March 1st 2023
“I work within the Gloucester, Somerset, Bristol and Wiltshire regions. As a Territory Manager, I travel throughout these areas to promote our products and manage my account portfolio” says David Webb.
“My position means that what I do day to day is very varied. However, I don’t want to say no two days are the same, because sometimes they are!
“My job is to ultimately develop the business and make sure we are supporting the needs of our customers. In pump hire we try to plan projects wherever possible, but combating floods is a reactive line of work and my role requires me to be on hand to get to site as quickly as possible when needed.
“A typical day for me could consist of meeting with buyers and the teams on site in various sectors of different industries. Predominantly, I work in the civils sector, so strengthening these relationships is a large part of what I do. This ensures that when the customer has a requirement, be it for a ground water pump or a sewage pump, I have developed that relationship to ensure that I am the first person they call.
“I would then attend the site to scope out the works and put together a plan of action. Depending on the application type, I tailor my recommendation to meet the customer’s requirements. Ultimately, the objective is to demonstrate the best pump solution for the customer that is most practical and cost effective.”
“It is important that our solutions are guided by the best environmental practices and aid in the reduction of our customers’ carbon footprint.
“Our pumps are compliant with current NRMM legalisation and can be used with environmental products such as silt and sediment filtration systems. We also recently joined the Supply Chain Sustainability School, as we as an organisation are committed to a greener future.”
Responding to callouts
The callout process can differ depending on what is required. Here, David speaks about what usually happens when a call comes in:
“When the phone rings, we’ll find out first if it is an emergency scenario. We have a robust call out system where we can alert the team to make sure everyone that needs to be is communicated with.
“Once we’ve established the problem and how urgent it is, someone from the solutions team or myself (sales) will go to site to establish what kit is required. When we arrive, we’re communicating with a hire manager, the hire desk and the solutions team to establish the kit, how quickly we need it and what order we need it in.
“If it’s an emergency job, the objective is to get equipment to site as quickly as possible to combat the problem.
“We are a pump solutions company, not a hire company, so we will show you what the best set up is and how you can complete that function as quickly and easily as possible. We’ll be there to support you throughout the project. If the flows have changed or something else happens, we may go back to site or be able to answer your questions over the phone.
“We’re 365 days, 7 days a week so there is always someone on call. It would be nice if every job was planned but that’s not the reality of this industry. You can’t predict when the rain is going to fall!”
On the road again…
David’s background is in people and transport management. His previous roles contained an element of sales and accounts management, which enabled David to develop his career when joining Selwood as a Territory Manager six years ago.
David states that getting out on the road and having the opportunity to travel is something he loves most about the role.
“We do get to see some beautiful places. In one week, I could go to a sewage treatment works which is not the most picturesque, then in the same week be at a job at a Manor House in Bath. I have been lucky enough to visit some amazing locations.
“I’m on the road a lot of the time and finding places in remote areas is the most challenging thing for me. However, armed with a sat nav and What Three Words, there is yet to be a site that I’ve not been able to find eventually!”