Meet Nerea and Austen from Sales
Nerea: I am Nerea, currently living in Berlin, but I’m originally from Bilbao in Spain. I like to spend my free time doing sports, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. Travelling and discovering other cultures is one of my biggest passions. I spent 1 year living and travelling around Australia which was the greatest adventure of my life. Before I started at Productsup, I worked in the events department of a hotel and at two marketing and event agencies in Madrid.
Austen: Born in Australia, I grew up with the ocean salt in my face, a skip in my step, and blissfully unaware that I’d one day work in Sales. Since childhood, I’ve always had a passion for technology which stems from my father's entrepreneurial endeavours in the mining industry.
At 17, I moved to Melbourne, where I studied Finance and Marketing at La Trobe University. I then began a career in event management and consulting. Many moons later, I’m now happily married and living in Munich, Germany, with 7 years of tech sales experience. My current role at Productsup is Enterprise Account Executive.
Why did you decide to join Productsup?
Nerea: After living in Madrid for 2 years, I decided to move to Germany to develop my career and make a new start abroad. Productsup was a great fit from the start. I’ve never felt so welcomed in an interview and the career path was exciting. I’ve been working at Productsup for 15 months and am thrilled to work on such an amazing team where I can continue improving my sales skills.
Austen: About a month before my wedding, Wesley Husted – VP of Global Business Development – told me about his new role at Productsup. His excitement and motivation captivated me. At the time, I was working for an AI firm in the construction industry.
One dinner later, Wesley convinced me to chat with Productsup’s CSO, Christian Reichert. Following a call with Christian, I submitted a formal application for a role. Natalia Cozma from the recruitment team took over the process and everything ran smoothly.
One year on, I am about to finish 2022 with full quota attainment. I’m surrounded by amazing people and a platform that creates real value for our happy customers. I couldn’t be happier about my decision to join Productsup.
From sales with love
Describe a typical day in your job
Nerea: I work as a BDR in the Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH) markets. My main task is to identify, target, and generate new opportunities using outbound tactics. In this way, I generate a pipeline for my Account Executive and the company. After starting this journey in the SaaS world, I realized how interesting it is to learn about new digital tools and developments. In the future, I see myself working as an Account Executive and continuing to help customers in e-commerce.
Austen: As the job title suggests, an Enterprise Account Executive prospects and manages the sales process for key strategic accounts within their region – in my case, that’s the United Kingdom and Ireland. I am the customer liaison and project lead for existing Enterprise accounts for any upsell or renewal opportunities, which entails working closely with our remarkable client success team. For new business opportunities, Account Executives (AE) create territory plans and develop strategies with the Sales Development Partnership and Marketing teams.
I would like to one day reach the directorship level and be involved in strategic decisions that can help the company as a whole scale beyond my individual quota contribution. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and believe I could be a great team lead.
What do you like most about working with customers?
Nerea: Most of my customers are brand manufacturers and retailers in companies with more than 1,000 employees. These companies usually struggle to manage their product data and need a solution that helps them ensure high-quality content on whatever market, language, or distribution channel they sell. With our platform, we help them to take full control of their data all the time. One of the things I like the most about working as a BDR is being the first point of contact with the customers. This enables me to nurture them, learn about their tech stack, and identify their pain points.
Austen: In my first quota-carrying month at Productsup, I closed a deal with a global jewellery brand within four days because the project lead was a former Productsup user and loved our platform. Never have I worked at a company where the Product, Client Success, and Support teams were held in such high regard by their customers. As an AE, our name and reputation are on the line every time we prepare a contract, so it really means the world to have a Post-Sales team that goes above and beyond customers’ expectations.
Technology is changing consumer behaviour and the paths between supplier and buyer are becoming infinitely complex. Trusted 130-year-old brands like Sears and many more have collapsed due to an inability to adapt to change. A lot of businesses I speak with are holding a Rubik's cube with maybe one or two sides of the puzzle solved but are missing the ability to create a complete and global approach to their e-commerce strategy. Productsup is already a key strategic solution for many businesses today. I strongly believe that P2C platforms will become as indispensable as CRMs in the near future.
Why do you love selling?
Nerea: I love selling because it gives me the flexibility and freedom to build my own strategy and to help companies make decisions that could make them more efficient. My social skills are a great fit for this job because I get to meet new people from around the world without leaving my home. I had never received performance bonuses before, and I was delighted when I received my first bonus at Productsup. I wasn’t happy just because of the money. Rather, it was the feeling that the team valued my work.
Austen: I never actually planned to go into Tech Sales. If you asked me 7 years ago to present a keynote speech I would have had a panic attack. Fortunately, I have always been surrounded by influential people who helped get me where I am today. A former Salesforce Sales Director taught me the science behind sales and really helped awaken my passion. Today I’m hungry to be the best and see every day as an opportunity to solve problems and create new and lasting relationships.
Productsup is the place to be
Why should other people join the Productsup Sales team?
Nerea: You should join our team if you want to start or develop your career in sales and learn about e-commerce. You will love this job if you're a self-starter as well as a team player who enjoys working in a competitive environment. I would advise future joiners to have an open mindset, embrace change and always remember to have fun.
What I love most about working at Productsup is the people. No matter who you talk to, everyone is open and happy to help. I feel blessed to work in a company that trusts in its employees and gives them the opportunity to grow their careers.
Austen: If you’re a high-energy, focused individual looking to be rewarded and appreciated for your performance, then the Productsup Sales Team is the right place for you. You will be trusted to create your own strategy for success, though will always feel supported by our authentic and highly experienced team. The total addressable market for what we solve in the e-commerce industry is only going to get bigger and there is no better time to reach out to our talent acquisition team than today.
Natalia Cozma, Senior talent acquisition manager gives her perspective on the qualities salespeople should possess.
“There are quite a number of skills one needs to possess to be a successful salesperson at Productsup. But beyond knowing what MEDDIC is or how to use LinkedIn Navigator, being a great salesperson means harmonizing your soft sales and technical sales skills.
Having an entrepreneurial mindset is also crucial. All successful salespeople at Productsup take the initiative, they are persuasive, and they always remain positive no matter what happens. Join us!"
Team up with us!
Productsup is a sum of its unique blend of talented individuals who are the main ingredient in our collective success. Our 345 employees from 46 nationalities cover 45 markets and serve 1000 customers. Together we build, together we achieve, together we care.
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