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“Innovative and luckily very international”
“Customers understand that I'm still young and don’t have all the answers. The main thing is that you're working for them. Working in their interest is more important than having all the knowledge. In fact, even if you've done this work for 15 years you won't have all the answers at your fingertips. Knowledge is important, but being a good partner is even more important."
Simon Haazen has only just started in his role as Area Sales Manager at Fancom, but he already knows the company well: “They had already offered me a contract even before I was about to start my graduation project at Fancom in early 2020. I had also completed an internship for Fancom in South America before that. And that’s what sparked my interest in the company and in the agricultural sector. Apparently that interest was mutual. During my internship I was responsible for sales in Scandinavia."
Why did you choose to work at Fancom?
“The company culture really appealed to me. I received a warm welcome. The people at Fancom stressed how important it was for me to graduate first. They didn’t encourage me to stop my studies and join the company. And while I was doing my graduation project, I was granted plenty of freedom and time to devote to my thesis, even though I had a lot of responsibility for my other tasks."
“The subject of my thesis was purchasing a CRM system which the sales team could use to register their contacts with customers. In fact, there turned out to be a pressing need for a system like that, so we are currently in the process of buying one. I am still involved in the project, and as far as my current job goes a similar system is a vital tool."
What is your current role?
“I am an Area Sales Manager responsible for a number of countries in South East Asia and Eastern Europe, Ireland and England. I travel widely. In the course of a normal year I spend between 100 and 125 days abroad. The restrictions of COVID-19 have severely limited my travel. I now do about 5% of what I would normally do."
“I really enjoy the travel aspect of my job - it’s a great opportunity to get out into the wide world’. I have lived abroad a lot since I went to school in Spain when I was 17. There’s nothing better than learning about new cultures and having new experiences: seeing how other people think and taking home certain aspects you can apply in your own life."
“I studied International Business, first at secondary vocational level and then at bachelor level. I only really discovered the art of sales in the USA, where I was taught and inspired by a genuine commercial guru and I realised that it was the right profession for me. My interest in the sector started in the same year during my internship for Fancom at one of our distributors in Ecuador. It is fascinating to discover the multifaceted character of a sector and experience the highly advanced nature of the technology it uses. As an outsider these are aspects you never even think about."
How important is knowledge in your role?
“It goes without saying that knowledge is key to my role, but at Fancom you have the freedom to discover, learn and work on your personal development independently. That’s sometimes quite hard, but it's the best way to make new knowledge stick. You can tell customers in all honesty that there’s something you don’t know. With the backing of all our colleagues, we can always help our customers.”
“My contact with so many different people is a very fulfilling part of my job, because I arrange many things for them. Pleasing the customer and meeting their expectations gives me a great sense of satisfaction. It's vital to be there to serve customers at all times."
Why would you recommend Fancom as an employer?
“Fancom has a flat organisational structure, and promotes openness across all levels of management. There is a hierarchy in place, but if I think improvements can be made in a certain area, the door is always open to chat to the person responsible. Fancom has a very open corporate culture. And I think it’s important that I can speak my mind."
“Another big plus is that Fancom is so close to where I live - just a 10-minute drive away. There aren’t many companies with this level of innovation in North Limburg, so fortunately I don't have to drive to Amsterdam: how wonderful to find a company that matches your interests and even better if it is on your doorstep!"
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