Role: Sales Account Manager
Company: Continu
Track Record: Changing industry sectors in her career has helped Helen Brogan learn and adapt to new challenges while gathering transferable skills along the way.
HOW I BECAME A SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I came to Continu from a retail-based background. I worked in customer service and sales support roles then moved into general office management with House of Fraser. I felt I wanted a change in direction and I moved into quality management within the manufacturing sector, then on to back up power specialist company Continu.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I loved art and went on to study Fashion and Design after school. I still have a passion for textiles and in my spare time enjoy upstyling.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
Fashion and Design at Belfast Metropolitan College (Belfast Tech at the time).
How did you get into your area of work?
I was always drawn to customer service and relationship management roles. I enjoy helping people through identifying and providing the right solution. I was able to transfer my retail experience into a sales position with Continu and was delighted to take on such a hands-on role within an ambitious, family-owned, local company.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
As Continu offers quite a niche service, it wasn’t a sector I was familiar with – and sales overall wasn’t always my calling. However after years of working in customer service, it became clear to me that I would work well within a sales environment and was the obvious next step for me.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
Customer service and relationship management experience was helpful in securing my role. Moreover, I had to prove I can think on my feet, be self-motivated and trust my instinct from a commercial perspective. In backup power, there is a lot of technical language so being able to interpret customers’ needs and relay the necessary solution in simplified, more accessible terms, is crucial.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
Moving into sales from other disciplines is definitely achievable. You will need to learn the market you’re entering and show that you are adaptable. A strong work ethic and people skills will take you far in sales.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
You have to be able to work at a fast pace. When dealing with power outage, we need to be able to act straight away. Being able to prioritise and manage a project from start to finish is essential.
Finally, you have to be open to learning new things every day – uninterruptible power supply is a complex sector, which thankfully I find fascinating!
What does a typical day entail?
We deal with organisations of varying sizes across the public and private sector – our customers are really any organisations that are reliant on power – some notable clients include the Health Trusts, Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Concentrix and BT datacentres.
As I am responsible for customer relationships throughout the whole sales process, a typical day could involve researching business opportunities, providing quotes to potential customers; checking on existing orders or liaising with suppliers working on a current job. Once Continu’s equipment is installed, I spend time checking customers are happy and providing any follow-up support they need.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The best part of the job is the variety of new and interesting people I get to meet. I love getting great feedback throughout the sales process and being recommended by our clients to other companies gives me great satisfaction.
The most challenging aspect is trying to get people to understand what Continu does and the need for our services. A lot of our customers come to us after they’ve had a power outage and we’re keen to make people aware of our products before they come into a crisis, so it can be averted. Backup power supply is essentially an insurance a lot of businesses don’t know they should have.
Why is what you do important?
Continu’s service is important for obvious reasons. The knock on impact of losing power, even for a few seconds before a generator kicks in, can be hugely damaging for some organisations, such as hospitals or data centres. I act as the interpreter between the client and the technical side of our business. Particularly in Northern Ireland, I think having a one-toone relationship with a company is so valuable. Customers build up a connection with me directly and appreciate being able to lift the phone at any time.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Don’t stick in one industry – be flexible, stretch yourself and adapt to new challenges outside your comfort zone. You will learn so much and your career will flourish.
I’d also say don’t underestimate the value of networking – get out and meet people amongst the market. Northern Ireland has a positive B2B culture and whilst all your contacts won’t all turn into customers you’ll need a network of people around you to help support your career – they might help you and equally you might help them.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
Being diagnosed as Coeliac made me more aware of the importance of nutrition and the positive impact diet has on lifestyle. I think working in nutrition would be something that would therefore interest me.
If you could go back, what is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Believe in yourself and don’t be fearful about the unknown. The fear is always worse than the reality.
Describe your ideal day off.
I’d spend a day with my family – cooking, eating and chatting. Simple pleasures and great company are always the best.