Throughout the year, we feature employees sharing their unique stories about their time at Ritchie Bros. In this edition, Danelle Kvalheim, Sales Manager, writes about her recent promotion to Sales Manager at Ritchie List.
There’s a sense of camaraderie at Ritchie Bros. that I think is special. It’s one of the things I value most – our awesome culture. You’ll find that many of us have been referred to RB by a friend who already works here, which is testament to that culture. Even after COVID-19 (which prompted a WFH model), we continually find opportunities to connect remotely or in-person at the office or social gatherings.
But beyond that, from a career standpoint, the opportunities are endless. The company is experiencing rapid growth, which means new roles are coming up all the time. It’s encouraging to see that Ritchie Bros. promotes from within because you know that once you’re here you will keep making progress if you’re willing to put in the work. They invest in those they hire, and work to develop people for the roles they desire.
And I have recently been promoted to Sales Manager with Ritchie List.
What’s Ritchie List?
Ritchie List is a marketplace that provides our customers with an effective channel to buy and sell equipment and other services. Our goal at the moment is to expand our customer base and grow the total number of listings on ritchielist.com.
Ritchie List allows our customers to have more control over their transaction and pricing. Furthermore, they can access other Ritchie Bros. sales solutions such as the live auction, Marketplace-E, IronPlanet, and services including our Inventory Management System and pricing tools.
Our division (being a newer channel) faces unique opportunities that make this role exciting! As Sales Manager, I invest energy working on improving our sales process, operational efficiency and team member acquisitions. I also strive to provide support, sales training, and career development opportunities to the Account Managers on my team. I want to ensure that they thrive.
My exciting career trajectory
I am extremely grateful for the career support I have received from the Ritchie Bros. leadership team since I joined. They have been instrumental in my career development from day one. In addition to the incredible support of my direct manager, I have had great support and advice from managers even outside my own team and department.
When I started in April 2021, I was an Associate Account Manager with Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. I received sales training and shadowed and learned from successful Account Managers. After a few months of training and orientation, I commenced an Account Manager role. I really enjoyed connecting with customers and experienced success in my role.
In July of 2022, I made the decision to join Ritchie Bros.’ newest channel, Ritchie List, as an Account Manager. I became the first Account Manager they hired for Ritchie List in Canada. I was excited at the opportunity to serve a whole new customer base because I saw it as a fantastic opportunity for even more learning and growth.
I graduated from UBC with a science degree and worked in an unrelated sector before I came to Ritchie Bros. My experience is that Ritchie Bros. excels at providing the opportunities and training for their employees to succeed in sales roles, regardless of their background. I enjoy the challenge of the corporate sales environment and am committed to the RB sales and management process.
The management and training teams embraced my desire to learn and provided shadowing opportunities, and peer mentorship. If you are self-motivated, disciplined, a team player, eager to learn, and willing to adapt, RB will encourage and equip you for success. Don’t let not having sales experience on your resume deter you from applying for a sales role here. You can be really successful as long as you’re coachable and willing to do what it takes.