We want Raidboxes to become better known and win new customers. Our sales department and our FREE DEV partner program are important pillars in this. Now we have active sales support with Laura. Welcome to the best WordPress hosting team!
Raidboxes continues to grow - be part of it
Laura, what do you like about sales? The job isn't suitable for everyone...
That is certainly true, from various points of view. However, I have to differentiate a little. After all, sales is not just sales, which is sometimes a cliché in people's minds. First and foremost, I personally like the contact and exchange with potential new and existing customers, i.e. with people. I also love analyzing and advising on requirements. To work together to find the perfect solution that is tailored as precisely as possible. If there is nothing to analyze or the solution is "only" good in the end, then I can hardly stand it 😉
This sometimes results in very close contacts that last for years. In the past, I have also worked in traditional "sales jobs". In the sense that pressure and numbers were the only things that mattered. Including a hire-and-fire mentality and completely ignoring customer needs, sometimes in an extreme form. I always quit after a very short time because that's just not me and I can't stand for it.
New challenges in sales
Sales is also exciting for me because there are new challenges every day. And because my mind is constantly working on how to make life even easier for my customers. Sales is fun when the environmental factors are right. This aspect was also important to me when I managed a small sales team and gave sales training courses in my previous positions. Accordingly, they were also based on a philosophy of authenticity and achieved very good effects. I think this is also because they liberated the employees to a certain extent.
You are in charge of our FREE DEV partner program. How do you want to promote it?
Exactly, the FREE DEV program is super exciting and really a win-win situation for everyone involved. I already have a few ideas in mind to make it even more widely known. As a first step, I want to immerse myself in the world of our FREE DEVs and get to know them, preferably every single one 😉 To get as close as possible and understand their day-to-day work with all its aspects, requirements, processes and needs.
I would also like to collect feedback on our program and, of course, the hosting itself. Here too, my aim is to align the program as closely as possible with what our partners need and want. Not only with the FREE DEV program, but in general it is important for us to have our finger on the pulse and to be in direct contact with our freelancers, agencies, store operators and companies. This enables us to pick up on ideas and implement some of them in the shortest possible time.
Based on this, you can then develop a variety of ideas to make the program even more popular and present. From new program services to webinars, events and collaborations, I already have a few things in mind that I could imagine.
You say: "I'm not a hardcore saleswoman". What makes a good customer approach for you?
Did I put it like that? 🙂 I think you should naturally tend to be more of an extroverted type of person. But you should also have a lot of empathy. I see that as an absolute basic requirement, in addition to excellent product knowledge and, of course, a professional approach. You should want to and be able to empathize with the customer (i.e. the person).
Successful customer approach
In this respect, a successful approach for me always consists first and foremost of building a relationship. Asking questions, listening, getting to know the other person, thereby understanding the need and also the personality behind it. I also think it's important to refrain from placing an order if it's clear from the outset that it's not the best solution for the customer. You have to remain honest. In my personal definition, sales means that it makes no difference in terms of empathy whether I'm talking to my family, friends or customers. At the end of the day, we are all human beings and want to be treated well.
That's why I don't separate this value when it comes to professional or private matters. In general, I always see sales as advice and an exchange. If there's a good product and I can explain it to the customer in such a way that they make the mental connection between the product and the solution to their problem all by themselves, then it's a very nice flow for both sides.
In sales, you take a very close look at new employers. Why did you switch to Raidboxes?
That's true, and it has always been a challenge for me to find the right employer. Partly because I have never understood the "logic" of hierarchies. In my opinion, many companies in Germany lack flexibility and innovation, new models are either not implemented or not really lived. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why I lived abroad for a total of nine years and worked partly freelance. Things are not yet so completely "professionalized" there, but they are much more dynamic as a result and more is achieved in less time.
Why Raidboxes?
With Raidboxes, my gut knew right from the start - perhaps for the very first time ever - that it was a perfect fit! I immediately recognized myself in our slogan "Be free and wild and creative!". And when I took a closer look at the homepage, products and philosophy, I immediately understood that it actually arose from the mission we want to fulfill for our customers. On the one hand, there is the product, which is not only clean, honest and powerful (every salesperson's dream!), but which has also been developed with passion. It always aims to have our customers' backs and give them freedom. I'm delighted every time I'm able to advise someone on the phone, because these points have come back to me as feedback in virtually every conversation so far!
On the other hand, there is the corporate culture, the values and the way we work together at Raidboxes. The values that stand above everything else in my life are freedom, loyalty and authenticity. When I asked Johannes and Torben how they would describe their "baby", their company and the motivation behind it in one sentence, the words freedom and loyalty (in the sense of wanting to give something back to the world, sustainability, etc.) immediately came to mind. At that moment, I knew: in addition to the great product, these are also my people and my environment, that fits 110 percent.
Another major factor in the decision was the holacracy that is really practiced. In other words, the opportunity to develop further and to take on projects and more responsibility in an uncomplicated way. And last but not least, I liked the option of working both from home and in Münster.
How did your induction go? And how do you process the vast amount of information?
Marcel and Johannes' induction was very well prepared and structured in stages. I was given an insight into Sales as well as the "big picture" and all other areas of the company. There was also a lot of information about Raidboxes as a company, its culture and values. I personally liked that very much.
The calmness, composure and patience was fantastic and helped a lot in the new situation. The amount of information is actually huge or rather proportional in a very short space of time - my head was spinning. It helps if you put the vast amount of information into a written structure from day one. You can then go through it again later, with a little more peace of mind.
Have you already had your first customer contact? And are there any differences to your previous jobs?
Yes, I already have contact with new customers who need tariff and product advice as well as with existing customers and also some of "my" FREE DEVs. There are definitely differences in contact and communication. I previously worked in other sectors (5-star hotels, BMW event marketing, language learning software), so the clientele was definitely different. Just like in my previous job in Sales & Business Development in a newly founded European IT start-up, where I was mainly in contact with CTOs from larger companies.
The interaction there is a bit more ... formal. I find the contact with our customers, agencies and freelancers very uncomplicated and refreshing. Open and expressive in the sense that I receive exuberant feedback on Raidboxes, our product and even on our consulting services in almost every phone call. In addition, even in short conversations, people like to brainstorm together quickly; overall, communication is more dynamic than in other industries. That's a great start!
What is your first impression of Raidboxes and the team?
It's simply wonderful! It's exactly what I wanted and even better than I would have imagined 🙂 Despite being a medium-sized company, Raidboxes still has a start-up spirit, but at the same time the company is very well organized and structured and everyone gives 110 percent. You also get everything imaginable that you need to work productively and healthily.
The team
I am a very social person. The contacts you have in your working life - be it customers or the team - make a big difference and influence me. Here, for the first time, I have the feeling that I have "arrived" in this respect. The team is very colorful. At the same time, my impression so far is that each individual fits in with the values and the basic idea of Raidboxes. Everyone I've gotten to know a little better so far is very warm as a person, simply great!
The values that Raidboxes stands for are actually practiced internally. Everyone is very open and friendly, and I am helped immediately if I have any questions. For the first time, I have the feeling that I am not "at work" but "working with friends". That's a small but far-reaching difference. And it makes a lot of things more productive and efficient.
You work remotely from near Hamburg. How are you coping with working from home?
Exactly, but I'm well "trained" in this respect, as I've been working from home continuously since 2014. In this respect, it's already normality for me, which I'm very grateful for. It was a real liberation for me, because in previous jobs where I had to work non-stop in a "traditional" office, I always went half crazy.
In my home office and in my quiet working environment, I am much more relaxed and, above all, more productive. I can concentrate on my current tasks and projects there. In addition to the usual tools, most of which I have already used in previous years, order and self-discipline are definitely important factors. Fortunately, these are very pronounced in my case. It also helps me to keep my home office well organized (also visually).
I structure my to-dos and lists well and always have them up to date. Of course, I sometimes miss the contact with my colleagues, but that's also great at Raidboxes. I can go to the office in Münster at virtually any time and work together with the rest of the team.
What do you do when you're not working for Raidboxes?
I enjoy doing sports, cooking and meeting up with friends. I'm also currently catching up on a lot of the time with my parents that we didn't have during my years abroad. During the first coronavirus wave, I also regularly helped out my elderly neighbors, which I'm sure I'll continue to do in the fall and winter.
Apart from that, I generally enjoy being outdoors and sometimes driving longer distances by car. Especially to the sea, as I miss the space and freedom from time to time after all the years I've lived abroad on the beach 🙂 Next, I want to brush up on the languages I used to speak fluently (French and Spanish). And I want to start dancing again, which has fallen by the wayside over the years.
