Sales is a high-pressure position in an increasingly computer-driven world. In this race to succeed, it’s easy to lose some of what truly drives success: humanity. We spotlight Laurent Boncenne, Regional Director in EMEA, to share how he and his team keep things human, and why you should, too.
Tell me about yourself and your background. What’s your role at Smartsheet?
During COVID, I was looking for a new role. I wanted a company where I would be able to stay for a long time and where I believed in the product. I became interested in Smartsheet and wanted to learn more about the collaboration side of sales products. My background actually started in IT support, then I went into sales for IT support and focused on Microsoft 365, that kind of thing. After a few different roles and companies, I became interested in Smartsheet because it was somewhat similar to some Microsoft products, especially Sharepoint.
I joined Smartsheet back in January 2021 as a Mid-Market Representative. From there I moved into a Regional Manager for Emerging and SMB (Small and Midsize Business) accounts across Europe. After that, I moved up and looked after commercial accounts within France and Spain, and then the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). This year, I was promoted to Regional Director for Southern Europe and Central Europe, covering Spain, Italy, and more.
You’ve made quite the career at Smartsheet! What made you confident that you could stay here long term?
I didn’t know for sure when I took the job. I had two offers on the table. I liked Harun [Osmanovic] as a manager, but what really stood out was Sarfraz [Ali]. I really liked his mindset and the way that he thinks about things. He also comes from the Microsoft world, so we had a lot in common. That gave me confidence in the EMEA leadership team and the way they wanted to achieve things.
You’ve been promoted quite a few times. Can you talk about the opportunities for growth within your team?
We are building out some markets almost from scratch. For example, we have one team member in Spain and we’re hiring a second. There are two team members in Italy, and we’re recruiting a third. This is just the beginning. We can’t copy and paste what we’ve done in our U.S. and UK markets into these newer markets, so we have a lot of flexibility because we can choose the right partners, come up with new ideas, and build something that works for these markets.
There’s also plenty of opportunities for career progression. You can join as an SMB, then you may have the opportunity to move into Commercial and Enterprise, potentially even into management. There’s a lot that can happen in the next three to five years, my team has a lot of growth opportunities over the medium and long term.
Tell us about the environment the sales team works in at Smartsheet.
It’s a very human environment. It’s not just a pure sales environment where it’s you against everyone else. I don’t want to have a lone wolf sales type of person, I’d rather have someone that’s going to be a team player. Culture fit is a big part of that. Each person can do the job, but they also bring something unique to the table that can strengthen our culture. We’ve done a good job of building that environment by being intentional about who we hire and how we support each other.
Even in our interview process, I want to keep things very human. I try to make it as informal as possible, especially when candidates have usually already spoken with several people. I treat it as an opportunity for them to decide whether they want to join the team and whether it’s the right role for them, as opposed to me trying to sell them the role. I’m honest about the challenges that we face, our goals, and how they might contribute and succeed.
Can you tell me a bit about the people on your team?
We have a very diverse team with people from a variety of backgrounds. I have someone on my team who was studying to be a judge, went into real estate, and then moved into sales. So it doesn’t really matter if you’ve been in sales for the last 15 years, what matters is if you have the hunger and attitude to accomplish something. And if that means we hire a second judge, then we’ll hire a second judge.
Lastly, what do you look for in a candidate?
You need to speak Spanish or Italian for the two markets we’re expanding into right now, that’s a non-negotiable. A strong sales acumen is important, but having a strong business acumen is even more important. We interact with so many different types of businesses, so if you’re only interested in selling one type of solution to one type of person, it’s going to be difficult. You also need to have a perspective on the market, and a perspective on what value they can bring to the team and how we do things. If you’re entrepreneurial in the way you think, and you understand how businesses run and all the moving parts, you’ll have good success at Smartsheet.
We’re grateful for Laurent and his team for showing that even in a high-performance environment, there’s always room to remain human. If you’re interested in working with them, check out their open roles.
