Sales and Marketing Blogs
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It's cake time
Posted by Ross on 08 Aug 06
On September 5th, it will be my one year anniversary with Cadbury Schweppes. One of the other grads in the office started on the same day, so I'm considering buying a cake and various party decorations for our desks. She doesn't seem too keen, but I'm excited. If there's one way to get yourself noticed, it's attaching streamers to your desk and offering cake to people...
Since my last blog, I've been safely tucked up in Maple Cross Towers (though whether three floors justifies me calling it "towers" is questionable), working away as an Assistant Brand Manager. My portfolio of brands is ever growing - I'm up to Creme Egg, Crunchie, Mini Eggs and Snaps now - and surprisingly enough, I'm still loving it. It's still incredibly tough, and I seem to end up in quite regular heated debates with people around the business (I like to see single mindedness as a positive trait), but I haven't stopped learning. Just when it feels like you're 100% on top of things, you get given more accountability, more projects to own, or your existing projects get transformed into something bigger. Which is what I really like about my job at the moment, there's quite a direct link between gaining experience/delivering results and being given more to do.
I've also been seeing quite a lot of the other grads in other functions recently, as I seem to be inadvertently making it my Mission to trek up to Bournville for one reason or another as much as possible. Sometimes it's work (though I normally end up sleeping on someone's couch the night before so I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get up there), sometime's we're just up having a laugh. A couple of us went up for a four person birthday party the other weekend, including a "B" costume theme. I went as a biscuit and someone tried to take a bite out of me in a club. I was just amazed we got into the club, given that Rollerskate Barbie couldn't stay on her feet due to her lack of skating skill...
We're also about to see a new round of grads come in, one has already started and the rest will be starting in September/October. It'll be weird not to be the 1st year anymore - I always felt like I was getting away with a bit more because I could plead inexperience. Now I'm slowly working my way towards elder of the graduate programme (thankfully very slowly), I even have a buddy! Which is crazy, why anyone would want to listen to my advice is beyond me.
On that note, I need to go book a hire car to get me up to Bournville on Thursday. Let the good times roll.
Just another day in the office
Posted by Barney on 02 Aug 06
In early today to have an early morning coffee with a senior member of the consumer marketing team. It's hard to get time in his diary, so I really have to pack a lot into the half hour, with the main focus on his vision for some new products coming out next year. It's my role to convert this into what it will actually look like in stores.
This morning I'm doing store visits with one of the National Account Managers. We're a bit worried that they're not complying with the latest plans. Unfortunately our suspicions are correct, so we're back to the office to make some awkward phone calls and to work out whether to use a carrot or stick approach to rectify things.
At lunchtime I'm going for a swim as part of some rehab for my old man knees (despite the fact I'm only 24), which means getting back to the office a bit out of breath and smelling of chlorine.
This afternoon I'm working on our Easter strategy for next year, to be presented to the whole sales force in a few weeks. The data is only just in and its a real race against time to break it down, analyse it, work out what happened and why; and then try to take the learnings and turn into a comprehensive strategy. All this and everybody seems to be on summer holiday at the same time. It's also hard as we don't know what our competitors will be doing, so we have to make various assumptions for them as well.
End the day with a meeting about Easter, where we end up chatting about the differences between what one customer called "luxury versus chav luxury".
Getting my brain in gear
Posted by Ross on 23 Mar 06
Hello all! It feels like such a long time since I last wrote a blog, everything has changed work-wise. I've now left the streets of West London and am safely tucked up in our Commercial Headquarters, having moved on from Field Sales into Consumer Marketing. It's like going from one extreme to another, but it's been an enjoyable experience.
Leaving sales was a bit of a strange time. I found myself running around, desperately trying to tie up every loose end I could before leaving my customers. Every time there is a changeover in Sales Executive, there is consequently a short period where the customer isn't being visited (perhaps because the new person is training, or some other commitment). I needed to make sure that was as easy a transition for them as possible. Hopefully I managed it, but I guess only time will tell. I've already had one customer describe me to one of my colleagues in less than complementary terms, so I guess you can't please everyone!
I started in my new role just over two weeks ago, and while I'm still baffled by half the things I'm involved in (so many acronyms), I'm really enjoying it. I'm working as Assistant Brand Manager on Crunchie and Creme Egg, and I've been spending my time getting up to speed on the work done in recent years on both brands so that I can actively contribute to the strategic planning process. At the same time, I'm taking ownership on a variety of projects, such as taking the fantastic quality improvements we've made on Creme Egg this year to the next level, and identifying products that are underperforming during the Easter season.
The most important thing, however, is that I have settled in to my desk nicely. Unfortunately I'm not allowed a plant for some sort of health and safety reason, but I've made up for that with some suave pictures of Creme Eggs and a compact calender. The life of a young professional certainly is mile a minute.
I had better leave it there, as the clock is ticking and I probably should pack up and head home for the day. If anyone has any questions about the scheme, or anything else for that matter, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a comment, and I'll make sure I reply (or find someone that can). Best of luck to anyone involved in the recruitment process at the moment!
On the road
Posted by Judy on 10 Mar 06
A year and a half into the graduate scheme, and I've just embarked on my third placement - Field Sales. This follows a highly rewarding role in activity management (a marketing function that looks after the implementation of new products and changes to existing products). Being in the marketing department, I got a real buzz from having an influence on the new products being launched - whether it be tasting samples, chairing team meetings, or liasing with our Spanish factory to coordinate product trials. This placement has been great in helping to build my commercial understanding, to develop key skills that I can carry forward, and in building relationships with people from all over the business....even as far a field as Spain & Holland!
Life in sales is a complete change of pace & lifestyle. I've transformed into a car-based sales woman overnight! Being out on my own, I find I Miss the day to day contact with people in the office at times, but there's a good team spirit and regular phone calls to make up for it. Plus seeing the other graduates socially & playing netball after work means I keep up with everything that's going on!
I think I'll enjoy the challenge of having targets to hit and I'm raring to
go to see how well I can do. There's so much opportunity.
The great thing about the graduate scheme is that it throws you into different situations, and your challenge is to adapt quickly, and seize the opportunity to learn new skills. In this role, I'm really looking forward to actually selling the products I worked so hard to deliver while working in activity management, and getting a chance to see the customers reactions first hand. (Although I've no doubt they'll love the products!)
Tea, biscuits and toys
Posted by Vicky on 28 Nov 05
Monday mornings are notoriously bad for anyone in the world of work, especially those of us used to 'uni Mondays' - (ie. a 10.30am start) but this Monday contributed to an all time low. It was rainy and cold, 2 things a Cadbury Sales Exec. does NOT look forward to in the morning. They had immediately put me into a grump. Things started to look up when I got to my ground and realised all of today's shops were on the same street - finally a day I wasn't going to get lost. Once I'd got to the first of my shops my mood immediately picked up. My first customer, was so lovely, I couldn't stay grumpy for long. After negotiating Cadbury Trebor Bassett into the number one position on the display, I set about re-merchandising it. The customer kept insisting that I was working too hard and offered me numerous cups of tea and biscuits.
Tea and biscuits were also not in short supply at our graduate induction when all the graduate trainees (or rather 'leaders of tomorrow', as we were continuously told) from each of the different business functions, got together for the opportunity to meet with some of the senior managers and receive a thorough introduction to the values and processes of the company. Training sessions at Cadbury Trebor Bassett are very different to those I've experienced at other companies. Firstly, there is muchos chocolate to nibble on all day, toys, such as slinkies and stress balls, to exercise the other side of the brain, and instead of being subjected to hours of lecture-like presentations, learning is facilitated through games that manufacture the emotions and intensity of real business situations, which makes for a very enjoyable day. After three days of this I am absolutely exhausted and am full to the brim with information and enthusiasm for the company I work for. Cheesy, I know, but still very true.
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