The marketing world is her oyster

Michelline Nawatises

Anoesga du Toit has been employed at Namibia Media Holdings since 2013, and was a sales representative for classifieds before she became a client e\\xecutive administrator for the agency desk in 2015. This go-getter recently scooped a new position in the marketing department.

She will be contributing positively as client executive for the private sector. Her role will mainly focus on developing and maintaining existing client relationships as well as interacting and corresponding with prospective clients. “There surely is a lot of growth within the company,” Du Toit says.

She adds she is excited about the new clients she will deal with as she already has ideas she wants to bounce off her new manager.

When asked about the challenges in her career so far, she mentions her occupation has forced her to break down the walls of her ambivert personality. “I am one of those people who can talk to no one for a long period, but once I start talking, it’s difficult to get me to keep quiet,” she says with a giggle.

Du Toit adds that her current relationship manager and mentor Glenda Manthe-Grobler took her under her wing and helped her come out of her shell.

Goal-driven Du Toit has learnt several life lessons over the years, such as the rewarding feeling when you are able to be yourself amongst clients and at work.

She mentions that previously when she was working for classifieds, she was not as open and free as she is now because she felt she could not be herself due to the pressure of having to please everyone around her.

This is all in the past, however, as she now wears the ‘growth and adult mentality uniform’ boldly. She admits that bursting out of her bubble enabled her to get more proposals done. This is a living testimony as she ended 2019 on a high note by receiving the client executive of the year award.

Her typical day in the office starts with a cup of coffee, checking her emails, starting with proposals and making sure that quotations are correct. “This requires me to think of more ways to satisfy our clients,” she says.

Being the Safety and Health (SHE) representative of the marketing department adds more glitz to her custom-designed plate as she has to ensure a conducive working environment for her colleagues.

“My day normally ends at 18:00 because I can never walk out the door knowing I still have unfinished work. It makes me feel incomplete,” she says.

What inspires her is that she loves what she does. Du Toit believes that if you do not feel fulfilled in what you do, there is no passion flowing from within. “You cannot accept a job offer if you are aware that your mental and emotional well-being will be affected in the long run,” she says. The positive feedback she receives from clients inspires her to do even more.

The advice she would give to young people out there is “what they teach you in school is a fraction of what you will be doing in the future”.

“Always follow your instincts,” she adds.

Her plans are to study further and obtain a marketing and communications degree as well as learn a language or two (German and Italian).

Du Toit wishes she knew how to make a big sale by just snapping her fingers. “I wish I had ‘that thing’ the way Glenda and Hennie (colleagues) do when talking to their clients. I love attending meetings with them,” she adds.

Her greatest fear is not being successful, and if she could change one thing about the world, it would be people’s ‘I can’t do it’ mentality.