His Smile Shines through the Phone -
Infinite’s Amponin Offers Quality Conferencing Service
By Sarah Schmelling
As an account executive, Mike Amponin plays several different roles for Infinite Conferencing. He recruits clients and sells services, but then he also serves as a trouble-shooter who works closely with the clients to serve their every need.
ConferencingNews correspondent Sarah Schmelling talks to Mike about how his position has evolved, and why he enjoys his job with the Millburn, N.J. teleconferencing company so much.
Please describe your responsibilities. What are the qualifications for your job?
Mike: My primary responsibility is new business development. I call into small to medium sized businesses to introduce myself and Infinite's services. First, I need to determine if a company can use our solutions. Then, based on what they say in the conversations, I offer them information that shows we can deliver a solution at the highest quality of service that can be seamlessly integrated into their daily routines.
As the company's primary contact in Infinite, I can manage their account by handling service requests, training and technical help. Overall, I need to be attentive to the client's needs and deliver their expectations.
Please describe your career path. How did you become qualified for your job?
Mike: I started in sales out of college. In field sales, I learned how to read people and gain their trust. I took that knowledge and transitioned it into inside sales. It's hard to show a smile through the phone, but the phone is where your personality has to be projected. I take all the styles from different salespeople I have come across and mold and develop my own. I like to teach, so training and eventually management is where I would like to be.
What's the most important aspect of your job? Why?
Mike: The most important aspect is delivering goals. At the end of the day, the client wants to achieve their objective through us—be it wanting to archive the event for their records, or adding a new employee to their account, or extending the room size to accommodate a larger group of people.
What's the most common question you get from clients and how do you answer it?
Mike: 'How is the support?' Our customer service is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (E.S.T.). We can help you before, during, and after the event.
How many clients do you serve? What do they have in common and how do they differ?
Mike: Right now I have fewer than 20 clients. Our solutions can be used in every industry at every level, so my clients use our service in many different ways. But we are most commonly used for meetings/conferences, sales/marketing, training, and in IT for technical support.
How do you recruit new clients? How many calls do you make each day to do this?
Mike: My goal is to make enough calls to send out five new informative/introductory e-mails to the prospects.
What is your favorite type of call?
Mike: My favorite is when I get a new contact on the phone and they are open with their company's conferencing practices. This allows me to show them how we can better serve them.
What do you like best about your job?
Mike: That in sales, every day is different. But what's consistent is the team environment we have in the office. If I'm busy with projects for a couple of clients, my colleagues often assist me in taking care of some of them—especially if they are time sensitive. The best part is they will treat that client as if they were their own.
How important is it for your clients to have a dedicated account manager? How does this make Infinite Conferencing different?
Mike: It is highly important; we are the ones who deal with them, from the first call, to getting them the right information, to them signing on as an account, to delivering their requests. Through all of these conversations, you get to know them as people. You find out how they react and understand their situation, so you know how to help them in the future or even offer suggestions when you foresee that a problem will arise. I don't just do the sales and hand it over to an account manager and customer service. I do all of that for them.
What are the secrets to recruiting clients, and keeping them happy?
Mike: To keep them happy, I am up-front with what services we can provide and what services are out of our realm. There is no secret, you have to understand their goals and help them along the way to reach those goals.
About the Author
Sarah Schmelling is a Los Angeles-based correspondent for ConferencingNews. She can be reached via email at journalists@BeTuitive.com.
