As manager of business development at Forward Financing, Danny Acevedo ordinarily spends his days helping drive sales growth. But when the pandemic hit the U.S. and its small businesses in the spring of 2020, Acevedo dropped his pitch deck and made the leap to account servicing.
“We needed to rethink how we could best support our customers,” he said of the transition. “While adjusting to new responsibilities remotely had its challenges, I embraced the opportunity to help our small business customers overcome hurdles and support my teammates when they needed an extra hand.”
So far, that support has presented itself in the form of running the financial tech company’s front-line customer service team, leading new hire training and managing ongoing career development.
In the process, Acevedo and his colleagues have created a new customer service playbook and developed in-depth training modules that they hope will set up the future members of the account servicing team for success.
While Acevedo plans to return to his roots by heading back to the sales team in early Q1, he’ll be bringing his newfound problem-solving abilities with him, especially as the team remains remote.
“Managing a new team while working remotely motivated me to truly listen and learn from my team members so that I can help maximize their output,” he said.
What brought you to Forward Financing?
After working in media sales for twelve years, I was hungry for a new challenge and eager to apply my sales skills in a different industry. I was energized by Forward’s mission to support underserved small businesses and excited about the opportunity to join a company that prioritizes professional development.
Since joining Forward as a senior account manager in February 2019, I helped the company drive record sales growth in my first year. I was then promoted to a manager of business development in early 2020.
Leadership means understanding our customers’ needs and creating a solution that will help them to succeed.’’
How has your role changed within the company over the last year or so?
Our customers are small business owners. They run businesses like hair salons, restaurants, construction companies and other businesses vulnerable to a shutdown. When they needed to quickly close their businesses once COVID-19 hit in March, hundreds called and emailed our account servicing team asking how we could help. We needed to rethink how we could best support them, so several team members and I transitioned to the account servicing team.
While adjusting to new responsibilities remotely had its challenges, I embraced the opportunity to help our small business customers overcome hurdles and support my teammates when they needed an extra hand. I’m proud that our team has exceeded goals, strengthened its customer service skills, and most importantly, helped hundreds of small businesses get back on their feet.
For example, we’ve developed a strong relationship with a local Boston restaurant that we have provided funding to five times over the past few years. Building on our strong sense of trust with the customer, we were able to help them make it through the recent shutdown. On the account servicing team, leadership means understanding our customers’ needs and creating a solution that will help them to succeed.
What professional growth opportunities were you able to leverage on your new team?
I learned how to keep people motivated throughout a crisis. Moving from leading a small business development team to managing eight customer service reps at the peak of the pandemic taught me how to be a confident leader. I was given the opportunity to lead a team that is integral to the company’s success, so I knew I couldn’t let anyone down.
In the account servicing department, difficult and unexpected situations are the norm. We need to be proactive, solution-oriented thinkers and find new ways to increase efficiencies. Developing a strong relationship with each of my team members is essential to resolving problems together. In our weekly one-on-one conversations, I help my team find solutions on their own by talking through the challenge, actively listening and giving them a sense of autonomy to make their own decisions. They run the meeting, but together we ideate how to resolve the customer’s problem and handle similar situations in the future. Establishing a transparent, trusting communication style empowers my team to make the right decisions and continuously improve.
Sales advice from a tech leader
- First, be a sponge. “Study the industry terminology, the competition, process and tools,” Acevedo said. “Observe the best performers on your team.”
- Be genuine and relatable. “Analyze how your colleagues present products, handle objections and close deals to determine what you want to replicate and make your own.”
- Be vulnerable. “Don’t be afraid to put your guard down and to call out your mistakes or weaknesses.”
- Always show up prepared. “You’ll have more personalized conversations with customers, feel more confident and get more done.”
What does cross-team training look like at Forward Financing? How has it differed, if at all, from previous places you have worked?
Cross-team training has always been an important learning tool at Forward. Before COVID-19, onboarding week featured a meeting with each department so that new hires understand how teams work together.
When more than a dozen team members from various departments moved over to the account servicing team, they built a robust training program to share customer service best practices as well as training modules on how to use our proprietary technology and role-play different scenarios.
I’ve never worked at a company where so many people had to prioritize “We Before Me,” one of Forward’s core values, and jump into a new role during an incredibly stressful time. I applaud Forward’s commitment to creating a supportive, informative training process that made the transition much easier.
