👋 I’m Luis, Business Development Manager at Social+

Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you are from, what are your interests, what were you doing before joining Social+?

I am Luis, from Veracruz, México. Funny fact: Veracruz was the first official municipality of America, as it was the place where the Spanish arrived. It was also the first capital of Mexico and where the mother culture (Olmecas) of Mesoamerica was born!

I am a super energetic person who never stops doing activities and loves to be part of everything. I love doing sports (triathlon - running and CrossFit), listening to music and watching documentaries. I also love traveling and constantly discovering new places and cultures. Also, I am super interested in business innovation and networking is key for me.

Before joining Social+, I worked with fortune 500 companies like Dow Chemical (developing their energetic business in LATAM) and then moved to a digital marketing position focusing on retail. I am particularly fond of this industry because it is the area in which my family business operates in and my first baby steps were taken inside one of my family's sports store!

How would your coworkers describe you in one word?

Energetic, Passionate! I am Mexican, and being Mexican gives you a bit of spice, salsa, and unending energy to work, dance, and enjoy life! 

Describe a routine day for you at Social+

As a Business Development Manager, my main activities are developing and increasing the business revenues for Social+ in different regions, primarily the US & EMEA. My focus is to create positive long-term relationships with clients and boost our sales and pre-sales team. My routine is always quite different as we are a global company, so my activities are dependent on the time zones between Bagkong, Milan, London, US and LATAM.

I try to organize my routine in blocks. I use the first block to focus on the hardest and most important task, as in the morning I am more focused! Then, I align with our sales and tech team regarding their needs, support, and activities to be done. The third block is used for calls with clients, follow-ups, and industry research (I try to look for new articles, industry trends and reports). I use the final block to organize the next day or week if necessary.

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What office location are you in and what is your favorite thing about being there?

I am in the Milan office, so what I like the most about working there are the aperitivos, food, and living the Italian dolce vita! I believe my favorite thing about living here is that it is a reminder of the beauty of life and the paths we have to walk to achieve our goals. 

When I was a teenager, I lived for 1 year in a small town in the Italian mountains, so being here allowed me to meet some people that have played important roles in my life. At the same time, I love Italy because it was the epicenter of many European historical happenings–being here, I get a first row experience of the evolution of architecture, music, food and poetry.

Do you have a favorite online group or community that you belong to? Why do you like it so much?

I am part of different communities, especially sports communities (triathlon, running and Crossfit), music communities, and Twitch communities. I believe right now, the community that inspires me the most is the Hispanic Twitch community. 

Why? They are changing the way young people consume entertainment – you can see people like Ibai Llanos interviewing Messi and having a close relationship with Kun Aguero and Pique. This allows people to enjoy football in a whole new way! You also see musicians like Bizarrap, Jorge Drexler or Natalia Lafourcade working together and doing collaborations. Three weeks ago, this community united all of the content creators and held an event with 3 million viewers on Twitch! This audience is something that some TV shows only dream of!

What are some of the best things about your role? What are some challenges you face?

As the best version of every digital product is social, our Social+ can be integrated with any industry right? So, one of the things I enjoy the most is helping innovative companies achieve their community goals. It’s always an unending learning process with lots of social interaction. 

For example, the past week I was talking with the CTO of one of the most important football teams in Europe, discussing how to create an engaging fan experience in their application for their next season. After that, I talked with the customer experience director of one of the largest fast retailers stores in the world and discussed their future “social-community-commerce”. Finally, I traveled to Amsterdam to attend a tech congress. Networking, learning and helping customers find the best solution for them is what makes me smile every day at Social+! 

And challenges? As our product is really new and social+ is just starting to be implemented in companies, we need to educate and help customers understand the power and scope of our product in their specific markets. This means that, sometimes, they take the leap and other times, they don’t. Therefore, resilience and patience are key skills we need to have in the company. 

What is one advice you would give to people who are starting their careers in the tech industry?

I would say to not be afraid of suggesting new ideas and networking with people. Jump into the water, explore your product even if you have a non-technical background, and talk to as many people inside and outside of your organization. Networking is key in the tech industry! 

One recommendation for sales people joining the tech industry: Do not treat leads and clients as “things”. Every lead, every client is a human person (as in the Daft Punk song - Human after all!) You need to understand their fears, pains, and goals. You also need to emphatic and try to work shoulder to shoulder with them. Try to always develop long-term relationships and find solutions for your clients, giving them the best customer experience.

You may ask, how have we come so far as a civilization? By creating communities and helping people solve their problems. Transfer this attitude to your clients and most importantly, enjoy the ride!!