Julie Shail is the Regional Head of Sales for the north region at SO Resi. She lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and 2 sons. When she is not busy heading up her Sales team, she enjoys spending time singing for her local choir.
Why I love my job?
What I love about working at SO Resi is that my job is anything but typical. Each day is different, and sometimes with unexpected challenges, and this is one of the reasons why I really enjoy what I do. I also love the fact that my region of responsibility ranges from North London to Nottingham. So most weeks, I get the chance to travel across various parts of the country and see my team on site and meet customers. I have the privilege of leading a dedicated sales team who are very passionate about delivering quality affordable homes and focused on providing the best customer experience.
Here is a glimpse into my world as a Regional Head of Sales for the last few weeks.
Monday
My busy week starts at our vibrant Farringdon office where I attend a weekly team meeting with the Group Head of Sales and fellow Heads of Sales and Sales Managers. We review sales activity for the week. Part of our discussion is also forecasting exchanges and completions based on the previous weeks’ opportunities. We all have a shared focus to deliver for our customers. Mondays are also a great chance to catch up with other colleagues from other teams such as Land, Marketing and Delivery. If time allows, I usually head off for a quick mooch around Leather Lane market for a bite to eat.
Tuesday
Tuesdays are usually a catch up day responding to emails. I also like to dedicate time to learning new tools to work. So on days like this, I spend time getting familiar with new reporting systems. Tuesday is a good day also to meet up with my Progression and Sales Managers for one to ones. Allocating time for my team is important to me. I enjoy these regular catch ups as it’s a good chance to take stock of how well we’re doing in a particularly challenging housing market. Tea is always involved!
Wednesday
My favourite days are when I am out and about at our developments. A few weeks ago, I had a marathon Wednesday! I managed to visit three developments in my region. My day started at 8:30am Ware in Hertfordshire. I had a quick meeting with our Contractor to discuss some works to be carried out at this development. I had a catch up with the Site Manager – he wanted to find out how shared ownership could help him get on the property ladder – at SO Resi we’re perfectly placed to help with this. After this, SO Resi Forster Oaks, in Stevenage was my next stop. I attended a project team meeting with our Development Manager, the Housing team and my sales consultants to discuss the construction programme. I then had a chance to check out the show apartment, and it was looking good – can’t wait for buyers to see it. Homes are selling fast at SO Resi Forster Oaks. My final visit was at SO Resi Times Square in Welwyn Garden City. I had a review meeting with the local Agents who are managing our private sale homes for us. After that, I viewed the newly installed show apartment, checked in with my sales consultants to see how they are getting on with sales for the week. I then squeezed in time for a mid-week catch up with the Group Head of Sales to see how the week was going against sales predictions. A busy day, but I made it home in time for dinner, to watch Coronation Street and have an early night!
Thursday
I review the sales pipeline, checking that preparation is underway to get sales information ready for launching developments for 2020/21. Legal barriers can be a challenge and have a knock on effect on sales exchanges. So this is a priority on my to-do list to ensure all is ready for our buyers. I then jump into a meeting with our Sales Solicitors for a monthly catch up with my Progression Manager.
Friday
Friday 15th November was a special day. I attended the What House? 2019 awards with colleagues. SO Resi Times Square had been nominated in the Best Starter Home and Best Apartment Scheme category. I was delighted we won the Bronze Award for Best Starter Home. The award was presented by the inspirational Major Tim Peak. He shared with the audience about his experiences on the space station - it was fascinating to hear. It was the perfect end to the week and despite not winning Gold, I feel really proud that we won this coveted award against some pretty stiff competition. It was great to spend the rest of the afternoon making new connections, and catching up with industry friends and colleagues.