Welcome to Autura pathways. This series of posts is dedicated to spotlighting the unique, and special career journeys of individuals within the Autura community. We love sharing the personal and professional growth stories, advice, and perspective that each featured employee brings — and it helps you get to know us better!
In today’s Autura Pathways post, we introduce you to John Bolla.
Q: What Was Your First Role at Autura — How Did It Prepare You for Where You Are Now?
My first role at Autura was as a Marketplace Sellside Sales Development Representative (SDR). My primary job responsibilities included reaching out to businesses that qualified for Marketplace products and services, and making appointments for Marketplace Managers to visit potential customers.
I joined without existing industry experience, but this encouraged me to reach out to others at the company and ask questions beyond my immediate role. For example, how does the software side of the business support Marketplace? What does the full customer lifecycle look like?
That bolstered confidence in Autura knowledge, which I used when speaking with customers. This allowed me to build relationships based on their trust.
Q: What Is Your Current Role at Autura?
Now I am a Marketplace Inside Sales Account Executive. There are many skills that I carried from my SDR role to my new position, but now my role encapsulates the whole lifecycle. From booking my own demos to making the sales, to setting up customer training — I execute the full lifecycle.
Q: What Are Some Career Tips You Could Share?
A few pieces of advice I have that I think contributed to my success are:
- Become an expert: In any role, understanding the full business and customer cycle allows you to see what others are doing and how that work connects with yours.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help: Successful people propel each other. Don’t be afraid to reach out for 1:1s and find out how others are succeeding in their role. A shoutout in an all-company or team meeting, or a note in your messaging tool of choice is a great way to start those conversations!
- Think outside the box: I encourage people to think and do differently than others. This might include reaching out to people that aren’t having as much success. Together, you can learn what isn’t working, what processes need to change, and help build each other up to understand what it means to find success in your role.
Q: What Advice Would You Give to Someone Who Wants a Similar Career Trajectory?
Although it can be hard to take on more responsibility, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. Be confident and learn as much as you can. This will help you achieve success. Challenges, new and old, embolden you to keep going. If you aren’t succeeding in one way, I try a different approach.
Finally, I recommend reaching out to others. When I was doing in-person store sales, people were afraid to ask customers if they were interested in certain deals. If people aren’t aware of what you offer, they will not be willing to try.
Thank you to John Bolla for sharing your Autura Pathway! If you are interested in learning about career opportunities at Autura, view our current job openings.
