I heard about the Commercial Engineering graduate programme through Gradcracker and I would highly recommend this programme to anyone interested in taking their engineering knowledge in sales direction.
The programme is rotation-based which was both enjoyable and a good ground for becoming successful at Emerson. I was able to gain knowledge of multiple business units across the company before deciding which part of the business I would like to apply for a permanent role within, as well as creating key relationships with colleagues across each business.
I was also enrolled on a Sales Apprenticeship as part of my graduate programme which greatly enhanced my confidence working in sales. The apprenticeship focused on communication skills, presenting skills, sales and marketing strategies, and negotiating and closing of deals as well as several other sales-focused topics. Coming from an engineering background, this new knowledge really helped me to settle in to the sales environment.
From the knowledge I gained through the rotations and apprenticeship, I have been able to go into two very different roles since completing my graduate programme. My first permanent role was as an Inside Sales Engineer within the Final Control team. In this role I was involved in sizing and selection of control valves and pressure regulators in line with customer process conditions and requirements. I found this role very enjoyable as it was a mix between both engineering and sales.
I have since moved on to my current role within the Reliability Solutions team at Emerson where I am now primarily responsible for the sales of one of our asset management products across the UK&I.
I regularly have the opportunity to visit customer sites to demonstrate the product, which I find highly rewarding when they place an order off the back of one of my visits. This has been a much more sales-focused role than my previous, where I need to actively seek out new sales opportunities.
From working in such varied roles I can say that the opportunities at Emerson are endless, you really can take your career in any direction.
