How did she do that?
How do you achieve exceptional performance? DRIVE caught up with two Enterprise high-fliers to learn more about what drives their achievement.
Sarah Williams, top in sales
For the second half of 2017, Sarah Williams ranked top on revenue growth, rentals, rental days and lines of business for her accounts. What contributed to this achievement?
“I really enjoy developing customers. I’d previously spent two years as a BRSE in U3 bringing on board new customers, and I wanted to focus on development opportunities and strategy. This is what drove me to seek out account manager jobs and in 2012 I took a position in U2 as strategic account manager.”
“The strategic account manager role is very broad. It involves ensuring that Enterprise processes for booking, billing and reporting work correctly day to day. You need to have good knowledge of our systems and an eye for detail. I am responsible for unlocking new opportunities, building connections and demonstrating value, to progress how Enterprise is working with a customer. Key skills are communicating, negotiating, organisation and planning.
“You have to use the relationship to understand what more you can do – what are the customer’s objectives and needs, what are they trying to achieve, how can we support and add value? I have a roadmap for development for each customer and we look at each business quarter so that we can plan things in.
“There is a lot that you can’t control. Customers can grow and need more mobility, equally they may need to cut staff and reduce their requirement. You have to do the best that you can with what you can control, and it doesn’t all have to be about sales. With one of my customers we have had employee secondments and volunteering days, we look at projects that could be a good fit for our EHI Foundation work.
“I want to make sure that we’re indispensable. Sometimes it’s just about the little things that mean the customer wouldn’t want to go anywhere else because they wouldn’t get the same service. I have a terrific team member – Nicki Smith – who has always worked with me and we back each other up to make sure that we are delivering the best service.”
Alyssa Kreutzer, moving to success
“I’m originally from San Diego in California. I joined Enterprise in 2004 and worked in a number of branches in and around Los Angeles.
“I then got a call from a colleague about a position open as a branch manager at Heathrow Airport. I had never considered living in England. I was looking for an area manager role, but Heathrow was such a large opportunity that I had to take a look.
“I moved to England in 2008. I was single and I knew one person in London. So I got down to work. Heathrow was one of the most interesting and rewarding challenges that I’ve had in my career so far. With my team we managed to grow from 200 to 1500 vehicles and to turnaround the profitability.
“A new opportunity supporting EU Airports opened up which I applied for straight away. I got the role and moved to EU99.
“We were opening new airport locations in Germany when we acquired businesses in Spain and France. We went from around 30 to 75 airport locations overnight. This changed our brand integrity programme, first as we merged the Citer and Atesa businesses, then after we regained the National and Alamo brands.
“Then a group rental manager position came up in U4. I was six months pregnant when I went through the application process. As it was my first baby I talked to a lot of people about the opportunity to make sure that I would be able to succeed.
“By April I had the job and was transitioning to the new role. In the end, my baby came early, my house sold a little late, and we ended up moving in September when my daughter was already three months old.
“Often my life and career seem surreal and I have to pinch myself. Am I really in the UK? Am I really pregnant? Am I really being promoted, moving house, changing job!?
“The great thing about Enterprise is that opportunities always seem to present themselves. If you work hard and apply yourself then when that door opens you will be in a good place to pursue any opportunity.
“I say to people, it’s ok to be scared but do things – have a go!”
