If you’re a Gekko customer already, chances are you’re familiar with our Technical Sales Representative, Mac Everington.
Mac’s just marked his first year of working at Gekko and in that time, he’s gone from having absolutely no experience of the flooring industry to being a knowledgeable and truly hands-on member of our team.
It’s been quite the journey for Mac, and we’re very proud of how hard he’s worked to learn as much as he can – not only about Gekko, but about the flooring industry and the people who work in it. We caught up with him recently to reflect on his first year in the business…
Hi Mac. Congratulations on your first year at Gekko! Take us back to those early days and how you came to join the company.
Thanks! It’s hard to believe a year’s gone by already. It doesn’t seem so long ago I applied for the job! At the time I was working as an administrator in the NHS, where I’d been for about 8 years. I reached a point in my mid-20s where I was feeling like I wanted to do something different. I had this feeling that if I wanted to change paths, this was my last chance before my NHS job became a job for life. I saw Gekko’s category manager Rachael Morgan sharing the job ad on social media and I reached out, explaining that I was looking for a career change. She encouraged me to apply. Things moved slowly at first – I had a few interviews with key people at Gekko – but then I got the call to say I’d been successful, and things moved very quickly after that.
How did your first few months at Gekko go?
When I first came on board, it was just two weeks after the Flooring Show and everyone was on a high from the event. There were lots of enquiries and after my induction up at Head Office I was able to get out on the road meeting new customers, which was a lot to get my head around but ultimately really enjoyable because I’m definitely a people person.
Then in the winter months, things got a lot quieter – I didn’t know at the time that this is pretty normal in the flooring industry. I wasn’t used to working from home either, and by the end of January I was questioning if I’d made the right decision. I started using the time to really familiarise myself with the products; my role is Technical Sales so I knew I needed to have that technical knowledge under my belt in order to win the trust of our customers.
Around this time, Quin arranged for me to have some in-person training with Darren Hill, our Product and Technical Manager. This is when things really turned around for me because Darren was able to give me a whole new level of insight into the products, including a chance to get hands on with them.
This turned out to be extremely timely because once spring arrived, things got super busy again and I was straight in the deep end doing trade days out on the road!
Did you find that enjoyable – or overwhelming?
It was definitely a sink or swim kind of thing, but for me being around people is the best part of the job. There’s nothing like getting out there and talking to people, hearing what challenges they’re up against and trying to find solutions together. I learned so much from spending time with our distributors and their customers – building relationships, getting to understand first hand what problems Gekko can solve and why people choose it. After a few months I had gained massively in knowledge, but also in confidence – I was really enjoying myself at this point!
You’ve come into the business at a watershed moment for Gekko where the brand has really started gaining traction – have you seen this reflected when you’re out on the road?
Definitely. There’s a lot of goodwill around the brand, it feels like Gekko is the product that everyone wants to be using. That’s a real testament to the energy and vision of everyone at Quin and especially Rachael – her understanding of the flooring industry is a massive asset. There’s a great feeling around Gekko; people are really interested to learn more about it and as well as having that young, vibrant feel the brand also has real substance in terms of performance, and also safety with our dichloromethane-free range. I can definitely sense the respect people have for the products.
The Flooring Show is the highlight of the Gekko calendar, and this year was your first one – how did it go?
I actually attended last year’s event as a guest so I knew what I was heading into and I also knew the event was going to be a barometer for the success of the past year – how much I knew about the products, and whether I’d be able to hold my own with visitors to the stand.
It was an absolutely incredible, busy, exhausting and inspiring 72 hours. I could feel the energy running through me the whole time, there was such a buzz about the whole event and we just never stopped for the whole three days. It flew by, and by the end of it I was completely exhausted so I think I must have been doing something right! The best bit for me was meeting so many new people and also being around such a passionate, knowledgeable team of people, especially the guys from CP Assessments who always teach me something new! It felt like a real full circle moment.
Over the course of the last year, have you developed a favourite Gekko product?
I’ve got two favourites! The first is our G57 tackifier, because it’s such a simple, reliable product. It just does its job every time, and we very rarely get any queries about it – it’s hassle free, DCM free, doesn’t leave a mess and is easy to use. When we went down to CP Assessments for their refurb earlier this year, I got to use it myself for laying carpet tiles which was an invaluable experience.
My other favourite is our G42 PVC Profile adhesive. It’s one of our most high-performance adhesives and also one of our most expensive, but I don’t think people really understand the value it can bring on a job – it’s like magic happening in front of your eyes. There are wet rooms, safety floors, PVC and cap & cove jobs happening all over the UK every minute of every day and they don’t realise how much time the G42 could be saving. I’m on a mission now to learn more about polyurethane so I can start raising awareness and help this product stand out more in our range.
Now that you’re settled in at Gekko, what about other aspirations for the year to come? Is there anything you’re aiming for?
I just want to build on everything I’ve learned so far, and get better. There’s always room for improvement so I’m looking forward to getting more hands-on experience and continuing to build relationships with existing and new customers. I’m sure there will be new products and other things along the way – there’s never a dull moment at Gekko!
Anything you’d like to add?
I’d like to say some thank yous to the people who have made my first year such a success. That goes for the team at Gekko particularly Rachael as my mentor and Bianca and the rest of our marketing team who support all our objectives in terms of growing the brand and reaching new customers. I’d also like to thanks the trade counter staff, some of whom I’ve got to know really well, and the guys from CP Assessments – I’m so fortunate that the Flooring Academy is close to where I live, because they’ve helped me massively with knowledge and training over the past year.
If you’ve not met Mac yet and you’ve got FOMO, contact him today to arrange a trade event at your premises – email mac.everington@quinglobal.com or contact us.