Head of Sales Administration
Interview with Ina Jüptner
What do you work as at DÜRR DENTAL?
I’m Head of Sales Administration, which means I’m responsible for the entire back office in Export Sales.
What motivated you to apply for a position in our company?
I already did my initial training at DÜRR DENTAL and over the years slowly worked my way up to this position within the company and the department.
DÜRR DENTAL is an agile medium-sized employer that has flat hierarchies despite its size and global presence. Management decisions are made transparent for all employees and you feel like you’re part of a big family.
Can you tell us about a project or a challenge that you have successfully tackled in the company?
We have several large projects that I currently am or have been involved in. One example is that we’re rolling out the ERP software to our branches and I’m in charge of the “Sales” sub-project. I’m currently in the third roll-out. Another example is our “Supply Chain 2025” project, in which I’m also responsible for sales, and in this project we’ve already made a lot of positive implementations that have had many positive effects throughout the company.
What does a typical working day look like?
Well, I’m normally not in the office before half past eight. Although we can sometimes also work from home, I make sure that I work in the office most of the time.
First, I say good morning to everyone and make sure they’re all doing well. In the meantime, the computer boots up. Then I look through my many emails and sort them out. I deal with urgent emails immediately, of course, so no time is lost.
Then the day usually start with lots of phone calls, team messages and requests from colleagues to answer questions, provide assistance, record orders, etc.
Are there specific values or principles that you follow in the company and that contribute to your success?
I think that I succeed due to my in-depth professional expertise which I developed over many years and my process knowledge and careful work also contribute to the company's success.
What is the funniest or most memorable situation you’ve experienced during your time at the company?
The funniest thing was actually that I once received an order from our colleague in France, which I entered. Shortly afterwards, he wanted something changed and I did it immediately. To give him a quick response, I just wanted to write: Done! As I didn't know exactly what it was in French, I googled it and sent him the answer. Unfortunately, you can't really rely on Google Translate for such things, so I wrote “crevée” !!!! ( finished, done ), but the colleague in France understood this as “die a miserable death”. Since they knew me, they knew that I didn't mean it that way and they still laugh about it today. And I like to use this as an example for the trainees that it's always better to think twice when translating.
What was the most fulfilling “light bulb” moment you've had during your time here?
I think that was our kick-off in England, when we went live on Monday; everything went really well in sales and the first invoices were created on Wednesday without any problems.
It was a great moment with our colleagues on site and terrific that everything worked out so well in the end after a long, intensive and fantastic collaboration.
If you had to express yourself in an emoji, which one would you choose for your current job?
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Is there a career lesson you wish you had learnt earlier?
Not really, because it was great that I gradually got to the position I'm in now. But sometimes I wish I had more patience earlier. I’m better at this today!
What advice would you give to younger colleagues who are just starting out in the industry?
The most important thing is that they enjoy what they’re doing and feel comfortable doing it. They should believe in themselves, ensure that they build and expand their knowledge and have the courage to tackle a big task. The saying that you grow with your tasks is not wrong and usually creates the most capable employees.
What’s the most exciting part of your job?
That it’s never the same, there are always new challenges and there are always new project requirements that you have to fulfil. The work in export itself brings so much variety that there’s something exciting to experience every week.