In our second ‘meet the team’ article, we catch up with Cecilia, a member of our sales team who specialises in export sales.
What’s Your Background Cecilia, And How Did You Come To Work At Broder Metals Group?
My name is Cecilia, I’m 53 years old and have qualifications in both metallurgy and sales – and a lifelong passion for languages! I speak six languages fluently – English, Greek, Italian, German, French, and Russian, and I can also read Spanish but not speak it too well. I also ‘speak’ British Sign Language!
It’s my language ability that bought me to Broder Metals Group eight years ago. I originally applied for a warehouse job but after looking at my CV they offered me an interview for the sales team instead, saying they needed someone who speaks lots of languages. At the time, however, I knew nothing about steel, so on accepting the job I started learning about metals and enrolled in a metallurgy course at Sheffield University – the place where I’d gained my first qualification in sales.
Tell Us A Bit More About Your Role And What Happens On A Typical Day…
I’m part of the sales team dealing solely with export customers outside the UK. I log in just before 8 AM and the first thing I do is make myself a strong coffee! I’ve worked at home through the pandemic, but usually I have my own office at Broder where I begin the day checking my emails and actioning any urgent enquiries. A lot of queries and sales requests come in overnight because of the time difference. I may have an urgent email from a customer in Israel, for instance, needing quick materials, so I always answer emails promptly.
One of the reasons customers enjoy working with Broder is we are so quick to answer, so I act on all sales requests immediately, replying to the customer, researching our suppliers, finding materials, getting estimates for air shipping or sea freight, and sending the customer a quote.
What Happens After You’ve Dealt With The Urgent Orders?
After the priority orders are processed, I spend my day chatting to export customers from around the world by phone and email. Every day is unique because each enquiry involves speaking different languages, and there are lots of ways in which customers need help. Many of the inbound enquiries are quote requests from existing customers, or questions about transport costs/delivery times, but I also get a lot of emails from new customers and prospects, too.
For each query I check stock availability and search for suppliers all over the world. Some regular customers prefer to call me rather than email, and then we chat about football and the weather and THEN what they need! I’ve got a great rapport with our regular clients. They know they can approach me and always get in touch when they need materials in a hurry. A lot of our customers enjoy chatting in person and have confidence in our ability to fulfil orders quickly and efficiently.
What You Enjoy Most About Your Job?
What I enjoy most about my job are the opportunities it gives me to chat to lots of very different people and do things to make their day easier – by getting them the materials they need at the best price. I love my job and I love Broder Metals Group. Export sales is my baby – it’s my first home and my export customers are my first priority. I even took a call during my son’s wedding in Cyprus! I’ve never had a job I genuinely loved before I started at Broder, but I adore this place. The team are all great, and they don’t look at me as just a number. They treat their staff well and look after us as people. Everyone at Broder is valued for the contribution they bring.
Apart From Coffee, What Gets You Through The Day?!
I drink a lot of coffee, but I eat lots of sweets, too. I have a drawer of sweets that everyone calls ‘The Magic Drawer!’ Since I’ve been working from home, I’ve also been ‘assisted’ by my cat Charlie – he still doesn’t have much metals knowledge but now he gets nearly as excited as I do when each order comes in (he gets a treat!)
Find Out More
At Broder Metals Group, we work with customers across the world to deliver high-grade metals at competitive prices, and we are committed to always communicating with customers in their own language wherever possible. Our export sales team combine in-depth technical knowledge with multi-linguistic ability, and a genuine commitment to sales and customer service. If you would like to find out more, or would like a quote, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today by phone or email.
