Today is a special edition of the employee interview. The actual questioner Philipp (Marketing & PR) has to answer the critical questions of Henrike (the sales engineer from the first edition) himself today.

I meet Philipp at his workplace in the Oval Office (because of the oval walls). His euphoria is still palpable and visible, as he was able to lift the trophy for the winner of the 3rd official TRICERA billiards tournament at the end of yesterday evening.

Philipp, how does it feel to be the newly crowned champion of the 3rd official TRICERA billiards tournament?

Henrike, I’m very happy about the win, thank you for asking. After the first two attempts, which I thought were very improvable, it was important for me to show that I can really do it. The big goal was not to leave the trophy to the PJ team again. Of course, it’s fantastic that I succeeded in the end.

What is it like to do marketing for a B2B company and what is the goal?

The aim is to provide the various teams in the company with qualified leads. That’s different from advertising for the end customer, who is then directly encouraged to make a purchase. My job is to use the marketing campaigns to reach decision-makers who then promote our battery storage solution within the company.

Unfortunately, this is not a process in which there is only one touchpoint that leads to a decision. The potential customer must understand the product and, in the best case, have already seen it. At the same time, trust must be built up that the specialists in the company are the right people for the project.
We try to take all of this into account when we publish articles, press releases or attend events such as trade fairs or forums.

Was it always your plan to do marketing for a product like battery storage?

Yes and no. At the beginning, I was still inexperienced in terms of understanding the storage solution and had to learn a lot every day. Over time, I learned to love it. I am a person who lives and acts sustainably (as far as possible). Being able to bring this to life in the company gives the whole thing a deeper meaning. That is very important to me.

What are your daily challenges?

As it is very technical, the publication of articles or press releases always requires another look at the result from a specialist in the company. You shouldn’t overestimate yourself here, but play it safe and seek an exchange. I’m also very happy with my colleagues, who always have an open ear at short notice and are quick to check things out.

In addition, the interests from a marketing perspective always have to be reconciled with those of the management. That’s not so easy. In the end, it always serves the greater good, so individual interests have to be subordinated from time to time.

Is there a highlight from your time at TRICERA so far?

Every year, I am mainly responsible for organizing our presence at the electrical energy storage (EES) trade fair at Messe München. A lot of my working time goes into this, especially in the months leading up to it. I am therefore particularly proud when employees and guests report afterwards that they really enjoyed it and that everything was well planned.

What would you do at TRICERA with an unlimited marketing budget?

Since the beginning of my time here at the company, I have wanted our spirit animal, the TRICERATOPS, to be a small cuddly toy so that we can give visitors something with added value, for example at trade fair appearances or to employees who have a special event coming up.

What do you think the marketing world will look like in 30 years?

That’s a very difficult question to answer. I think that much more will take place in virtual spaces and that face-to-face interaction will unfortunately become less and less common. I can actually imagine that we will create digital images of ourselves that communicate with each other in a kind of metaverse. Advertising will then also be done in these rooms and guided tours of a battery storage facility will also take place virtually.

Let’s get a little more personal. It has already been mentioned in previous interviews that a lot of cooking is done as a team in the communal kitchen. I’ve heard that good food is also very important to you in your private life. What’s that all about?

Good food is very important to my wife and me. We cook a lot of fresh and varied food ourselves, although I tend to provide support. Here, too, we consciously make sure we have a balanced mix of meat and vegetarian food; during the week, for example, we eat meat-free. Cooking has also brought us closer to Michelin-starred cuisine and we go to restaurants with upscale and/or Michelin-starred cuisine at irregular intervals. The highlight so far has been René Frank in Berlin. In the fall, we are going to Viktoria Fuchs in the Black Forest.

How do you balance out the stressful working day in your free time? Do you have any hobbies apart from cooking?

We go hiking from time to time, I enjoy playing indoor soccer, volleyball or going to the gym. I’m also thinking about volunteering somewhere soon. I would like to give something back and support people who are not as well off as I am.

Finally: Who are you nominating for the next interview and why?

We have now been through all areas of the company once. It’s time for the management to have their say. That’s why I’m nominating Tim, co-founder of TRICERA energy GmbH and a respected expert when it comes to battery technology. Tim has many interesting views that should be heard.