Winning starts with showing up.

If Your Favorite Workplace Is Your Home Office, Field Sales Is the Wrong Career. Someone has to say it. I will. If you chose a career in field sales but your biggest concern is how many days you can work from home, then you chose the wrong profession. Field sales is not a remote job. It never was. It never will be. The world's best salespeople don't build relationships from their kitchen table. They build them where business happens. At the customer's site. They are in factories. They are in offices. They are on construction sites. They are at trade fairs. They are on airplanes. They are in rental cars. They are walking production lines. They are sitting with customers over coffee. They are having conversations that never appear in a CRM system. Feet on the street. Boots on the ground. That's what separates average salespeople from exceptional ones. Customers don't buy because you scheduled another Teams call. Customers buy because they trust you. Trust is earned by showing up. Again. And again. And again. The best salespeople know their customers better than their competitors do. They know the organizational structure. They know who really makes the decisions. They know the informal influencers. They know where the pain points are. They know which projects are coming long before they become public tenders. And most importantly... They know the people. You don't learn that through Zoom. You don't discover that through Teams. You don't build that sitting at home. You discover it by being present. By listening. By observing. By walking the customer's halls. By investing time before asking for business. Let's stop pretending that customer intimacy can be created remotely. It can't. Technology is a fantastic enabler. But it is a terrible replacement for human presence. CRM doesn't replace relationships. Teams doesn't replace trust. Emails don't replace conversations. And home office doesn't replace customer visits. Here's my leadership principle: If you are an Area Sales Manager, your calendar should be dominated by customer visits—not video calls. Your office is not your home. Your office is your territory. Every day spent away from customers is a day your competitors have the opportunity to get closer. Sales has always been a competitive sport. The team that spends more time with customers wins more business. Not always. But overwhelmingly often. I don't hire field sales professionals to optimize their work-life convenience. I hire them to win markets. To win customers. To create growth. To build relationships competitors cannot break. Comfort has never closed a major deal. Presence has. The best salespeople don't ask, "How many days can I work from home?" They ask, "Which customer am I visiting next?" Because winning starts with showing up. And if you don't genuinely enjoy being on the road, being with customers, understanding their business, and fighting for every opportunity... Then field sales isn't your calling. It's someone else's. Markets are not won from home. They are won where the customer is.

Wenn dein Lieblingsarbeitsplatz das Homeoffice ist, bist du im Außendienst im falschen Beruf. Irgendjemand muss es endlich aussprechen. Ich mache es. Wenn du dich bewusst für den Außendienst entschieden hast, deine wichtigste Frage aber lautet, wie viele Tage du im Homeoffice arbeiten kannst, dann hast du den falschen Beruf gewählt. Außendienst heißt nicht ohne Grund Außendienst. Er heißt nicht Homeoffice. Er heißt nicht Videokonferenz. Er heißt nicht Teams-Meeting. Er heißt Kunde. Die besten Vertriebsmitarbeiter der Welt sitzen nicht zu Hause. Sie sind dort, wo Geschäft entsteht. Beim Kunden. Sie sind in Werken. Sie sind in Produktionshallen. Sie sind in Entwicklungsabteilungen. Sie sind auf Baustellen. Sie sind auf Messen. Sie sitzen im Flugzeug. Sie sitzen im Auto. Sie laufen durch die Werke ihrer Kunden. Sie trinken mit ihren Kunden einen Kaffee. Sie führen Gespräche, die niemals in einem CRM-System dokumentiert werden. Feet on the Street. Boots on the Ground. Genau das unterscheidet durchschnittliche Verkäufer von exzellenten Verkäufern. Kunden kaufen nicht, weil du ihnen den nächsten Teams-Link geschickt hast. Kunden kaufen, weil sie dir vertrauen. Und Vertrauen entsteht nicht auf dem Bildschirm. Vertrauen entsteht durch Präsenz. Immer wieder. Die besten Vertriebsmitarbeiter kennen ihre Kunden besser als ihre Wettbewerber. Sie kennen die Organisation. Sie kennen die Entscheider. Sie kennen die informellen Meinungsführer. Sie kennen die politischen Strukturen. Sie kennen die Herausforderungen. Sie wissen, welche Projekte in sechs oder zwölf Monaten kommen. Und vor allem... Sie kennen die Menschen. Das lernst du nicht im Homeoffice. Das lernst du nicht in Teams. Das lernst du nicht vor der Webcam. Das lernst du nur dort, wo dein Kunde arbeitet. Du hörst die Zwischentöne. Du erkennst Probleme, bevor sie ausgesprochen werden. Du siehst Chancen, bevor daraus Ausschreibungen werden. Du baust Beziehungen auf, lange bevor daraus Aufträge entstehen. Hören wir endlich auf, uns einzureden, Kundennähe könne digital ersetzt werden. Sie kann es nicht. Digitale Werkzeuge sind wertvoll. CRM-Systeme sind wichtig. Teams-Meetings haben ihre Berechtigung. Aber sie ersetzen niemals persönliche Nähe. CRM ersetzt keine Beziehung. Teams ersetzt kein Vertrauen. E-Mails ersetzen keine Gespräche. Und Homeoffice ersetzt keinen Kundenbesuch. Deshalb ist meine Führungsüberzeugung eindeutig: Ein Gebietsverkaufsleiter, Area Sales Manager oder Außendienstmitarbeiter sollte den überwiegenden Teil seiner Arbeitszeit beim Kunden verbringen – und nicht zu Hause. Sein Büro ist nicht das Arbeitszimmer. Sein Büro ist sein Vertriebsgebiet. Jeder Tag, den du nicht beim Kunden verbringst, ist ein Tag, an dem dein Wettbewerber die Chance hat, dir näherzukommen. Vertrieb war schon immer ein Wettkampf. Und in diesem Wettkampf gewinnt meistens nicht der Bequemste. Sondern der, der näher am Kunden ist. Ich stelle keine Außendienstmitarbeiter ein, damit sie ihre Bequemlichkeit optimieren. Ich stelle sie ein, damit sie Märkte gewinnen. Kunden gewinnen. Marktanteile gewinnen. Vertrauen gewinnen. Bequemlichkeit hat noch nie einen Großauftrag gewonnen. Präsenz schon. Die besten Verkäufer fragen nicht: „Wie viele Homeoffice-Tage stehen mir zu?“ Sie fragen: „Welchen Kunden besuche ich als Nächstes?“ Denn Märkte werden nicht im Homeoffice gewonnen. Sie werden dort gewonnen, wo der Kunde ist. Wer Nähe zum Homeoffice sucht, wird selten Nähe zum Kunden aufbauen. Und wer keine echte Freude daran hat, unterwegs zu sein, Kunden zu besuchen, zuzuhören und für jeden Auftrag zu kämpfen, der hat sich schlicht den falschen Beruf ausgesucht.

My 11th Journey to India – A Country That Never Stops Inspiring Me Some business trips leave you with new insights. Others leave you with deep respect. My recent visit to India was exactly that. This was already my 11th journey to this incredible country, and every single visit has reinforced my admiration—not only for India's rich history and fascinating culture, but above all for its people. India is a nation that combines centuries of tradition with an extraordinary drive for innovation, growth, and progress. It is a country where ambition meets humility, where resilience meets optimism, and where people never lose sight of what they want to achieve. During this trip, I had the privilege of spending time with the Innomotics India team, and once again I was deeply impressed. What stood out immediately was their unwavering commitment to excellence. Their focus never drifts from the objective. They work with discipline, passion, and a genuine sense of ownership. Success is never viewed as an individual achievement but as the result of outstanding teamwork. What impressed me even more was their determination to continuously raise the bar. They are never satisfied with today's standards. Instead, they constantly challenge themselves to reach higher levels of performance, quality, and customer value. That mindset is one of the strongest competitive advantages any organization can have. The collaboration within the team is equally remarkable. There is trust, respect, openness, and a shared vision that aligns everyone toward a common goal. You can feel the energy. You can see the commitment. And you immediately understand why this team is capable of delivering outstanding results. As leaders, we often speak about operational excellence, customer focus, and high-performance cultures. In India, I experienced these values in action. I also believe there is something many organizations around the world can learn from the way business is conducted in India. The determination, resilience, long-term thinking, adaptability, and relentless pursuit of improvement are qualities that deserve admiration—and, more importantly, deserve to be learned from. Leadership is not about believing that one country, one company, or one culture has all the answers. Leadership means remaining curious. It means learning from others. It means recognizing excellence wherever it exists and having the humility to adopt best practices regardless of where they come from. I leave India once again with great respect, fresh inspiration, and the conviction that we can all become stronger by learning from one another. A heartfelt thank you to the entire Innomotics India team for your warm hospitality, your professionalism, your trust, and your inspiring commitment to excellence. Working alongside you was a privilege, and I look forward to continuing our journey together. Excellence is never an accident. It is built every day through discipline, commitment, teamwork, continuous learning, and the courage to raise the standard again and again.

Testimonials are the hardest currencyNot your website.Not your powerpoint.Not your pitch.:devider:The people who have already worked with you are the ones who truly convince others. In a world full of self-promotion, the winners are not those who talk the most about themselves. They are the ones others talk about with genuine conviction.A powerful testimonial is far more than a compliment. It is trust. It is credibility. It is social proof. And very often, it is the decisive reason why a prospective client reaches out.My advice: Don't collect business cards. Collect enthusiastic clients.Attention creates interest. Expertise delivers results. But testimonials create trust.And in the end, trust is what sells.:devider:Thank you so much for your testimonial Christina!"Ulvi Aydin is one of those rare consultants and executive interim managers who doesn't just analyze situations—he drives real change.He is exceptionally focused, clear in his communication, and relentlessly results-oriented. What I value most about working with Ulvi is his ability to call things exactly as they are—directly, objectively, without politics, unnecessary detours, or empty buzzwords.His directness is never about being harsh for the sake of it. It's about creating impact, sharpening focus, and accelerating progress. He quickly identifies the root causes of challenges, brings clarity to complex situations, and turns uncertainty into clear priorities and actionable plans.That level of clarity is incredibly valuable—especially when organizations need an external perspective that doesn't avoid difficult conversations but instead creates accountability, momentum, and direction.Ulvi challenges people, follows through relentlessly, and keeps critical initiatives moving forward. He combines deep experience, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an exceptional ability to execute with consistency.If you're looking for genuine clarity, honest executive sparring, and practical guidance to drive transformation, growth, or strategic repositioning, Ulvi is the right person.My absolute recommendation."Christina GoerlingManaging PartnerElbstrand & Mannschaft