Gert Hoogendoorn and Richard Smit have been working as Sales Managers for a year now. A year in which an awful lot has been going on: high energy prices, high inflation, and the war in Ukraine are putting pressure on sales in Europe and the changed political situations in a number of countries in South America also play a role. As a result, our sales department continually adjusts and thinks constructively along in order to provide the best possible service to our customers. We met with Gert (orchids) and Richard (Anthurium) to find out how they have been doing in the past year.
Richard: “The nice thing about our new role is the closer contact with the sales team. The teams are strong: they are experienced specialists and friendly colleagues. We are proud to be a part of that.”
Richard Smit.
Specialization by product group
Gert: “Since 1 September 2021, we have been looking at how to optimize the specialization by product group. With the recruitment of Jos Akerboom, we have found a new Account Manager for Central and South America, who has taken over most of the Anthurium customers from Marco Knijnenburg. Marco can now focus more on the Phalaenopsis customers within his working area. In the Phalaenopsis sales team, Laura Roodzant has been promoted to account manager; she previously started in our internal sales department.
We are also currently in the process of reviewing the global market with the aim of further increasing our international visibility and knowledge of markets.”
Top product
Gert: “In a volatile world, where new issues emerge unexpectedly and very quickly, we are convinced that we have a strong assortment on our hands with our very long-lasting varieties! With our flowering plants we make the world around us a whole lot more beautiful.”
Gert Hoogendoorn.
Job title
Richard: “Our new position is diverse and that’s what makes it such fun. It gives us a lot of energy to be part of the commercial management team, in which we determine the strategy and course together with our colleagues. Above all, it was an educational year, and we are still learning every day. We manage our own sales team, but at the same time we work together a lot. As a team we have more than 40 years of experience at Anthura and this is paying off: we complement each other well and regularly spar over various subjects.”
Collaboration
Richard: “There is intensive contact with our colleagues in production, marketing, product management and breeding, and their expertise ensures that we continue to develop in a broader sense. We work together every day on how to simplify and optimize things, both internally and with our partners in the chain. Our common drive and love for our products makes us the right partner for our customers, now and in the future.”
Gert adds: “In the coming years, we will continue to build our organization to be as well-prepared as possible for the future.”
