Megan Lahood is just as happy loading a truck with a forklift as she is talking about container solutions with her customers.
“I’m not afraid to pick up a 20ft container and lift it onto a truck,” says the Dunedin-based Business Development Manager, mum of three, and keen tramper.
“I just like giving things a go, and that might be climbing the highest mountain, walking the longest track, or getting a tough customer across the line with a great container solution. I’m not afraid to give it a go,” she says.
Megan got her forklift licence last year which just happened to coincide with a change in career to take up the BDM role at Royal Wolf. Coming from a production and industrial design background, she knew very little about the container industry.
“It’s a totally different industry to what I’m used to and I’m loving it. I’m inquisitive, I like finding out new things, and doing new stuff so putting myself out there in a new environment isn't too hard. I’m also hugely interested in this highly sustainable industry and what the future holds for it.”
Can do Dunedin attitude
Like all good salespeople, Megan has a “can do” attitude – a trait that runs deeply through the parochial population of Dunedin.
“I’m born and bred in Dunedin. I love the fact we have that Kiwi attitude of being willing to give anything a go. If people say, ‘You can’t do that’, we will say, ‘Yes we can’,” she laughs.
She believes the secret to being a successful salesperson is being able to talk to a wide range of people and having a focus on helping customers find solutions to business challenges.
“A good salesperson wants the best for the person they're working with. I’m also tenacious, know my product, and know how the business works which gives customers the confidence that we will deliver a solution that’s right for them. I’m solving their problems and this is how we are going to do it.
“A Royal Wolf container is a big box essentially, but it’s a great selling point because it can be so many different things.”
An active relaxer
“I’m an outdoorsy sort of person. I love tramping, I love getting out in nature, I like walking, I like photography,” says Megan.
Next on her great walks list is the Abel Tasman National Park which she is doing with her daughter for her 18th birthday.
“I like the solitude and peace that comes with tramping and being outdoors. I also like how you leave everything else behind because when you’re tramping it’s like another world. It’s inspirational and a place of reflection.
“I have a lot of things I wanna do every day and I’ll have a lot of things I wanna do every year and every 10 years, so I’ve got a lot of plans. The tramping thing is about knocking off a list, but also it gives me the ability to relax. I’m an active relaxer.”
