CIMCORP CAREERS —
Sales with a service approach
In spring 2017, Jukka-Pekka joined Cimcorp as a sales manager. Unlike most of our sales experts, he came from outside the company and started by studying the Cimcorp way of selling. He has already learned a lot, among other things that the essence of sales here is quite similar to his previous experience: the aim is to assist the customer in the best possible way.
Open-minded attitude
Originally, it was Finnish baseball that brought Jukka-Pekka from Southern Finland to Satakunta. Having found a good team to join, he started studying process engineering at the local University of Applied Sciences while simultaneously dedicating himself to sports. After 25 years, he still lives in the area, and in spring 2017 he made a new major change: he left the company that he had been with for two decades, and joined Cimcorp as part of our sales team.
“Coming from outside the company, I have an interesting situation and a lot to learn. Luckily, I have had good tutors and support, and the general atmosphere encourages you to ask questions. I am especially impressed by the enthusiasm some people devote to finding out the answers.”
Eye on the sales process
Before coming to Cimcorp, Jukka-Pekka worked in semi-finished products and metal manufacturing. He progressed from engineering to more demanding duties in production planning, and over time, his work started to include more and more aspects of sales. For the last five years, his title has been Sales Manager.
“Instead of concentrating on detailed information about our systems, I look at the sales process as a whole. My responsibility is to manage it and gather all the information necessary for the sales process to proceed. I prioritize collaboration with the sales support functions, and fortunately, we have a System Planning Department with high expertise to rely on.”
Jukka-Pekka has found that a consistently documented sales process helps to secure new sales. For example, there are many country-specific aspects that must be taken into account in offering process. Documented information is especially valuable from the point of view of a newcomer.
Listening is the key
Jukka-Pekka benefits from his experience in international sales. In his previous job, he specialized in dealing with Asian customers and spent up to 100 days traveling per year. He has a clear view on how to succeed and differentiate from others at the customer interface.
“Regardless of the industry, it is all about truly listening and understanding what the customer wants, and that is definitely one of my strengths. Based on questions and the information we get, we build a solution that fulfills customer’s demands. Our aim is to offer something extra to prove our expertise and to differ from competitors. We serve, and that makes us convincing.”
In Jukka-Pekka’s opinion, we cannot be the least expensive on the market, nor do we need to be. Providing a solution for the customer makes us stand out from the crowd. And in addition, we have impressive references.
“It is a pleasure to be part of such an innovative sales team. I have been given my own responsibilities, but at the same time, I can utilize the experience of my colleagues. I find that I can effectively use all my abilities and develop myself further. The prospects are quite promising, both for me and for the company.”
