Ep. 16 From Vision to Reality: how to craft a stellar career
May 30, 2024
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Elisabeth Gervant-Valls, Head of Sales for Spain and Portugal at Revolut, is a dynamic leader who built a successful sales organization while navigating the challenges of motherhood. In this discussion, she shares her journey from geology to sales and the traits that fueled her success. Elisabeth emphasizes the importance of personal motivation, cultural adaptability in sales, and embracing career opportunities. She also highlights the balance between her ambitions and parenting, offering insights on self-advocacy and the impact of a supportive work environment.
Elisabet Girvent Valls emphasizes the value of cultural adaptability and genuine connections in achieving success within the sales industry.
She highlights the critical role of time management and flexibility from parenting, enhancing her productivity and work-life balance at Revolut.
Deep dives
Career Transition and Adaptability
Elisabeth Gervant-Valls shares her unconventional journey into sales, originally rooted in a background in geology. After pursuing a master's in business, she transitioned into technology sales driven by her desire to be part of a lucrative industry with diverse job opportunities. Having lived in various countries, including South Korea, the U.S., and several European cities, she emphasizes the importance of cultural adaptability and empathy in sales. This experience has taught her that listening and understanding customers' needs is vital to successful sales interactions.
Defining Success in Sales
Elisabeth describes her view of sales as a problem-solving endeavor rather than a traditional selling process, emphasizing the importance of genuine connections. By focusing on understanding clients and addressing their challenges, she believes successful sales represent a mutually beneficial relationship. Through her B2B sales experience, she highlights the thrill and challenges of sales, which are akin to adrenaline-filled activities she enjoys, like extreme sports. This perspective keeps her motivated and engaged in her career for over a decade.
Work-Life Balance and Time Management
Elisabeth discusses the impact of motherhood on her professional life, revealing how parenting has sharpened her time management skills. She emphasizes being fully present in each aspect of her life, whether at work or home, which enhances her productivity. By acknowledging the importance of boundaries and flexibility, she highlights how remote work allows her to balance her roles more effectively. This approach not only influences her productivity but also helps her lead a larger sales team at Revolut successfully.
Empowering Career Choices
Elisabeth advocates for recognizing personal worth and being open to opportunities, even when they seem daunting. She encourages taking calculated risks, such as interviewing for potential positions, as they can lead to unexpected but rewarding career paths. Her own experience at Revolut, where she built the sales division from the ground up, illustrates the importance of seizing opportunities that align with one's career goals. Ultimately, she stresses that it is crucial to pursue what genuinely makes you happy and fulfilled in both your career and personal life.
What goes into building the career you’ve always dreamed about?
As the Head of Sales for Spain and Portugal, Elisabet Girvent Valls knows what goes into crafting the career you want for yourself. Elisabet tells host Alex Carril how staying true to your life's vision can help you achieve your career and family goals. She discusses her journey, from how she found herself in the world of sales to living in several countries in search of new challenges.
In this episode, Alex and Elisabet discuss:
- How Elisabet found herself in the world of sales
- The traits she attributes to her success
- What motivates Elisabet to continue her sales career
- Revolut’s values of Never Settle and Get it Done
- The opportunity that Elisabet couldn’t pass up on
- Why you should say yes to an interview
- How sales training could benefit employees and companies
- The fast pace and results-driven mindset at Revolut
- Lessons learned while being a parent and managing your career
- How knowing what you want motivates you to achieve your dreams