Meet Ahmed Ibrahim, Business Partnership Consultant in the Partnership Development team. Ahmed identifies and recruits new partners who can join the Odoo network and helps to scale up businesses from our Dubai office. Keep on reading if you are interested to learn about his role and day-to-day life at Odoo from Ahmed himself.
What does a Business Partnership Consultant do at Odoo?
My main targets as a Business Partnership Consultant in the Partnership Development department are to identify and recruit new partners to join the Odoo network. I am looking for IT businesses that provide software solutions and can expand Odoo's presence where we don't have our physical presence yet. A very important part of my role is to enable partners and assist them in having a fruitful partnership on their journey to an Odoo Gold Partner.
What does a typical work day look like?
I aim to arrive at the office early so I can enjoy my morning coffee and plan ahead for my work day. Once the clock hits 9 am, I start working on my admin tasks up until it’s time to join our morning team huddle. Afterward, I begin my scheduled calls taking into consideration the different time zones since I cover MENA and Pakistan markets. The calls vary from follow-ups to qualifying and assisting potential clients and partners.
As the relationship with my clients is very important to me, I get in touch with my partners on a regular basis to ensure that everything is working smoothly and they are constantly satisfied with Odoo. Quite often I assist my partners in the meetings with their prospective clients, starting by understanding the client’s business, gathering their requirements and needs, presenting a demo to finally sharing a proposal. I really enjoy all the stages of the sales cycle and try to strategize with my partners to ensure that they are on the right track.
The process of recruiting a partner is a key focus of my role as a Business Partnership Consultant. Whether it is a freelancer, start-up or well-established IT company, I always try to understand the business from the inside out. Then, I would explain our partnership business model, assist them in the qualification process to join our partner network and set their expectations on how their journey with Odoo would be.
Although my day is occupied with calls and meetings, it is always fun and filled with laughter and a great team spirit. In between calls or during my lunch break I like to join my colleagues for a quick game of basketball, ping pong or billiards. This is not to mention the countless free snacks that can be always found on the table.
What is your favourite part of the job?
My favourite part of being a Business Partnership Consultant at Odoo is establishing relationships with IT businesses and helping them grow and scale up. Also, the constant exposure to different industries and client personalities has helped me evolve on a personal and professional level.
What would be your advice for new joiners in the Partnership Development team?
Whether you are a fresh graduate, someone switching industries or trying to enhance your experience in the IT field, be prepared for a steep but fun learning curve when you join Odoo. My advice would be to take a step forward and don’t fear change. Everyone is welcome at Odoo.
Business Partnership Consultant day-to-day