Hey Croners, how are you? How did your Q2 start? Have you already achieved all your sales goals? Stay calm, we are not here to control you (just kidding) but only to give you your weekly dose of tips to boost your outbound sales. Here is the eighth episode of our “The Prospecting Masterclass” for you!
Today is here with us Annamaria Buccino, Sales Account @ Chorally!
Can a successful career in sales start entirely by accident? Of course it can!! Annamiaria’s story begins exactly like this. But maybe nothing really happens by chance. A great sales for a great company.
Find her interview below. Thanks Annamaria!
Here is the interview with Annamaria Buccino, enjoy reading!
1) Hi Annamaria, can you tell us about yourself and your experience in B2B Sales?
Hi there! My name is Annamaria and I work in sales. I actually stumbled upon this career quite by chance during an international internship while I was pursuing my master’s degree.
My main goal at the time was to improve my Spanish, so when a sales position came up, I haven’t been too concerned with the job description. The company was a tour operator, and since I was studying tourism management, it seemed like a good fit. But above all, I was just excited about the chance to live in Spain for a while. Little did I know, that decision would shape my entire professional journey.
After that initial B2C sales internship, it felt almost natural for me to apply for a B2B sales position and eventually land my first “real” job in sales. Over time, my eagerness to learn and grow in this sector helped me progress professionally.
Now that I am aware of the vast opportunities that sales can offer, including the chance to satiate curiosity and build meaningful relationships, I still choose to work in sales with full awareness.
2) How would you describe yourself if you could only use 5 words?
Sociable, empathetic, open-minded, pragmatic, goal-oriented.
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?
At the beginning of my career, I found it complex to negotiate prices and conditions. It was especially difficult because I was selling a tool for managing hotel and vacation rental bookings during the pandemic.
As someone new to sales, handling these negotiations was a big challenge. But thanks to the company’s strategies, and exchanging ideas with my manager and team, I learned a lot from this experience, like how to focus on long-term goals.
Since working at Chorally, a company that offers a platform for managing digital touchpoints, my challenge is to sell a solution that can solve various problems and be useful for professionals with different goals within their respective companies, from marketing to customer care managers. This has required me to get used to adjusting how I pitch our offering to meet each prospect’s specific need.
Listening closely, asking the right questions, and discovering how and if our solution can help each potential client achieve their objectives have been key for me. Although it’s been difficult, it’s fascinating to gain insight into different industries and perspectives. When you see how conversations become more meaningful, it’s worth the effort!
4) How do you see B2B outbound sales changing in the next 12 months? What challenges and trends do you anticipate?
I have observed a trend in Italy where professionals are becoming more used to receiving sales messages through LinkedIn than in previous years. In my opinion, this trend has two contrasting implications.
On one hand, social selling practices are becoming more mainstream, which could lead to less mistrust among recipients of outbound messages. On the other hand, buyer personas are being bombarded with content and requests for time “to discover more”, which leads to confusion and rejection, causing them to think “here’s another person trying to sell me something”.
To effectively reach potential clients and stand out in their inboxes, those using LinkedIn for sales will need to constantly adapt their strategies to changing reactions. This involves sharing valuable content and paying attention to developing relationships, of course. Calls can also aid in building relationships. Therefore, cold calling and social selling are not and will be not alternatives to one another, but rather complementary activities within inside sales.
5) What advice would you give to someone starting today as an SDR?
Keep calm and take your time to learn. The results will come!
Be inquisitive and gain a deep understanding of your market and the advantages of your product. Rather than bombarding potential customers, take a more thoughtful approach to sales by starting with a well-planned initial contact.
Keep reading The Prospecting Masterclass!
