Leading the Sales team in Otago and Southland is a big job but Tony Heaps is up for the challenge. 

What did you want to do career-wise when you left school?  

I had plans to be a Police Officer when I left school, but my short vision curtailed this.  Looking back it was for the best. I was unaware how much I would enjoy sales, celebrating the wins and learning how to take disappointment when people say no. This is still a work on.  

Tell us about your career to date.

I left school at 16 to work for Firestone Tyre and Rubber Co which taught me discipline around hard work.  I moved into the Agri Sector joining PGW and covered a number of jobs over 11 years there.  Prior to joining Farmlands, I worked for 7 years with Rural Lending as a Senior Relationship Manager.  In essence working in the finance game is similar to what I do here, selling money requires close relationships and a lot of trust and the outcomes are very rewarding. At times we forget how important our input around knowledge and product supply is to our Shareholders and their bottom line.

What led you to Farmlands? 

I chose to come to Farmlands because when they were a competitor firm they were hard to beat, they had loyalty from farmers, the best people and their ownership model creates a strong advantage.

How have you grown in your time with us at Farmlands? 

My responsibilities around people leadership have increased tenfold since joining Farmlands in terms of our team size.  This creates challenges but also plenty of reward. To me an internal network is so important to achieve in an organisation our size, forming relationships with our people in our Sales team, Retail, Category, Finance, Accounting, Query resolution, Marketing, Payroll and our Regional Sales Management Team.

What do you most enjoy at Farmlands? 

Recruiting awesome people into the Technical Field Officer role is both a key achievement and something I am proud of. It is a very challenging job and watching our team compete in a fiercely over supplied industry is satisfying.  I enjoy any of the wins, banter with colleagues either on Teams or by phone/email, time spent together as a team at Summit or off site with Vendors.   Something I am excited about now is working with the Otago team and expanding our presence right across what is a huge region.

What would your advice be for someone who's interested in a career in your area at Farmlands? 

Come with a will to win, be competitive but be aware some will say no. Be able to collaborate - you will never survive on your own in this game.  Include fun in your working week.

Interested in what we offer in the Sales space?

Check out our Sales page for more details.

Interested in working with Tony in our Sales Team?

Connect with us on our careers site or check out our current vacancies.