VINCENT VAN DEN BERG, WAVE KITCHEN PRODUCTS

Vincent van den Berg is co-owner and commercial manager of Wave Kitchen Products. This company has been the leader in the field of extractor hoods in the luxury segment since 1995. From whom did Vincent learn the tricks of the trade and who was his wheelbarrow? Text: Larissa Schaule Jullens
Image: Manola van Leeuwe

What was your very first job?

“I was 15 years old when I decided I wanted to earn my own money. My first real part-time job was washing dishes. I've had all kinds of part-time jobs, whenever I could work. Between the ages of fifteen and twenty I was, so to speak, richer than I am now. I got my first real job when I was 23 years old. I worked as an account manager at a company that sold chip cards and chip card systems. I came here through a friend of mine at the time. The Jaarbeurs was a customer of mine at the time. I felt pretty cool at that time, mainly because of the responsibility I was given. I was allowed to go out a lot to visit customers. I did this without any sales training and I was quite successful. I had a positive mentality and I mainly thought: let's go for it, accelerate and sell that bite. I ended up working at this company for 1,5 years.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“My father started this company in 1995 and my mother joined a few months later. In the summer of 2003 – sixteen years ago – my father asked if I also wanted to work in the company. My parents worked in the company for nineteen years. At some point we decided to part ways for business purposes. I wanted to continue and they were already over 65. In the meantime, my wife Kim had also joined the business to continue the company with me if my parents stopped. Jerry Severins had been working with us as an account manager since 2008 and I knew that he had the ambition to run a company. In 2014 he was given the opportunity to take over 50% of my parents' shares and he has been my partner ever since. I own the remaining 50%. Together with Kim and Jerry we form the MT. Now – in 2020 – I am commercial manager of Wave Kitchen Products and am ultimately responsible for sales on the commercial level. My primary focus is export.”

Who was your wheelbarrow in that?

“Of course my father has been my wheelbarrow. That has sometimes worked against me, but overall it has helped me. If son of When you end up in a company - where everyone already knows each other well - you really have to prove yourself. I really had some enemies back then. Fortunately, my father was very appreciated in the market and that reflected on me in some way. My father has had nothing to do with the company for seven years, but even now people still talk very positively about him.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“Last night I drove through The Hague to visit people who had problems with their extractor hood. The most enjoyable part of my job is the reception when I visit people's homes. They are always busy with fun things, namely with their house. I have so much knowledge, mainly about extractor hoods, but also about other peripheral matters such as interior design. The best thing is to think along with these people and give good advice. I have a backpack with a lot of experience and so I can join in their world. I enjoy developing fun things together.”

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“There is one learning moment that has always stayed with me. That's because it has helped me a lot, both professionally and privately. I do better professionally than privately, by the way. One of the first appointments I made during my first job was at a comprehensive school. My job was to ensure that students could pay with a card at the vending machines. Anyway, I arrived on site and I started talking to a school employee who was in charge of that device. I start talking after fifteen minutes he says to me: “I hate salespeople like you so much.” That's not a compliment, so I laughed. I asked what he meant by his comment. Then he said the wise words: “You tell me so much that I have no interest in.” He was right. The most important lesson for a salesperson – as a human being at all: you first have to know what's happening on the other side before you can sell anything. It means: ask questions, ask questions and ask more questions. Being really interested in the other person. There's no point in trying to sell a red car if someone wants a green one. This comment comes back to my mind so often. This really helped me.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“Actually, I would like to be in the same position as then. Back then I was sometimes stubborn and arrogant and I still am. But that has brought me to where I am now. My father once said about me: you have to let him go and he has to figure it out for himself first. If he doesn't get it then he will come. But you have to let him go first.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“If I'm completely honest, I wouldn't know for whom. I hope to become a wheelbarrow for my children, but I don't expect them to work in our company later. I have experienced working with your parents as a privilege, but it also requires a lot of energy and tensions arise. They are your parents and you are not equal to each other. I don't feel like doing that with my children, so I won't be a wheelbarrow for them in that area.”