meet the experts – Thomas Amberg

‘Clients always value a personalized approach.’

‘Sure, I’m a sales guy, but I am never solely interested in the selling aspect of my work. My job at ynvolve is mainly about getting the right solution for the clients. Talking to them and finding out what they are looking for, hearing what’s bugging them, and fixing that problem, that’s what gets me going. And if I can combine all the variables and align everything, that’s what makes me tick. It has to make sense, both for the client and ynvolve. If it doesn’t? I’ll keep on looking for a better solution.’

Sounds very professional, but as we can imagine, finding that solution is not always as simple as that. Especially when you’re a young sales rep getting started in the business.

‘It was not always easy. Honestly, in the beginning, it was just about getting in touch with prospects and first trying to get through to the right person. And that’s the ‘easy’ part. Once you’re in, you have to start trying to understand how they work, what makes sense for them, and present solutions that could work. That takes time. As does getting a client to trust you. That cannot be forced; it has to develop naturally. Trust is the product of an honest, two-way relationship. So not only on our end but also on the client’s end.’

What helps, Thomas says, is the fact that at ynvolve, clients always talk to a dedicated account manager. ‘They always receive a personalized approach; someone they can rely on. My clients know my name; they’ve got my phone number. They can always call me and have a conversation with me about the hardware troubles they encounter because I know their business, and I’ve got the full picture of the company. We have history. Because we’re not looking for one-time exchanges, we’re looking for partnering with our clients. ‘

Only then, Thomas says, ‘when you have a deep understanding of what a client needs, you can come up with the perfect solution. Just trying to sell them what’s in stock does not cut it. You have to look at the actual need in this business: ‘Fit for purpose’, that’s what we are about. And troubleshooting when needed. For example, we had a client that had an issue with drives we shipped to them. In the end, it appeared to be a miscommunication from the get-go, but nonetheless, we replaced all those drives and took the original drives back. We came up with a solution that worked for them and made them happy. Sure, it cost us money, but it was worth it because we see the long-term value of a client. And, of course, we found different purposes for the drives they could not use.’

To be that creative, you need freedom, Thomas says, which is recognized at ynvolve. ‘It’s what was explained to me clearly from the beginning: do as you see fit. I have the room to explore when I identify an opportunity or think something could turn into an opportunity. And even though it will not always work out as I might have hoped, I never consider it a waste of time. Exploring opportunities never is. ‘