Hey Croners! Welcome to our brand new column Crono Talks, a series of interviews with projects and people that have blown our minds. We aim to bring inspiration and give deserved credit to those working hard and with great ideas.
In our first episode, we’ll have a chat with @Alessandro Marotto, one of the founders of @SDRs of Italy, a community project born to bring together brilliant sales professionals from Italy.
In the first part of this interview, we’ll get to know Alessandro and then the idea, let’s get started!
Crono Talks ep.1 - SDRS of Italy
Hi Alessandro! First challenge: 10 words to describe yourself
Enthusiastic, determined, creative, with an entrepreneurial spirit and a methodical approach.
Can you give us a recap of your career?
My sales journey started around 8 years ago with a London start-up doing cool things with mobile apps for artists and music events. Back then, all I knew was that I wanted to dive into sales. That was also the time I went back to Uni to get a degree in Business and at the time sales seemed like the perfect fit for me.
So one day, I came across a job post on Gumtree (is it still around?), and they were looking for a sales rep who could speak Italian and thrived on customer focus. Luckily, got the job within a week. It was also around this time that I discovered my love for tech, and London was buzzing with tech opportunities at the time.
Fast forward three years, and I find myself working for SAP, one of the biggest in the software space. From sales rep to account manager and finally to account executive – the past 6/7 years have been a rollercoaster for me. The account executive role, I’ll admit, is crazy demanding but so rewarding. It pushes you out of your comfort zone, making you think on your feet and get super creative.
What's the advice you would give to a junior sales in the Italian market?
Now, the Italian market – it’s also a challenge, no doubt. But it’s also a sweet spot with its own rewards.
Based on my sales journey, If I were to give some advice to someone looking to start a sales career, I’d say go for it. Sales isn’t just about business; it shapes you personally, teaching you negotiation, communication, and above all, resilience. And the constant need to reinvent yourself – that’s the beauty of sales. On the flip side, flexibility is cool, but I’m afraid it can get lonely with remote work and hundreds of cold calls to make.
Inside SDRs of Italy
What's the story behind SDRs of Italy?
The idea behind SDRs of Italy was brewing for some time. As a Sales Rep, I wanted a space where salespeople could have a voice, learn, exchange ideas, and not be bored out of their minds.
Sales can be a grind, especially when you’re making endless calls, all day, by yourself. More than anything, I wanted to shout out to sales reps in Italy – felt like we weren’t getting the recognition they deserved. I mean, come on, we are the oxygen for companies, opening doors left and right.
Content creation was something I also wanted to explore, and diving into the community seemed like a great way to integrate that. Didn’t plan on a community, though. It hit me after coming across similar setups elsewhere and realizing there was a gap in the Italian market. So, I took the initiative, created one, and after a few months, people started buzzing about how awesome the idea was.
Sure, it started with manual invites and me juggling content creation, but a month in, fellow Reps were reaching out, excited to be part of this community. That was the push I needed to keep going and truly believe in this project.
However, it wasn’t as smooth as it sounds…For 11 months, I tried to pitch the community to others in the hope someone would like the idea and help me with the project. People would dip their toes, interested but hesitating at the thought of working for free and for a non-profit cause. And then, Jacopo walked in.
I met him through a professional project, and he’s the guy who jumped on this mission when everyone else I contacted was giving me the “not interested” answer.
Quick clarification – while it’s called SDRs of Italy, it’s not just about SDRs. We’re spreading the love to account executives, sales managers, senior sales folks and Marketing aiming to consume and helping us delivering value through relevant content.
What are your 2024 goals?
We have big plans for SDRs of Italy in 2024! Growing the community in terms of followers and kicking content quality are top priorities. We’re also ruling out website and currently sending out surveys to a chunk of the community to improve what we do and get the content right.
Why professionals should join and follow SDRs of Italy?
If you’re in Sales, targeting the Italian Market and reading this, joining SDRs of Italy is a must. Why? Because we’ve got some crazy plans, and there’s no better time to hop on board.
We are going to introduce ambassadors figures – folks representing the community delivering knowledge through webinars and classes.
It’s super easy to reach out to us – hit up our LinkedIn page or send an email to info@sdrsofitaly.com. We’re all ears and ready to welcome you to the SDRs of Italy community.
