What is customer development in ABF?

As part of our Customer Development scheme, your focus will be on leveraging relationships with customers to ensure that our products are available in the places consumers want to buy them.

We understand our customers needs and use market (or as we term it 'Category') information to make sure we deliver against them. Our customers range from Supermarkets, Online and various other retail outlets, whereas our consumers are everyday people like me and you! We tap into our commercial lens to maximise opportunities to launch new products, refine our existing range and negotiate areas of growth.

And in true spirit of debunking myths, we can ensure that there will be no cold calling, telesales, or one-off conversations with disinterested people.

What will you be doing?

Your experience on scheme will be exactly what you make it! We can ensure that you will be given the chance to gain a breadth of experience in two varied roles whilst maximising your commercial exposure. There is so much to get your hands stuck into! You are the middle man/woman between the buyer and your business, so relationship building is key.

In both your placements you should expect to:

• Build relationships both internally and externally
• Analyse relevant account and market data
• Get into the numbers with some financial forecasting
• Negotiate a plan or promotion
• Become an expert on a marketplace, customer or group of products
• Advise customers on how they can make their range best for consumer

Where will I be working?

There are 8 businesses which support 7 schemes. These are based all over the UK (some have internationally based sites). You would start your scheme at a UK based site; then potentially get the opportunity to move to another site or business. This move will be driven by where there is a great business opportunity for you to continue to grow and develop.

What support can I expect?

Whilst the ABF Customer Development Programme gives you real responsibility from day one and encourages you to be independent, you will be supported throughout. As a graduate you will have:

• Your Line Manager and team to support you day to day
• Your buddy who will help you to settle in
• Your graduate cohort

You will also receive regular programme-specific and general development training sessions throughout the 2 years, which will help you with skills such as delivering presentations, managing time effectively and project management.

What's the application process?

The process is a few stages long and nothing to be worried about!

1. An online application
2. Online psychometric tests
3. Video interview- it’s best to prepare for this as if it were a standard face to face interview
4. An assessment centre, you will be invited down to one of our ABF sites and this will usually entail a competencies and skills based interview, presenting back on a case study, and a group exercise.

All of these stages are designed to get to know you and to understand your passion and strengths that would make you a great fit! So be yourself, and talk about specific examples that help demonstrate why you’re fab!