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Oct 26 2017
4 minute read

Peter Podolinsky - Lifelong Learning Means Lifelong Success

TL;DR Peter Podolinsky is in charge of sales in the European region. In this part of our spotlight series we go over how his knowledge of information sciences, creative advertising agencies and experience at Facebook have helped him to become an effective salesperson.

Offline Conversion from Online and Offline Data

 

Online purchases are on a continuous rise from 47% in 2014 to about 51% now. However, obstacles like delivery time, not being able to see the product in real life, privacy and more keep consumers from buying online. For Peter, online strategies can help with offline conversions. According to ComScore Mobile Metrix, in the US, the average adult spent an average of 2 hours and 51 minutes online. So, despite obstacles to purchasing online, if “you can plan a smart strategy online to get their attention, then it will be possible to convert offline.” This is something that we were able to achieve in the MENA region with Max Fashion, one the region’s largest retail shop. They saw 26X ROI as a result of their attention.

Where Information Sciences Meets Marketing

Peter’s thirst for continuous knowledge has taken him from information technologies to the advertising world. This is what has given him success professionally and helps him to better help his clients. Before Peter started at ROI Hunter and started developing strategies for retail. He studied information sciences at a technical university and graduated in 1994. However, after spending time working in this field, he found that he would rather work in a creative field than, as he called it, “programming the logistics environment of Procter and Gamble.”  

Despite this change over the course of his career in marketing he has found that marketing and technology are actually now converging back together. Which is an added bonus for him because he can now use his technology and marketing background to help clients understand how best to use these tools. “It allows me to apply my knowledge across different disciplines.”

An examples of how this is used when speaking with clients and potential clients is when he speaks with agencies, knowing exactly how far advertising technology has come and the many innovations that are happening will help me to identify what might be a good suggestion for them.

Facebook Culture - Adapt to Change Quickly

While at Facebook, one of Peter’s managers was a great mentor to him. One of the important lessons he learned from him was Facebook’s culture which is to “Adapt to change quickly. Think Quickly. And Prioritize so that the things that you do have an impact but also prioritize according to impact.” This is something that he implements when speaking to clients about their marketing or strategies. What will have the greatest impact for them and what can be done to reach that goal. Which is why he is excited about the convergence of offline and online data. Creating strategies that are optimized for both online and offline data will lead to the greatest impact for a retail brand’s goals.

Listen and Consult

For Peter, sales is not “about aggressively pushing your own agenda but listening to the clients. When I go there, I hardly speak, I just listen and try to understand their pain points and when they are done try to give them suggestions for improvement. It’s more of a consultation than it is anything.”

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