Meet Tess, Sales Development Representative and nature explorer

What does a Sales Development Representative at Axis do?

My role is a new one for Axis and is a very proactive role. It involves working closely with our partners on projects, looking for new potential partners through our distributors and trade fairs, but also partner activation. This essentially means reaching out to partners who may not have bought from us within a certain period of time. I have a base of about 850 accounts to manage.

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

I usually start my day by looking at all the new potential sales leads. I tend to have a lot of meetings with partners about different projects and how we can maximize involvement. I do a lot of activation callouts to our partners which involves check-ins or information about our offerings in the partner program. This is mainly for the newer partners, but also for our existing ones to remind them of the benefits they are entitled to. Because my role is quite a fluid one, my day always varies from one to the next. There is a lot of collaboration involved with other colleagues for support, which means I sometimes take on a project manager role.

How would you describe your team?

There are six of us in our team, and everyone is usually quite busy. That’s good for a sale team, it would be bad news if we had too much free time, but we always take time to help each other out. We’re very genuine people who come to work happy. We enjoy what we do, enjoy working here and enjoy working with each other. A positive team spirit is important, especially in Sales.

“My team is a big part of what I enjoy about my job. Getting to work closely with our partners is another, and having the freedom to be creative in helping create the best solution for them”

Tess Persson

 How do you work in your team?

Because I am often the first point of contact for sales, I work closely with my team to make sure the right lead goes to the right person in our team. We work across different levels of accounts from large to smaller organizations, each with different levels of requirements.

All the leads that come in generally go through me. So that is how I collaborate with my team. Also, we have a close relationship with the Marketing team on things like campaign send outs or awareness campaigns. We work closely with a number of other departments to ensure we can use their skillsets to help us get to the end goal.

How would you describe Axis as a workplace?

It’s a place where everyone is encouraged to be themselves. It’s a very trusting place to be as well. We’re well educated here when we first start out, and Axis does a really good job of letting you know you don’t need to be afraid to ask questions or to make a mistake as long as you have that willingness and drive to learn and grow. Axis cares about you as a person and an employee, and you can really feel that when you work here, especially when compared to other places I have worked. Everyone here thinks with an ‘Act as one’ mindset, really buying into the Axis values, so that means everyone here is helpful and supportive.  

What are the three best things about your job?

My team is a big part of what I enjoy about my job. Getting to work closely with our partners is another, and having the freedom to be creative in helping create the best solution for them. Sometimes we have partners who will come to us with a vision on how they want a problem solved, and we can build on the vision together with the experience with our team and deliver a solution beyond their expectation. Our creativity comes in finding and creating the best solution for their problem. I don’t feel as though I am restricted in my role. I have the freedom to shape the role to get the best out of it, myself, and my team. The company is always evolving as well, with new products, solutions, and ways of working, and so roles at Axis need to evolve as well to not only keep up, but to better shape how the company itself evolves. We’re always working towards creating a smarter, safer world.

Working closely with our partners is something I enjoy a lot about my job. We’re always looking for new ways to build up and strengthen our relationships with them. One way I like to do this is through the education offerings and opportunities we provide. Not all of our partners are large organizations, so it’s nice to remind them they are entitled to those same offerings.

What does the Axis vision ‘Innovating for a smarter, safer world’ mean to you?

I think it’s a great way of looking at our work and our purpose. It’s something that I think of a lot when I am working leads. It goes through the entire organization in how we work and grow, so to be part of that and to contribute to that everyday is really special.

What’s your ideal day off?

It would be spending time with my son. We like to spend a lot of time out in nature or going on trips. I used to do a lot of horseback riding, so being outdoors, in nature is something I really enjoy. The weather in Sweden isn’t always good outdoor weather, but there are lots of opportunities to go an explore new places. When my son is older, we’ll be able to go on more trips and longer explorations, but it’s definitely how I like to spend my days off.

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