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"Ashland is a fantastic place to work. The company acknowledges our individual talents and uses them in strategic roles that are vital in our quest to maintain top-quartile status."

Eddie
Senior CSA executive
Drew Industrial
Boonton, N.J.

Day in the Life

I pursued a career with Ashland because I enjoy the challenge of building a business. Here I have an active role in developing, implementing and pursuing a business plan.

A senior CSA executive's responsibilities include prospect identification, strategy development, implementation and communication. I lead the sales charge, provide sales mentorship and negotiate contracts through to execution. The primary purpose of my position is to drive a sales campaign from the top and to assist in coordination at the field level. Sales acumen is a must. This position is people-driven.

My days go very fast, but there is no such thing as a typical day. I begin work about 7:15 a.m. and conclude when my tasks are complete, which may include dinner with prospects. I begin with a "to be completed today" list. It includes the telephone numbers of prospects, the names of office administrators and pertinent subject matter.

I also spend part of each day communicating the sales situation to internal members and coordinating and making strategy modifications. Part of each week is devoted to providing status reports to senior management. We all have a common goal - to profitably expand Ashland's marketplace.

On any given day, I interact with members of our marketing group, regional managers, technology, engineering, legal personnel and senior management. This position requires about 30 percent travel.

My biggest challenge is securing meetings and developing relationships with prospective CEOs and their executive teams - and then receiving a CEO's blessing to move forward as a partner.

What I like best about my job can be summed up in two words - dynamics and challenge. No two days are the same, and the challenge is exhilarating. This position has sales as well as managerial responsibilities. It requires the coordination of personnel ranging from field sales and technical employees to members of middle and senior management.

In order to be a successful CSA representative, one must be able to effectively communicate, to listen, to discern what is conveyed (spoken and unspoken), to ask difficult questions, to communicate the features, advantages and benefits of Ashland to others and to enjoy success. Ashland provides classes that teach these skills, by the way.

Of all my memories at Ashland, one undoubtedly stands out. It was having a firsthand opportunity to witness a FORTUNE 500 executive vice president reverse the decision of his purchasing committee, which had selected one of our competitors based on emotional drivers. The EVP chose us, instead, based on our vision and values.