The New New Business: Why Carsten Meijer Just Keeps Going

With more than twelve years of experience in media, advertising and FMCG, Carsten Meijer is responsible for the commercial operation of VICE in the EMEA region. Carsten started his career at Nestlé and through Boomerang, Hyves, IMA and Icemedia, he landed at VICE eight years ago. Here, he’s helping international brands and agencies to be impactful and successful in targeting and being part of the culture of young people. Managing the commercial teams in the region by building and maintaining a culture of pride and winning is what drives him.

LBB> What was your first sale or new business win? (Was it a big or small job? How difficult or scary was it? What do you remember about how you felt? What lessons did you learn?)

Carsten> My first new business win was an interesting one very early in my life. It was in my hometown where the municipality had the initiative that you would get a Guilder (good old days) for Christmas trees you helped them collect after Christmas. They processed them to compost.

I partnered up with my neighbour and my brother and mobilised the entire neighbourhood to work with us on collecting the trees. We collected so many that my father had to rent a truck to transport them to the municipality workshop.

We collected a considerable amount of coins there, and I remember looking at my friends and feeling we had achieved something incredible together. 

LBB> What was the best piece of advice you got early on? 

Carsten> That the truth will always prevail.

LBB> How has the business of ‘selling’ in the creative industry changed since you started?

Carsten> It surely has. You need to be incredibly proactive nowadays. Having an immaculate positioning and product is something that helps. But to win business, you need to be out there. Telling your story. Speak to people. Inspire them and, most importantly, understand their business challenges and needs. 

The creative landscape is more scattered than ever before. On pitch A, you compete with an established agency. On pitch B, you compete with a chef with a respectable Tiktok following. 

For brands, making choices on how they will achieve their goals has become significantly more complex because there is so much out there.

Having a constant and open dialogue is therefore vitally important. We have to guide them in their decision-making process. Be a consultant instead of a seller.

LBB> Can anyone be taught to sell or do new business, or do you think it suits a certain kind of personality?

Carsten> It is not for everyone, that is for sure.

However, there are many different types of new business personalities that can be effective. Ultimately, it has a lot to do with feeling confident with your style.

Some sellers are more aggressive and very good at finding new ways to connect with new clients. Others are actual 'farmers' and become trusted advisors. Both can be effective. That is why I like to have a diverse team with different personas. 

When you think about it, the same goes for clients, and no client is the same. Selling is a social skill for a big part. You will not find magic with every client, and that is ok. But when that genuine connection happens, it can be magic.

LBB> How do you go about tailoring your selling approach according to the kind of person or business you’re approaching?

Carsten> It is all about connecting the dots. Understanding the business needs of the client, the personality of your client, and the brand DNA. Your team must combine that with great creativity and knowledge of what is happening in culture.

Working with the right team is incredibly important in order to be successful. It’s about genuinely threading the needle between client needs and culture. By assembling the right within your organisation you will be able to navigate this complex forcefield. 

LBB> New business and sales can often mean hearing ‘no’ a lot and quite a bit of rejection - how do you keep motivated?

Carsten> Just keep going. 

Sales is absolutely not about forcing something to happen. The stereotype of the slick seller is long gone. It is about finding a mutually beneficial partnership. Hearing no from a client that isn’t for you is a good thing. You need to remind yourself that.

The best sellers know how to dictate and lead a client process and when to walk away from an opportunity that isn’t for them. 

No is ok. 

LBB> In your view, what’s the key to closing a deal?

Carsten> It is about leading the process. Being switched on and understanding what a client needs by listening.

Protect your team and only play when you know you can win. You learn if you can win by asking the right questions. Never start before you have every answer you need!

LBB> How important is cultural understanding when it comes to selling internationally? (And if you have particular experience on this front, what advice do you have?)

Carsten> Being Dutch and accomplishing business globally, I found out the hard way cultural differences are very important to appreciate and understand. People from the Netherlands tend to be a bit unfiltered and direct. This is different in other markets. I had to adjust myself tremendously. 

But having learned the hard way, I now deepen my understanding of cultural differences in doing business. Recently I was involved in the workings of a global deal with a South Korean car manufacturer. Very exciting deal. Both because of the contents of what we will be working on together and the cultural differences. It makes our work so much more exciting, and we can learn lots from each other. 

LBB> How is technology and new platforms (from platforms like Salesforce and Hubspot to video calls to social media) changing sales and new business?

Carsten> Especially when doing business in many markets and managing many different teams, it makes life a lot more comfortable.

Nowadays, it is much easier to access insights and information on client categories (FMCG, Tech, Automotive etc.) and teams or individuals' sales performance. It makes it easier to understand where you can win and shift the focus of your business. 

The market information Salesforce provides is very helpful. 

All in all, these tools altered the work of a sales leader significantly. Decision-making is much more informed and detailed nowadays. 

LBB> There’s a lot of training for a lot of parts of the industry, but what’s your thoughts about the training and skills development when it comes to selling and new business? 

Carsten> Training is important. But the best training is being out there and experiencing the real deal by making mistakes. Sometimes win and understand why, but more importantly, lose and understand why.

Our industry can be complex because no deal is the same. Everything is tailormade. That is the beauty of creativity.

Recognising the patterns is what enables leading and influencing. It makes you win more. No textbook will explain that to you. 

As a leader, it is therefore incredibly important to enable your teams to fail. They will learn from it and become better.

LBB> What’s your advice for anyone who’s not necessarily come up as a salesperson who’s now expected to sell or win new business as part of their role?

You are a salesperson. You are selling every day in your daily life. Have you ever had to convince your child to pick up their toys or convince your partner to take out the garbage? 

Find your style, and don’t be afraid. Go out there and try. You will see, it will give you great energy!