BizzaValues: How The Bizzabo Sales Team Is Better Together

At Bizzabo, we put people first. That’s why we launched the BizzaValues program to help us further cultivate our company values and culture. Here’s what Account Executive Massimiliano Scatarzi has to say about it.

Last month we kicked off the Bizzavalues project – a journey through Bizzabo’s eight core values that shape our company culture. The concept is simple: every month each team at Bizzabo will focus on ways that we can not just talk the talk, but actually walk the walk – creating actionable ways to let our values guide our work.

I know what you’re thinking: “Silly Millennials, with their values and their startup culture mumbo-jumbo!” Trust me, I was right there with you, but the truth is that going through this process has allowed me to become a better Account Executive for my customers. Also, I got a nutella and banana crepe out of it – and if you know me you know that I can always be persuaded with food.

This month’s value is Better Together. The challenge: finding ways for Bizzabo to become the peanut butter-chocolate cup of event management software; the strawberries and cream of software; the mozzarella and tomato of…well, you get the picture: how can Bizzabo better leverage the wealth and diversity of talents within our different teams to deliver the best experience possible? So we focused on ways that sales can work and communicate better with our Marketing, Product and Customer Success teams.

A Little About Me

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.” –Margaret Fuller

I transitioned into software sales after almost a decade spent running marketing, sales and operations for several fashion brands. My experience in the industry taught me two things: one is that (at least in my case) Italian genes do not a fashionable man make; the other is that managing communications and logistics for complex operations will take over your life if you don’t have the proper systems in place to facilitate teamwork. Sound familiar?

Having been involved in multiple aspects of my previous employers’ businesses, I have a natural inclination to want to learn about the different functions of the value chain to see if there are opportunities to create efficiencies that will benefit the company and clients. Rolling up my sleeves and getting in the trenches with other teams is the best way I know to do this – which is why I’m excited that Better Together is a fundamental value at Bizzabo.

Interacting so closely with my teammates and clients has given me insights into software solutions, common event planner challenges and effective marketing strategies. It makes me a better product consultant for my customers and gives me the proper context to learn from prospects as well.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

As Account Executives, we all strive to be number one. There should always be a healthy competition amongst salespeople. Bizzabo is no exception, but we’re also adamant about making ourselves available to share advice, brainstorm solutions or jump on a demo to help each other speak with potential customer. This happens naturally because we trust each other, but also because we know that the success of the company depends on our ability to share best practices that add value to our clients.

Account Executives at Bizzabo have a diverse set of experiences and skills. Some people on our team are event planners themselves. Others are stellar marketers. Others have a technical solution for any situation. Working together allows us to share knowledge and best practices for the benefit of our clients.

The Best Medicine in the Land

Bizzabo is on a mission to make event planners more successful. We believe that events have the power to bring us together to share ideas and best practices that can have a real impact on people’s lives. When we get in front of a prospect our approach is that of a doctor with a patient. Yes, we are a sales team but we’re not here to pump you up with medicine or give you surgeries you don’t need.

We know events and the technologies that power them, so our customers trust us to give them honest advice. We are here to listen to symptoms and give advice on how to run a healthier events business. We also happen to have the best medicine in the land – but if it’s not needed, we won’t recommend it. We’ll work with the prospect to find the best solution for their particular situation.

One of the best resources for our customers is the Customer Success team, which has the most experience with practical applications for our product. Whenever Account Executives have a question or particular use case we do our best to to come up with solutions – but we always work with Customer Success reps to ensure that it will be practical and valuable for the client.

The Power of Conversation

Sometimes prospects have difficulty putting their finger on what may be holding them back, and it’s our job as event technology experts to help them analyze their situation so we can find a solution together. Part of it is putting the learnings that we have from our Marketing and Customer Success teams into practice. Recognizing certain patterns and knowing how to ask the right questions is something we get better at by sharing experiences internally. However, the best way for us to give customers and prospects advice is for them to clearly identify their needs and metrics for success so we can work together to reach their business goals.

Identifying the parameters for success requires both sides to work together to come to helpful conclusions. Is the main objective related to increasing registration, engaging attendees, or creating a better event planning process? What has the prospect tried in the past? Are there any activities that are being neglected in lieu of a time consuming, suboptimal event management process? The devil is in the details, but working together to get on the same page is a fundamental step towards success.

Sometimes having detailed conversations with prospects will lead to Account Executives learning interesting new ideas. When this happens, we’ll share it with the rest of the team so that other event planners can benefit from this knowledge as well.

For instance, last month we held an event in London called Eventovation, where we bring together event planners to discuss trends and strategies. One of our guests shared a great idea to facilitate networking by using stickers and name badges to “gamify” their event and create a “networking scavenger hunt.” It was brilliant, low cost and easy to execute. You can bet your bottom dollar that I share that idea whenever it’s relevant to a prospect!

Wrapping Up: Walking the Talk

The “Better Together” phase of the Bizzavalues project has given me the opportunity to learn about things that make me a better Account Executive. Fostering a culture of transparency and teamwork within our organization has empowered me and my colleagues to build on each other’s strengths to provide better solutions for our customers. Individually, we have an outstanding knowledge of event technology and unique points of view stemming from our experiences – but together we can ensure that our customers have access to not just an outstanding all-in-one platform, but a full team of event experts.

Interested in joinining a company that is Better Together? Clicking the button below to explore career opportunities at Bizzabo.