Dealclosing Dalmation spotted!

Huguette is part of our Sales Pack in the Netherlands, who helps us get our lovely pet food into more paws! Besides visiting new and existing customers, she also provides product training where needed. Huguette is purrroud and happy to make many shops, dogs, cats and their owners happy with high-quality food.

Read on to get an insight into what is is like to work in sales for Edgard & Cooper !

“I love animals, I always have. The most exciting thing about working at Edgard & Cooper is that I'm exceptionally fortunate to work with people who share a love and passion for animals and their welfare.”

It has been 2,5 years since you started working here. How did you experience your very first days?

"I kicked off with two days at HQ in Belgium to get familiar with the company. It was fun to get to know Edgard & Cooper's pack members from all around the world through the onboarding trainings. Everyone was very welcoming, including the dogs ;)

I could tell there is a strong company culture and feeling of togetherness. The onboarding days covered fundamental trainings about our brand, company history and information about the different packs. The most interesting part about the trainings was the nutritional training where we got to learn more about our recipes for change.

With a feeling of extreme excitement to start my first days on the road, I travelled back to the Netherlands for a deep dive into my new role. My colleagues trained me with the skills, tools and knowledge I needed to work towards my goals. I joined my colleague Lars and manager Jean-Luc on the road and learned more about the sales process in live-action. I customized their pitches to fit my style and still use this every day!

Best advice for a new starter?

"Write down everything! To avoid wasting time on trial-and-error in your first months, make sure to write down everything you learned from your colleagues, co-visits and your manager."

How does your day as an Account Manager look like?

"No two days are the same! I usually start the day with administrative tasks, after which I leave for my first customer visit of the day. I visit customers to work together on a sales plan, to introduce and promote new products or services, to suggest actions to improve sales performance or to train new staff. I really enjoy giving these training sessions, because you can really see that people get excited and want to buy our products for their pets."

"What are some common stereotypes about Account Managers that you disagree with?"

"Life on the road is not lonely! I meet a lot of people daily, I get the opportunity to really build relationships with customers and I am always welcomed very nicely. I am in constant contact with my colleagues and I have a weekly catch-up with my manager Jean-Luc.

Next, sales is not number crunching, bypassing gatekeepers and lost deals lows. Edgard & Cooper is a very strong brand and we sell quality and transparency. I am close with our customers we sell to and we have built strong collaborations out in the territory."

“And now I have to leave to the next customer stop!”

Thanks again, Huguette!