We recently caught up with Lilia Nunez Guerrero to ask about her experience since joining the inside sales team at Bandalier, and the transition to her current role as Sales Trainer.
What was your educational and work background prior to joining Bandalier?
I worked on customer service for a while and then as a tour guide for my college. I was a senior in college when I started at Bandalier and graduated with a psychology major in May 2021.
What made you choose Bandalier specifically?
I actually just stumbled across Bandalier while looking for a job, it was a bit of a coincidence. Ever since getting hired I realized this is truly a great place to work at and how much it embodies the kaizen culture. Bandalier has also helped me discover and develop my passion for sales.
This was your first B2B sales job, so how would you describe what your day to day looked like to somebody else who may not have done this type of work before?
I started my day with a meeting, and went on to do cold outreach, which means I was reaching out to people (via calls, emails, and LinkedIn) without any type of set meeting/time scheduled. My ultimate goal was to give them some information on my client and see if they’d be interested in a web demonstration of the platform.
It didn’t take long for you to break into management at Bandalier, what was it that interested you about management?
Truly, it was my manager, Alex. While I was working with my client, Alex was really good at delegating tasks, which meant every now and again I was doing some Jr. program manager tasks like writing a script or running a stand-up meeting. Alex noticed I had potential in management and suggested that I apply for the Jr. program manager position that was open and explained how that would help me grow professionally.
Reflecting on time as a program manager at Bandalier, what were the most rewarding and most challenging aspects of that role, which was your first management role?
The most rewarding part of being a PM was being able to help other reps in my pod. It took a lot of effort for me to become a good sales representative, I made every mistake and asked every question possible in order to grow, this meant that when a rep had an issue or was struggling with something I was usually able to help them because I’d already gone through that myself.
I’d say the most challenging part, especially at first, was being able to accomplish all the things I needed to do throughout the week. I had meetings to run and attend, forms to fill, and had new reps that needed to be trained, all on top of the things that I knew needed improvement from my time as a rep. After a while, I was able to create different habits that helped me stay organized and complete all the tasks I had during the week.
Congrats on your new role as a sales trainer, tell us about what you do day to day now?
My position now is surrounding our new reps. I spend the day working with Daniel Pressman to improve our initial training process and help reps be ready for outreach once they’re matched with a client. More specifically, during the day I do research, write up helpful material, have RP sessions with our new reps, and attend/run our daily reviews.
For a lot of people sales can be an afterthought, what would you tell somebody who is about to start their career or is considering a career switch about sales as a profession and why they should consider it?
Sales is more than an annoying phone call that gets ignored. By doing sales you can help companies grow by either growing interest in their product through outreach or presenting them a product that will help improve their company. If you go into sales, you’ll never be bored because every day will be different, you’ll get to talk/connect with new people and will have to think on your feet constantly. Also, there is so much room for growth within sales that you won’t feel stagnant, there’s always something new you can learn or a new industry you can explore all through sales.
What do you think are the most important things somebody starting out in a customer facing position can do to help them succeed?
Always be willing to learn! You called someone and you got rejected? Look at the techniques you used and maybe learn some new ones that might work when you are presented with a similar situation. Your emails are being ignored? Ask someone who is really good at emails to teach you how to better personalize them, or how to create a better subject line. Even when you have a successful interaction with a prospect (a call/email that ended in a result) there’s something to learn from the things you did well during that interaction and how to keep using those techniques to continue to be successful.
How have you grown while at Bandalier?
Bandalier has not only helped me develop and improve my sales skills, but they have also taught me what it takes to be a good leader, how to effectively give and receive feedback, and how to improve my communication skills. During my time at Bandalier I have grown as a sales representative, as a leader, and as a person.
Who do you think Bandalier would be a good fit for?
Anyone who is willing to learn and grow. Bandalier is not looking for people that know everything there is to know about sales, they are looking for people who are willing to put in the effort to always get better, someone who understands that sales is always growing and changing and is willing to put in the work to be successful in the field.
