I'm the sales guy who's curious about the world around him. I interested in technology and especially fascinated by its impact on how we live and interact. My goal is to combine my passion for selling and my love for technology. I've enjoyed a successful career providing mobility solutions to C-suite customers and international organisations from around the world. During this journey, I've experienced first hand the automotive industry's pivot towards being an industry that could arguable be better described as being part of of the consumer electronics industry.
I am eager to leverage my sales and intercultural experience while growing my software development and problem solving skills. The next step? Join an innovative team where my sales experience and knowledge of software development can be harnessed to deliver meaningful customer value.
Skills | Education | Experience | Interests | Contact
###Skills
I perform well in a sink-or-swim environment, which is where I found myself when I moved to Austria without any prior knowledge of the German language.
- Within four months of arriving in Austria I had learnt enough German to be able to communicate fluently and landed a job working for one of the worlds leading premium automotive manufacturers.
- Despite my complete lack of experience in the automotive industry, I was consistently able to exceed yearly sales targets. Through iteration, I was able to steadily improve my performance, building a reputation among my clients as being someone who goes above and beyond.
- Completing an MBA with honours while working full-time (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Through hands-on, customer facing experience, I've learnt to focus on what's important in selling - taking a genuine interest in what is causing my client pain.
- I introduced the first customer newsletter for our diplomatic customers in Austria. This became a valuable tool in communicating with our customers but had the added benefit of teaching me about the creative process through to how best distribute it as well as the importance of stakeholder involvement.
- In an effort to support our sales efforts during the time of the Great Recession, I lead the effort to introduce wholesale vehicle financing to tax free organisations. We were not only able to maintain market share in what was a very difficult time but it later even enabled us to bring in clients that would have otherwise considered our products too expensive.
- I developed my own dashboard where I was able to monitor correlations between customer touch-points and sales performance. This allowed me to focus my time on those activities that I knew were revenue generating, in turn boosting my motivation.
The whole reason I became interested in seriously learning how to code was because it's becoming an inseparable part of any self respecting "connected" vehicle.
- From within the industry, I've experienced how individual mobility is being redefined and how new market entrants (you know who I'm talking about) are forcing incumbents to keep pace.
- On a granular level, I understand the relationship between manufacturer and dealer and their, at times, conflicting agendas. Through the prism of my interest in product management and business strategy, I have keenly monitored the evolution of the automotive industry.
A sales situation can be stressful for many people and I'm good at making those around me feel comfortable and at ease when a fight-or-flight response is typically experienced - a skill especially important in a sales situation where anxiety often inhibits the flow of free expression, so critical in understanding a client’s sincerest motivations and collecting an undiluted profile of what's of value to them.
Makers Academy, London, United Kingdom (November 2016 - March 2017)
- OOP, TDD, SOLID, MVC, DDD
- Software Craftsmanship
- Ruby, Rails, Javascript, Node.js, Angular.js
- Rspec, Jasmine
Prince2 Practitioner Project Management Certification, (2015 - 2016)
Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Vienna, Austria (2011 - 2013)
- Graduation: MBA (Hons)
- Focus: Competitive Analysis and Strategy, Financial Management, Controlling, Branding and Communication, Global Markets
- Master Thesis: "The effects of Brand Globalness on consumer evaluations in Japan, Austria and among recent Japanese immigrants to Canada"
- Accreditation: AMBA & EQUIS
Bond University, Queensland, Australia (1994 - 2001)
- Graduation: BA in Commerce
- Awarded A.I.M. (Australian Institute of Management) prize for Management (project management and business plan conception)
BMW Austria (2004 - 2016)
Diplomatic Sales
- Management of diplomatic missions and international organizations in Vienna
- Acquisition of new accounts as well as a focus on maximizing Customer-Lifetime-Value (Cross-Selling, Up-Selling)
- Creation and conclusion of framework agreements for the securing of yearly vehicle and after sales revenue targets
- Proven track record in sales: 2016 in excess of net € 3.30 million in motor vehicle sales, 40% of which being financed (increase of 9% in 2015, year-on-year)
- Preparation and implementation of revenue targets and sales controlling
- Management of sales process including financing, insurance, production, payment as well as taxation clearance
- Development of promotional-material supporting revenue generation and product launches
- High degree of inter-cultural and social competence
- Innovative presentation and negotiation techniques
Berlitz Austria (2004)
Trainer of business English
- Organization and implementation of courses for international clients (automotive and pharmaceutical industry, IT-services, capital goods)
- Organization of extra curricular activities and events
- Tailoring of course content and requirements to individual customer needs
Metro Systems (1999 - 2003)
Key Account Manager
- Responsibility for management of key accounts related to the sale of hardware and software
- Provision of individual support for technical issues
- Development of sales promotions
- Representation responsibilities at numerous exhibitions and events
- Cooking: Since moving to Austria I've become a reasonable cook and enjoy it as a creative outlet.
- Lifehacks: Which of course includes learning to code!
- Staying fit: A good mix of running with my wife, yoga and weight training all on a good diet.
- Reading: On my Kindle you'll find quite some material on selling but I'm also very interested in economic history ('The Commanding Heights', Yergin & Stanislaw) and human behaviour ('Thinking, Fast and Slow', Kahneman)
- English Native or bilingual proficiency
- German Native or bilingual proficiency
- Japanese Elementary proficiency