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A sunny start to the new year
Posted by Steve on 19 Dec 06
After 4 successful years working in commercial at Cadbury Trebor Bassett, I have decided to take advantage of the global nature of our business. I am moving to work in our fast growing South African business, where I will be leading a portfolio of brands, rather than just 1 as in the UK. This represents a big challenge for me, but an even bigger opportunity to make the next jump in my career.
I would not say it has been easy to manage this, as it is not that common for people to move internationally this early in their careers, but I can vouch for the fact that if you are a real self-starter, you can make it happen. Other markets are calling out for the expertise we have in the UK, and being sought out by people all over the world is truly flattering. The opportunity to go and visit other markets has been really interesting too, and I now feel like a real international jet-setter!
The final challenge with all these things is the bureaucracy, as emerging markets with high unemployment such as South Africa, do not give out work permits without a bit of a fight. Once again, resilience and patience are critical, and eventually your passport does come back fully validated.
So bring on January 1st, and my flight over to enjoy a southern hemisphere summer (and work a bit!)
Driving home for Christmas
Posted by Cat on 06 Nov 06
I've just finished my first month at Cadbury Schweppes so thought it was the perfect time to write my first blog. What a month it's been! I'm working in Grocery Field Sales in the South-West of London. It's quite a diverse ground stretching from the leafy suburbs of Twickenham and Epsom to the not so leafy suburbs of Staines and Slough!
Having been travelling for seven months beforehand I was worried it might take me a while to adapt to the working routine, however the three day graduate induction was the perfect introduction to the company and the thirty or so other graduates. At the end of the three days I couldn't wait to start my new role, and what has followed is a real baptism of fire!
Working in Grocery Field Sales is an extremely challenging role, particularly in the run-up to Christmas. I visit all the major supermarkets in my area at least once every four weeks and contrary to popular belief my role isn't generally trying to persuading them to order more chocolate! It's more concerned with winning additional space for Cadbury Trebor Bassett products, ensuring all products are available on the shop floor and checking compliance with promotional activity. It's a really hands-on role, I've been scaling ladders this week putting up displays on overhead shelving in Tesco, and even been involved in a Roses tin avalanche! Cadbury Trebor Bassett is the only company that places such an importance on merchandising out in the field and I think it makes a real difference.
Highlights so far have been arriving back from Heathrow the Friday before I started work to find my company car...a bright purple Cadbury's Dairy Milk transit van waiting for me in my drive! Once I got over the shock and managed to stop my family laughing, I have become really attached to the van and am getting used to kids waving and chasing me down the road! Low points have been trying to manoeuvre the van around multi-storey car-parks and getting a parking ticket.
I'm feeling really motivated by the healthy element of competition that exists between the different sales regions and the fantastic support I have from my manager and team. Our immediate goal is to be the number one sales team for Christmas and having volunteered to be Christmas monitor this year I am hoping to play a big part in our success. Watch this space...
Life as a CSI (sort of...)
Posted by Vicky on 01 Nov 06
So, its been just over 4 weeks since I started my new role: I've had all my inductions, read all the key documents, gone to all the meetings, and got stuck into my projects and I think I've finally realised what it is that I do .... I'm a CSI - no not a Crime Scene Investigator, but the less well know (but equally important) counter part - a Confectionery Scene Investigator!
Being the Gill Grisom of the confectionery world is really challenging to begin with. We have a wealth of sales data, consumer opinions, reports, historical transactions and analysis that need to be critically assessed and understood, which is sort of like processing all the evidence at a crime scene. Once you begin to get to grips with what has happened, you are more able to draw conclusions on why it has happened. For example, if the sales of 'Cadbury Crunchie' in a retailer has increased by 400%, and it is merchandised in 50 locations in store, then we can see that secondary sittings of product can drive more people to buy into the category.
It is from deductions like this that we can learn how to get shoppers to behave differently - sort of like a crime prevention strategy. Although being a Confectionery Scene Investigator may somewhat lack the glamorous lifestyle that our counterparts in Las Vegas and MIAMI practice, it is certainly less dangerous!
Speaking of Las Vegas...
I have just come back from the National Association of Convenience Stores Annual Conference in sunny Las Vegas, where I presented my ACS Global Scholarship winning paper to over a hundred people from around the world. Everyone at Cadbury has been really supportive throughout the competition, and the week away at NACS was worth all the hard work it took to get there. It gave me a rare opportunity to meet some really key figures from across the Convenience Trade, as well as from our business both in the UK and globally.
Although I'm now back in the drizzling rain of the UK, although the wealth of learnings from my trip to Vegas still retain, my tan is somewhat failing to follow suit. Lesson: MOISTURISE or your tan will peel!!!!!
Beating the recruitment trail
Posted by Ross on 12 Oct 06
Evening all. Just come back home from a recruitment event at the University of Edinburgh, which was lots of fun but completely exhausting! Started the day with a drop-in session which had few attendees (though those who came along were great!), only to finish off the day with a workshop where 43 people came and we were only expecting 20! The people who came to the workshop were brilliant as well, as they really got into it, which made me so happy (given that I had a hand in writing it). Hopefully it gave an insight into what we do in Sales and Marketing, and good luck to anyone I met who decides to go forward and apply!
Back in the land of my real job, though, I'm just back from holiday in Canada today and I can already feel the weight of a thousand emails crushing me from above. It's great when you're feeling the adrenaline buzz and you are getting through three emails a minute, but right now I'm not feeling that kind of motivation! I'm trying to piece together everything that's happened in the two weeks I've been away, as inevitably a few people forget to copy you in on emails and you Miss a vital piece of the story. Now that I'm caught up I actually have to start moving forward with my projects, and this is officially it for holidays until Christmas.
On a slightly more cheery note, all the new grads are on board now (I think) and we (my year) had a great time showing them the evening sights and sounds of Birmingham the other week. Highlights included an impromptu visit to a classy 70s themed establishment, me going over on my ankle due to some extravagant dancing, and forgetting my coat (with my car keys in it) in the cloakroom. Good times.
Too much caffeine
Posted by Vicky on 17 Aug 06
Had a frustrating start to the day today, got half way up the M1 to our offices in Birmingham for a forecasting meeting only to get a call to say that it had been cancelled and I could head back London way.
It was in fact a good omen however because I've managed to get oodles of work done today - including this blog. I started a new role last week on the Tesco Account team, and have spent the recent days trying to get to grips with the projects that I will be taking on, as well as meeting all the people that I will be working with.
Working in National Accounts is a little strange compared with the Marketing department. Firstly, all of the team are home based, so they are dotted around the country, and you only really get to see them at meetings, or when they appear at one of the hot desks in one of our offices. I have been perched at a 'hotdesk' in our Maple Cross office for the last week, so have been able to put faces to most of the people that I have been speaking to on the phone, but you feel a bit more isolated than when the people you work with are within touching distance.
In terms of actual work, the first few weeks of a role are always difficult to explain because most of what you do is try and absorb as much as you can before you go onto your own projects. This might involve going to meetings, reading key reports, or just sitting down for a coffee with one of the team and finding out a little about what they do - my caffeine levels have gone through the roof this week.
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