Bringing Smeg to life: Meet our Sales Support Manager
As part of our exclusive partnership with Smeg, which means we’re the only UK distributor of the brand’s major domestic appliances to kitchen and bathroom studios, Kully Rayit joined our extended team as a dedicated Sales Support Manager. We meet Kully to find out more about his role and how we can help studios to maximise sales.
What is your background to this role?
“I’ve worked in field marketing for over 20 years, with the last 15 in major domestic appliances for a range of well-known brands. This means I’ve got lots of experience of being out on the road and working with retailers to strengthen their appliance offering.”
What does your new role entail?
“Since the start of 2022, I’ve been working alongside Häfele Area Sales Managers to both onboard new studios that want to start displaying the Smeg range and help existing customers upgrade their displays with the latest products and marketing materials. While I work for Smeg, my role is to strengthen the relationship between Häfele and Smeg so we can together provide the best possible service and level of support to retailers.”
What support do you offer day to day?
“Typically, I support on aspects such as refreshing POS – for example, making sure there’s visible details about Smeg’s five-year guarantee and sharing details of promotional offers – and another huge part of my job is training and demonstrating.
“I’m very passionate about passing on knowledge to studios in a real-world way. Rather than lots of theory and presentations, I’ll get studio teams to turn on and try new products where possible so they can really see and feel what their customer will. And I’ve developed a series of leave-behind cheat sheets with clear features, benefits and prompts for customer conversations, as well as a guide for designers that can be updated as new products emerge.
“Alongside the practical side of things, I also tell studios more about Smeg as I think there are some misconceptions about the brand.”
That’s interesting, tell us more about the Smeg brand?
“A lot of people don’t realise that it’s a family run business – which is also the case for many studios we work with. And as those family-owned companies know all too well, quality and pride are hugely important. Even today, our chair Vittorio will check in on what’s being produced and if he sees something that’s not 100%, he won’t put the Smeg name to it.
“Smeg is also associated with iconic, quirky small appliances such as our kettles and toasters, but the company’s heritage is very much in cooking. With its headquarters in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, Smeg is surrounded by world leaders in food, as well as the fashion and automotive industry. This forms an important part of its ethos and approach. So as well as adopting rigorous manufacturing principles, it does fashion collaborations with the likes of Dolce and Gabbana, and produces its own wine, chutney and cheeses that you can buy from its HQ!
“That passion for the finer things reflects in the design of its products that help customers get the best results whether cooking or baking. I think that’s when you understand the brand better, it’s very motivating.”
How do you help studios with that process?
“Alongside practical training that ensures studios are confident in demonstrating products, I share snippets of the Smeg ethos and heritage to pass on to customers to bring the brand to life. I also equip them with advice such as cleaning tips so there’s added value details to give to the customer.
“Ultimately, my role is about empowering studios through training, resources and of course, the latest products, to help them sell Smeg better.”
