Darja Verhoeven
At Arcus, we strongly believe in the power of personal contact. This is the only way to build long-term relationships. We regularly share the story of one of our colleagues. This month, we would like to introduce Darja Verhoeven, Account Manager.
Darja has been working at Arcus for almost 19 years. She had just graduated from the Trade Management course at the HES in Rotterdam when she saw several Arcus vacancies in the newspaper. At that time, there were almost no jobs to be found for starters. So she decided to apply for all positions in one letter. From telephone operator to a sales position, because everything interested her. Her letter stood out and Darja still does not regret this choice after 19 years.
“I started in inside sales. Back then, we only worked with 25 people at Arcus. Sometimes I would run to the warehouse myself to pack something. Eventually, I progressed to Account Manager. And I still find my job super fun.”
What do you enjoy most about your work at Arcus?
“Working at Arcus feels a bit like coming home. The atmosphere is very pleasant, informal and approachable. I enjoy building relationships from scratch to large accounts. I know my clients very well. Some I have known for years. I also really aim for long-term relationships. And my customers always come first – the customer is king. I always try to provide good service and if one time things don’t go well, I solve it right away.”
“And I find it interesting what all our customers make from our pipes, fittings and flanges. From mayonnaise machines to large skid machines. Really cool to see. Currently, I also have many equipment builders working in cryogenic technology. Again, this requires very different specifications. I sometimes feel really honored that I get to arrange all this for my customers.”
How does your workday looks like?
“No day looks the same. I don’t really have a standard format for my day. Of course, urgent requests and assignments take priority. One minute I am busy offering an urgent job and the next I am busy offering ships with upgrade 3.2. Then, at the customer’s request, certain mechanical tests are performed again under the watchful eye of an independent inspection body.”
“I also enjoy visiting the customers so that I know what is going on. I really enjoy arranging a lot for them. From making an offer, booking an order to completing a job. My customers have high demands on our products and that means I often have to upgrade products to 3.2., sometimes quite a challenge, but great fun to do. For our customers, this is really an added value that we take care of all this.”
“We also provide customisation. The other day, a customer wanted a flange with a special hole pattern in it. We then make sure we can deliver this.”
Personal contact
At Arcus, we have three core values: personal, decisive and knowledge-driven. For Darja, the core value ‘personal’ fits best she says.
“We work in a B2B environment and personal contact is incredibly important. Some customers I have known for years. I know what their interests are, where they have been on holiday and how their business is going. And anyway, the atmosphere at Arcus is also personal. I hope it will stay that way for a long time.”
