DIRECTOROFTHEMONTH
Home & Away
Stuga ’ s Sales Director Steve Haines may work from a home office but remains connected to colleagues and customers via his favourite business tool ; his smartphone .
NAME / JOB TITLE : Steve Haines . I am fifty percent shareholder but use the title Sales Director mostly .
WHEN DID YOU JOIN ( OR START ) THE COMPANY ?
I first got together with Stuga in 1999 .
DESCRIBE YOUR WORKING DAY :
I normally work from my purposebuilt office at home , where I spend a lot of time on the phone , email and Skype communicating with staff and customers . I do a lot of work on marketing Stuga and am well known for articles in the trade press but also networking events likes PIGS , The G Awards , Glass Times Race Day and so on . I often travel to customers or potential customers direct from home where I will be with them for anything from an hour to several hours talking about the Stuga range of sawing and machining centres . The aim is to offer the right machine for the fabricator and discuss the pros and cons of different models , costs , space , technology , etc . Once or twice a month I drive to the Stuga factory in Gt Yarmouth and spend some time with the staff personally and liaise with managers regarding progress and strategy . The drive is 150 miles each way during , which I take in the scenery in between phone calls , hands free , of course !
WHAT IS YOUR WORKSPACE LIKE ?
My wife Jill helps keep the home office clean and tidy , and frequently helps with my work in a creative way . Jill is also employed by Stuga and usually seen with me at industry events
‘ Stuga is able to take a machine of any age and rebuild it to a very high standard then offer it back to the market ’
and exhibitions . She also works on Stuga social media and assists customers when I am busy as she knows many of them very well .
FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU GET TO YOUR DESK ?
Look at my diary , read my emails and create a priority list for the day .
WHAT WEBSITES HELP YOU ?
I mostly use Google for research , but I also like to look at my competitors ’ sites occasionally , and industry magazines . I very frequently use Google Maps to identify where customers are as this always feels important to me . I also use the internet to send my planned journeys directly to my car . As previously mentioned I also use Skype as a business tool .
MOST USEFUL BUSINESS TOOL ? Like most people , it is my smart phone . I use an iPhone and have done for many years . I use it for email , browsing , maps and all other aspects of work . At Stuga we use Microsoft Exchange , which synchronises email , contacts and calendar .
BEST BUSINESS DECISION IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE ?
Creating a rebuild and refurbishment market for Stuga machines that customers want to trade-in when they buy something newer , faster or bigger . As a manufacturer , Stuga is able to take a machine of any age and rebuild it to a very high standard then offer it back to the market with exactly the same parts and labour warranty as a new machine . These rebuilds are normally of higher output and better quality than some new machines on the market .
FAVOURITE ROLE MODELS AND WHY ?
Richard Branson for his insatiable appetite for publicity and marketing himself and his brand . Alan Sugar for his dogged determination to succeed in the toughest of markets using pure grit and hard work , whilst coping with many failures and setbacks along the way .
HOW DO YOU UNWIND ?
I spend much of my spare time with my wife who has similar interests to me . We live in the country so we walk , run and cycle a fair bit as well as having a big garden to look after in the summer . We also like similar movies on the TV and at the cinema for cold winter conditions . Food is also a big part of both our lives . Jill makes amazing and healthy food and I eat it ! Finally we have five grandchildren to keep us young .
28 » MAY 2018 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM