A Day in the Life of Leandro Santos
In the next instalment of our ‘Day in the Life’ interviews, we speak to Leandro Santos, a member of the team in our Brazilian Office. Find out how he helps source our clients’ products in specialised materials like Super Duplex and Duplex and how he keeps on top of his busy workload.
- What is your current job and where are you based?
I’m a Business Developer and Sales Executive at Special Piping Materials in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- How long have you worked in your current job?
I have been working for Special Piping Materials for almost seven years, first as an as part of an Agency and then as an official member of the team.
- What is the first thing you do every morning when you get to work?
I usually check my agenda to keep track of important tasks such as quotations, prospections, calls with clients and so on. After reading my e-mails, I allocate new tasks into my agenda and reorganize them by order of priority.
- What are three things that you do every day?
We import Duplex and Super Duplex from Europe, so I usually check the currency rates at least twice a day to ensure that we and therefore our clients are getting the best possible cost.
Since many of our clients are bidding to get new projects, I often dedicate many hours helping them with pricing so they can finish their offers in time.
Moreover, I keep in contact with regular clients and look for new opportunities to help oil & gas companies acquire our specialist Duplex and Super Duplex products.
- What is your workspace like?
In Rio, we have an office and a warehouse. As well as having all the traditional tech on my desk, I also keep lots of business cards from the past few years because remembering old names can still open new doors. People think it’s old fashioned but I think it’s just good sense!
- What’s your drink of choice during the day (tea, two sugars etc)?
I drink more coffee than I should! And as this is Brazil, Açaí is always welcome! It is like an ice cream but tastes 1000 times better plus it is healthier and provides a lot of energy! BOOM!
- What keeps you motivated to go to work each day?
A lot of my motivation comes from our clients because our main task is to help them to get the best material on time and on budget. Speaking to clients on the phone and meeting with them in person to understand their deadlines and demands is always a great boost of motivation! This is definitely my favourite part of the job.
- How did you first start working for Special Piping Materials?
When I was in engineering school and I was looking for work opportunities in the field of special alloys. I found this job opportunity at Special Piping Materials in the university’s system and immediately applied to it. One week later I got a call, had an interview and I was in! It’s been a fantastic job for me.
- What advice would you give someone who is seeking the same line of work?
If you want to sell, you must get out of the office! Make friends, call clients to check if they need your help. Make sure you show you care about their business as much as you care about your own.
- Are there any challenges in your job? If so, how do you handle them?
Logistics and taxation are definitely challenging to every company in Brazil. Logistics can be expensive, so I sort it by keeping maintaining good relationships with good freight forwarders. In addition to this, the taxation system in Brazil is very complicated so I regularly meet with the accountants to ensure everything is in order.
- What are your hobbies outside of work?
After I joined Special Piping I moved to the beach near the office and began to surf which I love! Otherwise, I enjoy reading books, writing fiction and travelling abroad to find new surf spots.
- Which of the other offices would you like to work in and why?
I’d be interested to work in the Perth office, because Western Australia is very isolated and I’d like to understand how they handle their logistics and imports in such a remote area. Also, the nature in Australia is astonishing and I would hope to find some great surfing spots there as well!
I would also like to try the Headquarters in England because their trading routine is very dynamic. The team there dominates a very large area by having many suppliers, extremely efficient logistics processes and a tenacious sales team. Seeing Manchester United wouldn’t hurt either!
Thanks for chatting with us Leandro! It was great to meet you!