Siobhan details her typical working day, which starts with her all-important honey and lemon tea, and RnB playlist. Siobhan also explains why she was eager to progress into the Sales Development Team at TrustFord, and details how it felt to be nominated by her colleagues, and be recognised as an Inspiring Automotive Woman.
In my role, every day is different but I always start my day by showering, making myself a honey and lemon tea and I watch the news whilst I get ready. I usually have a morning meeting on Teams with my manager and/or colleagues from my team where we discuss upcoming projects and business updates. I then set out my agenda for the day, where I list all the tasks and meetings I have scheduled for the day, as well as a list of the people I need to make contact with and at this point I would also refer to my tasks for the previous day to check if any were not completed. If I am on a site visit for the day supporting one of the sales teams, then I usually have a commute of around 45 – 90 minutes. During this time, I either listen to music (RnB is my go-to!) or I listen to one of my favourite podcasts; one of them is about uplifting women and covers the relationship with self, managing money, mental health etc. and the other podcast is funny and light-hearted which talks about London culture. When I arrive at the dealership, I meet with the manager(s) and outline the things we are going to go through that day. At around 1-2pm we usually adjourn for a break and I use this time to catch up with emails and return missed calls. I would usually leave the site around 5-6pm depending on when I have finished the training and I would then head to the gym where I like to do a mix of cardio and abs that consists of a 5k run on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the cross trainer and then half an hour doing ab and core floor exercises. Once I have returned home and showered, I sometimes check my emails for the last time of the day and I may make a start to my list of tomorrow’s agenda. I then have dinner, which usually consists of fish and vegetables and then I try and unwind by watching something light on TV with my family or partner i.e. a TV show, a film or live football. I aim to get in bed by 10:30pm where I try to unwind without the TV or my phone so I read a book, or listen to some music and by 11:30pm I am usually asleep.
Who or what inspired you to pursue your current role?
I was a Business Manager for over 5 years across both a Used Car and Commercial Vehicle department where I acquired many skills and experience and from there I decided that I wanted to be in a role where I would be able to use my knowledge to help teams on a wider scale! I knew firsthand the challenges the sales teams faced in the dealerships whilst understanding the importance of achieving targets, so I felt compelled to join the Sales Development Team so I could contribute my ideas and influence group decisions that considers both company goals and the sales teams. I also wanted to be in a role where I had the opportunity to support the managers in my region as I recognised that as an industry our managers are expected to heavily coach, train and mentor our sales executives but there is little support for them as a managers and I knew in this role I would be a first point of contact to assist them.
How did you feel to be nominated by your colleagues in the Inspiring Automotive Women Awards 2021 and how did it feel to be one of our winners?
I was extremely honored to be nominated for such an important award and I am so grateful to be one of the winners and recognised for my work alongside other inspiring women in our business. I really hope that we have inspired other women across all departments in our industry to keep working hard.
We caught up with Siobhan Mckenzie of TrustFord to hear more about 'a day in the life of' a Regional Sales Development Specialist.