Account Executive Review

I am an account executive. My role is to take care of existing customers by connecting them with the various resources we have internally at Softcat and process orders and quotes for them. I also have to find new business opportunities by cold-calling and emailing prospect customers in the corporate sector.

I have learnt a lot of sales theory about how to be successful whilst still maintaining a good level of customer service and building a positive relationship with my contacts. I have also learnt a lot about the IT vendors that Softcat are partnered with and their respective products that we supply. The job involves a lot of telephone communication so I have naturally improved my telephone manner and general communication skills.

I have enjoyed the structure of the apprenticeship and the level of training and guidance that has been provided. As I came straight from school and into a sales job with no prior experience, I feel like the training and support that we have been given has helped me develop my understanding of the role and put me in a good position to carry on after the apprenticeship. Working at Softcat can be very rewarding if you are a passionate and hard worker.

I definitely recognise we are valued as apprentices by our managers and they confidently believe that we will excel once we have passed our apprenticeship. Even though we are set boundaries on the size of companies we are allowed to work with and we consequently make the least amount of money, we still have opportunities to be rewarded and receive recognition for our achievements.

The programme is structured well with progress reviews at the end of every quarter and monthly one-to-ones with our apprentice managers. We are also provided with plenty of training and opportunities to take part in competitions with the rest of the sales team. I never feel like I am being monitored too much and I can always get the help and guidance if I need it. I think the 1 year duration of the apprenticeship is more than enough to develop into an account manager.

We receive plenty of support from our training providers to aid us in or coursework and day-to-day job. One of our training providers trains us in sales theory about how to be successful whilst still maintaining a good level of customer service and building a positive relationship with my contacts. Our other training provider trains us in technical theory which is linked to the products we sell and the exam we will take at the end of the apprenticeship.

We receive good support from Softcat. We get plenty of training sessions about changes to the company and vendor partners that we work with. Our managers and co-workers are generally very supportive and are happy to assist us with any queries that we may have. We also have a sharepoint website which contains all of the training resources that we may need to refer to.

My salary provides me with enough money to spend on my outgoings and save for the future.

No

Yes

Softcat is an incredibly fun and lively place to work where everyone is friendly and treated as equal. Working at Softcat can be very rewarding if you put in persistent hard work and go above and beyond what you are expected to achieve. Employees are given many opportunities compete for incentives and earn recognition. There are also lots of opportunities for career progression.

If you want to work at Softcat be prepared to show that you are passionate about the role you want to apply for and you can commit to giving it all of your effort. You do not necessarily need to be experienced or knowledgeable about the job, as they are equally interested in hiring people who are keen to learn. Be yourself and don't be afraid to let your personality and interests shine through.