Meet Andres, a Strategic Account Executive II for Yelp Restaurants. In his role, Andres focuses on building long-lasting relationships with restaurant owners and operators through various assessments and consultations. His team identifies areas of improvement for restaurants, ranging from operational efficiency to new diner acquisition and client retention. After identifying these opportunities, the team then provides solutions to help restaurants excel in these areas. Restaurateurs see his team as their supporters, especially as they adapt to a new world.
Tell us about your journey at Yelp
I’ve been part of the Yelp family since 2018. Even though I had prior sales experience, I started as a trainee, and I could not be more grateful. It helped me discover flaws in my process and gave me an opportunity to develop new skills that have helped me grow in my current role. It took me a few months to become a Junior Account Executive, and before the end of my first year, I was already an Account Executive. During my second year at Yelp, I was promoted to a Senior Account Executive where I had the opportunity to participate in the Management Development Program, and I jumped into a new exciting division, Yelp Restaurants. I’ve spent my last two years growing in this industry-specialized organization, where I have since been promoted to Strategic Account Executive, the summit for a restaurant sales executive.
What happened during your best day at work?
My best day at work and in my life was the day that I received a promotion to Strategic Account Executive and found out I was going to be a father.
I needed to close three deals that day to be eligible to earn that promotion since it was the last day of the month. However, it was the same day that my wife had an ultrasound in the afternoon. Even though I was so motivated to close those three deals and make it to the appointment, there was still a little voice in my head telling me that it was going to be impossible. I worked hard and stayed motivated, and I was able to bring not three, but four locations over the line and still make it to the doctor’s appointment on time where I heard my baby girl’s heartbeat for the first time.
That promotion was something I needed for this new phase of my life and with hard work and faith that I was going to make it, it all paid off. It’s a day I will never forget.
What’s the most rewarding part of working at Yelp?
The most rewarding part of working at Yelp has been my personal development. The coaching sessions, the daily challenges, and the falling and getting back up to score a win, have helped me build character, not only in my professional life but in my personal life as well.
The second most rewarding thing has been mentoring new hires. This has allowed me to give back to others what I’ve learned, and help them improve in a process that I’ve mastered.
The last, but most important, is the people. I’ve bonded with amazing people in this company and I’ve learned so much from them. I’m so grateful to be part of this community. Belonging is part of human nature. Knowing that you’re growing as a person while also contributing to something bigger than yourself is so motivating and purposeful. It makes everyone in this community want to excel and be better. It makes me proud that everyone around you here will root for you to excel and be better.
What do you enjoy most about working from home, and how do you stay productive?
I love working from home. Initially, I didn’t think I was going to make it. I started my new role in Restaurants in March of 2020, and five days after finishing my training, we were all sent home due to the pandemic.
I thought that with my lack of experience with the new products and without the external motivation I wasn’t going to be productive. However, it pushed me to develop new skills and become a self-motivating and goal-oriented person who’s more focused on getting the job done than anything else. I can now be productive for the company, be compensated, and watch my newborn baby grow every day.
What’s something that can only happen here?
When I came back from a trip with my family, we found a swag box for my baby at our doorstep that included a photo of her, customized clothes, and a customized book with her name as a future Yelper. The fact that Yelp is an international company with thousands of employees, yet is still dedicated to showing how important you are, shows me that I’m in the right place.
Want to work with Andres?
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