Of the seven years that constructive challenger Michiel has been part of the edibo team, he’s been giving it everything he’s got as a Calculator Salesman. A job that goes way beyond diving into numbers and calculations. The reason why Michiel prefers digging deep into preliminary files? He’d love to share that with you himself.
The opposite direction
“I actually graduated as an architect but I had the feeling that my future would be in the more practical aspect of construction. So I chose to look for jobs in the direction of project management.”
“A temp agency sent me to edibo, where I got to prove my skills as an assistant project leader. In that first year, I got to know the company from the office to the construction site. It was then that I realised it was no match for me with project management life.”
“No too long after that, the Head of Sales asked me if I would be interested in a calculator salesman function. Five years later and I am still very thankful for the opportunity I grabbed back then. It might have been somewhat of an atypical career move because most people start in the office to then evolve to the construction site. But for me, this was the right thing to do.”
“The perfect mix? Technically skilled and sociable”
As Calculator Salesman, Michiel’s job is to calculate the price of new construction projects as accurately as possible. Even more importantly: he is the one who collects all the information for these calculations from the client, to then convince them of the potency of his file.
“However, just like we are no human calculator devices, we are no purebred salesmen either. In our jobs, it is important to match technical knowhow to social skills. You build and manage the file based on previous experiences. You don’t sell a construction project based purely on the financial side.”
“My favourite files? Where complexity trumps the price”
What’s the main difference between Michiel’s job today and five years ago? “Mainly the type of projects we realise today. Complex realisations clearly make out the majority of the projects in 2023. For me, these are the most challenging projects to work on. Their price is not the only priority and we get the chance to show the client how intensively we worked on their project in order to unravel all the complex challenges that came with it.”
“Increased feasibility thanks to flexible planning”
Finally, how would Michiel describe the work atmosphere at edibo? “A pleasant working atmosphere, that’s how I’ve experienced it over the past eight years. For instance, a little while back, we all went to Brussels for a family day, which was a very nice day trip.”
“What I enjoy the most as an edibo employee, is the flexible scheduling that facilitates a proper balance between work-life and private life. That is something to be thankful for, definitely in times like these, when I’m chock-full with renovations at home – which has painfully even become a weekend activity (chuckles), but the freedom we get in our planning makes my life a whole lot easier.”