Our people
Jun 19, 2024
Building a career in sales at Wolt: Nicolas’ story
We're building a platform for the delivery of (almost) everything to make cities better places to live. Wolt's sales teams in all our 27 countries and 500+ cities are at the forefront of helping local businesses thrive and attracting more customers to order through Wolt. Salespeople have a chance to build thrilling career paths that not only allow them to contribute to Wolt's success but also foster their personal growth and learning. Nicolas from the Hungary team is no exception, and we get to hear his story next!
Discovering a new path
Nicolas' career journey is an inspiring example of how unexpected circumstances can lead to positive changes in one's professional life. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Nicolas found himself at a crossroads in his hospitality and management career. However, seizing the moment, he discovered a job opening for a sales manager position at Wolt. He applied, navigated the hiring process, and ultimately joined the team in August 2021. "I’d been using Wolt as a customer since 2019 when Wolt launched in Hungary, and I loved the user experience. Right from the start, I knew Wolt would be something big here in Hungary. In my hospitality and management job earlier, I always enjoyed the part of selling extra services and room upgrades to our customers. So I somehow knew I had a drive for sales. I knew I needed to go for a path in sales, and I haven’t regretted the decision. Over the past years, we have built a lot of great, new partnerships with restaurants and retailers here in Hungary. I am very proud that we already have a good foothold in more than 80 cities in Hungary," Nicolas shares.
A passion for sales
Nicolas enjoys the autonomy that comes with being a sales manager in the field. Field sales refers to sales that happen mostly outside of the office space: people in field sales at Wolt spend most of their time meeting with potential restaurant and retail partners. In the beginning, Nicolas focused on building partnerships with restaurants, spending his days visiting different cities around Hungary and connecting with potential restaurant partners who were not yet partnering with Wolt. As part of a small team of sales managers, he valued the chance to influence their ways of working: “As a team, we began to establish our sales techniques in Hungary. At first, I observed others, but soon I was able to apply my knowledge and develop my own sales approach that suited me," says Nicolas. He values the collaborative ways of working: with his team they run workshops together and share knowledge to constantly become better in sales. “Even though we’re on the road a lot, it doesn’t get lonely. Being surrounded by others brings fresh ideas and makes us better as a team”, Nicolas continues.
Nicolas is enthusiastic about sales, relishing the opportunity to make an impact in neighborhoods and being part of building the local communities.
“I really enjoy going into the field and getting to know the merchants and trying to convince them to partner with Wolt to reach more customers and grow their business."
It's rewarding to open the Wolt app and see all the merchant partners you've signed and built relationships with.”, Nicolas says.
But the sales manager role is also a lot of hard work that requires persistence and the ability to overcome challenges. “As a sales manager, I can’t give up too easily: if the door seems closed, I try to climb through the window. I love thinking about how to improve my sales tactics. I need to be well prepared with statistics and constantly use different methods to show the value of Wolt to the partner to win them over. In sales, the cycle is not always fast, and sometimes it takes time to see the results. ”, Nicolas continues.
When building a career in field sales, Nicolas emphasizes the importance of the sales manager role. “Whoever wants to have a career in field sales, they can’t skip this position. The role offers so many opportunities for learning and development and is a good baseline for other roles in the sales spectrum”, Nicolas says.
Growing professionally and personally
In 2023, when the retail and restaurant sales teams in Hungary merged, a new opportunity arose for a senior sales manager role, which combined hands-on sales work with leading a small team of sales managers. Nicolas applied for the role and managed to catch it. As a senior sales manager, the weekly duties and responsibilities changed significantly. "With two other senior sales managers, we were in charge of daily operations in the field sales teams in Hungary. We developed our ways of working, had one-on-one meetings with our team members, set targets, facilitated our weekly meetings, and shared information in our teams. However, I was still hands-on in the field doing sales, and it was great to stay close to the business to be a better leader for my team members," Nicolas shares.
2023 was also exceptional in his personal life as his first son was born💙. “To sum it up, it was a fantastic year with so many wonderful things happening, and I couldn't be more grateful. Becoming a father and reaching new milestones in my career puts a big smile on my face.”, Nicolas concludes.
Wider perspectives - Becoming a team lead
In April 2024, Nicolas achieved a major career milestone as he was promoted to a full-time sales team lead role. "Now my role involves team management, goal-setting, and providing guidance to help my team excel. Instead of being directly involved in sales activities, I am dedicated to shaping a sales strategy. Even though my responsibilities have changed over the three years at Wolt, I feel I’m still a sales manager at heart.'' , Nicolas explains.
Nicolas thrives in the fast-growing environment where the potential for career growth in sales seems unlimited.
“There are huge opportunities to build a career in sales at Wolt, and here it doesn’t take ages to get promoted and gain new responsibilities if you do a great job in your role. It’s motivating and engaging."
I love spending time with the team at the office. It’s empowering to see what we have built here together as a team and can’t wait what the future holds”, Nicolas summarizes.
