In 2017, Hayley had graduated secondary school and started a career in retail. With a passion for customer delight, she joined the Steel & Tube team as a Customer Service Representative in January 2018. Despite having joined Steel & Tube with limited sales experience and formal training, Hayley excelled in her role. Today, Hayley is an Account Manager for our Roofing products team. This is her story.
Where did your career in sales begin?
I’ve always had a keen interest in sales as I enjoy building relationships and working with a variety of people. I made the decision to join Steel & Tube as a family friend spoke highly of the business. The opportunity to learn new skills on the job appealed to me as I was looking to grow my sales skillset. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’ve grown up as a part of the Steel & Tube team. I joined as a high school graduate and four years later, I’m managing around 130 accounts across Auckland and Mangawhai. It’s certainly been an exciting journey so far.
What motivates you to come into work every day?
It’s definitely the customers I work with. They have placed a great deal of trust in me so I take pride in being able to deliver for them. The aspect of my role which I enjoy most is that my job isn’t done until the project is complete on the customer’s side. So, I always look forward to visiting the site after the project is complete. I enjoy seeing the end result as it makes all of the hard work along the way worth it. It’s particularly exciting when a range of Steel & Tube products are utilised for the project as I enjoy seeing the outcome when we’ve all worked together to support the customer in bringing their customer’s vision to life.
Many people experience imposter syndrome, what’s your advice to overcome it?
I’m fortunate to be in a team with particularly strong women leadership and diversity. I’ve also found that I have been supported throughout my career journey. This was critical to my success as I entered the team with no formal sales training and as a young professional. I have learned almost everything I know about this industry from both our customers and my colleagues in our Roofing business unit. There’s certainly a company-wide culture which encourages personal growth and professional development. So, it’s been an incredible experience to work with a team of such supportive and engaged people.
Above all, I must thank my customers for trusting me and allowing me to learn from them. My approach to keep imposter syndrome at bay is to treat every opportunity as a learning experience. If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed by a new project or situation, it’s always good to take a step back and have a coffee break. You’ll be surprised by what you can achieve if you tackle the project one step at a time. Most importantly, never hesitate to ask your team for support.
What’s next on your journey as a sales professional?
I’m enjoying learning as much as I can about sales within the construction industry. In the next few years, I would love to move into a management role where I can support and mentor a team. I have learned a lot from working under enthusiastic and supportive management, so I’d look to offer the same to my future team.
See our full range of Roofing & Cladding products here or enquire with a Roofing Specialist here.
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