We Are Axelent - Erik Wiström – Nordic sales manager

Tell us about your work experience and background?

“I come from a bigger city in the middle of Sweden called Örebro, but have also lived in Linköping, Gothenburg and during some of my studies in Paris. For six years I have lived with my family, wife and three daughters, in Jönköping. Jönköping is a fantastically nice city and we really like it here!

I have a master's degree in economics and have experience from several different industries and roles in sales, marketing and business development. For the past 13 years, I have been in senior positions. My first job was at Saab Aircraft in Linköping. My years at Saab were very educational and I enjoyed international customer relations and selling world-class products and services.

Then followed several years in the energy industry. I got to be part of a very exciting phase with fiber expansion, broadband for both private and corporate customers, as well as the development of concepts for solar cells and charging infrastructure.

For the past two years before I started at Axelent, I was regional manager at a technology consulting company with responsibility for telecom. Now I look forward to contributing here at Axelent with my previous experiences.”

What main tasks will be yours at Axelent?

“My role is Nordic sales manager. My focus will be to lead a dedicated sales team and to develop sales in the Nordic market.” 

What drives you forward and what will be a winning concept with you as a team leader?

“I’m driven to reach, and often surpass, the goals that have been set up. I care about good relationships and networking. I like a straightforward and constructive dialogue, and I’m diplomatic and try to be down to earth.”

How do you think the way we do sales has changed during the pandemic and will change in the future?

“The pandemic has accelerated digitalization in society, which means that our customers meet us in new digital channels. Social media becomes an important tool, customers both interact with us and share what they think and feel. E-commerce is taking over more and more and it will be important to offer fully digitized sales flows. Structuring and analyzing data will therefore be important parts of the sales work.

The pandemic has also demonstrated a global vulnerability, which means that companies need to be close to their customers and be even more locally based, in a continued globalized market. Customers will have even higher demands on their suppliers: for example, that they keep their promises and are "close" to the customer, knowing what they stand for and to prioritize environmental and sustainability issues.

Meeting these new challenges, I believe will require sales in a mix of physical meetings, personal digital meetings and digital interfaces. And this must go hand in hand with the right marketing and profiling of the brand.”

You have just started your journey at Axelent but what are your first impressions so far?

"I have experienced a very warm welcoming, striving forward and great ideas for the future! Axelent has made a fantastic journey so far and it will be exciting and fun to be a part of the journey ahead. The Axelent-spirit that I’ve heard about is for real.”