Near the customer

06 May 2021

A telephone interview with our field salesman Frans Backman.

Name?
Frans Backman

Age?
45

Job?
Salesperson/Field sales, Eastern Finland

Place of birth and residence?
I was born in Kokkola, where I also live.

What are your free-time interests?
Nature provides a suitable balance to work. I actively fish and hike – each year in Finnish Lapland and Norway. In winter, I go snowmobiling.

Where did you work earlier – and how long have to been at Häggblom?
I was in the glass industry until 2013, when I joined Häggblom.

What’s a normal working day for you?
When something has broken a customer usually phones to order a replacement component. If the customer has a bigger problem, I usually go and visit them and we review the problem together. I usually spend 3 or 4 days a week at customers in Eastern Finland and 1 or 2 days in the Kokkola office.

What qualities does a good salesperson need?
You need to form a relationship of trust with the customer, that’s the most important thing; the customer always needs to sure of getting exactly the right part for their machine within the time agreed. Since we have the largest selection of wear and spare parts for earth-moving machinery in Northern Europe and knowledgeable people, we can ensure that we deliver as agreed. Our extensive selection also enables the fastest delivery times in Finland. This has remained an important asset even though increased supply means that customers have become more price conscious. A salesperson also needs to know as much as possible about the customer’s industry, equipment and applications.

What’s the best thing about your job?
Every day is different and presents new challenges. There are no schools for this job, but every day you learn something new.

What does Häggblom’s “near the customer” concept mean in practice?
Even though Häggblom’s main base is in Kokkola, we want to be near the customer – wherever they operate in Finland. For example, I’m now driving to one of our customers in Eastern Finland. The customer is ordering their fourth bucket from us and requires some minor modifications compared to the previous ones. I go through the changes carefully with the customer on site and then forward the required information to our production people.

Thank you Frans – and drive safely!