Sales & Customer Service, COLLIERS Bulgaria (1995 – 2002)

Learning everything about service, sales, success

 

My first sales and management experience I received from the leaders in real estate – COLLIERS Bulgaria. The two most inspiring people who touched and changed my life were Philip H. Bay, now CEO of Clean Earth Capital and Natalia Blagoeva, presently CEO of Eudaimonia Solutions.They taught me the most important lessons in business ethics, service culture, negotiations & direct sales, team leadership, project management. I am truly happy that now, 20 years later, Philip and Natalia are my clients with their current businesses.

For over 8 years I worked with the prime and most expensive properties in Sofia on a highly competitive market. I took the responsibility and honor to manage industry-changing projects like Business Park Sofia and Central Hali Shopping Center.

I learned how to work with clients and in a team, how to present, negotiate and sell, what direct marketing is. These knowledge and experience laid a solid foundation for any other jobs I would take later in my career.

Acquired skills & experience

  • Direct sales of services
  • Client relationship management
  • Sales team leadership
  • Presentation & negotiation skills
  • Service for top corporate and diplomatic clients

Achievements

  • Leading broker for Central hali project, where my team rented out over 120 shopping outlets
  • Managing broker for Business Park Sofia – first and second stage, where my team sold and rented out over 50,000 sq.m. office & commercial area
  • While managing Business Park Sofia project I had the honor to work alongside with Rossen Plevneliev, now President of Bulgaria, who was at that time the investor representative (Lindner Immobilen).

My first business card (1995). At that time the company did not have the franchise for COLLIERS on the Balkans yet.

03-central-halii1

Continental Properties logo with the apple was my idea.

And my last business card with the COLLIERS logo.

Radio City New York Club & Restaurant (1994 – 1995)

RCNY Members-only Club & Restaurant was established in 1994. It gathered the diplomatic and expatriate community, and the artistic high-life in the first turmoil years of Bulgarian Democracy. I was one of the 30-members staff that opened it and made it happen. The selection and training process for that job was epic but worth every minute – two written tests, three interviews, six months training. It taught me way more than just how to sell and serve food and drinks.

RCNY existed in Downtown Sofia for less than 10 years but became a PHENOMENA, a LEGEND.
It was not only my first job here but an inspiring trip to remember for the rest of my life.