Faces behind the build - David Warren

At Avant, it's our mission to make it possible for the next generation of house buyers to get on the housing ladder by opening the door to well built, affordable homes, in fantastic locations!

Our team put our customers at the heart of everything they do, so to find out more about the 'Faces behind the build', we've been speaking to members of our team to find out more about who they are, what they do and what they enjoy most about their job.

This month, we caught up with one of North Yorkshire's Sales Manager's, David Warren, who has many years experience and has worked his way up in the house building industry. 

1. What does a typical day look like for you?

It’s the old cliché, no two days really are the same. During the week, I’ll usually work from our Regional Head Office, alongside my Sales Director, Sales & PX Co-ordinator & Sales Administrator. I attend a number of meetings during the week, including Sales & Build, Marketing meetings and Customer Service team meetings. I ensure my teams have enough plot releases available, manage our regional Marketing, including briefing in, checking and authorising marketing emails and SMS’s, regularly audit our website, looking at plot specific incentives. As well as ensuring my team are managing our new and existing leads in our CRM system effectively and ensure our portals including Rightmove, Zoopla & On The Market are all up to date. I will usually spend a day or two on site during the week, including our weekly director’s site visit, to check our on site signage, show home landscaping, Sales Office presentation and spend time with my team to ensure they have the tools needed to do their jobs, and identify any issues to look at a plan to sort. I will check any unsold stock plots for presentation and ensure any maintenance is noted for our site teams to remediate.

2. What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Certainly the variety the role brings. I enjoy the strategic side, working alongside other departments in our Regional Head Office, as well as the opportunity to spend time on site with my sales team, construction colleagues and customers. I will sometimes cover one of my developments if one of my team is on holiday, which gives me the great opportunity to put my previous sales experience to the test, speaking with our customers and sometimes taking a reservation or doing an options meeting.

3. How did you get into this role?

I initially joined the new homes industry in Customer Services as a Customer Relations Manager, however soon eyed up the Sales Manager role. I initially applied as a Sales Advisor, where I learned the ropes of our frontline teams, managing a flagship development in Harrogate, which unluckily for my waistline was opposite Betty’s Tea Room! After around 7 months on site as a Sales Advisor, I progressed into my current role as Sales Manager, which I love!

4. Why did you want join Avant Homes?

Working for a large competitor previously, I saw the opportunity to join a new region of Avant Homes and jumped at the chance to bring my skill set, to have an influence in the early stages of the launch of a new region and new developments.

5. What would you say are skills you need to possess to be successful in your role?

You have to be a team player, not only with my direct team of Sales Advisors, but with other departments. I will often have to challenge and influence others in my role, ultimately we’re all here to ensure we provide our customers with excellent service. Sometimes things crop up which I need to manage, which can mean I need to brainstorm with colleagues across different departments to identify what we can do to solve the issue to a satisfactory outcome for our customers. 

6. What do you like to do outside of work?

I enjoy going on long walks with my dog, a german shorthaired pointer called Cliff on my days off and do love my holidays which I try to make the most of, enjoying cruises and adventures around the world.

7. Tell us a fun fact about yourself that your colleagues wouldn't know about you?

I used to be long haul cabin crew for 12 years before moving into the new homes industry, working for British Airways travelling around the world!

8. If you could swap jobs for a day with any other person in the company, who would it be and why?

I’d love to spend a day in the shoes of a member of the Senior Executive team, to learn more about the wide range of directorates they oversee across the various regions and Group.

9. What would you say to anyone looking to get into the housebuilding sector?

Go for it! It’s a great industry to get into, with opportunities across various areas of the business, including Sales, Customer Service and with trainee programmes across a number of roles, it’s a superb opportunity to develop within a growing business like Avant Homes. We’re always on the lookout for talented individuals to bring their skills and passion to our business!

10. Describe the culture of Avant in three words

Supportive, inclusive and collaborative