Who

Nice to meet you and welcome, my name is Tobia La Marca, author and owner of TheSalesStrategist. TheSalesStrategist.

You probably arrived here because you have the same needs I had when I started this job: sales training ..

One of the bases of training is the student’s questions so I would start by answering some of the most common.

• Why TheSalesStrategist?
  The reason is just one and it is forward: I’d like to help those who find themselves in a difficult situation without any mentor or competitive resources to learn from, just like me when I started selling.

• What is the main objective?
  TheSalesStrategist is born with one main objective: training salespeople on the several parts of the sales process with a clear methodology which will allow them to work independently.

• Who am I?
  I am born and raised in Naples, Italy and after the high school I decided to study Psychology.
  While I was studying, I started working as an Asset Protection manager for a fashion company: my job was to maximize revenues and reduce losses in several retail shops of the Centre-South of Italy.

It was a nice job and helped me to learn a lot, but it was something I was not willing to do for the rest of my life.

During that time, I realized I needed a side job which would allow me to earn another income and finance my studies, so I became an independent salesperson.

University taught me how to interact with customers, but I learned fast the big difference between B2C and B2B selling.

So, the question was: how should I maximize my profits in such a short time?

The answer was simple: I should study sales too.

I started investing ¼ of my incomes in books and sales trainings because as an independent salesperson I didn’t have any managers or tutors to rely on: just an internet connection and lot of determination.

During this time, I noticed two things of myself:

1. I really wanted to work in sales because of its challenges and dynamism which would have allowed me to mix theory and practice.

2. I wanted to have an international view of it so I decided to move to Edinburgh, Scotland.

But… why Edinburgh?
Because it’s an amazing city but not only this. I moved to earn a M.Sc. in Marketing and Sales Management at ‘Napier University’ which allowed me to join the ‘Scottish Sales Competition’ and the ‘European Sales Competition’ and win both. After finishing my studies it was time to go back to work, so I got a job in Information Technology sales, first in Dublin and then in Milan.

My job has always been focused in national and international New Business Development, both for attitudes and preferences: I like to open and grow new markets because of the challenges and learning opportunities.

During these years I also added value to my methodology with several certifications such as:

• Certified Professional Salesperson (CPSP®) for the National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP).
• Certified Inside Sales Professional (CISP®) for the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA‐ISP).
• Certified International Professional Negotiator (CIPN®) for the International Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Istitute (IPSCMI).

After I told you why I do this, how it happened and who I am I think it’s time to answer another fundamental question.

• Why should you rely on me?

The answer is simple: because I know what you need.

I know how important sales training is to stay relevant in this highly competitive job and how complex it is to find clear and cutting-edge methodologies which will last over time.