Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re up to now.
I’m a born and raised Salvadoran with over a decade of experience in sales in different industries such as Home Services, SaaS and the Payments. I currently live in Dublin, Ireland with my wife and four dogs. In my free time I enjoy watching/playing football, taking long walks with my wife and of course cuddling with my dogs while I annoy them taking tons of pictures. Currently I work at Stripe where I’m a Product Account Executive, in this role I get to work and support multiple Account Executives across different segments such as Startups, SMBs and Enterprises across EMEA and as well I have the opportunity to work with cross functional teams such as product development and engineering.
What was your journey into a career in Tech sales?
Before my breakthrough in the Tech sales space I worked for almost 7 years in the contact center/BPO industry. There I had the opportunity to develop my sales skills as I held multiple roles as a cold caller and retention specialist working for the US market. The BPO industry played a crucial role and was the perfect stepping stone to sharpen English as my second language. During my tenure in the BPO industry I had the privilege to work as an outsourced SDR for Google, working from El Salvador while I reported directly to Google’s sales leadership team in Mountain View, CA, this was my first real exposure to tech sales and a breaking point as I had to manage a book of accounts and create tailor campaigns to book meetings for my assigned Account Executive. Being an SDR and getting direct exposure to SFO based AEs ignited a fire inside me and being promoted to an AE became my top priority!After a short run as an SDR, Google’s sales team gave me the opportunity to become an outsourced Account Executive for the Very Small Businesses segment, and for that opportunity I will be forever grateful, is not an everyday thing that a call center agent, especially from an underdeveloped country such as El Salvador gets a chance to prove himself with one of the biggest companies in the history of the world. Sales became my passion, and reaching new heights the driving force that opened doors for me in El Salvador’s leading Software Development company (Applaudo Studios) and as well Unicorns such as Deel and now Stripe.
What would you say are the best things about working in Tech Sales?
I won’t lie, from my point of view the best thing about working in tech sales are commissions, but along with that comes the multiple opportunities to develop new skills that only being exposed to brilliant entrepreneurs and companies give you. Also, one of the things I enjoyed the most about working in sales is being able to foster collaboration environments and learning how to work with multiple personalities is a highlight of my role, in the future I’d like to be in a leadership position where I get the opportunity to influence and support the short and long term goals of the people I work with.
What advice would you give to someone who is just about to start their career in sales?
Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions… adopting a curious mindset will take you to new heights and will only open doors to gain business acumen and will become crucial to build a network of people you can rely on. Along with a curious mindset, I believe that learning to feel “comfortable” with not knowing all the answers is one of the best advices I could give anyone interested in perusing a career in sales tech, in this always evolving career it is important to be mindful that you will not always have the right answer and that’s ok. People don’t expect you to be a know it all.
Why did you decide to join Tangent as a Mentor and why should others join as Mentors too?
When I came across Tangent I just immediately knew I needed to be part of it as their mission is very close to my heart. Coming from an underdeveloped country in Central America that historically has been one of the poorest and most dangerous countries in the world I know first hand the struggles and challenges you can face as you try to progress in your career, and the place you’re born doesn’t have to be the only thing that dictates your future. Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to come across multiple people that were willing to share feedback, answer my never ending questions and share their best practices. As they say “We raise by lifting others”, so now is my time to give back and hopefully be of help. In tech you often hear in companies mission statements that they intend to improve people’s lives, and I cannot think of a better opportunity than this one to make this a reality.
Ready to make a difference?
A few hours a month, a lifetime of impact. Tangent connects you with aspiring Business Development Reps from socially diverse backgrounds for short-term mentoring and an employee referral.
Sign up to be a Tangent Mentor today 👇
