Meet Graham, our Sales Engineer for the South-West and Southern England. Graham shares what his favourite projects to work on are and what he enjoys about his role.
What is your role at PERI and how long have you been part of the team?
I am a Sales Engineer for the South-West and Southern England. I joined PERI in January of 2023, so I've been in the position for 8 months. My role is part business development, looking for new projects and new customers to PERI, whilst also providing technical support to existing customers. I’m the first point of contact for anything PERI in the region.
What do you like about your role?
For me, it's the problem-solving element of the job. Customers come to you with a problem, “How can I build this?” I help to provide the solution, making sure it fulfils all the parameters set out in the brief. Something else I really enjoy is not being stuck behind a desk 5 days a week. Having the flexibility to plan my own diary means I get to visit customers on-site or at their office instead of sitting in front of a computer screen for 8 hours a day.
What has been your favourite project to work on?
Although I cover a large geographical area, my favourite projects are the ones where I get to work in Cornwall, preferably by the sea. I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the South-West and although the majority of PERI’s work takes place in the cities across the region, that one project in Cornwall that overlooks the coast, those are the ones I enjoy the most and can’t wait to arrange to visit.
What is the best advice you've received?
Honesty is the best policy. People can tell a liar straight away, just be honest and people will respect you more for it. If you don’t know the answer to a question that’s fine, tell the truth, say you will find out the answer rather than make something up!
What is important for you to be successful in your role?
Trust. You need to do what you say and make sure to keep any promises you may make. If people don’t trust you or don’t believe what you are telling them then you are never going to be successful in this role. This applies to both internal and external stakeholders; your colleagues need to trust you just as much as your customers.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself outside of work.
Travelling has always been a big hobby of mine. One country I’ve always wanted to visit is Japan, it’s been at the top of my bucket list for many years. I’m hoping to be able to tick this off and plan to visit in 2025.
