Quentin Martens, Account Manager
Meet Quentin, our new Account Manager in Belgium. With his fresh perspective, contagious enthusiasm, and passion for customer contact, Quentin is determined to find his way in the world of parking. In this interview, he talks about his first months at WPS, what energizes him in his work, his biggest parking blunder, and why he'd rather be a motorbike than a car.
What is your role within our company, and what exactly does your role entail?
Q: As off March 2025, I am an account manager at WPS in Belgium, so only since two and a half months. My role involves engaging with new customers and maintaining existing relationships. Since I’ve only just started, I’m currently focusing on new contacts. I spontaneously visit potential clients in a variety of sectors: from leisure and retail to supermarkets, hotels, architecture firms, and business parks.
It’s a broad audience, so I’m still very much discovering how everything works. In time, I’ll also be following up with existing clients.
What do you like most about your role?
Q: I love conversations in the field. Face-to-face meetings or site visits where you really can listen to what a client needs and work together on a solution. The variety of sectors makes the work very engaging.
And what I think would be the absolute best is closing the deal. That would really be the cherry on top. Hopefully, I’ll get to experience that myself in the near future.
What do you think are the most important qualities that someone in your position should have?
Q: You have to be able to adapt to the client’s level. Some clients know our systems well, so you can go into technical depth. With others, you need to explain things a bit more.
Persuasiveness and self-confidence are also important. Those really need to come through as an account manager.
If you could switch jobs with a colleague for a day, who would you choose and why?
Q: I’d choose a technician or installer. Tagging along for a day or two during an installation and seeing the result sounds really cool. Whether I could actually do it, I don’t know. I tell everyone I have two left hands!
What’s your biggest ‘parking blunder’? Have you ever made a hilarious parking mistake?
Q: Once I got a delivery van stuck in the mud on a forest road during a scouting activity. I thought, “We’ll make it through.” But we didn’t! Obviously, parking there wasn’t allowed, and a local farmer had to pull us out. We were stuck for two hours.
If you were a car, what type of car would you be and why?
Q: Can I say a motorbike? I own a black-and-white Ducati Monster. To me, it represents freedom. Moving through traffic calmly and attentively—that’s what I enjoy. And yes, I really do ride calmly, despite the Ducati!
Aside from a parking problem, what can people wake you up for in the middle of the night?
Q: A good travel deal to an exotic country, or a fun board game. Especially cooperative games where you win together. Less arguing, more teamwork!
What gives you the most energy during your work?
Q: When a customer responds positively to a quote and entrusts the project to us. Then you know: I listened well and was helpful.
Also, the colleagues. The atmosphere is great—that makes a big difference.
How would your colleagues describe you in three words?
Q: I should’ve asked them! Curious, because I ask a lot of questions. Enthusiastic. And hopefully also funny. We laugh a lot together.
But don’t ask me to tell a joke on the spot. I’m more of a spontaneous humor kind of guy.
What do you want to achieve professionally?
Q: First, I want to learn a lot—especially on the technical side. Then I want to grow my client portfolio and expand my network in the parking industry.
Eventually, I might want to move into a leadership role. But first, I really want to get to know the product and the market. So, step by step.
How do you see the future of parking?
Q: I see city centers becoming increasingly car-free, with more underground parking. That presents opportunities for us and for operators.
People say there will be less hardware, but I believe barriers will stay because they provide a sense of security. And AI? Maybe it’ll help with parking violations, automated billing, smart monitoring... The technology already exists. I’m curious to see where it goes.
What parking problem would you like to solve?
Q: What parking problem? WPS already exists, right? 😉
Seriously: blocking a charging station without charging is still frustrating. And the truck problem—lorries parked everywhere along roads because there aren’t enough designated spots. But maybe that’s outside our scope.
What’s the most memorable parking experience you’ve ever had, either as a driver or in your professional life?
Q: During a vacation in Mexico, we arrived in Izamal. We weren’t sure if it was a paid parking zone, but a police officer said he’d keep an eye on our rental car—for a small tip when we returned.
When we came back, he was nowhere to be seen. So, we just left. Didn’t pay a cent, sorry, officer!
Do you have any advice for customers to get the most out of our products and services?
Q: Have a conversation with our experts. Before I started here, I had no idea what was possible.
From a basic system with a single entry and exit to fully integrated cloud solutions with license plate recognition, it’s all available so just ask. There’s so much potential!
Who would you like to pass the ‘Meet our parking experts’ baton to?
Q: I’m impressed by how everything fits together technically: the programming, the system communication. So, I’d like to pass the baton to someone in development. And I’m throwing it back across the border to the Netherlands: Dave Soeren, it’s your turn!
