What does it mean to work in sales for 12 years and finally try take up the head chair? Mantvydas can easily answer this question. Head of Sales celebrates the one years anniversary of his career advancement, shares leadership insights and advice on why sometimes it’s better to earn less from a client.
How filmmaking can lead to a successful sales career
The Head of Sales did not take the sales path by chance – according to him, sometimes you should pursue the things that you are actually good at:
“When I was young, I created video commercials, short films and had a vision of becoming a film director. I realized that no one buys my work because I don’t know how to sell it. I decided to take up sales myself – it turned out that I was much better at sales than I was at filmmaking. That’s how my current career path began.”
Mantvydas admits that he faced some internal challenges when he joined “Marino group” six years ago:
“As I have considerable experience in sales, many things in the company were new. New markets, foreign laws, and in general I had to figure out many nuances myself. Although the first month was difficult, the year passed successfully: the company began growing rapidly, I coordinated a project in Gibraltar, connected with a Finnish company, then projects in the Bahamas, Singapore – which was basically beyond our vision. I saw that I don’t have to limit myself to Europe – the whole world is our market.”
A good team is like a fist
One can often hear the phrases “I’m afraid of the boss” or “the boss will raise his voice”. All these sayings are definitely NOT about Mantvydas. He chooses the other side of the scale, basing his leadership on unity and education:
“The new leading experience inspires me to be a good leader, but even more motivating is the good feedback received from the team as I pass on my sales knowledge. I am happy to see a member of my team gaining new experience and achieving great results. In fact, as a manager myself, I have had managers who put pressure on me. So now I try to be the kind of leader I actually needed at the beginning of my career.
The whole basis of my leadership can be explained as follows: the team must be united as a fist. Each individual finger can be strong, but it will never break through the wall – but a clenched fist can easily do it. In my opinion, the team should not feel competition among themselves, on the contrary, I try to make everyone feel at ease, confident – a team like that can reach unseen heights.”
From sales stereotypes to long-term relationships
Sales, like other administrative areas, is not limited to labels. Is selling at a higher price and offering an unnecessary service a strength?
“To an uninformed person, this may appear as a strength, but in fact, openness, analysis, providing information to a new client brings more benefits (particularly in our industry) – this fosters long-term relationships. In other words, if you earn fast, you won’t earn for long. In my experience, success comes from looking ahead when you build a relationship with a client for the long-term.
A long-term relationship with a client is like a recipe for successful cooperation. Of course, each situation is individual and constantly requires analysis, when, for example, a low price is important for one customer, while in-person meetings are crucial for the other. Sometimes you make a decision that pays off in the long run, and sometimes you firmly stand your ground.
For example, our small team of specialists started work a few years back in a shipyard in France. By taking all the risk, we compromised a lot and sacrificed financial profit. Today, the team at the shipyard has grown to 400 (our biggest client yet), we have earned a good name and become one of the main contractors there. We gritted our teeth, adapted and came out winning.”
What will “Marino group” look like in the future?
“We are growing rapidly, the owners are investing a lot of money in development, we are adding new service areas and already attracting good specialists to the administration team. I see that we will grow into a large company and aim to become one of the biggest players in Europe in terms of contract work in the shipbuilding and industrial markets,” says Mantvydas.
If you have the 4 golden qualities of a good salesperson (analytical thinking, risk assessment, multitasking and communication), Mantvydas invites you to the team! We are looking for sales managers with English, German language (1400-5000 EUR/month net). Send your CV by e-mail via mantvydas@marinogroup.lt.