My Coordea journey started very spontaneously when I received a phone call from Coordea’s HR representative at that time. This was a big turning point in my career as I originally completed a master’s degree in European literature and culture in Germany where I developed my passion in the subject of philosophy – …something that is probably unknown to my current colleagues. Needless to say, that sales and business development were not always my primary focus and career choice. However, regardless of this, I decided to say “yes” and challenge myself outside of my comfort zone.
Generally speaking, I don’t start anything in life with huge expectations, and therefore, I felt the same when I started my career at Coordea. On the other hand, I think that it is important to have a vision for yourself and to create room and direction for growth, to make sure you have a match with the company culture, and establish healthy communication is crucial. With this said, my expectations definitely got met or even exceeded when I joined Coordea.
My job at Coordea made me realize that the cultural understanding of a certain environment can be an extremely important advantage when growing into a successful salesperson. Coordea and the client provided me their full support during my learning and growing journey. What’s more, we recently expanded the team, and we are continuously growing the network of our clients which is why they are very happy to work with us. Who wouldn’t be proud of this?
I am especially thankful for the Coordea’s determination and dedication in building bridges between companies in Sweden and talents in Macedonia. I am proud of us for showing that a small country like Macedonia has talents who are keen to invest their knowledge in doing business regardless of the borders and the physical distance. My definition of success is when you have accomplished something that seemed impossible, and I can now say that I truly love my job and I feel confident in terms of my work position.
The entire working process means growing and developing without fearing mistakes as they are also part of the growth. Certainly, when I make a mistake the embarrassment that comes with it is not fun at all, but looking at it from another perspective later I get to feel thankful that they happen and thus allow me to learn from it and grow personally and professionally. These unusual and embarrassing situations are particularly present in a sales career as you are communicating with clients on daily basis. Some meetings are a win, but others are less successful, and that is fine. Therefore, the embarrassing moments and failures are all a part of my success and have been a part of my learning journey.
As I continuously think of how to further develop my strengths and my talents. I was once told:
“You don’t have to do anything special in order to be good at sales. You just have to be good at one thing and that is: LISTEN, LISTEN AND LISTEN. And if it is still not enough, ask open questions and KEEP LISTENING.”
People are all different, however, each one of us has a certain talent or capability for certain things which others are less good at. The listening part seems too often to be forgotten and instead one always insists to express what is on their mind first. To be a great salesperson, this is not always the right way to establish productive communication with clients.
My hidden talent is to listen. The advice given to me helped me in creating strong relationships with people from different countries that I communicate and work with.
Coordea is a big family with people having different backgrounds, ages, and cultures. This diversity is a huge benefit not only to the company but also for the people working here and for the society as well. My colleagues and I have the autonomy to be who we are and to do what we are good at.
I feel that the people enjoy coming to work, no matter if they work in a bigger or a smaller team, or even individually and one of the reasons for that, is undoubtedly, the healthy company culture. This is what makes me feel good while at work.
If you are looking to join the Coordea journey, or you just started your career, here is my word of advice: Life is short, give you the best, work hard, and don’t hesitate to take new challenges. Nothing is impossible if you believe in it, trust me. The reward is not what you get, but what you become. In the end, the only thing that matters is not what you possess, but what you truly have accomplished.
Finally, let me tell you that I never gave up my original passion, and I still sometimes read philosophy books and even write some of my thoughts, usually at night, when my daughter is asleep and there is no other distraction. Who knows, maybe one day I will even publish my own memoirs.