Can you tell us about your background?
“My background is mainly technical. Most of my family work in construction, but that didn't really appeal to me. Technical matters have always fascinated me, particularly because I like to make things with my hands, so a mechanical engineering study suited me well. When I left school, I had done the vocational track, I continued with a senior vocational course and later I studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences. During those years I had all kinds of part-time jobs including door-to-door telecoms sales and working in a consumer electronics store. These were roles where technology and sales came together, and I liked that combination more and more.”

What brought you to Nijdra?
“I was working for an agency where I was sent to various companies, and one of them was Nijdra. It might sound a bit cliché, but I immediately experienced the special atmosphere of the family-owned company and I felt very much at home. It's a flat organisation, the door is always open. And because I work in sales, it's logical that I work together with people such as Dennis van Dijk who also comes from sales and is now a director. That helps to maintain the informal character. It really does work that way here – you can walk in and talk to anyone if you have a question or an idea.”

You've been working at Nijdra for more than four years now. What do you actually do and how has your job evolved?
“I started as a technical commercial assistant, which is basically a back-office role. After a while, and particularly when Dennis started to focus on other matters, my role developed into that of account manager.”

How does Nijdra get new clients?
“That's actually different every time. We often make contact at trade fairs where we have a stand. Then it's mostly about relationship management, keeping in touch with existing clients and sometimes a new lead stops by to chat. But, more often than not, people come to us via existing contacts: a supplier mentions that one of their clients is looking for something, or a contact moves to another company and introduces us as supplier. My most recent example is a client who came to us through their supplier with a query about small motors. They were looking for a partner to further develop a prototype into a better product. In such circumstances, we offer engineering support, think about the solution and supervise the process. That's what Nijdra is all about: we don't just make a component; we think about the entire process.”

And how do you ensure that clients stay?
“At Nijdra, quality is paramount and we always work together with our clients. We're not a budget brand, we always do our best to add value. This can be by supporting technical challenges, or simply by discussing the issues and being honest about what we can and cannot achieve. Clients notice that. Contact is often personal and informal. We're not a large anonymous company, clients know us and we know them. That creates confidence. Another thing you see in our industry is that many clients are loyal to their suppliers. So we know it can take several months before an initial contact becomes an order, and in some cases, even years! That's why we invest in contacts: we call that sowing seeds. We keep talking to people, offer something once, and eventually if something happens – for example, if a client isn't satisfied with their current supplier – they come back to us. We call that harvesting.”

What does that ‘sowing’ entail?
“That means we keep in touch, without pushing. We try to find out what potential clients are working on, we inform them, talk to people at trade fairs or networking events, and we maintain contact, for example via LinkedIn. It's quite common for 12 months or more to pass before the contact begins to develop. When you do this consistently, and it's clear you're not looking for quick wins, the trust grows. When they need you, they'll pick up the phone.”

Is that different to how other companies work?
“Yes, completely different. We're not like a store where people come in, knowing more or less what they want. Nor are we going door-to-door selling subscriptions, looking for immediate results. At Nijdra, we offer services, not products. Engineering consulting – that's a better way to describe what we do: we think along with the client and help them find a solution to their problem. It all revolves around the relationship, not on quick wins. That's what I love about this job.”

Does your technical background influence all that?
“Of course! Because I understand what is technically feasible, I'm in a good position to think along with the client. I understand their problems and I can discuss options with our engineers too. That helps us devise a good solution. And my background also helps communications with clients: they see that I'm knowledgeable and am not just promising something.”

Do you have any particular ambitions for your future within Nijdra?
“I don't have a particular goal to be head of sales with five years, or anything like that. Of course, it's great to grow, and I also realise my role is becoming more complex. I like that, it shows that I'm growing with the company. More clients, more responsibility and therefore more important for Nijdra’s growth: I like that too! And what really is important to me is that I enjoy what I'm doing and that we continue to grow together as a company.”

What do you think makes Nijdra unique for its clients, when you look at it from their perspective?
“I think our clients genuinely appreciate our personal approach. We are a true family business, with excellent internal contacts and where quality gets top priority. We think with our clients, we're always available and we don't settle for just supplying a product. We build something together, that's quite different from simply placing an order for items in stock. Clients see this and that's why they come to us, and why they stay.”