The ROI story of Lloyd Hobo
Lloyd Hobo started as an account manager at Quootz. How does he look back on his start, development and contribution within Quootz? What has this step brought him professionally and personally? And how successful is this new working relationship? The most important question of this recruitment process.
Lloyd shares his personal ROI story and talks about his role within Quootz and the impact he has been able to make.
Expectations: new challenge in familiar world
Before joining Quootz, I worked as an account manager in a technical environment. As a non-techie, I’m pretty good at talking to executives about the value of technical tools. After an acquisition, my direct manager left and he put me in touch with Velde through his network.
Quootz operates in the same technical world that I find interesting. Their customers use a tool to realize innovation, and that fits with my experience. The switch felt logical. Quootz is smaller, Dutch and there are short lines, so you can switch quickly. I like that.
The conversations with Bas and Marcel gave me a good feeling. I recognized the dynamic between a technical man and a commercial man from my previous work. I expected to work well with them. My assignment was clear: contribute to more brand awareness and expand the customer base in the Netherlands.
Reality: finding my way
Once I started, the reality turned out to be spicier than expected. I came from a structured company with clear processes. At Quootz, it was different. In the beginning I did go with Marcel on customer visits, but after that I was given the freedom to find my own way in a new environment. That was not always easy.
I didn’t master the product as quickly as I thought I would. In my previous job, I always had a technical colleague next to me. Here I had to go deeper into the content myself. Now I understand the product and know how customers think. That helps to make better pitches and links to other companies.
What was also different: working without a fixed team around me. I now work mostly from home or I’m on the road. That took some getting used to. Working together goes well, but it is different. A quick visit to someone’s house is out of the question. Even a Friday afternoon drink doesn’t really exist. I missed that in the beginning.
-LloydHobo
ROI: growth, impact and patience
Personally, this move has brought me a lot. I have become more mature and aware of the level at which I now work. I now sit at the table with C-level, larger amounts, higher expectations. You no longer get away with just a nice story. You have to demonstrate what our tool delivers.
Patience was something I really had to learn. At my previous job, a process took an average of nine days. Here it takes nine months. That was shifting gears. But now when clients say “yes,” they stay. They choose very consciously. So the impact is greater. And that ultimately makes the work more valuable.
What I brought to Quootz? First of all, awareness. About how we work and whether that still fits our times. I pushed for modern tools and now see that there is room for that. Bas is much more open to it now than when I started. That’s good to see. Bringing in new customers is not going as fast as hoped, but the funnel is well filled. I expect a lot to come out of it.
Over the past year and a half, I have learned a lot. About myself, about the profession and about the difference between short and long routes. And that success at Quootz really requires a long breath. But if you have that, there are many beautiful things ahead.
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