Boxer Spotlight - Alivia brings her energetic self to work
"Bring Your _______ Self to Work" is an important pillar of our Box culture. We're a pretty mixed bag of different backgrounds and values around here, so the blank is different for each Box employee. In this series, we'll interview one of our own to give you a look at our diverse family of Boxers around the world. Our subject this week is Alivia Cannistra is an Inside Sales Representative based out of the San Francisco, California office.
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do at Box.
I've been at Box almost 3 years and have been in various roles on the sales team - inbound, outbound, now Inside Sales supporting 3 field reps on the Strategic West team. I started my Box career in Austin helping to build out the commercial sales team and ATX office culture before relocating to SF. Getting involved with other groups and teams at Box is really important to me - I am a co-chair for the SF Box Women's Network and also participating in the AIDS/LifeCycle 545-mile bike ride to LA with the Box team! Prior to Box, I was a proud Hawkeye at University of Iowa, close to my hometown of Des Moines. My favorite things to do are ones I've never done before!
How does what you do contribute to the success of Box?
Although sales is not always an instant or easy win - staying focused on driving deals forward, being a reliable team member that my reps can count on, and at the end of the day keeping up a positive attitude/high energy for my team and the office is a big reason why I love showing up every day and how I want to continue contributing to Box's success and culture.
What do you love about Box as a product? Why do people buy it?
I love when I get on the phone with end-users and they start selling me on why they love Box! It usually comes down to a really simple message- "Box makes my work easier." For me, I am a huge Box Notes fan! So much I often times find myself in Box Notes inception - notes on notes on notes...
What has been your most exciting win at Box?
The most exciting so far has to be one of my first wins when I started the IR role. It was through this deal that I learned so much from my Account Executive and manager about the 90% of the sales cycle I hadn't been as exposed to in my other positions - negotiation, contract models, billing process, procurement, etc. What excites me about wins at Box and the teams I've been on is the team-selling dynamic and constant mentorship from some pretty remarkable and sharp people. I'm constantly learning and growing!
Aaron is such a core part of this company, do you have a fun memory to share?
This past year-end on the last day of the quarter was my first in the SF office, where the majority of the commercial sales teams sits. Of course, there were many gong hits and celebratory drinks being had to reward all the Wins. My team happened to be playing life-size Jenga when Aaron popped up and asked "shouldn't you guys be building pipeline for next year?" - it was a pretty funny moment as he stayed around to cheer on (and critique) our Jenga moves.
Hear more from Boxers working in Sales on the Muse!