Hi Croners, for the third episode of our column “The Prospecting Masterclass” we have with us the first woman interviewed in this blog (and hopefully not the last!): Chiara Aluigi, International Sales Executive of Mooncard.
Chiara is definitely one of the best talents of her generation at an international level. The thing that most immediately impressed us is the great passion for her work.
An out of the ordinary determination combined with an excellent ability to build relationships makes Chiara one of the brightest Sales Leaders of the future.
Find her interview below. Thanks Chiara!
Here is the interview with Chiara Aluigi, enjoy reading!
1) Hi Chiara, can you tell us about yourself and your experience in B2B Sales?
I’ve been in B2B Sales since graduating. Working in this field just came naturally, probably due to my ease in approaching prospects and to my understanding of a pain point and how I can deliver a solution that is a win-win outcome. When I am leading a negotiation, I am not simply working: I am challenging myself on a daily basis.
Speaking several languages also helped – I spent four years in London and I also lived in Barcelona and Seoul.
Currently I am working as International Sales Executive in Paris at Mooncard, the European Fintech leader specialized in corporate spend management.
2) How would you describe yourself if you could only use 5 words?
Aim to outperform my targets.
3) What are the most difficult challenges you have faced regarding Prospecting and Outbound Sales in your past and current professional experiences? How did you solve them?
Mooncard opened the International market (Italy, DACH, Benelux, Spain) around one year ago.
Being among the first Sale Representatives introducing our product to new countries, the greatest challenge has been that whilst every country shares the same topline challenge around corporate spend management, the details often vary.
This means we’ve had to spend time understanding different customer segments and how we can bring them a solution with each new market. This means quite a lot of test-and-learn in our sales approach to begin with as we adapt.
Sometimes this can seem like a long process, particularly when we like to deliver solutions as quickly as possible, but the patience is worth it for the long term.
4) How do you see B2B outbound sales changing in the next 12 months? What challenges and trends do you anticipate?
In my experience, the most significant/successful sales came from personal prospecting on LinkedIn.
Having established your client persona, a personalized and impactful message can make magic happen. I like to reach out directly to administrative board members to already have the necessary authority while proposing our software to the technical buyers.
It might sound a bit drastic, but in my opinion – to the delight of secretaries – cold calling will slowly fade away to focus on reaching out to people online on social media platforms for business. Even today these platforms can be a critical step in understanding who you are contacting and how you can help them, elements that are essential in the SDR process.
5) What advice would you give to someone starting today as an SDR?
As U.S. President Calvin Coolidge said: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent”.
You will receive a lot of NOs while prospecting: never take them personally and continue doing your thing. Trust me: it is always worth it.
