Business Development/Sales Intern (Merchant Recruitment)

About the role

This is a hands-on, people-facing internship at the front line of a new product launch. You'll be the person who finds neighbourhood shop owners, reaches out to them, and gets them interested enough to book a short product demo. The project lead runs the demos and handles the rest — your job is to build and work the pipeline that feeds them.

Because most of the shop owners we're approaching speak Mandarin or Chinese dialect, your ability to talk to them comfortably in their own language is the single most important part of this role.

What you'll do

• Build and maintain a pipeline of candidate merchants (minimarts, provision shops, neighbourhood stores) using online directories, maps, and business listings.
• Make outreach calls — mostly in Mandarin / dialect — to shop owners to introduce the pilot, check whether they're a good fit, and book demo appointments.
• Keep the lead tracker up to date: contact details, call outcomes, follow-ups, and status.
• Coordinate and schedule demo and meeting slots for the project lead.
• Send follow-up messages via WhatsApp / WeChat and chase responses.
• Share what owners are telling you so we can sharpen the approach.

Requirements

Who we're looking for

• Currently pursuing or recently completed a diploma or degree (any discipline; business, marketing, or communications a plus).
• Fluent in Mandarin (required) — you'll be speaking with shop owners directly in Mandarin.
• Conversational in a Chinese dialect — Hokkien, Teochew, or Cantonese — is a strong advantage and the biggest differentiator for this role.
• Comfortable making cold calls and striking up conversations with strangers; friendly, persistent, and not easily discouraged by a "no."
• Organised and reliable with follow-ups and record-keeping.
• Based in Malaysia and able to work remotely, with comfort making calls to Singapore merchants.
• Proficient enough in English for internal coordination.

Nice to have

• Prior sales, telesales, promoter, retail, or other customer-facing experience.
• Comfortable working independently in a remote setup — reliable internet and a quiet space for calls.
• Some familiarity with Singapore's neighbourhood retail scene (minimarts, provision shops) — helpful for building rapport on calls.
• Comfort with WhatsApp / WeChat and simple spreadsheets