Meet Gianluca: Hybrid Sales in Nenzing
Gianluca Siena has been with Hydro Nenzing for 17 years now. The 33-year-old started his apprenticeship in 2004 as an office clerk at Hydro. In the meantime, as an apprentice trainer, he himself accompanies young talents in their training and has now made the career leap to Hydro Sales employee.
In an interview, he tells us exactly what that is and what fascinates him so much in sales.
You are now working as Hybrid Sales - tell us more about this job description and what particularly appeals to you here?
In sales, you basically know the classic job profiles of internal and external sales. What is special about hybrid sales is that these two areas of responsibility are mixed. This means that I am the contact person for my customers both in the office and in the field. I find the mix of responsibilities particularly exciting. I am the direct contact person for my customers, can advise them, conduct price negotiations with them and, at the same time, I am also responsible for submitting offers as well as recording and tracking orders. No day is like the other - I really like this varied and exciting job. The balancing act between customer needs and feasibility in our plants is particularly challenging, but that's exactly what makes this job so exciting. When we can bring a large customer project or a framework agreement to conclusion, I am always happy to do something new.
What makes working in sales so special for you - is there anything that particularly fascinates you?
I particularly like the direct contact with the customer. The people I meet are so different and in the end they all want a problem solved - and that's where we as Hydro can help. Above all, a sure instinct is required when it comes to finding the right tone and the right formulations for each conversation partner and each situation. Sales is the interface from the customer to the plant, which means that we have direct internal contact with all departments. I am very enthusiastic about this versatility! Likewise, building a good customer relationship and providing individual advice to my customers is what I enjoy most!
You said you are the interface between the customer and Hydro - who and what has to work together so that the customer is enthusiastic about us as a supplier?
On-time delivery and top quality are prerequisites for a satisfied customer. But we want a lot more. We want the customer to be enthusiastic about us as a supplier. For this, it is extremely important to be close to the customer in order to know and understand his needs and challenges. This is the only way we, Hydro, can implement its solutions. Here in the BeneDACH (Benelux & DACH) region, we benefit greatly from our broad product portfolio, which sets us apart from our competitors. In order for the customer to be enthusiastic about us, we really depend on the support of all departments in the individual plants. The support of our technical consultants, support from application engineering and quality management is particularly important.
My enthusiasm for the raw material aluminum is also central to me: every day I am enthusiastic about the lightness, recyclability, malleability, conductivity and corrosion resistance of aluminum. Due to the variety of alloys, we have almost unlimited possibilities for aluminum applications - and the customer definitely feels this enthusiasm.
