Meet: Mike Brückner
Have you always wanted to know what the life of a sales representative might be like? Read the interview with our employee Mike, who supports us since October.
Geospin: You studied business administration in Trier and moved to the south afterwards. Summer, sun, Freiburg, do you agree?
Mike: There is nothing more to add. I am already looking forward to the summer.
Geospin: And what data streams brought you to Geospin in the first place?
Mike: Actually, my girlfriend was the driving force because she got a place at University Freiburg for her Master's degree. Geospin was the lucky coincidence that perfectly rounded off our relocation to the south. I was looking for a new challenge after university and Geospin got involved with me.
Geospin: Starting to work with a new employer during a pandemic is not exactly what you want with all your heart either. How did it all go for you?
Mike: It was definitely a new experience. However, I was still lucky and was able to get to know my colleagues during the first month in the office routine and during the joint lunches. After that, it was off to home office - that was new for me and certainly challenging. Thanks to weekly Zoom Calls, we were able to strengthen our team despite the pandemic and got to know each other better. I'm looking forward to the office though... especially the kitchen and the candy drawer :D
Geospin: And what do you keep yourself busy with at work all day long now?
Mike: As a sales manager, I am in close contact with potential customers. The exchange takes place through many channels. I either write e-mails, make phone calls or present our portal via video conference. I also represent Geospin at fairs and events, give presentations and organize industry-specific webinars. So it never gets boring - especially due to the versatile possibilities our portal offers. This means I'm constantly learning new things, meeting interesting people and getting to grips with new use cases. In addition, we always support each other in the marketing and sales team and communicate market feedback and current trends with our IT specialists.
Geospin: Workday is done, you close the laptop, go out into the fresh air, sun tickles your nose: what's the first thought that comes to your mind and where does your nose take you?
Mike: That's easy: first to the kiosk around the corner and then to the park with a cool drink.
Geospin: You produce music yourself: there are approaches to combine Data Science with music and composition. Do you think that music production will also be determined by AI in the future?
Mike: AI is actually already playing a role in music production today. There are some vendors that have launched intelligent plug-ins for vocal processing and general mixdown activities. These certainly contribute to workflow optimization, but they don't replace a music producer - in the end, it's the human ear and feel that determines which decision is the right one.
Geospin: That means, at the still pending 5 year Geospin anniversary you will let the records run hot and turn Freiburg into a huge dancefloor?
Mike: But sure!
Geospin: And to top it off: If you had to describe Geospin in one song. Which one would it be?
Mike: Actually, there is one track that I strongly associate with Geospin. During my interview, I was asked by the founders what song I would sell you to celebrate a sales closing. I decided to go with a duo of artists who have been very influential in my music and myself. I played "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk. Everyone laughed and I was hired, true story! :D
