Isabel Igl

Sales engineer

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Why join us

"Every day I make phone calls and talk to all kinds of people - and characters. It varies from the operator of the system to the managing director, or from the buyer to the maintenance technician - it's all part of the job."

Education: Master in Process Engineering
Working for Leybold since October 2013

What is your position at Leybold and what are the main tasks of this role?

I am a sales representative for the sales areas Baden, Baden Württemberg, and Stuttgart. All customers located in my postcode area are part of my support area. In my role, I am basically the face of Leybold to the customer. In other words, I am responsible for ensuring that the customer is happy to continue to buy from Leybold. On the one hand, I look after our existing customers when they need something new and, in addition, I also take care of the acquisition of new customers. I advise our customers with regard to all questions that arise in daily use of the vacuum pumps.

What do you particularly like about the current role?

What I like is that every day a new challenge awaits me. It is never boring. I remember when I was asked in my job interview by my general manager whether I could imagine selling a vacuum pump every day. As a layman, you think it is always relatively similar. In other words, there's a container somewhere, I need a vacuum pump and the only thing I can do is perhaps vary its size. But vacuum means much more. In most cases, not only air is pumped, but all the customer's process gases pass through the vacuum pump, so that the entire system and application is also taken into account in terms of process engineering. Every customer has a different application, every customer has different requirements for the vacuum pumps, for his vacuum supplier, so that one never really acts according to "scheme F" at the customer's site.

The personal contact is of course also very nice. Every day I make phone calls and talk to all kinds of people - and characters. It varies from the operator of the system to the managing director, or from the buyer to the maintenance technician - it's all part of the job.

That really sounds very exciting. When you reflect that again, what would you say, from your point of view, what do you need to bring to be successful in the role?

I think it's important that you simply enjoy making contact with all kinds of people. That you're not afraid to make contact, for example by making cold calls.

There are customer conversations that are over after three minutes - the customer doesn't want anything. You must accept that. And there are conversations where I immediately have the right person on the phone, and we have an incredibly good exchange about technology. Ideally, I would also have arranged a visit appointment. That's why this sociability and the fact that you're not afraid to say: "Hello, I'm Leybold" is important.

On the other hand, you have to organize yourself, of course. We work in sales from home. So, there's no one to hand you a to-do list in the morning and say "You should do that today." You have to look for yourself: Where do you see potential? Where are customers I would like to visit? Where are customers that I know are troubled or who perhaps need a little care and a contact person? Sometimes it's just a matter of making a quick phone call, checking in or asking if everything is all right.

What about the professional background?

Of course, you need a certain technical understanding. Leybold has incredibly great products that are technically very good. We are the "Mercedes" among the vacuum suppliers. We sell through our strength, that is, through technology. It is important to understand the customer's application as well as the technology of our vacuum pumps and then to combine what suits the customer best.

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