Stefan Lackner: On the way to becoming a sales expert – My experiences in the trainee program at voestalpine

What motivated you to become a sales trainee at voestalpine?

Several factors were decisive for this decision.

On the one hand, I always wanted to complete a trainee program, as it offers a great opportunity to get to know all the processes in a company and to gain a unique overall view. Furthermore, sales is a very exciting area that has interested me for a long time. Supporting customers in a wide range of industries means that there are always new challenges and therefore offers a very varied working day.

The most important factor for me, however, was that this program is backed by a successful, stable company that can offer further options and steps in the long term. Fortunately, I was able to find all of this at voestalpine and I am very confident that I will gain a lot from this program. The nature and size of voestalpine offers me unique insights as a trainee, both regionally and internationally, and enables me to meet lots of great new people.

What expectations did you have of the trainee program and how have these developed so far?

As I am familiar with other trainee programs, I was prepared for a comprehensive overview of all areas.

In addition to sales as the focus of my trainee program, I wanted to get to know as many departments in a company as possible and visit them within a predefined framework. The training aspect is another major component in this context, which involves a lot of time and effort in order to build up long-term knowledge, for example in the area of products and their applications. Almost 8 months later, I have completed a third of my program and was not entirely wrong with my basic idea.

Having started with intensive training in all sales activities, I now support the sales department with customer care. In addition to sales activities, the use of various systems and tools is another important focus that accompanies me in all my tasks and will keep me busy for the rest of my time due to the constant further development. I gained my first insights into other departments in the course of cross-process activities and training courses, helping me to better understand cross-departmental processes.

Another positive development is my involvement in all sales-related projects, in which I work and support the development of sales in addition to day-to-day business. I was very pleased to attend a trade fair, a customer seminar, international community meetings, customer visits and tours of our steelworks in Kapfenberg. All in all, I have had a very interesting and instructive time so far, I am very grateful for the support of the entire sales team and I am looking forward to further tasks and challenges.

Can you describe a particular challenge that you faced during your time as a trainee and how you overcame it?

A big challenge for me at the beginning was the amount of information you receive from the different departments, and then having to absorb it and put it into the big picture. As I am involved in a number of projects and processes, I need a very structured way of working in order not to lose track of things.

I am also very lucky to work with very helpful colleagues who are always there to support me and offer advice. Another great support is the mentoring support during the trainee program, which allows me to discuss certain topics and derive further insights.

For me personally, this has resulted in a very good approach that helps me to separate important topics from less relevant ones and to question things critically.

What experiences or insights from your studies were particularly valuable for your work at voestalpine?

With the focus on export and internationalization management, I am fundamentally familiar with strategies regarding business planning, risk management and financing options in international markets. This knowledge helps me to better understand the approach to international business. For domestic sales, which is my main focus, the comparison with other markets also provides me with important insights regarding the handling of special requests. In addition, I have dealt with SMEs and their market strategies, I am familiar with the challenges faced by customers and would like to provide them with the best possible support in their activities.

What would you recommend to other potential trainees who are looking for a career in sales at voestalpine?

I would definitely recommend this trainee program. Both as a career starter and as an experienced professional, the trainee program offers a great opportunity to get to know a company from almost all sides. During this intensive time, you get the chance to gain many impressions and make numerous new contacts.

The mixture of a predefined framework with specific content and at the same time sufficient freedom for your own development offers an excellent opportunity to prepare for tasks in the long term, to grow and to constantly develop.