wasted on tequila and groping your best buddy’s girlfriend at Tommy Doyle’s.
-Your competitive position: attributes that could be your USP elsewhere such as intelligence, potential earning power and exclusivity are somewhat diluted here at HBS.
-Packaging (very important): There is a fine balance to draw between gaining your customer’s attention, demonstrating the essential features of the product, and good taste.
-Pricing strategy (Um, not sure about this one…).
Lastly, a lot of the time you’ll come to the conclusion that the most important thing is word of mouth and customer satisfaction.
Why STRAT is like dating seriously
It’s a lot like marketing, but not as much fun.
Why FRC is like having children
It’s unfamiliar and intimidating for the majority of us, and looks really hard. However, we are fairly certain that it’s not really worth learning about as we’ll have somebody else to do it for us in real life.
Why LEAD is like a threesome
Everyone is happy to discuss the theory, and has a pretty good idea of what should happen. However, you know that once they’re in the situation in real life things will be very different.
NB: FIN1 and FIN2 have been omitted as everyone knows that bankers do not have sex. At least the ones in my section don’t.
