Our sales representative Alixandra Mathios loves the exchange of working with people and is always full of energy and creative ideas. A lot has happened since she joined the Detectify team back in November – amongst other things, she has transformed the sales process, worked closely with the content team to produce great sales materials and shown her colleagues that fresh popcorn at 3 pm is the perfect pick-me-up. Find out why Alixandra left New York, how she established her career in Sweden, and why she likes doing things the Detectify way.
Photo by NextM
A knack for working with people
Although she didn’t have a clear idea of what she wanted to do after college, Alixandra always knew that working with people would be an essential part of her career. It is hardly surprising that she majored in communication studies: “I think I’ve always had a knack for interaction, it’s part of my personality. I could safely say it was inevitable that I would go into sales,” she explains. Her career in sales started when she was working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office and the physician who worked there suggested Alixandra look into pharmaceutical sales. The rest was history!
From New York to Stockholm
Born and bred in New York, Alixandra describes her move to Stockholm as a classic love refugee story: “I moved to Sweden to be with a very charming and persuasive Swede. We met in New York and decided to move to Stockholm and plant our roots here.”
Leaving New York behind and establishing her career in Sweden might sound like a challenge, but it was one Alixandra tackled head on. Two and a half years after making the move across the Pond, Alixandra says she still comes across Swedish quirks that surprise her, but one thing’s for certain – she has mastered what she calls “the Swedish sun-soaked pose” (if you’ve ever seen Swedes on the first sunny day after a long winter, you know what we’re talking about!).
The pull of the startup community
The Stockholm startup scene attracted Alixandra’s attention as soon as she moved to Stockholm. Throughout her career, she had always been interested in smaller companies where she could make an impact, so the thriving startup community was right up her street. She explains that she knew she wanted to be part of it: “There are so many interesting things happening in Stockholm, people turning visions into these incredible companies.” Detectify was one of the companies Alixandra found most interesting and when she saw the opening for a Sales Representative, she picked up the phone and applied.
The Detectify way
Looking back on the recruitment process, Alixandra smiles and says the experience was slightly unorthodox because applicants were asked to call rather than apply online: “It was unusual, but also very true to who we are. We do it the Detectify way, we do it smart and we do it quick.”
What followed was an intense onboarding process that involved learning the tech aspects of the product from the ground up. Alixandra says she still remembers how challenging it was to learn so much in such a short time: “That first month, every day when I went home I would immediately take to bed. All the new was just overwhelming me in such a great way!”
Six months later, Alixandra’s days are less tiring, but still just as exciting. Detectify’s international customer base gives her plenty of scope to do what she likes best – build new relationships with people from across the globe while developing Detectify’s vision. However, it is not only business development, meetings, product demos and knowledge sharing sessions that fill Alixandra’s days at Detectify. She often organises amazing afterworks that usually involve popcorn and are really popular at Detectify HQ. Be it a New York quiz or a tropical party, Alixandra’s ideas always bring the team closer together!
Fixing the internet
Alixandra says she is looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Detectify and points out that Detectify time is faster than the speed of light. “I think that the sky’s the limit for this team. I work with a group of brilliant and passionate people that come to work every day and want to make the internet a safer place and fix something that’s broken”, she explains.
When asked about the best thing about working at Detectify, Alixandra mentions the product, the team, and Jago, the office dog, but her final answer is very straightforward: “I love my job! It’s as simple as that.”
Q&A with Alixandra
Mac or PC?
Mac.
Android or iPhone?
iPhone!
Any tips for people who want to work with business development?
Go for it! Not having a technical background didn’t hold me back at all. If you’ve got a good sales background, there are no limitations, pursue it because this is where you want to be.
Your #1 security advice?
I have so many now! Educate yourself! Ignorance might be bliss, but it’s not the right way to go about it.
What’s the biggest difference between working in the US and working in Sweden?
I think in Sweden, we talk about this team dynamic and working together and that is the reality. In the States, it’s much more hierarchical and political. Here, it’s a very flat hierarchy and that’s so unique and special to me. Every person is valued, every opinion is important and everyone is heard.