20 years at Scout24: Interview with Sales Expert Kornelia Schirmer

20 Years of Shaping Tomorrow: This is how Scout24 describes its 20-year success story from a pure advertising business to an established online market network. Kornelia Schirmer has been there from the very beginning. Reason enough to ask more detailed questions.

Job advertisement for ImmobilienScout24 in 1999

Hello Kornelia, when did you become a Scout and what brought you here?

I have been with Scout24 for 20 years now. My husband saw an ad in the Berliner Morgenpost on 31 January 1999 and said to me: “That’s where you belong.” ImmobilienScout24 was at that time a completely new search service provider on the German housing market. I applied for the position as a sales representative and then started directly on 11 March 1999.

What is your job at Scout24? What tasks and topics does your job at Scout24 involve?

Today I am still working in Sales at Scout24. As Project Manager Sales Enablement, together with my team I enable the other Scouts in Sales to sell successfully. We do coaching, trainings, workshops and have built up a knowledge base.

How have the requirements and challenges of your job changed over the last 20 years?

With regard to the beginnings of ImmobilienScout24, we have of course grown extremely. We are incredibly professional today. Our sales structures, the organisation and the tools with which we work are at the very highest level. In addition, we have always been very data-driven and still are today. This enables us to work very quickly and agilely.

How would you describe your experiences at Scout24 in three words?

Regarding my personal experiences, I would say: freedom, perspectives and cool people.

What was your absolute highlight during your time at Scout24?

The first big highlight for me was the launch of the ImmobilienScout24 website in June 1999. For us it was something very special that we actually made our offer available online. From a technical point of view this was not as self-evident as it is today.

What would you wish for the next 20 years?

For Scout24, I would like to see the further internationalisation of ImmobilienScout24, i.e. that in addition to Germany and Austria, we will also be launching as an online market network for real estate in other European countries. Personally, it is very important to me that we as a company continue to preserve our values and live them at all levels. The company is only so successful because of the people who have made Scout24 what it is today.