Andreas Mertens, Senior Key Account Manager
How did you become Key Account Manager?
I started training as an Industrial Business Manager at Mäurer & Wirtz in 2008. My first departmental experience was with the Mäurer & Wirtz Sales team and I soon realised that this was where my future would lie. When I passed the final examination in June 2010, I was taken on as a permanent employee and have been working in Sales ever since. I started out by working in the area of Sales Support. Numerous further training courses and the title of Bachelor of Arts, which I was able to achieve by successfully completing an evening course, paved the way for a career as a Key Account Manager. Since October 2018, I have been working as a Junior Key Account Manager at Mäurer & Wirtz and am therefore responsible, among other things, for the support of dm IKAM.
What is your favourite aspect of your job?
The variety and flexibility that my job offers me. Regular customer visits are a welcome balance to everyday office work and can usually be freely arranged. In some cases, I also have a certain advisory function, for example when it comes to optimising our product ranges with customers or coordinating marketing plans. This means that I also have many internal interfaces and thus have regular exchanges with different colleagues.
What motivates you?
Especially the flexible nature of my everyday work. The opportunity to sell attractive products also motivates me greatly. I think it's great to work towards goals and ultimately achieve them.
What distinguishes Mäurer & Wirtz for you?
Mäurer & Wirtz is particularly distinguished for me by the close-knit environment. Working with great colleagues is just so much fun. The company also offers good development opportunities and I really like being both encouraged and challenged. And, of course, my love of my country!
Gabi Schoenen, Team Leader Customer Service
Which areas do you work in and what are your duties at Mäurer & Wirtz?
In the customer service team, my colleagues and I take care of the concerns of our POS customers and our field service team. This includes billing-relevant tasks such as order entry and control, complaint processing including the creation of credit memos, sales reports and condition statements. In this way, we in the customer service team contribute to the success of the company.
How long have you been with Mäurer & Wirtz?
I joined Mäurer & Wirtz in 1993 as a qualified retail sales clerk and completed an evening degree course in business administration. Over the years, I have been able to get to know a lot of customers as well as various tasks and people in sales.
What do you particularly enjoy?
My duties are very varied. I'm also a training officer at Mäurer & Wirtz, which I particularly enjoy. Introducing young people to the various tasks and accompanying them on their career paths is a great motivation for me.
Lukas Kremer, Business Development Manager
What are your responsibilities at Mäurer & Wirtz?
After my bachelor's degree in business administration, I had the opportunity to start as Inside Sales Coordinator in the international sales department at Mäurer & Wirtz. Within the year, I had been promoted to Junior Business Development Manager and am now responsible for managing the distributors in Northern Europe and Africa. There are other projects too, such as the implementation of international trade fairs, the acquisition of independent international projects as well as various further development and optimisation measures in international sales. In addition to my duties in international sales, since the beginning of 2022 I have also been in charge of account management for a customer in Germany.
What motivates you?
I'm motivated by the opportunity to work together with our business partners towards goals, to achieve these and exceed them again in the coming year. The company also offers exciting development opportunities and trusting collaboration, which I have felt since the very beginning.
What do you particularly like about your job?
If I had to pick one thing in particular, I would probably say the variety in the international sales department. The opportunity to work with different business partners in a range of countries appeals to me greatly. As well as travelling abroad for business, I also love the flexibility of being able to work at home or with my colleagues at the Stolberg office. It's also a lot of fun to be able to sell attractive products.
Elena Honeck, Key Account Manager
How did you join Mäurer & Wirtz?
I've always found B2B sales exciting. I was curious about what sales looked like from the other side, which is why, after seven years of professional experience in retail and after completing my master's degree, I decided to switch sides. I was already well aware of Mäurer & Wirtz as a major player in the fragrance market. When I saw the advertised position in key account management, I immediately thought that this was a real opportunity for me and right up my street!
What makes working at Mäurer & Wirtz so special for you?
I was familiar with Mäurer & Wirtz as a fragrance manufacturer for various brands. As a native of Cologne, I was particularly interested in working for Echt Kölnisch Wasser, Original Eau de Cologne. But I also find the diverse range of own and licensed brands – which is constantly being supplemented by new series or is reinterpreting brands – especially appealing.
Participating in projects and having a complete overview is something I personally find very exciting and is entirely possible in a medium-sized company like Mäurer & Wirtz. Individual projects can be managed in good time here thanks to streamlined communication channels. As a family business, Mäurer & Wirtz always insists on treating each other with fairness and still masters the balancing act between tradition and innovation.
What is your favourite aspect of your job?
The various duties and requirements in sales are unbelievably diverse: key customers have their own individual requirements that affect many of the internal interfaces. Ultimately, it is important to use my analytical and communication skills in such a way that the best possible result is achieved in a collaborative partnership with the retail partners. So, the greatest motivation in sales for me is being able to see the success of the measures I have developed first hand.
Julia Baksa, Inside Sales Coordinator
As Inside Sales Coordinator, I am the direct contact for our international customers in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
After finishing my wide-ranging training in Industrial Business Management, I decided to work in the International Sales team.
What I find especially stimulating is the daily collaboration with customers all over the world, and I am also particularly thrilled to be part of developing and establishing our brands worldwide.
Romeo Pastore, Senior Area Manager
When did you join Mäurer & Wirtz and what are you responsible for?
I joined Mäurer & Wirtz in September 2019 as Senior Manager for International Sales responsible of implementing the sales strategies in the different countries for the regions of Middle East and Latin America. We work together with our partners to develop our brands in the market and achieve certain targets as: brand positioning, sales targets, channel excellence, etc. I come from El Salvador where I finished my high school, then I moved to Germany to study my Bachelor in International Business and Social Sciences.
What motivates you to work for Mäurer & Wirtz?
Being part of a company that cares for you, your professional growth and team work. With such an experienced and dynamic team, coupled with the amazing products the experience of working here is an amazing journey that motivates me and challenges me to grow professionally.
Why do you like doing your job so much?
Since I come from Latin America, at the beginning I decided to work on international sales in Germany to bring two cultures together, highlighting characteristics and understanding each culture in the business field. Now, I really enjoy working for different cultures and regions, understanding each other needs and ways of doing business, with challenges that make my life a constant learning process of important aspects hidden in every culture.
Which opportunity do you have at Mäurer & Wirtz?
Professional constant growth and new challenges in a globalized world.
At Mäurer & Wirtz International Sales you will have the opportunity to learn, grow and achieve your professional goals/objectives in an international environment where you will be part of a TEAM.
Gunda Marsell, Group Key Account Manager
… seeing things from a different perspective!
What do you particularly like about your job?
Successful KAM means putting yourself in your customers' shoes and winning them over.
The first thing I learned was how to handle rejection and objections and transform a "No" into a "Yes".
For me personally, this job is never boring – it's a profession packed with fun and success!