Collaborator Interview - Valentine Ortenzio, Business Developer !

Valentine Ortenzio joined the Sharvy adventure in January 2023 as Business Developer. Please find out more about her and her job in this interview!

Hello Valentine, can you introduce yourself and tell us where you are from? 

Of course, with pleasure! My name is Valentine, I’m 30 years old, and I grew up in Montpellier, a sunny city near the sea, which I particularly like.

I joined the Sharvy team at the beginning of the year as Business Developer for France, alongside Margaux (also in charge of France), Imane (in order of international), and Benoît, our sales manager.

Before joining Sharvy, I was also working in a company in Montpellier, where I was mainly in charge of chasing many companies that wanted to improve their employees’ Quality of Life and Working Conditions (QLWC) by offering them benefits in kind. It was a fascinating job in which I gained a lot of experience, which will undoubtedly be helpful for my new professional adventure at Sharvy!

Education, work experience, what is your background? 

Although I liked the city of Montpellier, I chose to move to the capital, Paris, to gain whole experience as a young graduate. During this period, I obtained my master’s degree in marketing, which I did as a sandwich course.

Ultimately, I lived in Paris for seven years, where I worked for companies in different fields, such as textiles, the automotive sector, food tech, etc. In these companies, I held various positions, whether it was sales, account manager, or mainly business developer positions, which allowed me to develop my network and learn a lot of tricks of the trade! Again, a place that I enjoy, and that is why I am continuing on this trajectory with Sharvy.

What does the job of a “Business Developer” at Sharvy involve? Do you have a typical day?

As a Business Developer, we are usually involved in the entire sales cycle : from prospecting for new customer accounts (leads) to their “closing”, in other words, the signing of the contract. This is done to develop Sharvy’s revenue.

Therefore, at Sharvy, I have various tasks :

Hunting for new leads and business opportunities (via prospecting) !
Obtaining appointments and carrying out advanced qualification (defining prospects’ needs, advising them, and accompanying them).
To develop my customer portfolio to gain the trust of new customers and, of course, to make the Sharvy solution known in the French market.

As you can see, my days are not the same! However, they are articulated between numerous meetings, not only with prospects but also internally, with the Marketing team (with the duo of Manon & Manon), the Development team (Guillaume, Maxime, Gauthier, Lenny, and Sébastien), and the Customer Success team (Camille and Joël).

In parallel, prospecting, my contribution to the sales strategy, and participation in various trade fairs, such as the SETA trade fair in April, which I attended to discuss the Sharvy solution with prospects.

As a result, being a Business Developer at Sharvy is a versatile, dynamic, and challenging position where I will likely stay energized!

What do you expect from this new professional adventure?

This new professional adventure allows me to discover a niche sector, the optimization of shared spaces in companies, from the company carpark, through workstation management, to the company cafeteria management.

The aim? To encourage employee mobility, improve their well-being at work, and support companies in implementing new forms of work (hot desking, desk sharing, flex office, etc).

Finally, this sector is very different from those I have worked before, which challenges me. However, I still have much to learn from the Sharvy teams, so I look forward to this idea!

If you had to describe the company in 3 words, what would you say and why?

Without a doubt : caring, sharing, and start-up spirit !

The team is so cool. I was very well integrated, even before I arrived! Furthermore, the team had organized a meal on a Friday lunchtime, which allowed me to meet the whole team and get to know them before my first “official” day, which, let’s face it, is a pretty busy day, where you gather a lot of information. Therefore, the time to exchange with the rest of the team during this day is minimal, so the fact that I was able to meet them beforehand was a great idea!

Remember that Sharvy is a human-sized company, which allows for good understanding, listening, and sharing daily. This is very important to move forward serenely and build together the beautiful future that Sharvy has.

Finally, what are the essential values that you defend in your work? 

First, I stress the importance of team spirit and cooperation daily ! We work as a team to make Sharvy grow and develop its growth. This is one of the first essential values in any job.

In parallel, I would add autonomy at work. This is an essential value for me, based on a relationship of trust with my manager, Benoît. I think it is enough to ask the right questions at the right time to move forward efficiently and serenely in my work. Constant supervision and coaching would be counterproductive. So that’s what I immediately appreciated about Sharvy! Trust is the keyword.

Finally, one of the last values I uphold in my work is a taste for challenge. When I have a goal in mind, I push myself to achieve it (and even to surpass it!), which motivates me daily. I also find this in my job at Sharvy, without a competitive spirit within the sales team, which is essential to me.