Charlotte Schönbeck’s full job title is Sales Specialist Sterile Transfer & Bioprocess, Life Science Nordic and she works at the global medical technology leader Getinge, which employs around 12,000 people in 40 countries.

“If a request comes in about our aseptic solutions or bioprocess equipment, the customer will get help from me or one of my colleagues. My role is to understand what the customer is looking for, their concerns, challenges, etc., and provide direction on how to create value. It will result in a quotation for a product,” she says.

But it is not only about sales, she adds, it is also about brand awareness, prospecting, and understanding the market.

“I do this by showing life science professionals what Getinge can help with, in terms of knowledge, product solutions, and service. So, my work can involve marketing tasks such as arranging seminars, attending different exhibitions, giving demos, reading reports, and reaching out to prospects. I interact with people and get to network with them, and from every single meeting I learn something new,” she says.

Lab manager & professional athlete

Charlotte has always been curious about how things function, interact, and affect their surroundings. At school she enjoyed biology and chemistry, so the field of life sciences fits her like a glove. When it was time to decide what to study at university, the Molecular Biology program at Stockholm University caught Charlotte’s attention. Her interests were broad, and she liked the idea of combining practical lab work with theoretical seminars, she recalls.

“Molecular biology is a wide field and you can find yourself working on different topics, from basic to applied research, within academia or in a company,” she says. 

“I didn’t have a clear career path in mind when I started my studies, though. At the time I was also a professional athlete, which was my main career focus,” she adds. Charlotte was an elite runner over 800 and 1,500 meters, and she has won numerous Swedish Championships and participated in three European Championships.

Today I’m not as close to research teams as I was in my previous job, but instead I’m closer to where the research becomes a product and helps save lives.

Her decision to pursue a career in sales came after working as lab manager at Karolinska Institutet. “When my colleagues one by one took their doctoral dissertation, I felt I wanted to do something new, and I was also at the end of my athletic career. It felt natural to apply for a job where I would promote products we used in the lab,” she explains.

“But I didn’t leave research completely because my customers would still be in the research field, and in my first sales role I could follow them closely. Today I’m not as close to research teams as I was in my previous job, but instead I’m closer to where the research becomes a product and helps save lives,” she adds.

Charlotte Schönbeck. Photo: Sara Sjögren/Getinge

The best part of the job

There are no “normal days” in her current sales role at Getinge, she describes. “Of course every day includes things that I always do, such as checking inquires received via the webpage, updating our CRM system with the latest news, and checking the status on current orders. But apart from that my day can differ, from having back-to-back customer meetings or internal meetings, about upcoming events, support from application specialists, or training on new products.”

So you could say I’m somewhat of a project manager, gathering everything we need to provide relevant information to the customer.

“I might have a plan for the day, but then something else pops up that either requires my support immediately or within a few days. It could require support from our applications specialists and has to be planned together with them. So you could say I’m somewhat of a project manager, gathering everything we need to provide relevant information to the customer. And this is the best part, I’ve had the chance to work with so many different people internally at Getinge and externally. And everyone has the same aspiration: to work together and find a way forward for the customer,” Charlotte adds.

Building strong relationships 

There are challenges too, in sales one of the most common is getting a response from prospects and keeping the conversation going, Charlotte says.

“Closing a deal can also be demanding, especially in a competitive market and during economically challenging times,” she adds. “Building strong relationships and understanding customer needs are essential to long-term success. Teamwork is key at Getinge, not just within sales, but across departments.”

Building strong relationships and understanding customer needs are essential to long-term success.

A positive attitude

Charlotte advises people interested in a career in sales to take the time to get to know the service team at the company and if possible, visit customers together with them.

“This will give you valuable insight into real-world challenges and help you better understand customer needs on-site,” she says.

Some of the desired attributes in this line of work include communication skills, confidence and resilience (ability to deal with rejection), believes Charlotte. “As a member of a sales team, I would rate motivation, and a positive attitude as important attributes to contribute to the team spirit,” she says.

“In sales it’s good if you like meeting new people as you will meet many people and everyone has their own touch. I wouldn’t say you need to be good at adapting but to be prepared that every new meeting will be different.”