Yvonne Shaw, Account Manager

Department: Sales

Career progression

“I joined ForFarmers eleven years ago, working as part of a telesales team and working on a new venture that the company had just launched.”

“In 2016, I moved into an Account Manager role working in within the Penrith sales team. I cover an area that runs from Inverness to Dumfries. On my daily travels I get to see some spectacular scenery whilst working with some great beef and sheep farms.”

“I also look after and support a few merchants across the region and an independent agent. ForFarmers has always been very accommodating when supplying its products and I have built up some strong relationships because of it. It also adds a new dimension to my role and brings a nice variety to my daily role.”

Visiting customers and providing value

“As an Account Manager, my role consists of working together with farmers to help them improve the health of their animals, farm efficiency and provide advice on our wide range of products and services. I work with my customers and together we set, work towards and achieve goals.”

“I normally spend around 50% of my time at appointments and on the road. The rest of my time I spend at home contacting customers and prospect customers by telephone, completing office work, reports and planning appointments. Within ForFarmers we utilise IT technology and some great software packages. As I cover a large area our software and systems help me to manage my time effectively as I can add notes my appointments, schedule follow up activities and reminders throughout the year."

Reverting back to the telephone

“With Covid-19 protocols and guidelines in place, Account Managers such as myself have been getting back on the road. We take extra PPE precautions, follow protocols and all farm visits are by appointment.”

“I’m extremely lucky that I haven’t had to adapt my role greatly due to the pandemic. For the last 20 years I have been phoning customers and using this method to sale products. Reverting back to the telephone hasn’t really been an issue at all but a welcome change. It is of course nice to be out on the farm, in the fresh air some days but it can also be raining cats and dogs, in which case being inside at my desk seems like a lovely option.”

Utilising knowledge and working together

“I work on my own most of the time, however my colleagues are a fantastic support and are always there when I need them. The Penrith team is made up of 8 members of staff and collectively we cover Scotland and the North of England. The team is experienced and knowledgeable and together we find the best solutions for our customers.”

“Our local customer services team is based at Brydekirk, which is very much a hub of activity. The girls are terrific and always keep things running smoothly in the background.”

“I am also in touch with other departments throughout the business on a day-to-day basis such as moist feeds, minerals, straights, forage, accounts and transport. As you can imagine I’m constantly on the phone liaising with customers and internal departments with quotes and orders.”

On my day travels I get to see some spectacular Scottish scenery

Enjoyment in my role

“Over the last 20 plus years, I have built up some really good relationships with my customers, prospect customers and colleagues. Starting work at 7am every morning doesn’t seem like work, it feels more like chatting to friends. I really appreciate the people aspect of my role and positive customer feedback is always the cherry on top.”

“I am quite an inquisitive person who likes to chat, so I take pleasure in finding out about a customer’s enterprise, what they are looking to achieve and consequently help them to select the correct products from our wide range of options to fulfil their needs.”

“I thoroughly enjoy my job and making improvements year on year to customer’s livestock and businesses is so rewarding.”