Here’s a fact that might surprise you about Dixons Carphone: we don’t just serve customers, we help businesses as well. In fact, we have a whole team of brilliant Business Advisors dedicated to helping companies find the tech they need. Enter Brad, who’s been working as a Business Advisor at Currys PC World for the last two years. Having started out in the world of stationery sales, Brad was ready to apply his skills in a varied and rewarding role. Read his story – and find out what being a Business Advisor here is all about.
A start in stationery
I started off as a salesman for a stationery company. Selling paper and pens is much harder than selling laptops, and it took a lot of effort and cold calls to generate leads and win business. To be honest, there weren’t a lot of opportunities to progress and after six years, I decided to move. Dixons Carphone made sense – for me, it was THE electricals company! I saw an ad online and everything went from there.
The challenges change – but support’s always there
Working at Dixons Carphone was very different from what I was used to. Before, I had to make cold calls and generate my own sales leads if I wanted to get a big order. Here, the sales leads were ready and waiting, although I still found the first month quite daunting. Everything was new and different but with all the support from colleagues, I never felt like I was on my own. I also got expert training from the moment I walked through the door. In fact, Dixons Carphone has a great training and support network to help you do your job. Perhaps the most challenging thing is working to very tight deadlines. I have two days to get everything ready: pricing, delivery and stock.
Small businesses – wide variety
On the plus side, every day is different: new work, new people, new scenarios… You can build relationships with local businesses of all kinds, from estate agents and dry cleaners to councils. Some are easy to deal with and some are tricky – but that’s why I love it! For example, I deal with five schools which are part of a trust. I know they’re looking for the best price and what’s best for staff and pupils, so I help them find the best tech for their budget. It means they can spend more money on books and other things, so that’s always a good feeling. There’s no limit to what a school may need. It can range from hard drives and laptops for teachers to a new washing machine! Once you’ve built a relationship with a client, you find that they start coming to you for everything. One customer started with a laptop and ended up ordering appliances for a whole kitchen! That’s part of the enjoyment – customers can come to you for anything. From time to time, you feel as if you’re in the deep end, but those moments tend to be fantastic learning opportunities. Many clients prefer to come straight to me rather than order online and wait for a delivery. I can help them get value for money because I can flag up any deals I think might be appropriate. Although Business Advisors have targets, we also do our best to put money back into the community.
A boost for Business
Since joining two years ago, I’ve seen a real shift in attitude towards Business within Dixons Carphone. My area is increasingly seen as key to our progress and there’s been a lot of investment. They’ve even set up a WhatsApp group to help Business Advisors whenever we need support. And the company is looking at how we can improve the way Business Sales works.
A three-year plan
There’s development happening for me on a personal level too. In the first year, I was learning about the job and absorbing all the training. This year, I should have the experience and confidence to start impressing the company with my sales figures! Senior people will often congratulate you when you do well and that gives you the motivation to produce great results again. I’m hoping that my third year will be when I get the chance to progress (with the help of my line manager). I’d like to have my own team that I can train to generate even better sales in store. Although there’s the opportunity to relocate elsewhere, I can’t see myself leaving Medway – I’ve got a good rapport with customers and I love my job here! Are you a Business Advisor? Or perhaps you’d like to become one? Visit our social media sites to share your story.
