; "Rolf Manser, VP Sales")
Interview with Rolf Manser, VP Sales, in CardsNow Asia, issue Nov./Dec. 2006
1. Has 2006 been a highly successful year for you? Briefly share some of the highlights that has profited your company.
Rolf Manser: To this point the year has been good for us. After a strong start we experienced the traditional slowdown during the summer months. As the summer came to a close business picked up again and with the upcoming card shows in the fall we anticipate a strong finish this year. We have brought two new and innovative products into the market that were sold before they left the design department. We are pleased that our previous success and strong reputation enabled us to accomplish a feat which is not common in the industry. Further, it's always a highlight whenever you sell the first machine into a new market. This was once again the case when we received an order for multiple machines for Iran.
2. The people who successfully seals a deal are often at the frontline of the company, but are those who works "behind the scenes" as equally important? Who are they?
Rolf Manser: The people behind the scenes are without a doubt equally important. Our success in Switzerland is duplicated in our companies in North America and Hong Kong and is a result of the strong teamwork seen between marketing, sales support, design department, technical group and of course sales. This is accomplished by a regular exchange of ideas and information. By soliciting input from all our staff whether they originate from our packaging department or from the design team we don't question the source, only the impact. Our sales people may be out front, but they are there because of the team that supports them.
3. These "behind the scenes" staff are often also the backbone of the organization. How do you motivate and instill a sense of belonging in these people?
Rolf Manser: Our environment challenges our people to take ownership of their responsibilities. By doing this our people not only do their job better, but they make the company a better place to work. The long term result of this culture is a company having dedicated employees who stand behind the management through thick and thin.
4. What are some of the pitfalls and traps that you should avoid while hiring staffs in this industry? Share your advice.
Rolf Manser: For us the number one pitfall to avoid is bringing people in that don't work in the team environment. Employees don't have to be rocket scientists to contribute, they have to be open to learning, sharing ideas and working hard. By rewarding people based on merit we complete the circle of motivating and instilling the sense of belonging that we talked about earlier.
5. Will we be seeing anything new and extraordinary performance from your side soon? What plans do you have in the pipeline?
Rolf Manser: We are very excited that we will bring a new card punching technology to the upcoming "Cartes" in November. This event will officially launch the CCS 310 Card Cutting System. We have already taken orders and installed two machines. We are convinced that our revolutionary cutting technology will set new standards for cards, primarily for difficult materials as PC, ABS and any material combination. We will also introduce a machine capable of punching cards as well as Passport data pages. Of course, we already have other very interesting and advanced plans in the pipeline, however at this point it's still a little bit to early to talk about them.
