Distributor in the spotlight – meet Michaela Plamberger-Wimmer

As our Distributor in the spotlight series continues, this is our third and final instalment from our Austrian Distributor - Sail & Surf. We have already interviewed Jürgen Unterberger (Managing Director) and Gernot Loidl (Cycling Product Manager), and Manuel Loidl, the Warranty and Service Manager. Now we are sitting down with our second-ever female interviewee in this series: Michaela Plamberger-Wimmer, who works in the sales team. Michaela is very sporty (refreshingly not a cyclist) and loves working in the sports industry. She tells us how her role has changed since the introduction of the B2B website, and talks about the impact of the Covid Pandemic on the team.
 

So, who are you, what do you do, and how long have you been working here?
I'm Michaela Plamberger-Wimmer, and I've been working at Sail & Surf for over seven years as a sales assistant.

What does your role entail?
We are a sales team comprising five people, and we cover everything that Sail & Surf sells, so as you can imagine, that is a lot of products! All staff aim to know as much as possible about the entire product range. We manage calls about products, availability, delivery dates, shipping, freight and so on. We are essentially the first point of contact for any call that comes into the company, for example, warranty issues or technical queries will come through us initially, and we pass them on to the appropriate department.

Previously, I believe, you did all your sales ‘in person’ over the phone. How has the introduction of the B2B website changed this?
The B2B website has had a significant impact on how we run our sales department.  Ordering directly via our website is getting more and more popular. So, we make sure that the web shop is always completely up to date with the correct images, videos and product descriptions. This is now a large part of our role. However, there are still some customers who prefer to call in and place their order in person, and that is what we are here for. I have been here for quite a long time now, so I have built up relationships with our dealers, so when they call in, we have a completely different conversation; it is more than just placing an order. This personal approach is important for many dealers, and it makes my role more rewarding. In general, at Sail & Surf, this personal approach is fundamental to how the business is run. We have a close relationship with our sales reps as well, so the dealers benefit from the good communication and close working within the whole team.

What was your job before you joined Sail & Surf?
I previously worked in the same industry (sports); I was also doing sales, but in a smaller team. Where we live in the Salzkammergut region, employment that isn’t related to the tourist industry is harder to find. Sail & Surf attracted me as it is a larger company than the agency I previously worked in; it also suits me from a location perspective, as it is close to home. I find the work interesting, and I like the fact that it is a family-run business, as this makes it ‘healthier’ as a company.

What do you like about working at Sail & Surf?
I enjoy working in the sports industry as I am quite sporty myself, and I like the variety; we sell MERIDA bikes and products, but we also have a large portfolio of other products. Summer and winter are completely different markets to sell to, we have all year-round products as well, of course, but this 6-monthly changeover with the changing seasons keeps things interesting. During the summer, the smaller ski shops will close, so we won’t have any contact with them for the whole of the summer. The larger shops will stock winter and summer products and stay open all year round, so they are more of a constant for us.

I also like the fact that within the company we all address each other by our first names, which is not the norm in Austria! We have a family-type relationship with each other in the team, and we all get along very well. We all have our individual strengths, and together we are a strong and effective team.

Is there anything you are particularly proud of during your time working here?
That would be about the whole team, rather than me personally. I am proud of how we got through the Covid pandemic. We could never have imagined how the pandemic would change our everyday lives and the challenges it would present us as a company. There was a huge amount of uncertainty for the dealers; we supported them through this time so that we did not add to their uncertainty. At times, our work became quite chaotic because of delivery issues, closed shops, etc. so we had the boss sit down with us to help us sort out the bills. From an emotional perspective, I think it welded us together as a team; we survived it together. We still reminisce about it today, as even now it is still hard to imagine how the world changed and how quickly we all had to adapt.

What does your average working day look like?
I am responsible for the B2B orders, so that is my first job of the day. The whole sales team prioritise any orders that come in before 2 pm, and if possible, we process them the same day. We have a reputation for responding quickly to our dealers, so we need to uphold this reputation! We make sure we process all orders from our B2B site and from e-mails, then we work on other issues that come in via e-mail or telephone.

I presume you have internal training on the products you are selling?
Of course, when the season switches over and there are new products, we have training from one of the senior team members. We are updated on any new features/selling points, so we can answer most questions the dealers may have. As we are the first point of contact, it is important that we are familiar with the products, so, for example, if there is a problem with a product, we can advise or pass it on to the appropriate person. I would say overall, most of the questions we get are around the availability of MERIDA bikes. During the pandemic, all the queries were around the availability of e-bikes; now it is more likely to be about road or gravel models.

What are your hobbies when you are not at work? Are you a cyclist?
I am not a cyclist! I love sports, things like pilates and hiking. I love outdoor sports, but not cycling specifically. 

For our last question, we always ask: If time and money were no object, where in the world would you go for a little adventure?
That’s easy, I would go to the Maldives and have a lovely, relaxing holiday. I wouldn’t feel the need for adventure, just relaxing in the sunshine!


This concludes our final interview with the Austrian team in the picturesque town of Bad Goisern. Speaking with Michaela, the same themes emerge as in the previous interviews, that this family-run business attracts people to work there due to the informal ‘family’ vibe. As with other employees, Michaela takes pride in the reputation of Sail & Surf as being timely and responsive to their dealers, providing first-class customer service. We have learnt that this flat hierarchy and relaxed working environment are not necessarily found in every Austrian company, but here they foster a team spirit with everyone working together towards the same end goal.

Michaela and her team are the first point of contact for Sail & Surf, and as you never get a second chance to make a first impression, they make sure every interaction is a positive one with a sense of personalised service where relationships with dealers are valued and nurtured over the years.

So, as we bid a fond farewell to the beautiful Austria, thoughts turn to the next destination for the Distributor in the spotlight series. Watch this space to find out where we will be heading next…