RevGenius Member Spotlight: Alexine Mudawar
Alexine Mudawar is a burst of energy when you talk to her—always hyping people up, sparking conversations, and increasing the enthusiasm of everyone around her.
She’s also so plugged into the community. Whether it’s participating in Thursday Night Sales, asking for and receiving advice in the channels, or eating some hot wings in the name of community — Alexine is there and pumped.
She’s been a joy to have on this journey with us, and we can’t wait to watch her continue to accelerate her career.
Below is our interview with Alexine:
Introduce yourself to our audience. Tell us who you are and what you are currently focused on.
Hi RevGenius Mag 👋🏻, Alexine Mudawar here! I’m a Major Account Executive at Displayr based in Chicago. I’ve spent the past 8+ years in B2B SaaS sales working for Chicago-based startups and am backed by numerous President’s Club awards, quarterly high achievement recognitions, and a consistent track record of surpassing quota.
Outside of my day-to-day sales role, I am an Adjunct Professor and teach sales courses for Aspireship, Victory Lap, and Re:Work Training. I’m a champion for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and have founded two women-focused Employee Resource Groups.
My biggest focus right now is helping to attract more women to careers in sales. Equally – if not more importantly – keep them engaged and successful in sales roles! For almost a decade, I have been one of the only women on every one of my sales teams, so I want to be part of a much-needed shift to diversifying sales teams.
I genuinely believe the future of sales is female!
How did your journey lead you to Displayr?
I found Displayr through LinkedIn last year! Interestingly, it was the only company I interviewed with where I didn’t have a single connection. I was hungry to find somewhere where I could get back to my hunting roots and be surrounded by a sales team of like-minded individuals.
I’ve spent the last 8 years working for startups, so I’m no stranger to helping build sales teams from the ground up. My goal in moving to Displayr was to get even closer to the business and begin my journey towards sales leadership. My move to Displayr turned out to be a great decision because I recently won our Sales MVP award for Q4 2020!
What advice do you have for salespeople trying to break into SaaS?
If you’re trying to break into SaaS, my advice is to own your story up to this point! One of the favorite interview stories I always share is that I grew up in my mom’s restaurant. One of my first “commission plans” was comprised of beanie babies — in exchange for moving produce. I would pick a different item each day (salsa, jams, marinades) and see how quickly I could sell through the boxes! Even though I was young, I learned a lot about talking to people and understanding what mattered most.
When I teach sales courses, many of the students are ashamed of their background and don’t feel it helps propel them in their career journey. I believe there is merit in any job, and you can always learn new skills.
One of my students worked as a luxury condo building receptionist, for example. Can you imagine the depth of the customer service skills he must have gained from this role? Try to find ways to marry your background and story to the SaaS companies you are most interested in. You’ll be surprised which of your stories resonate most with interviewers!
What gets you out of bed every morning?
The promise of a new day and the unexpected!
Sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and of course, things go wrong, but I try to find something good every day. Sales is a grind— there’s no doubt about it. Sometimes you hit so many brick walls that you can’t help but laugh. Other days, it feels like all of your hard work and effort come to fruition at once. It’s that excitement of the unknown that keeps me energized!
What would you say your personal superpower is?
The ability to form a connection with people. I think a lot of this has to do with my upbringing and growing up around a lot of larger events and trade shows because of the nature of my mom’s restaurant and catering business.
Almost every weekend when I was little, we would drive 3 hours to Chicago to go to Merchandise Mart and look for new vendors. Every other kid would have hated all of the showrooms and products, but I thought they were magical. The sales associates were my favorite part. They were my heroes and always kept me company and gave me free samples — all while still making sure my parents were getting their business questions addressed.
I’ve always had a natural curiosity about other people and enjoyed forming connections. I asked A LOT of questions growing up (to the dismay of every teacher I had) and constantly wanted to learn about the people around me. My old VP of Sales would always joke that if they left me alone in an elevator, I could talk to the wall. Uber drivers, chefs, store sales associates, building security officers…I end up in conversations with people everywhere I go. I’m not sure if the “gift of the gab” is a superpower, but it is part of what makes me who I am!
Why should other sales professionals join RevGenius?
If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that the human connection is more important than ever before.
Sales communities are a trend that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. RevGenius is a place where you can connect with others who are trying to level up their skillset and elevate the sales profession as a whole.
We all share a common purpose in which we love sales and want to improve continuously. I’m lucky enough to have formed numerous genuine friendships throughout the past year and know that there are still many more ahead!