We—that’s me and my colleague Jens Bonnet— work in Presales and Modern Workplace and Marketing. At first it sounds like completely different jobs, but they actually have quite a lot in common as they have the same objective—to increase awareness of our Digital Workplace and our system house showroom both internally and externally and thus introduce our visitors to the world of modern working. It’s as fascinating as it sounds and I’d like to share with you what exactly an average day looks like for us.
7:30am.
By the time I show up at the office, Jens has long since finished his first cup of tea and answered a few dozen e-mails. He’s even already sent a few to me! But first: coffee. My first job is to open Outlook and answer e-mails, check appointments and update my to-do list. Yes, that’s right. A to-do list. On paper. At an IT company. I find it more motivating to cross something off a physical list and a digital list just doesn’t cut the mustard. Jens, however, doesn’t have a single scrap of paper on his desk—just all the latest technology.
9:00am.
The first appointments and meetings often start around now and every day is different. From meetings with vendors, partners and colleagues to customer appointments and live webinars from our Digital Workplace. Following these are often preparations for upcoming projects and also follow-up appointments. I have most of these appointments with Jens as the projects are often connected with our showroom or the Modern Workplace and will be worked on by both of us. These projects can be pretty varied:
- Digital Workplace/Modern Workplace events – Webinars, in-person events, trade fairs and congresses with and without vendors/partners or other system houses.
- Digital marketing/Content marketing – Producing content for social networks and bechtle.com. Sometimes we get to do an Instagram story or have input into the Facebook editorial plan so make sure you check out @bechtleag on Instagram on 22 and 28 July 2020! We also write the one or other blog—just like this one here.
- Placing vendor projects in the Digital Workplace or at our customer sites – Through videos, social media, at in-house events and at events we sponsor. This includes planning cooperations and partnerships—often together with the sales department and our managing director.
- Internal anchoring – Briefings, business breakfasts and sales meetings are regularly on the agenda during which our sales reps are briefed and trained on a range of topics, be that preparation for telephone calls and customer appointments or for the introduction of a new product. We work in close cooperation with a lot of vendors in this.
We use any free time in our calendars to discuss and prepare a range of topics with Jens providing the technical and product-specific input and me taking on the text and design as well as the organisation.
12:30pm.
Lunch! Sometimes earlier. Sometimes later. In our SkyBar, we allow our minds to wander for an hour and enjoy lunch either inside or out on our roof terrace. For the gamers among us, the SkyBar is a dream come true thanks to the games console on which you can play FIFA or the table football you can battle your colleagues on. It’s a welcome break!
1:30pm.
In the afternoon, there tends to be an appointment or two—either online or in-person. We spend the rest of the time working through new e-mails or tackling the organisation, preparation or follow-up work for our projects. What does that mean? Sending out e-mails about webinars or events, writing blogs, preparing new social media posts, editing videos and photos, organising up-coming events and sometimes even bog-standard paperwork. Jens is also occupied as he sometimes has to drive to customers to help with setup and installation. He’s constantly answering e-mails and requests, communicating with experts and responsible sales reps, and coordinating customer appointments. He also makes sure our Digital Workplace is up-to-date and is in constant contact with vendors to keep ahead of the game.
If we have an appointment with a customer, it could be that it takes up the whole day. When they come here, we first agree an agenda before giving them a live demo of the different products and solutions, covering both the theory and their use in practice. That means the customers testing out the products themselves to convince themselves of the benefits. And if they aren’t sure, we have a cupboard full of surprises so we’re sure to find the right device or solution for each company.
4:30pm.
It’s time to head home. The next day is sure to hold new projects, customers and appointments and one thing’s for sure, it never gets boring. Sound interesting? We are currently on the look-out for a team lead for our network team and a consultant for networking solutions. You can find other vacancies by clicking on “Career”.
