Anssi Kauppi and Henna Antikainen … on building a dynamic duo
They may not finish each other’s sentences, but they do finish each other’s thoughts. Meet the colleagues who discovered that they are much better together.
It’s a cliché for a reason. That the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts. Just ask Henna Antikainen and Anssi Kauppi, store manager and field salesperson at Groll’s store in Kotka, Finland. Together they reach levels none of them would reach alone.
“Anssi visits my office several times a day, or I visit his. We brief each other on what is going on, discuss and brainstorm ideas,” says Henna Antikainen.
As manager of the store, Henna is involved in almost everything that goes on within these walls. Anssi, on the other hand, spends a lot of time on the road and meeting customers. Their work is very different but has one thing in common; they have a lot of direct contact with customers. They understand the customers’ needs. Together, they can create a completely different level of service and experience. And – as they both say – they go to work on sales.
“Without our customers, we wouldn’t have a job. It’s a simple as that,” says Anssi.
A good salesperson wants to understand what the customer needs and wants to have. A better salesperson wants to understand this before the customer understands this themselves. Henna and Ansii want to solve problems. They want to sell products and services that create value for the customer.
“We want to understand which solution makes the most sense for the customer. What best helps the customer. We don’t just want to sell more products,” says Henna.
Ansii agrees:
“Our customers are professionals who need the necessary and important equipment. They don’t shop because it is fun. Our task is to make it as easy, affordable and functional for them as possible.”
“And there’s plenty of time for laughs, too.”
“Customers who come in usually like the atmosphere we have,” says Henna.
One reason why Henna Antikainen and Anssi Kauppi work so well together is that they both have solutions on the brain. They are also genuinely curious about the customers’ industries and want to learn more about their work. Behind the curiosity hides empathy and an interest in people. Anssi does a lot of voluntary work in his spare time where he “learns to understand people better, even when they have a different view of things than he does”. Henna, the daughter of two entrepreneurs, has a natural understanding of the challenges business owners can have.
They also want to help each other. Henna describes Ansii as someone who spreads joy at work. She admires his enthusiasm, knowledge and experience. According to Anssi, Henna is driven, determined and takes great responsibility for the store.
“For cooperation to work, you must work towards a common goal. That’s something we are really good at,” says Henna.
