Team IB - Meet Keith Belch

This month, we had a chat with our Key Account Manager, Keith Belch. Read on to find out how Keith spends his working day and to find out how he got to where he is today…

How did you get to where you are now?

I actually gave up my college course in Leisure management to go into retail as found that I just loved selling. This was definitely the right move for me as I learnt on the job, progressing from the shopfloor sales to getting out on the road selling as an Account Manager.

From home audio equipment and home cinemas to car security and in-car AV, I’ve always striven to sell something I have a passion for and understanding the technical aspects of. Back in the day, the car stuff was really interesting to me but then when my son was born, I realised how big the nursery industry was. I guess you could say that my career’s developed to match my lifestyle, which is great.

For me, becoming an Account Manager felt like natural progression from the salesfloor but I never underestimate the value of coming from a retail background. This not only helps me understand our retailers and their needs, it also aids me to problem solve for them – selling a solution, not just a product.

How would you describe your role?

In a nutshell, an Account Manager works as a team with the retailer to ensure they get the product they need, for the price they need and when they need it.

It’s about being organised, planning all the time - not just for today but for next month; next quarter. It’s a strategic role that has you constantly thinking up ways to deliver on targets set. From forecasting at my desk to getting out and about on the road meeting customers, every day is different.

What’s the most challenging part of your role?

Having face to face contact with the wider team at Ickle Bubba, as well as customers, has definitely posed a challenge over the past few years. I’d always been used to being out and about on the road, networking and nurturing customer relationships prior to the pandemic. Since then, we’ve adapted a different type of account management as we can’t get into stores as much. A lot of positives have come from this including purpose-driven travel and greater efficiency but at the same time, I’d like to get back to more in-person meetings. Visiting stores enables me to not only meet the store owner or manager, it allows me to spend time building relationships with the sales staff who are ultimately selling our brand to the customer.

Another challenge has to be managing a constantly shifting stock situation due to a whole host of worldwide issues at the moment. In a perfect world, I’d love to give the customer exactly what they want when they need it and hope to see the global shipping situation settle down, enabling us to be more reactive to trends while retaining commerciality (said with my sales hat on!).

What would you say are the main skills needed to be successful in your role?

Being able to plan ahead and people skills are a must. As an Account Manager you almost need to be like a chameleon; adapting to your individual customer and their situation. By really putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, you naturally become not only a friendly face but somebody they know is invested in their business. I often find myself explaining to a retailer that they actually pay my mortgage more than Ickle Bubba do as by investing in the brand (and hopefully me too,) they’re securing the future of both our businesses. ?

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Being able to speak to people and the diversity of each working day. While some people enjoy turning up at an office and doing the same job every day, I love mixing things up with new customers, new products and product updates. While planning is crucial to my role, I approach each day knowing that my plan can always change so I’m ready to flex.

It might sound a bit cliché but selling is a bit of a drug. You’re always looking for your next fix! From achieving milestones such as your biggest ever sale to securing one of your biggest opening orders, being able to deliver and even over-deliver on targets gives me such a buzz. The downside is that once those targets are met, the slate is rubbed clean and you’re onto the next month. It definitely keeps you on your toes but as long as you stay on track, you come out at the end of each sales period with a sense of achievement.

What would you say is the best part of working at Ickle Bubba?

From a personal level, I love being able to sell nursery products with my parenting experience. Just as Fran and Veronica set up the brand after going through their own shopping challenges as parents, it’s great to be able to talk to new parents and empower them with a little bit of knowledge.

I also like that the brand is extremely in demand. People know the brand and the word is only spreading, which is exciting. So too is the business, and we’re lucky to have a good team of people with such an array of experience and abilities. Everyone’s an expert in what they do yet we’re all eager and happy to help one another as ultimately, we’re on the same mission – we want to see Ickle Bubba grow globally as it feeds opportunity for the business and for everyone individually. ??

What did you want to be growing up?

I wanted to be a policeman until I was around 14. That’s when I realised that the earnings potential wasn’t quite the same as sales, hence me getting stuck straight into retail at 15 years old.

In another life, what would you be?

Well, neither of my kids do well in the heat. As a family of redheads (I was too many years ago), we choose to holiday in the UK and so having visited a whole host of campsites, we’d love to set up our own one day. Offering somewhere for families to simply spend more time together and just smile.

Thanks Keith! Look out for more Team Ickle Bubba profiles, coming soon...