On 1 September, Homatic received reinforcement on the sales and consulting side. Heino Holm Knudsen comes from a global engineering group, and from a past as a top-shelf handball player. Common to both, he says, is that it is teamwork and the game between people that matters to succeed .

Heino Holm Knudsen has played left back on the Danish national team, he has won the cup title with Team Tvis Holstebro and he has sold engineering skills in an international group. On 1 September, Heino Holm Knudsen arrived as the new consultant manager at Homatic in Vitten, and the task will be clear from day one:

“I have to go out to the customers and do outreach sales, get hold of some leads and find the right candidates. From there, I have to uncover the customers’ needs in relation to the inquiries and deficiencies they have and where I and Homatic can help them,” he says.

Heino comes from a position as Engineering Director Consulting at ENABL A/S, where he has worked with exactly the same thing, just in a larger organization.

“The work I start in is very similar to what I have done so far, and it is a role I am very comfortable in. I feel really good with freedom with responsibility, at the same time as I constantly have sparring from the office and my colleagues, and I look forward to getting started,” says Heino.

It was quite deliberate that his new job would be in a small company:

“Homatic suits me really well, partly because it’s not too big. I experienced this at my previous workplace, where we had to grow really big. At Homatic, it’s good to get back to the old virtues of closeness and quick decision-making, and the fact that we all help each other, and you can feel that you make a difference,” says Heino. However, he emphasizes that he has been extremely satisfied and happy with his time at first SONNE and then ENABL, as it has been very educational.

He describes himself as a salesman with both feet firmly planted in the soil of Jutland, and who likes to create sales through relationships, and does not want to compromise his credibility in any way.

“It must never turn into a gun sale, because there must be a mutual understanding and credibility about each other’s business. I take the time to familiarize myself with the customer’s business and needs and have a great interest in solving the task with full satisfaction. Therefore, it is important from the start to align expectations and response and deliver my best on the task. If in some cases I did not succeed, I should be able to come back again and have another good time, on another task,” says Heino.

Player Agent for Engineers

The comparison with the world of sports is obvious, and Heino also uses it himself:

“I compare my work a bit to being a player’s agent. It’s about finding out what the club is looking for. If they need a left back, then I’m the one who has to go out and find the very best left back who fits exactly into the team,” he says, adding that it’s rarely just about the core competence:

“It’s just as important that the consultant has that completely insane core competence in, for example, cybersecurity, and that he/she is not just a loner. It must also be someone who can come in and be part of the team. It’s not just the work-related part that’s important, it’s also the human skills,” Heino explains.

After being away from the industry for six months, he returns to a market he believes has a fundamental and ongoing need:

“There will always be a need for consultants, because companies also take on projects that they may not have employees for,” he says, and explains that this is where Homatic has its justification:

“This is where we come into our own, because we help relieve other employees and bring in skills that the company lacks. The workload will also always go up and down in a company, and this is where Homatic comes in and uncovers their needs, and exactly in the period that the company needs,” says Heino.

The first three months will be spent building the foundation:

“I will go out and create a new customer base and some new relationships, and at the same time get to know my colleagues in Homatic, and get out and help the companies in Denmark get consultants for the tasks they need help solving. I am really looking forward to getting started,” says Heino.