I need movement, independence
and variety Ines Ines, Business Developer
At Campbell’s, there are eleven Business Developers, who are always on the road visiting retail customers. Each of us has his or her own sector where s/he watches over product presentation in the point of sales, monitoring the shelf and image.
In the morning, I leave from home to my first customer, visiting up to seven or eight customers a day. In the evening, I complete my administration at home and prepare the visits of the next day. It’s a very independent job. I stay in touch every day by phone and mail with my direct supervisor and my other colleagues who are also on the road. Once a month, we organize a sales meeting and we meet at the office or elsewhere to discuss our results and review future contracts and our promotional planning schedule. The Marketing Department will usually present some innovations or marketing promotions and will share upcoming events for the next months with us.
Basically, we take what Marketing and Sales has developed in-house and implement it in the field. Say for example that they are interested in offering a promotion, then we will conclude contracts with the points of sale: quantities, introductions, location, follow-up, etc.
‘Representation is pure selling’: I don’t think that is true. It is much more than that. We manage our sector and we represent Campbell Foods and our products to customers and consumers. We are also a very important source of information. What is the rotation of our products on the shelf? What is the competition doing? What developments are taking place in the FMCG industry? How do consumers respond to the various promotional offers?
A nine to five office job is not my cup of tea. I need movement, independence and variety. I have only been in this job for one year, but when I visit my customers, it feels as if I’ve known them forever. They tell me about their family and their daily concerns. I like that a lot. It’s all about building a relation based on trust.
I fully endorse our products, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to sell them. Don’t ask me to sell cigarettes for example, I wouldn’t be able to. But I have no problems selling Campbell’s excellent sauces and soups, as I eat them myself every day.
