Highlights:
- Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is celebrated annually from September 15th to October 15th.
- In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month we sat down with Pedro Smith, Senior Account Executive for RingCentral Events, to discuss his career journey as a Spanish native and his experiences in the global business world.
Hispanic Heritage Month honors the contributions and influence of Hispanic individuals to the history, culture, and achievements of the world. In celebration of this theme, we spoke with Pedro Smith, a Senior Account Executive for RingCentral Events, who shared his inspiring journey from Spain to becoming a top performer in a global sales environment.
Starting his career journey
Originally from Spain, Pedro’s career began as a Business Development Representative. His role involved reaching out to different organizations to generate interest in RingCentral’s products. Despite facing initial challenges as a non-native English speaker, Pedro quickly transitioned to his current position as an Account Executive, where he closes deals and manages client relationships.
A global perspective
Pedro has had numerous opportunities to travel the world, allowing him to adapt socially to diverse cultures. He has lived in various countries across Europe, including major capitals like Paris, London, Milan, as well as in Madrid and Barcelona. His experiences also extend to Germany, Greece, Central America, and the United States. “The main goal I wanted to achieve with all of this traveling was to gain a global perspective and understand how different cultures operate,” he says, “You need to understand who you have in front of you. For example, in the United States, customers are very direct and clear about what they want, driven by their budget considerations. On the other hand, other regions in the world show strong interest in the latest technology but negotiation pace and budget expectations differ.”
Pedro’s cultural awareness has significantly influenced his business acumen, enabling him to integrate global insights into his daily work. His background has shaped his approach to building relationships with clients and colleagues in the global business environment.
Navigating language barriers and self-doubt
One of the most significant challenges Pedro faces is the language barrier. He admits, “When you are immersing yourself into a second language on a professional level, it always feels like you are going to have certain limitations on vocabulary or expressing yourself.”
Pedro strives to turn this challenge into an opportunity for growth, focusing on building trust and connections with clients regardless of language proficiency. Even still, Pedro’s journey is marked by moments of self-doubt and imposter syndrome. He notes that he always thought he was not going to be good in sales because of the language barrier. However, despite these concerns, Pedro’s dedication to customer service and responsiveness led him to become a top performer in his team. He has been recognized as the MVP of Events in Q2 2024, and so far he is the top Acquisition Account Executive reaching 200% of his quota in Q1, 120% in Q2, and currently leading the sales team in Q3 as well.
Advice for embracing cultural identity in the workplace
Drawing from his experiences, Pedro offers valuable advice for others navigating their careers while embracing their cultural heritage. He emphasizes the importance of facing challenges head-on.”You are never going to grow if you don’t face challenges. If everything is easy, you are never going to learn.”
Pedro encourages individuals to be confident in their abilities and focus on providing solutions to clients’ problems, regardless of language barriers.
“I think in my current sales role, AI and other innovations are going to help me be more productive. But the reason why I’m not concerned or threatened by these innovations is the same reason why we are talking right now – building trust and connections with the other side.”
Originally published Oct 01, 2024
