Meet Archie - Sales Apprentice

• Why did you choose to work for MAN?

  Coming straight from college, I was looking to get into a company that had a corporate environment but also saw their employees as individuals and took a vested interest in their development.

• Describe what it’s like to work here in three words.

  Exciting, rewarding and enjoyable.

• What do you get up to in a typical week?

  Being an Apprentice is great because every week presents a new challenge, a new opportunity and the potential to develop a new skill. I am very fortunate to get the time to visit the different members of our sales team, learning from their experience and advice – they have all been so great with me. Furthermore, MAN believe in a well-rounded learning culture and so part of the apprenticeship involves going into different departments and meeting different members of the industry such as operators and bodybuilders etc. However, the most important thing is succession planning, ensuring that at the end of the Apprenticeship there is opportunity to thrive in a sales role. Therefore, at a point in the programme, I began to spend more time in a specific area which I am hoping to inherit upon completion.  

• What’s been your proudest moment at work?

  There have been so many great moments to choose from but one that sticks out was signing my first order at TipEx 2019 in front of my mentor and other colleagues. I had worked very hard on the deal, putting pen to paper felt like a massive relief but also so exciting. It was such a good feeling to get off the mark too, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I look forward to, hopefully, a long and successful career.

• What makes someone successful here?

  I think there’s three key features that the “more successful” people here all seem to share; that’s hard-work, humility and being a team player. Hard-work is always important in every career but especially in sales because sometimes we can have bad days, having that ability to pick yourself back up and keeping a positive attitude is what can set you apart. Being humble and helping others is something that is really recognised here at MAN. In our team we have a great saying, “As individuals we don’t know everything but collectively, as a team, we have the answers to most questions”. Staying modest and acknowledging that there’s always room to grow is a feature that is important if you are someone who is wanting to progress.

• How have you and your career developed since you joined us?

  I started MAN with absolutely no knowledge of the commercial vehicle industry, to see how far I’ve come in such a short space of time is comforting that I’m heading in the right direction. Being asked to represent MAN on stand duty at the CV show was such an honour and also showed the amount faith my peers give me. I think for any person joining MAN they should know that we are a very progressive company and take personal growth as a priority. 

• What’s the best thing about working for MAN?

  Two words – the people.

more about you

• What’s been your proudest moment outside of work?

  Buying my first property at 20.

• If you could invite 3 people to a dinner party, who would they be?

  Scarlett Johansson, Kevin Bridges and Will Smith.

• Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

  I have a tattoo of a truck on my arm.

• What’s your favourite film?

  Shutter Island or The Prestige, don’t make me choose!

• What’s your signature dish?

  Easiest question I’ve ever been asked – Fajitas.