GET TO KNOW
ERIK JONGMANS

''It is vital to maintain and invest in our customer relations’' 

Who is...

Erik Jongmans is 38 years old and recently he moved back to the Southern province ‘Brabant’ in The Netherlands where he moved in with his girlfriend. During his weekends he likes to spend time playing soccer or take the boat out sailing. As a real ‘Brabander’ he obviously like going out for a diner, just for a drink and of course celebrating Carnaval.

Reginox

Five years ago Erik started at Reginox as Export manager. ‘Previously I had the same kind of role but at different companies all operating in the medical measurement industry. It turned out I wanted to work closed to home at a smaller company but still wanted to have some connection with technology. Of which there is plenty whilst producing the sinks Reginox is worldwide familiar for. After an extensive interview procedure he was hired to become one of the Sales managers at Reginox and become responsible for the sales and customers in the SEMEA region; South and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. The most important markets are India, the Gulf region and Spain.

Relationship management

In his current job he is maintaining the relations with about 40 different partners in 30 countries. These could be distributors, importers or agencies. ‘Basically I am occupied with relation management, which is the foundation of selling our products worldwide. Means could be spending my days calling and e-mailing with them, or having meetings via Teams or Zoom. This role also means I am quite often visiting our partners’ businesses or tradeshows. And this is what I like most; the variety in my role. From spending an entire week in the Middle East, to just one day in Spain, or being in the office in Rijssen for some days’.

Knowing what's going on

The human and social aspects of his job are a good motivator. Most of our customers have a long lasting relation with Reginox, therefore it is key to communicate often and accurate with them. ‘It is vital to inform them whenever we launch a new product, other changes and start the conversation about the positive but also negative developments in each market we operate on. The personal aspect can go as far as knowing what club they support, or paying attention to special occasions at a customer. The story behind the person behind the company; this enables a lot of transparency and honesty towards each other’.

Communication

And these factors could mean a lot in sales. ‘Due to our intensive correspondence an order could be granted to us, rather than to another company. Sometimes this helps’.
most of our customers sell at least one competitive brand or product. It is up to me to promote our ranges as much as I can. They could develop a preference for another brand, so the more active I am with our customers, the chances are more likely they will choose us in the end!’

Attention

His time and attention should be divided proportionate to the customers. It is not like “whoever comes first, get serves first”. Not only this is a challenge sometimes, also achieving some goals and targets and finding new partners.
One of Erik’s characteristics, being very purposeful might come in handy at this job. Meaning you need to be both well organized, but flexible as well when needed. This suits him very well, just like the freedom this role provides. ‘we make our own agenda, not a single year or not even a week is the same, which I love’. Next to this it is a privilege of doing this is that I do see a lot the of world. Being involved in different cultures and use different languages is a great experience. 

Future

Answering the question what is unique about Reginox is easy. ‘Due to experiences in the past I came to the conclusion that very large organizations do not fit met very well. At Reginox this is different as it is a family owned company, a very stable and trustworthy environment. You do know pretty much all of your colleagues on a personal level, which gives me a warm feeling’. And in regards to the future? That is an easy one: ‘I would like to be still working here, the same role, performing better and challenging myself finding the right solutions for our customers’.