Andrew Condy grew up among dairy cows. He thought it was a fantastic world right from the start and still does! Despite not farming himself, as Sales Area Manager at Fullwood, Andrew does deal with livestock farmers every day. Finding out what drives a livestock farmer and providing appropriate solutions is what excites him. He talks about his passion for his work, building lifelong relationships and the importance of honesty.
Practically all his life, Andrew has had a deep interest in the agricultural world, especially livestock. ‘What choices does a livestock farmer make and why? Why do they choose a particular type of cow? What do they want to achieve, what do they dream of and what will they be doing in 10 years? ‘Helping livestock farmers find suitable and future-proof solutions is incredibly interesting,’ says Andrew.
‘To give appropriate advice on this, you need to fully understand what is going on in their world,’ he continues. ‘What equipment do they use? What are the labour arrangements? And so on. The trick is to be cost-effective in terms of feed, fertility, energy and health so that you can maximise production.’
‘As Sales Area Manager, it is my job to sell of course, but only in the interest of the livestock farmer,’ says Andrew. ‘We only want to give customers honest and sincere advice. Helping them towards a product that will only make them better. It is therefore great that we can offer customers a labour-saving and production-enhancing solution like the M²erlin milking robot. A product like that is a salesman’s dream.’
‘But in some cases a conventional milking system is more suitable. If you work in sales at Fullwood, you work with a wide product portfolio. So, you have more than enough milking system alternatives to offer and that makes our work incredibly enjoyable.’
Despite the shift to digital, a lot of sales are still made face to face, according to Andrew. ‘We visit livestock farmers, listen carefully and take stock of their needs so that we can offer the most suitable solution. I really enjoy engaging with farmers and making them aware of what our products can do for them.’
‘And we don’t make promises we can’t keep,’ Andrew adds. ‘Honesty is the best policy and it lasts the longest. It is the only way to build mutual trust. The relationships I have built with end users and dealers over the past 26 years mean a lot to me. We are not friends with each other, but it often feels that way.’
‘At Fullwood, we are committed to our brand. It is a strong, high-quality brand. It is therefore not about selling a product and then leaving it at that. We establish lifelong relationships with customers. At least for the lifetime of a product. Because we want livestock farmers to be able and confident to rely on us for years to come’.
Not only is the bond with customers strong, but also with colleagues, Andrew believes. ‘We support each other and the door is always open. If you have a problem, everyone is approachable. Whatever your position, at Fullwood everyone is equal. Hierarchy plays no role in our contact with each other. That is very important to me personally. After all, we all need each other.’
‘Moreover, Fullwood takes good care of us. You can see that from the people like me who have worked here almost all their lives. You are given a lot of freedom and responsibility here. You are allowed to take the lead entirely yourself and are given all the tools to do your job well and make it a success.’