Ümit Cemali gives us an insight into his start as a sales specialist in 2015. Ümit was the first salesperson in the West Region to achieve a turnover of over €1,000,000.
I come from a language institute where I already worked as a sales executive. We got in touch in the course of our cooperation with Ströer. I noticed that a lot of things were developing in sales at Ströer and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Then I applied as a sales specialist and have now been there for almost three years.
There are a few things that make Ströer stand out and that we approach differently than other companies. What makes Ströer special for me is a modern corporate culture and the short distances. What I mean by that is the possibility to go everywhere and find a sympathetic ear with everyone. No one is left alone here with their concerns.
Already in my initial phase, I was accepted immediately and was able to really step on the gas. Even as an industry outsider, I was taken by the hand and was able to grow quickly as a result. What motivates me about my work is to experience first-hand how relevant advertising is for our clients and what a difference it can make. For example, I was able to be part of the Road Side Screens pilot project in Cologne. It was exciting to be at the forefront of a digital innovation in your own home city and to be able to drive it forward. Suddenly there were these digital screens everywhere, which were the absolute talk of the town. My team and I were able to be part of this development.
I was immediately fascinated by the way projects are implemented. Ströer remains flexible in a way that you wouldn’t find in any other company of this size. At this moment you also understand why we talk about a start-up mentality, because it is this dynamic that allows us to be so successful in local sales. For example, in our pilot project with the road side screens, we created customer analyses and used these needs analyses as a basis for marketing, but still had the possibility to implement other findings later.
The mentality that is lived, demanded and promoted. Even as a newcomer or career changer, you are offered the platform to be successful if you have the will to achieve something. I have rarely experienced that so much value is placed on the apprenticeship of young talent in sales as at Ströer. In my everyday work, it has always been important to me to be able to measure my success immediately. Through the lived openness and accessibility, I always noticed immediately when something went wrong, but also when I did something very good. This authenticity appealed to me immediately. And although our sales organisation at Ströer functions like a start-up, you are offered the security and resources of a corporation.
