Top on the telephone Interview with salesperson Marion Paeschke
Since 2009, she has been a member of the core sales team. As Regional Manager South, she is responsible for direct sales relating to transport packaging for the Waste Management Solutions from Interzero Circular Solutions.
For Marion Paeschke, sales is an exciting part of the company as work here involves dealing with multiple points of contact and various job roles (company executive, purchasing, product managers, etc.) that create new sets of circumstances on a daily basis – and Marion is happy to tackle new challenges and engage in dialogue with other people. Her future dream job would be... the Comfortable Financially Independent.
Marion, what does a member of the sales team need to be like to be successful in the job?
Marion Paeschke: Well, your work starts before you pick up the phone. You need a detailed analysis of your customer and extensive knowledge of the sales business segment. You can then identify other customer needs as part of cross-selling and offer suitable products or services from our portfolio. You need empathy, good listening skills and to stay respectful on the phone – the customer can’t see a product but only hears your voice! Asking questions proactively is also important.
So, can you remember your first sales call?
Marion Paeschke: It was 2009, and the German Packaging Ordinance had just been amended to clarify the need for mandatory packaging licensing in a dual system. This amendment triggered an absolute avalanche of calls to our sales team, so that I actually can’t remember my very first call in much detail at all. But it was bound to have been someone asking about the right way to handle these new requirements.
We had to analyse each customer call individually and promptly, log this in the sales database, have contract quotes created promptly and then, ultimately, secure the signing of the contract
Can you tell us about a difficult situation that you managed to handle particularly well?
Marion Paeschke: In sales, difficult situations tend to involve contract terminations, price adjustments or complaints. And every case is of course unique here. It’s important to get an accurate picture of your customer, so that you can work towards a win-win situation.
What motivates you to focus on a particular customer?
Marion Paeschke: You need to stay focused to build a positive customer relationship that ultimately gives you the sale you want.
And do you have a good tip for us to improve our skills on the phone?
Marion Paeschke: Successful phone-based selling is all about your own preparation. Research, customer analysis, identifying needs, etc. Last but not least, stubbornness in a positive sense – not giving up too easily. And it’s of course important to be able to present the Interzero Group in a concise way, know your way around the legal requirements and be able to talk to the customer in a language they understand. Finding the right balance between information and establishing rapport is critical for success.
Who do you most like to have on the phone – and why?
Marion Paeschke: I’m happiest when talking to decision-makers, so members of the executive team or purchasing, because these make decisions for their company directly
