Lara Mariantoni has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands for over 15 years, serving as their conduit to reliable global communications. In her role as a Senior Account Manager at Mitto, she’s a model of innovation and impact. What keeps her engaged? What still excites her? How does she explain what she does to her friends and family? Let’s learn more in our chat with Lara.
Mitto is a unique and sometimes untraditional company. So, given that, what exactly does a Senior Account Manager at Mitto do?
Yes, Mitto is truly unique and definitely untraditional. We had the opportunity to grow very fast and to be considered now one of the Tier 1 players in the market. Many processes have been implemented, and our approach improved continuously, bringing us closer to the customers’ needs. In this scenario, a Senior Account Manager is responsible for assisting in the growth of medium, large, and strategic accounts. We can say that while every account has different and specific needs, quite often, we manage to anticipate their needs and proactively provide great solutions. We might face uncommon situations but we always focus on finding creative solutions that aim to solve unexpected issues and turn around issues into opportunities for smooth development of the business.
Walk us through a typical day…
I usually start my day by reviewing the daily agenda and then checking the previous daily stats and daily trends to see if there is anything that needs immediate attention.
Secondly, I check the notes and finalize preparation for the meetings of the day. Calls or in-person meetings are the most important part of my day, as they offer the best opportunity to catch up with the customers and hear about their news and needs. I often try to figure out during the meetings which solutions can be suggested to meet their expressed on even unexpressed needs.
One special mention is the focus on strategic customers, which often need the setup of special deals. They usually need in-depth scenario analysis, opportunities, and solutions and often cooperation with other teams. On those occasions, close teamwork with procurement, routing, revenue management, support, or carrier management can help reach amazing results!
Finally, we almost daily attend regular team meetings, where we can keep updated with new opportunities, challenges, or market developments.
How did you decide to first get involved in the cloud communications world? What sparked your interest?
Having been involved in Analytical Marketing and Account Management for over 15 years, I had the opportunity to deal with a portfolio of products such as Voice, Data, IP transit, and Co-location. One of the new trends in the industry was the rapid and solid growth in the cloud industry. This was definitely a novelty that triggered my curiosity. What I found really interesting was the special mix of new and old players in the market and the opportunity to learn new skills while fully using my knowledge.
With 15 years of experience, what keeps you so excited about A2P communications?
I am excited to be able to work in a market where products constantly change and adapt to adjust to new market trends, and new products are launched to meet new needs. With so much segmentation and geographical differentiations, the variety is huge, and there are many opportunities to specialize in some specific area.
Another thing that I really like is the human touch provided by the interaction with customers. They work in companies with different business models and different cultures, and I find it fascinating to be able to establish trusted working relationships that align on common goals, which ultimately result in successful cooperation and growth of the business. Some key factors can make a difference in the success of the cooperation, and all in all, I find building interpersonal cooperation absolutely inspirational and of great personal satisfaction.
To be in your role at Mitto for such an impressive tenure, you must feel strongly about our technology. What, to you, makes Mitto’s capabilities special?
I think Mitto has an impressive in-house made platform that uses a robust and versatile technology, this is undoubtedly the motor that supported the company’s growth.
But I also think Mitto was able to roll out a very smart strategic approach, which fuelled the growth since the very beginning: developing very early on a vast direct connectivity network, combined with an early focus on the main players of the enterprise market, was surely a successful choice. What I also think is part of the success is the undiscussed expertise of the people in all key roles. Everything seemed extremely well planned and executed.
In addition to the technology we provide, what do you think makes clients (some of the largest brands in the world) trust us?
In a rapidly changing industry, where threats are not uncommon, Mitto decided early on to focus on the corporate customer interest. This helped us build customer trust – based on our expertise, systematic approach and transparency. It was not a process built overnight; we needed time to develop tailored solutions to overcome threads in changing scenarios, but we can say now that our efforts were undoubtedly worth it. We can say that we are very happy for today’s appreciation of our proactive approach, and this is for sure an important key factor for further customer growth.
Looking at the industry overall and having been a close witness to its evolution, what do you see coming next and/or what excites you about emerging channels/solutions/adaptations?
I see a growing concentration in the market on the aggregator’s side, hoping to achieve more diversification, market penetration, and economy of scale. I also notice increased cooperation between MNOs to be able to address larger markets and, in general, an ever-growing rush to monetization. I see a drive for increased direct cooperation between corporations and MNOs, aiming to shorten the delivery chain, exclude untrustworthy aggregators, and limit the risk of fraud. Last but not least, we can also see a new awareness of fraud from MNOs’ side. In this complex scenario, we have been recognized to be able to help both Enterprise customers and MNOs in their goal to achieve healthy growth, and I believe this is an important milestone that can set us apart from the competitors and help us further grow.
Lastly, what’s the most rewarding part of your role that keeps you motivated daily?
The most rewarding part of my role is to see the result of my work in the medium and long term. I can see how good meetings can result in new opportunities, growth, and customer satisfaction.
I like to be able to solve issues in a creative way to help customers grow their business. What is more and more relevant is to be able to cooperate with other departments to address strategic themes, such as bilateral business growth, fraud limitation, and growth of customers’ trust.
If you didn’t have this long-standing career in Account Management for A2P communications, what do you think you would be doing instead?
I started my career in analytical and strategic marketing in the IT industry, then I moved to the telecom industry, initially in wholesale marketing, then in account management, where I managed different products for TelecomItalia, TeliaSonera and Telefónica Deutschland before joining Mitto in the cloud industry. An alternative career path would have probably been IT or telecom consultancy or M&A. But who knows, maybe other industries could have been of interest. I liked chemistry and languages, so that I can imagine also ending in a very different industry like chemical production or airlines.
We could chat with Lara more and more, but she’s on the go! If you want to continue the conversation and learn more from her, catch Lara and her team at WWC 2023 in Madrid. Book a meeting today https://info.mitto.ch/wwc23 . See you there!
