In our newest interview, Bandalier Alumni Matt Alaimo shares how his experiences with the Bandalier team helped him grow into his current role as an Account Executive. Keep reading to learn more, or pause to watch the video and get Matt’s best advice for new inside sales professionals.
Matt joined the Bandalier team in the summer of 2021. After earning his degree in marketing from Binghamton University in 2019, exploring a career in sales seemed like a natural next step. Matt explored a variety of outside sales roles, but none were quite the right fit for him. By early 2021, he knew he was ready to build a career in sales. But he also knew that he’d need more specific training:
“I saw Bandalier provided remote work… and they gave me specific sales training. I had gone into sales roles, but there’s a kind of a common theme where when you get a marketing degree, you run into a situation where you transition into sales roles even though you never really got sales training. This was my first opportunity to get actual sales training.”
In his first sales roles, Matt quickly noticed the gap between his marketing skills and the qualities he needed to succeed in sales role. While marketers and sales development reps both focus on generating interest, their processes for doing so differ widely:
“In marketing, you don’t learn anything about closing or setting next steps. You throw the net and see who’s interested, and after that your job is done.”
Matt was ready to follow his prospects further down the funnel. He dove headfirst into Bandalier University, and quickly integrated new techniques into his conversations:
“If you don’t have next steps, you have nothing. A lot of times, you’ll go back and forth with people. The large majority or people aren’t going to outrightly say no to you. They don’t want to be rude, they don’t want to be mean, but that doesn’t mean that it’s like “okay, we’re gonna go buy now.” They’re just not gonna be rude, and they’re gonna move on. And then you’re left in this middle ground where you’re calling over and over and over again. And you get nothing … or you end up booking a meeting that they have no intention of showing up for.”
With Bandalier University complete, Matt prepared to start his new role as part of our outsourced sales teams for startups. He recognized that he could find opportunities where other SDRs saw obstacles:
“Gatekeepers can tell you to send an email – but then you’re not getting back to anybody. Saying you’ll call back in 20 minutes may get you the opportunity to know that there’s a better time to call your prospect.”
As Matt developed his sales skills, he realized that exploring other roles would further enhance his sales skills. In early 2022, he launched into a new role as part of Bandalier’s largest customer success team. Throughout his time in the role, he honed his active listening and rapport-building skills.
In late 2022, Matt was ready to explore new roles. He joined our Talent Network and quickly connected with a fast-growing tech company. By the beginning of 2023, Matt had joined their team as an Account Executive. Throughout the year, he’s firmly established himself as a core member of their sales team.
Looking back, this is the advice he would offer to folks who are preparing to change their career path:
“Control what you can control. And enjoy the journey there. There’s definitely times that there’s been frustration. Don’t focus on where you’re going to be, focus on where you are now, and how you’re going to get there. Take as many learning opportunities as you can. As long as youre focusing on enjoying the process, and learning, and developing as many skills as you possibly can, it’ll come. You just gotta control what you can control there.”
