As a Sales Manager, I spend a lot of time out and about. I try to split my time between working from home in Hull, in the STC head office in Berwick-upon-Tweed, and visiting potential and existing customers to find out more about them, and their needs.
It takes about four hours to drive to Berwick from where I live, which means an early start for office days. To make the most of my time in Berwick, I tend to schedule meetings, or if I am going for a site visit, I will often travel the day before and stay in a hotel, so I am fresh for a day's work.
If I am working from home, my day starts with wrangling two teenagers out of the house and to school. While having breakfast, I will check my emails to see if any enquiries have come in overnight and see if there is anything that needs to be dealt with urgently. National Account Manager, Jill Fleming deals with most day-to-day enquiries’, but I am on hand to pick up when she isn’t available.
Once the kids are out of the house, I sit down at my laptop and start by responding to emails. These range from customers asking for specifications or information on certain products to sample requests. Often, I will need input from NPD Manager, Julie Telfer, or our Technical Manager, Martin Drewery to answer questions that have come in, so I will contact them to get the information I need. It’s great working in this team as you are always learning something new!
Once my inbox is clear, I check the grain markets to get the latest price on barley. This affects the prices I quote to customers for products we are supplying them, so having the latest details is essential.
I like to stay organised, so the rest of my morning is spent working through my to-do list. Tasks for today include following up with a potential customer who has had a sample of our products to get their feedback and then I have a tender to work on.
Over lunch, I will check LinkedIn and the press to get the latest news on product launches, job moves and anything else that is going on that might lead to an opportunity for us.
Over lunch, today a new enquiry came in. The customer is asking about a new product, so I'll start by putting together a product brief. The brief requests details on the product and its end use, any claims to be met, any restrictions on allergens, any specific microbiological requirements, any specific retailer standards to meet, any packaging details, volume expectations and delivery locations. I will then have a conversation with Operations Director, Peter Thompson and his team to determine if it is feasible from an operations perspective.
Towards the end of the day, Head of Sales David Overton and I get together for a meeting about any tenders we are working on and discuss what other opportunities we have.
My day ends with writing a new to-do list for the following day and, if I am heading to Berwick the next day, I make sure that my bag is packed, and ready to go. Once everything is tidied away, it is time to turn the laptop off and spend some time relaxing with my family.