“Extreme Makes All The Difference” – An Interview With Alessandra Fioravanti
Meet Alessandra Fioravanti of Roost, Extreme’s Champion of the Quarter!
Alessandra, you have an amazing track record in many different roles within the IT industry, including in leadership positions. What would you say makes you great at delivering results?
Looking back at everything I’ve worked on for the past 20 years in the IT industry, mainly in marketing and sales management roles, I think my winning attributes would be maintaining great personal relationships, diplomacy, determination, and resilience. Combining these qualities allows me to deliver on my promises and reach successful outcomes.
What kind of knowledge and good practices have proven most useful to you?
Marketing and sales functions have always been intertwined in my career. I have a clear picture of how to use both to develop our key accounts, pursue new opportunities, and build high-value relations. Having a close relationship with a vendor like Extreme helps me bring them closer to the project to better understand each customer’s needs and to come to an agreement on how we should proceed to reach our common goal: the sale.
Let’s talk about one of your biggest wins in recent time, São Paulo State University (UNESP). What can you tell us about the nature and scope of this project? What problems have you helped your customer solve with Extreme solutions?
This was truly one of the biggest challenges of my career. There were plenty of obstacles to overcome at the time, including the general scarcity of products due to supply chain issues during the pandemic, high prices, competitors, and last but not least, the customer’s limited budget. Together with my technical team, as well as Carlos and Wayne from Extreme, we set up something of a war council for analyzing their needs, figuring out the pricing strategy, and working on our proposition.
We presented a complete solution, bigger and better than what the competition had to offer, with a killer price. It took a lot of work from everyone to pull this one off. Without our strong partnership with Extreme, I don’t think it would have been such a great success. The unconditional support for the customer, coming up with the best solution to their actual needs, and being very transparent – this is what always leads us to our wins.
What makes Roost stand out on the market?
Focusing on finding the best solutions ― meeting the highest demands in terms of quality and performance ― is our way of showing how we do business and what makes us stand out in the market. We are different from our competitors in that we always deliver on our promises and go out of our way to provide 100% customer satisfaction.
How does the Extreme product portfolio and the business partnership help you win new business?
Extreme has a consistent product portfolio that meets virtually every networking need that our customers might have. The company is a true leader in networking.
What do you value the most in your collaboration with Extreme from the perspective of a sales professional?
In my opinion, Extreme truly understands what the word partner means and how to work closely with their partners to achieve results. We enjoy working with such a highly engaged team that supports us in all areas, at any given moment, from local managers to executives. As far as customer service is concerned, Extreme has no equal among other vendors we work with and makes all the difference for us when closing sales.
What is your favorite memory related to Extreme Networks?
Our celebration after winning São Paulo State University (UNESP). Sales people and engineers from both companies met in person to raise their glasses and celebrate their common effort and determination to see this project through to a successful conclusion. We worked as a team – neither side could have done it alone!
What can you tell us about your volunteer work at the Caçadores de Bons Exemplos (Hunters of Good Examples) organization?
In Brazil, we are looking for people who want to make a positive difference in the world, who care for others by participating in social projects for the benefit of local communities. I have been part of the Caçadores de Bons Exemplos team in Brasilia since 2014, supporting founders from São Paulo who do an incredible job. I really admire their empathy and care for human beings. Being around people makes me happy. Showing empathy and helping others is what I consider my purpose in life.
With its carnival tradition, Brazilians sure know how to have fun. How about you? What do you do for fun?
We are indeed a very lively and outgoing people and in that regard, I am no different. I love to dance, spend time with my friends, and simply enjoy life. I always tend to celebrate my personal triumphs with the people who are special to me, who make a difference in my life.
If you are an Extreme partner and would like to become an Extreme Champion, visit our Extreme Portal.