The role of a junior sales executive is simple: to source for leads and manage outbound calls, including helping your prospects understand how your services work. However, they are an intricate part of your business if you must keep generating leads.
Not too long ago, we had one join our team, Astrid Vikingsdotter Johansson. A hunter and a former swimmer with desirable skills and an enviable background. Like it's our culture here at Gigapay to always get to know our talents, especially from an in-depth angle, we decided to have a conversation with Astrid, and needless to say, it was a fun experience.
We hope you enjoy this interview :)
Hi Astrid, can you tell us a bit about your background?
International mobility, sustainability, and diverse experience can, in short, describe my background. Recently I moved to Stockholm for my Master's studies, and before that, I lived in Gothenburg, which is the place I call home.
My childhood years were spent in North Carolina, USA, and Shanghai, China, together with my family, which has shaped my values to a large extent. However, in high school, we returned to Sweden, and most recently, I studied Corporate Sustainability during my Bachelor's degree in Gothenburg.
I was also very active in the student union board and Women's Network. I also have previous experience in retail, banking, and sustainability strategy at a large manufacturing company.
How did you get to this position?
Like most other things in life - pure coincidence and serendipity! It started off as a joint collaboration between Gigapay and the Stockholm School of Economics, where I am currently pursuing my Master's degree in Business Management.
During a course in innovation and another in marketing, a team from my class, including myself, helped Gigapay out as a live project! After meeting Raiha, Thomas, and Andrea during our regular meetings, I got a good feel for the culture and decided to apply, and the next thing we all were colleagues!
What are your primary responsibilities as a junior sales executive?
Lead-sourcing, outbound calling to leads, and showing demos!
What is a typical day (or week) like for you?
Currently, I am still in the learning phase where my development curve is exponential, and I get to learn several new things every day, which I absolutely love! This implies that my days look somewhat different depending on upcoming meetings or what is next as part of my onboarding.
However, most of my time is spent calling potential clients based on lead-sourcing that I have done before the calls. We have an excellent system through which we can call leads, take notes and keep track of the current lead status. This really facilitates my job and enables me to pick up the phone and start calling as soon as possible!
Naturally, as for my role, the goal I have with each call is to book a demo - and therefore, this is the second main part of my job: Showing demos to potential clients is a lot of fun if you ask me! It is a privilege to work with sales at Gigapay; considering the product is so smooth and solves many of our client's problems, it makes the use case relatively clear to convey!
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I am definitely a dog person! No doubt! I would never set foot in a cat café 😃
Is there a quote that motivates you?
However cliché - it is "Work hard, play hard" - I really appreciate working efficiently and respecting my teammate's time. Mutual commitment is also essential and a value I cherish because it simply creates more extraordinary results!
What are your hobbies?
A year back, I got my hunting license, and since then, it has become a hobby of mine to find my way to the forest and spend time with my father when we hunt together. In addition, this is a great way to relax and get out of town for some time. As a former swimmer, I also aim to make time to work out regularly, and therefore, this is also a hobby of mine :)
What do you like most about working at Gigapay?
The visionary vibe at Gigapay attracted me to Gigapay in the first place, and it's what I enjoy most about working here! I find it really fulfilling to be surrounded by a team of dream-big mentalities where everyone is embarked on a speedy trajectory accelerating towards the sky! It feels like anything is possible, and Gigapay will go to the moon!
What a fascinating interview, huh? We have more great posts for you, especially regarding running and managing your marketplace business for the best experience. So go ahead and subscribe to our newsletter to always stay in the loop :)
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