Profile Annika Zschörnig, Regional Sales Manager
Annika, who hails from Frankfurt, has been working for measuring technology company Schenck Process since October 2007 as a sales engineer in the Heavy division, which specialises in heavy bulk material. After passing her school-leaving exams she decided to study at the Berufsakademie, which would allow her to combine theory and practice right from the beginning. She has always loved science subjects, especially maths and physics, and found a course that suited her needs. During her three-year course of study she visited Schenck Process and was immediately impressed by the globally operating midsize firm. After receiving her diploma in mechatronics she found the perfect job vacancy on the Schenck Process website. She applied and started her new job on the sales team in October 2007. As well as drawing up quotations, she also visits customers, maintains contact with sales representatives at various locations, draws up technical specifications and writes up the customer requirements for a particular project. After all, Schenck Process systems are made to measure and rarely mass-produced.
When it came to choosing an employer, Annika was keen to work for a manufacturing company. "Here in Darmstadt, I can still go into the production area and see the machine I'm selling. I can see it, touch it and discuss it with the technicians," she explains. Since joining the company in 2007 she has already carved out an impressive career path. As soon as she had completed her induction phase, during which she was mentored by a more experienced colleague, she began taking on small projects under his supervision. At the end of six months she had her first appraisal, an opportunity for her and her line manager to discuss her future development. Annika took the opportunity to express her interest in secondary raw materials. This was an area of interest she shared with her line manager, whose role includes responsibility for this new energy source. Primarily obtained from industrial and household waste, its applications include providing fuel for the furnaces in cement works. Annika agreed with her line manager that she would expand her knowledge of secondary raw materials, so in her first year she completed three external training courses in preparation for taking on her own sales region. "During our training we practised talking to customers in meetings, which gave me more confidence in my ability to persuade the customer of the benefits of our products," she explains.
She was obviously successful, because a little more than a year after joining the company she was promoted to Regional Sales Manager. Since the beginning of 2009 she has been responsible for the sales regions of Greece, Macedonia and Bulgaria for the Heavy division. As well as having sole responsibility for 10 to 12 plants in these countries, her role also means a good deal of future travel. She is pleased about the prospect: "It's a challenge to conduct all the contract negotiations in English, but good preparation is everything." So she arranged with her line manager to take an advanced language course.
Source: CRF Deutschland GmbH & Co KG. You will find the full profile for Schenck Process GmbH here. All other results of the study can be found in "Top-Arbeitgeber für Ingenieure 2009" (Top Employers for Engineers 2009), published by W. Bertelsmann Verlag.
© Schenck Process GmbH, 2012
