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House of Fisher are pleased to welcome Ollie White to the team as our new Area Sales Executive. Ollie brings Sales and Account Management experience, drive and new ideas from his experiences within the recruitment industry. Prior to joining, Ollie impressed us with his service and professionalism when supporting our parent company T A Fisher with their recruitment requirements so we know he will be a fine addition to the #HOFfamily. Today we have interviewed Ollie to gain an insight into the person behind the position.
1 / Q. What attracted you to the position of Area Sales Executive and House of Fisher as a company?
A. Prior to joining House of Fisher, I had been working in the Recruitment industry for over five years and felt the role would be a nice change and challenge in a new industry. In my last role I was actually helping T A Fisher (parent company of House of Fisher) with their recruitment, so I knew both companies well, and working for a local, family-owned business was very appealing. After meeting with the House of Fisher team in my interview I knew that I would fit in well and would have the opportunity to grow my career with a developing, forward-thinking company.
2 / Q. What could a prospective client expect when they meet you?
A. They can expect a genuinely consultative approach. In my experience, you get great success from strong product knowledge and fully understanding your client’s requirement. I take my time to get to know the area I am covering and understand both the market and product I am working with, to provide an efficient and helpful service.
3 / Q. How did you find your first day at House of Fisher and what was particularly memorable?
A. My first day was excellent, everyone was very welcoming and approachable. I had a good opportunity to sit with everyone, understand their role and more about them as individuals. I spent time gaining experience of the database and other systems and whilst it is a lot of information to take in, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4 / Q. What do you feel you will bring to House of Fisher?
A. I believe I will bring new ideas and success having worked within the Recruitment industry. In Recruitment, I worked in the HR and Construction sectors and have dealt with stakeholders at various levels, which I believe will allow me to settle here very quickly. I hope to hit the ground running and start building relationships with new and existing clients. I am already enjoying working in the M3 area and feel there are some very strong opportunities and scope for development in the industry.
5 / Q. Your background is within the recruitment industry, do you see any similarities between this and the Serviced Apartment sector?
A. I feel the business development approach is very similar, which is ideal for me to make a quick impact. Like all successful sales people, you need to know your product before selling it. As such, I want to ensure that I know my product inside out, so I am fully equipped to execute my role as Area Sales Executive and deliver the best experience possible to our customers. I am highly experienced at managing new and existing business and believe this will be very important in my new role.
6 / Q. House of Fisher operates over 200 Serviced Apartments in 11 locations across the Thames Valley area. Which locations and properties are you responsible for?
A. I am covering the M3 Territory – Basingstoke (Central Point), Farnborough (Equinox Place & Solstice House) and Camberley (Central House). I am really looking forward to starting in this area as I know there are some excellent businesses based in this region. I have managed this area for over five years in recruitment, so I am already aware of many companies based in this area.
7 / Q. House of Fisher is regarded as a young, enthusiastic and motivational place to work. How have you found the team and environment since starting?
A. I have found the team and environment very friendly; everyone is very close here and know each other well. I totally agree that House of Fisher is full of enthusiastic and motivational individuals and I really thrive from working in this type of environment.
8 / Q. We are seeing a growing trend where Serviced Apartments are becoming more and more popular with leisure travellers. Before starting at House of Fisher were you aware of the industry and had you ever stayed in a Serviced Apartment?
A. Yes, I have previously stayed in Serviced Apartments and I was hooked immediately! After the first time I stayed in a serviced apartment I decided I wouldn’t ever go back to hotels, especially for stays beyond one night. I really enjoyed having that ‘home away from home’ feel and the fact you can make a cup of coffee in an actual kitchen rather than in your bedroom, like you would in a hotel. I think for the same price as the average hotel you really do get great value for money as you get Sky TV, free WiFi, and so much more all included!
9 / Q. When you aren’t being an Area Sales Executive for House of Fisher, what are you likely to be doing?
A. I like to spend time with friends and socialise mainly. I am an avid Chelsea fan and go to games if I can get tickets and if not will watch on tv…I never miss a match! I also enjoy playing golf with friends in the summer and I have already persuaded the sales team to book a game in as soon as the days get lighter – there is a golf course just around the corner from our office so we have no excuse!
10 / Q. If you could invent one gadget to go into each of your Serviced Apartments, what would it do?
A. I think I would have a machine that can steam/iron your clothes, seeing as a large amount of our guests are corporate this would be useful. I think being away from home is always hard so this could make things a little easier and allow our guests to just enjoy their evenings.
11 / Q. Which is your favourite Serviced Apartment that you offer and why?
A. That is a really hard question to answer as all of my portfolio has really impressed me. I really liked Solstice House (Farnborough) simply as I liked the furniture and layout. However, I also loved the locations of Central House (Camberley) and Central Point (Basingstoke) as they are both in the heart of the town centre, pretty much on the high street.
12 / Q. There is lots of healthy competition amongst the team. Are you planning on joining the Fitbit group and joining the weekly challenges?
A. Yes, I will be! I don’t think there is anything better than a bit of healthy banter in the office and I am always keen to have a laugh! I have always got involved with office challenges in my previous roles and will no doubt be doing the same with House of Fisher. I believe a fun working environment will always increase productivity and keep morale high!