NEW ELAN SALES MANAGER IS SOLD ON NEW HOMES

WITH 19 years’ experience in the housing industry and a new home owner herself, Sam Williams is helping Elan Homes grow its North West business in her new role as sales manager.

It’s a fresh prospect for the ambitious 40-year-old, who started out as a sales consultant aged just 21 when she followed in her mum’s footsteps.

“Joining Elan appealed to me as a new challenge and an opportunity for career progression,” says Sam, who previously worked for Redrow, Watkin Jones and Lovell.

“It’s also an opportunity to focus on larger more executive homes, which is a completely different aspect of the housing market than I was dealing with at Lovell, which was more focussed on first time buyers. One of the key differences is that clients who want to buy executive homes are likely to have a property to sell, so we need to look at ways of getting them into a position where they’re able to proceed with purchasing a new home.”

Sam is currently overseeing sales at sites including Canalside, Middlewich; Hope Park Mews, Macclesfield; The Hawthorns, Lach Dennis and The Larches, Wilmslow.

“Elan’s homes are absolutely beautiful, very attractive properties and there are so many different styles of properties across the various developments including terraces, semi-detached right up to the substantial detached homes at The Larches in Wilmslow, which boast a superb specification,” Sam adds.

“The intimate, executive developments set Elan apart from other housebuilders who would build hundreds of homes per site, whereas Elan focus on more exclusive developments which are more appealing to buyers than being part of a big sprawling estate. Elan take into consideration customers desires and needs in the design and layout of the homes and ensure they don’t miss out on attention to detail in the specification and quality of build.”

Sam herself lives in new build home in Liverpool.

She says: “I’ve seen both sides of the table – customer and sales executive, which means I can use my experience to understand customers’ expectations and how they like to be engaged through the buying process.”

Sam’s role is varied and includes supporting the sales executives; exploring ways to generate new leads and convert leads to sales; planning marketing campaigns; and visiting sites.

“It’s definitely an exciting career and you are learning every day. Every day is different and no two sites, homes or customers are the same,” Sam explains.

“There are lots of opportunities to grow your career with different avenues to take. There are sales executives who have become site managers or have retrained to become quantity surveyors.”

During her career, Sam has experienced the highs and lows of the housing market.

“When I started I was based in an estate agent selling new build apartments. The market was buoyant and I remember we had queues along the road because people were so eager to reserve. Sales executives were effectively order takers then as property was seen as investment because people wanted to try to make a profit as prices increased,” Sam recalls.

“The main challenge for Elan is to keep up with the changes in the market conditions and to make sure that there are options available, such as EasyMove or part exchange, to help people move.”

Niche developer Elan was established in 2008 and now employs circa 100 people across a variety of disciplines, roles and professions in offices in Cheshire and Bristol and on sites across the country.

To find out more about career opportunities with Elan see https://www.elan-homes.co.uk/about-elan/careers/.