Member Article

Languages expert celebrates awards success

A North East sales manager has been awarded with a top export award for the second time, all thanks to her language skills.

Julie Morris from Newton Aycliffe-based Perry Process Equipment, was handed a trophy and £1000 for winning the Export Communicator category of the North East Exporters Awards.

She was singled out for her efforts in attracting overseas customers and translating the company’s new website and its brochures into French and German as well as manning phone lines.

Since Julie joining the company in 2006, exports have now grown to form 65% of the business.

Commenting on her approach, Julie said: “A lot of our overseas business is done with the owners of fairly small processing plants, who want to deal with someone they perceive as being on the doorstep and have probably never though of working with a UK company.

“They tend not to be big users of email or internet, and prefer to pick up the phone and talk to someone instead, so being able to communicate in their native tongue helps to make deals go much more smoothly.”

Julie is now encouraging more young people to follow her lead by studying languages, as her knowledge has been vital in many business situations.

Managing director, Darren Bentham, said he was delighted with Julie’s success.

He said: “Companies that have language capabilities will certainly have more success in their export efforts so investing in languages helps to maintain our quality of service wherever our client or supplier is located, and makes it easy for people to deal with us.

“Export success involves more than just having the right products and services. Companies also need the right communication skills. Julie’s 7 year spell living and working in France and Germany has given her the skills to adapt to the business culture issues and become a fluent speaker.”

Perry Equipment Process is the European arm of the US-based Perry Machinery Group, and deals with the sale and lease of everything from single pieces of process industry plant and equipment, through to complete processing lines.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .