In our latest Employee Spotlight series, we have the pleasure of getting to know more about Ginevra Strambi Ferrini, one of our Pre-Sales Engineers at Wonderflow.
Having started with us about four years ago, Ginevra started as our part-time external consultant and later, in spring 2019, became our full-time Project Manager. Since then, she has led many project successes that eventually landed her the title of Pre-Sales Engineer in early 2022 to help strengthen our customer relationships.
As we continue to hire more teammates like Ginevra, who is highly competitive and communicative, we’re eager to learn how she developed her skills, her advice, and what keeps her staying with the Wonder family.
Read on to learn more!
Can you tell us about yourself and something not many know?
Genoese by birth, I grew up most of my teen years in Genoa and have “Piedmontese” blood running through my veins. I attended a ski college where I rigorously trained early every day, including weekends. So, I guess that’s where I may have developed a high degree of self-discipline and a healthy dose of competitiveness. Not many people also know that I love crystal-clear ocean water and white sandy beaches!
I also attended the University of Genoa, where I studied Translation and Interpreting, focusing on English and Russian. I’ve also spent several months volunteering in Russia and worked for the South African Honorary Consul in Genoa, which got me into the import-export business.
What was your initial journey with us like?
For the first two years or so as a Project Manager, I was able to explore all the different facets of what’s behind a client’s dashboard. I learned so much from all the teams I’ve been working with these last years, from Linguists to Developers to Client Success Managers to, of course, Project Managers.
As said, I recently became a Pre-Sales Engineer to mainly help ensure our prospects understand more thoroughly the technical side of our solution. In that way, other supporting teams would focus more on their own areas of expertise.
What does a Pre-Sales Engineer do?
As a Pre-Sales Engineer or Solution Consultant, we are responsible for understanding what our prospects are looking for and how we can answer their business needs with our solution.
We still have a role in the sales process by showing value during our demo, for example, and ensuring the prospect understands how many benefits our solution can deliver for their business. Pre-Sales Engineers are responsible for the technical win, which happens when we’ve ticked all (or the majority of) the boxes in the customer’s “grocery list,” let’s say.
Knowing that my contribution has an impact on something bigger is very motivating. I have the lucky opportunity of seeing the client’s journey from start to finish, meaning I am not limited to only showing them the wonders of our product but also supporting other teams and closing contracts.
I especially enjoy walking users through the process of understanding what more they could do to truly listen to their consumers. Plus the kind of impact they could have if they do so properly.
Ginevra (second to right) out with various departments in Amsterdam, where one of our offices is!
What is the impact of your role on the success of our clients/users?
If we can clearly identify their needs and make sure we can address them with our Wonderboard solution, we are on our way closer to satisfying the client. If we fail to identify their expectations and, for some reason, we can close the deal, the risk of an unhappy customer is high, and the failure is there for both my company and the client.
Moreover, Pre-Sales Engineers are a link between the pre- and the post-sale to ensure that what will be developed for the client is exactly what has been presented. I cannot measure the impact, but I know it’s a huge responsibility for sure!
Any general tips for those in your field and/or smart working tips?
I enjoy the company’s flexibility in allowing our global teams to work from the office or at home, but there are some challenges, like time management.
For instance, you can quickly wake up at 8 AM to check your emails; before you know it, it is already 7 PM. Sometimes there are no proper lunch breaks or breakfast in between, and you can easily go to bed already thinking about the next work day.
So, to ensure a proper work-life balance, you can make a list of tasks you need to accomplish in the week and break them down by day. When you’re done with the day’s tasks, shut your laptop without hesitation. Easier said than done, but it makes a good starting point!
For those more or less interested in sales or my role, try to find a company or solution/product you’d be passionate about helping grow. Then, deep dive into every feature with a business-oriented eye by asking yourself, “how could this make someone else’s job easier?” There’s not really a school for Pre-sales, so be prepared to learn from everyone around you, to adjust and change the way you do things according to different people and situations.
What do you like best about our company culture and benefits?
I love our company’s diversity. It’s diverse in terms of nationalities, gender, age, and, most of all, experience. Each of us comes from a different background, and there’s always something that you can learn from each of your colleagues. The best part is being free to work from anywhere (the crystal clear water story…)!
Ginevra with her dog, Rose, and husband, Luca.
Which do you embody the most of our four company core values (Integrity, Excellence, Team, and Think Big)? Why?
This is a very tough question because I try to embrace and reflect these values in everything I do daily. I don’t give less importance to the other values.
However, for the stage we are in currently as a company and as individuals in this company, Think Big is the one I embody most at Wonderflow. There is so much ahead of us, so much to achieve, so much to conquer that you can only get there and beyond by thinking big.
Why should anybody join Wonderflow?
I’ve liked how, since the first day, everyone’s voice is heard here. Proactivity, new ideas, inputs, and initiatives are always considered. This is rewarding and motivating, you really feel part of Wonderflow, and you know that no matter your role, here you can have an impact. Wonderflow is growing fast, and people have the opportunity to grow as well!
