Sales

 

How did you first hear about a career with AkzoNobel?

I first heard about the Graduate Development Programme at AkzoNobel at a recruitment fair in Manchester. From here I visited the website for more information. I was keen to get involved in a graduate programme that encouraged commercial insight into a corporate environment. The AkzoNobel Graduate Development Programme appealed to me because the scheme allows graduates to be flexible in their roles but more importantly to learn about the business within active job placements that would demand responsibility. The assessment centre reiterated that the scheme was not set in stone and a steep learning curve at AkzoNobel was encouraged.

What was your first impressed when you joined AkzoNobel?

AkzoNobel was a welcoming company to work for even before my first day! Emails began circulating between new and existing graduates about accommodation, the first day and more importantly graduate social events! This helped ease the moving process and allowed for an enjoyable start.

What training and development have you had so far in your career?

As part of the Graduate Development Programme at AkzoNobel graduates participate in 4 training courses covering skills and information relevant across the AkzoNobel industry. This includes financial understanding, marketing rationale, supply chain logistics and sales techniques. These courses have been valuable not only for their content but also for getting to know the graduates across the business. The courses also give a real insight into the AkzoNobel business including possible future roles for graduates and possible movement within the business. In particular the recent Business Understanding course helped me to understand some of the financial implications within the commercial side of the business that I have found vital within my sales role.

What have you got up to in your role since joining AkzoNobel?

As part of the Commercial Operations Team I have a Customer Marketing role. I support the Distributor Sales Team with point of sale, added value promotions, promotion pricing for retailers and wholesalers and supporting the unique independent market. This has been an excellent position as an introduction into the AkzoNobel business, highlighting the variations across the independent market – both trade and retail.

My role varies according to the channel demands; from working on an added value promotion such as a give away in order to push a particular brand or product in the market, to designing and creating a visual display in a large independent garden centre, or taking the brand to a high profile event. I give marketing support wherever the sales team designate the demand.

To date my biggest achievement has been organising the Classic Car Show at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. This meant negotiating the stand costs, designing and manning the stand and managing the project through the four days. It was the first time AkzoNobel’s Hammerite brand had ever been taken to the show and there were over 25,000 visitors to the NEC. Therefore, it was important to balance the AkzoNobel message and brand activity whilst actively complying with the theme of the show. This included working with design agencies to make suitable artwork within budget, and working closely with Brand Marketing to maintain suitability for the stand. The Classic Car Show was my first solo project for the Distributor Team and though it was demanding it proved to be an excellent learning curve and was extremely satisfying when it was well received!

What is next in your career?

My first placement in the Commercial Operations customer marketing role sits between sales and marketing roles. This has given excellent insight into the various functions within the AkzoNobel business. I am keen to gain as much experience as possible in both aspects of the business. Therefore, for the last two months I have been working on secondment as a Territory Manager for the Distributor Sales Team. This has been valuable experience as I understand how the added value promotions I design help the sales team and the challenges they face on a day to day basis. In October I begin my next role in Dulux Trade Marketing concentrating on a brand marketing role. Again, this is exciting as it will be focusing on an aspect of my current job. However, the commercial operations role has given me an excellent foundation for overall business understanding within AkzoNobel.