Almost three decades ago, at 21, Kelly Taylor began her journey in this industry.
According to Taylor, it was a great industry to be in back then. The sales/merchandiser role worked well with her family life, allowing her to be at home with her son for part of the day while her husband worked full-time.
She has always been a people person, and felt that sales was something she could be good at, starting as a merchandiser in Christchurch, where she is from.
From there, Taylor moved to a greeting cards company and progressed to becoming the South Island Manager. She then moved to Nestlé as a Territory Manager, where she stayed for five years, and later held a role at an underwear and hosiery company.
Taylor and her family moved to Auckland due to her husband’s job relocation, and that’s when she joined House of Fine Foods, where she just completed her 12th year, working her way up to her current role of National Field Sales Manager.
She continues to learn new ways of doing business in an industry that is forever changing and is not afraid to try different approaches to achieving results.
Try to get a thick skin early and not take things personally when you are not successful the first time, but keep trying.
Her biggest highlight has been the success of her sales team, as she strongly believes that “you are only as good as the sales team you lead,” and that it was about setting them up for success first and foremost.
“I admire my sales team, as it is not easy being in a role when you have to constantly learn how to adjust to new ways and still be passionate about the products you are selling, while all at the same time doing the best for the company you work for, your customer and the consumers.”
Taylor added that it has become a very tough industry to be in now, and was fortunate to have had a manager and mentor who has worked in the industry for a long time, teaching her different ways of doing various aspects of her role.
Piece of advice: in a male-dominated industry, being a woman has its challenges, but it teaches you to be strong, not to lie down, and not to take no for an answer.
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