Olivia McNeill

"My personality types are Co-ordinator, Quality Controller and Trainer. I think my role combines elements of each of these personality types. Working in a sales and marketing role within the manufacturing industry means I need to be good at communicating with our customers, our partners, and our own team of engineers and software developers (Co-ordinator). The products I sell are very technical - a mix of engineering and software - although I don't consider myself to be a technical person. I often need to simplify complex information (Trainer) for use in our marketing materials and social media. I'm good with detail (Quality Controller) which is important as I work on many sales and marketing projects at the same time. To work in sales and marketing, you need to enjoy working with people and be quite organised to get projects completed on time."

"I am the Sales and Marketing Manager for a company that manufactures 2D and 3D measurement systems, mainly for the sheet metal industry. The sheet metal industry is made up of companies thar make everything from parts of cars or aeroplanes to household appliances like fridges and washing machines. The product we make is a mix of engineering and software.My role combines both sales and marketing. In simple terms, this involves finding and selling to new customers, building awareness of the InspecVision brand, and contacting customers who have bought machines. One of the things I like most about my job is the variety of work. No two days are the same. We export the majority of our products and part of my job is finding new distributors in new markets. This combines market research, contacting potential distributors and introducing our company and products and then working with the distributor to help them sell our machines by providing marketing materials such as brochures, content for social media and helping them take part in local trade fairs.Another element of my work is digital marketing which includes updating and improving our website, creating content such as customer case studies for use in social media and creating email campaigns such as newsletters and technical bulletins.I really enjoy taking part in trade fairs, many of which take place in Germany, as this gives me the opportunity to use my language skills and meet partners and potential customers face to face. I love getting to know the people in the companies we work with and building those relationships is a key part of my job. It's much easier to resolve a problem when you've already got a relationship with that person and have built trust between the companies.There's such a sense of satisfaction when you finally get an order for a machine. It can often take up to two years for a company to place an order so there is a real buzz when that purchase order arrives in your inbox! What started as an email campaign to promote participating in a trade show, was followed up with marketing materials, building a relationship with the customer, doing demonstrations of the machine and providing pricing and technical information. Closing a sale is a celebration for the whole team on a job well done. Customer feedback that the machine has made a real difference to their business is the icing on the cake!"

"I went to school in the West of Ireland and the education system is a bit different to the UK system. For my Leaving Cert (equivalent of A Levels) I had to study 7 subjects. I didn't know then what job I wanted to do so decided to keep my options open. My subjects were English, Irish, Maths (compulsory subjects), German, History, Biology and Home Economics. Following my Leaving Cert, I studied Arts (Humanities) and chose to study German and History. They weren't my strongest subjects in school but I enjoyed them and had a fascination with being able to speak another language, even though I was far from the top of the class! I thought I might like to become a teacher so picked subjects which would allow for that.During my degree I spent a year in Germany working as a Teaching Assistant in a school. It didn't take me long to realise teaching was not the career for me! I knew I wanted to use my language skills in my job so completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Languages and Business at Ulster University Coleraine.During my diploma I studied a range of business subjects but it was marketing that I enjoyed the most. My first job was a Marketing Executive with Enterprise Ireland - a government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. Following this I worked in a variety of roles and organisations - Business Development Officer with the Design & Craft Council of Ireland (national agency for the commercial development of Irish designers and makers), Export Co-Ordinator with Thermomax Ltd (manufacturer of solar vacuum tubes for renewable energy), Export Sales and Marketing Executive with Canyon Europe Ltd (manufacturer of plastic trigger sprayers) before joining InspecVision Ltd as a Sales and Marketing Executive and later being promoted to Sales and Marketing Manager.With each role I learned new skills and a new industry and I also completed my professional qualifications with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to become a Chartered Marketer."

"I love singing and theatre, am a member of a local musical society and have performed many times in the Grand Opera House and Ulster Hall in Belfast.I'm a mother to three daughters so a lot of my time is now spent looking after them and supporting them in their hobbies such as judo, gymnastics camogie and musical theatre!I really enjoy travelling to new places, spending time with family and friends and reading. "

"I work full time, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:15pm Mon -Thurs, and 8:30am -1pm on Friday. Most of my work is done in the office on a computer and every day starts with checking emails. The rest of the day is spent working on various tasks such as creating marketing materials, video calls with distributors, phone calls with sales leads, preparing email campaigns, updating the CRM and reviewing the marketing strategy for various export markets."

"*7 Honours in Leaving Certificate (Republic of Ireland)*BA (Honours) Degree in German and History*Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Languages and Business*Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Professional Postgraduate Diploma*CIM Diploma in Digital Marketing"