Welcome to our Meet the 50 Team series, where we give you the lowdown on how the people at 50onRed get stuff done. This time we’re sitting down with one of our platform Account Managers, Arianna Bonefont!
Tell us about yourself and a typical workday at 50onRed.
I’ve been at 50onRed for almost a year now, and it’s been such a great experience! As Account Manager, I’m a part of the Sales Team. My job focus is coordinating our advertiser relationships. I help new advertisers learn the ins and outs of our Traffic Platform and advise current advertisers looking to expand their campaigns. I also review new campaigns to make sure they’re compliant and working properly.
As for my typical workday, every morning MUST start with an iced coffee! After that, I’m mostly on calls with our advertisers to offer tips, answer questions, or bring them up to speed. Throughout the day, there’s definitely a lot emailing, chatting, and brainstorming.
Taking the time to go through campaigns with advertisers one-on-one is mutually beneficial. This way, the advertiser and I can both learn what works, and what doesn’t work and can be improved. To help advertisers optimize their campaigns, I take a look at everything from keywords to creatives and ad copy to bids. Sometimes it takes a little digging to find insights, but one thing I try to do on every call is let the advertiser know that I’m here to help. I had an advertiser tell me once, “I know you’re in sales, but you have a good way of speaking to people. I trust in your advice.”. It’s always nice to have people thank you for taking time out of your day to speak with them, whether I’m helping them understand how to use a tool or sending them support documents so they know where to look for help if I’m not available.
I also reach out to accounts that have been inactive to explain how 50onRed has changed since their last campaign with us. After every call, I always ask about the advertiser’s user experience and if there’s anything we can improve. It’s a great way to get feedback to pass along.
What types of tools are essential to your day-to-day?
Definitely Skype, Appointlet, Intercom, Slack and (of course) our Traffic Platform. Skype is how I communicate with most of my clients. When there’s a language barrier, Skype makes it easier to communicate. Intercom is a great way to pull and download usage reports for the platform or a specific advertiser. I’m especially thankful for Appointlet because it helps me keep my calls organized. I often have as many as seven calls a day, and Appointlet eliminates the back-and-forth emails setting up a time to speak.
Tell us a little about 50onRed’s Sales Team.
The 50onRed Sales Team is a group of hard-working men and women who truly give 100% everyday. I’ve learned so much, not only from the NYC office where I work, but from the Philly office as well. I can honestly say that, from starting here a year ago, my time management skills, communication skills, and creativity have improved tremendously.
Your team is NYC-based. How are the NYC and Philly vibes different?
The NYC team is a lot louder! But we work really well together. I’ve grown so much learning from Mike (Director of Sales) and Jeff (Business Development Manager), as well as from our distro team. I came into this really only understanding Sales/Account Management, and each one of them has taught me new things. As a team, we really work hard everyday to accomplish the tasks at hand, and also have fun doing it.
How often do you come back to the mothership (a.k.a. our Philly headquarters)?
I go to Philly every couple of months. It’s always great to have everyone working together. When you’re in NYC, you don’t really see the manpower that goes into making the platform work. I really like going down for the quarterly meetings because you can see how much we’ve accomplished as a group each quarter and what’s in store for the future. It’s also nice to see everyone I speak with on Slack chat day in and day out.
Do you have a mentor at 50onRed? What have you learned from them?
At 50onRed, my mentors are definitely Mike and Jeff. They both consistently push me to think outside the box. Mike has taught me, without a doubt, that you have to work hard to make things work. There is a solution for every problem at hand. Sometimes the solution is simple and right in front of you, but you have to stop and think. Jeff is also great. He’s always a great supporter and always reminds me not to be too hard on myself if something doesn’t work out the way I anticipated.
Any advice for individuals looking to work in Sales for a tech startup?
It’ll be one of the best decisions you can make, but be prepared to learn new things everyday. You’re going to have to adapt quickly to changes, and always be on your toes. You’ll push yourself to accomplish goals, even if they’re small. Read as much as you can about new and upcoming changes in technology, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. There’s no such thing as a dumb question (most of the time!).
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