This week it's up to Team Manager Sales Benelux, Gene Howe to share a little bit about himself and his role at Awin.
Would you like to introduce yourself to the readers? Who are you and what makes your role within Awin special?
I’m Gene and I head up the new business department for the Benelux region. I’ve been working with Awin for close to 3 years now and have been lucky enough to work in a few different roles across multiple markets within the company. I began my journey with Awin as a Global Brand Sales Manager based in London. In this role, I was responsible for bringing on key clients who operated internationally. I then moved on to a Commercial Project Manager role within London as well, where I developed alternative revenue streams and aligned local market processes from a global perspective. With this new role in Amsterdam, I have been given free rein to lead a team of five superstar salespeople with plans on conquering the Benelux market, sector by sector. I am responsible for the creation and execution of an annual sales strategy, leading and training sales staff, organizing action-based processes and ensuring new business targets are exceeded on a quarterly basis. What makes this role so special is the flexibility and willingness for change based on the lean processes that have been adapted within the heart of the Awin. By being given the vital accountability to deliver the lifeblood that is new business, opportunities through innovation, critical thinking and operational tweaks are never out of the question. With such an inspirational team around me, every day it feels like we are collaboratively working towards the big picture – what more could you ask for?
Can you mention something you achieved at Awin that you're very proud of? What do you consider to be your biggest Awin success?
I’ve been graced with the opportunity to see how Awin operates from a commercial perspective through a number of different eyes. I am certainly proud of the creation of our in-house service packages, which allows a client to purchase an increased level of service, even if their level of profitability does not warrant it. This is a standalone feature which is bespoke to Awin and has been rolled out to all global markets. I can say that the most recent success on a local level was the month of March, in which our Benelux sales guns pounded out the best month’s results (from a volume and expected revenue perspective) for the past 3 years.
What are you looking forward to this year?
We have so much to look forward to going forward in 2018! At Awin, we have notoriously been known for being the innovators within the industry from a network perspective. This means that not only are we pushing our existing products out to our client base more and more but we are developing new and interesting products in-house, which at this point remain confidential. You can expect Awin to make a big splash this year regarding innovation and technology, so stay tuned! On top of that, I very much look forward to further integrating our affilinet partners into the Awin platform along with expanding our cooperation with FamilyBlend.
And would you like to give the reader an Awin reading or listening tip?
Take a look into ‘Is performance based de toekomst?’ with speakers from Imbull and Praxis. This podcast shows a very interesting side of where the future of affiliate marketing is headed and how we can reap the benefits of the current offerings in place.
