Peter Zwemmer, Outside Sales Representative

Meet Peter Zwemmer: One of our passionate Outside Sales Representative!

With his personal approach, he knows how to help our clients every day. Curious to read his story?

Hello Peter! Can you tell us a little about your background and how you came back to Algeco Nederland in a field sales position?

Hi, I am Peter Zwemmer, 45 years married to Marieke aka Kiek and father of son Jaap 14 and daughter Janne 12. I started working at Buko Verhuur later Buko Huisvesting in 2004 right after finishing the heao. I held several positions and eventually advanced to Senior Account Manager.

In 2018, a new challenge came my way. I was asked to start up a branch in North Holland for Indu-Tools, now United Rental. I enjoyed doing this for 4 years, but then the branch was stable and the challenge was a bit off for me. Then, after a brief foray at a climate control company, I worked as a manager at Kuuk. That is a company with a green and an infra branch, where my focus was on the infra in addition to being a company manager. Eventually, this also brought me back into contact with the unit rental business a bit more, because at Kuuk we also did ground work for placing units. I noticed that I still really liked the diversity in customers and building something from nothing and decided to take action on this.

What motivated you to return to work at Algeco after taking over Buko Housing?

I still knew Annemiek from my days at Buko, so decided to have a cup of coffee with her. The click was still there and I also knew several other people within the current Algeco that I also knew to be a nice club. In addition, I live in Heiloo and Beverwijk is around the corner, so it was a logical choice.

What does a typical workday look like for you in your role as a field sales representative?

I have a lot of customer contact during the day, which can be by phone, email or physically. I determine the customer's wishes and try to fulfill them as well as possible. I do this by making quotations. Those are basically my main tasks during the day.

What are some of the key responsibilities and challenges you face in your daily work?

Our clients often face space constraints. My job is to properly identify the need and ask it out, but on the other hand keep it realizable. That means listening carefully on the one hand, but on the other hand also switching to the possibilities we can offer. The sport is to get the wish and the final execution well matched, this ensures satisfied customers. Because you often have to deal with several people and parties, this is quite a challenge, but that makes it all the more fun when a project is finally realized.

You have experienced the modular building solutions market both in the past and in recent times. How have you seen the market change in recent years and how does that influence your approach in sales?

Temporary housing requirements have grown in recent years. This is especially noticeable with schools. Previously, a temporary school building rarely contained mechanical ventilation; nowadays this is almost a matter of course. In addition, more and more attention is being paid to the appearance and insulation values of a temporary building. Not surprising at a time when attention is being paid to consumption. Air conditioners with heat pumps are also being used more often to provide greater comfort on the one hand, and on the other hand to achieve considerable savings compared to standard convector heaters. This opens up opportunities for me in sales because the package becomes broader and so you can offer a customer more. It just comes with a price tag, so it's up to me to package this as well as possible.

How do you deal with competition in the marketplace and what differentiates Algeco from other providers?

I always try to provide added value to the customer, so really think along in solving the problem and see if what is asked is really the best solution. Customers often appreciate this and therefore take you seriously, which also often creates a favor factor. I try to engage with Operations as much as possible to make sure that what I come up with is actually feasible to deliver.

How do you maintain relationships with existing customers and how do you approach finding new customers in this changing market?

I'm not one for lunches and outings. I want existing and new clients to want to do business with me because of what we as a company provide for them, because ultimately this is what it is all about. I maintain contact with clients by calling and visiting them on projects. Finding new customers often arises from this. A satisfied customer is the best ambassador to get a new customer. I also try to keep an eye on future projects in my region and find out who will do what in order to be there when it comes to play. For schools it is more difficult to do this, for this you have to be findable and visible online.

Can you talk a little bit more about how Algeco handles customer satisfaction and how you contribute to this as a field salesperson?

From what I have seen so far, I can see that a lot is being done to keep customer satisfaction high, but can always do better. For me, it's all about commitment and reliability. This manifests itself in being accessible and willing to resolve issues or provide solutions.

What advice do you have for colleagues who also work in field sales to be successful in their sales activities?

Buy my book! No, just be yourself. When you are yourself and get energy from what you do, the rest will come naturally.

Receive a quote!