TripActions Account Executive Christine Vittorio on Selling a Better Experience for Business Travelers
It’s one thing to enjoy travel, but to enjoy business travel? That can be a challenge. Sales Account Executive Christine Vittorio empathizes deeply with the business travelers TripActions serves — which is partly how she landed the company’s biggest account in her first nine months on the job. Below, Christine discusses what’s unique about TripActions, why she joined, and how to excel on the growing Sales team.
What does TripActions do, and what’s your role on the team?
We’re an end-to-end travel management company. We put technology first — but we also provide service for business travelers, not just tech. Basically, we make it easier for them to be on the road. I’m an account executive on the Sales team, in the mid-market space.
What brought you to TripActions?
I was already working in corporate travel — for one of our competitors, actually. I found the space quite interesting, but I wanted to pivot into tech. The Bay Area was my territory at the time, and I was losing a lot of business to this company called TripActions, so I decided to apply here and learn more. I met with the Director of Sales; fell in love with the product, organization, and service; and quickly joined. For me, it was the perfect merger of travel and tech.
What makes TripActions different from other travel management companies?
We use technology to put the traveler first. That’s a key value for us — it’s all about the traveler. Every call we have with a client, every demo, every discussion leads back to “How are we solving pain points for travelers? How are we helping them?”
Travel’s so personal. No one likes to be told, “Oh, you have to book through this corporate solution.” So TripActions thinks about things differently. We give people something fun and easy to use that has rewards and benefits for them.
“We put technology first — but we also provide service for business travelers, not just tech.”
We also have an amazing customer service team — I would die without them. They’re available to our customers 24/7; it’s like having a support person in your pocket. And they’re proactive. They’ll reach out and say, “I noticed your flight is delayed. How can I help you?” No one else in the industry is doing that. It’s such a game changer.
Within months of joining, you landed a huge deal. Tell us about that experience.
Coming into a new company and having such an important deal on my plate was definitely a little stressful, but also very exciting. And I definitely didn’t do it alone. I think literally every department was involved, from Sales to Engineering to Marketing.
There were months and months of meetings, and it was awesome to watch how everyone came together. No one was ever afraid to drop what they were doing to lend a hand and help me bring the deal across the line. And it was really cool to get to run with an opportunity that had such a big impact on our business.
Tell us more about the team culture.
It’s a very fast-paced environment; TripActions is in hyper-growth. Nine months ago I was employee 105, and now we are 500-plus. It’s a fun, vibrant organization, and there’s always a lot to do, so you need to think on your feet and make independent decisions. Leadership wants you to take initiative, but they’re also very approachable — Ariel, our CEO and co-founder, has been on sales calls with me.
And not only are our leaders supportive — they also foster an environment of trust that starts on day one. I think it was my third or fourth week when first I sat down with Ariel. He was interviewing everyone new to find out if we’d noticed any issues the leadership might be missing. That really spoke to me about how much the company values and trusts everyone’s voice.
What do you think makes a Sales team member successful at TripActions?
Flexibility is huge. No two days are ever the same here, so be prepared to come aboard and wear lots of hats. And being self-motivated is important — no one is going to micromanage you. You have to want to bring in those clients and close those deals.
We have some great resources, too — everyone attends TripActions University after they’re hired, which lays the groundwork for cross-departmental networking. That’s important, to understand how we can help each other and how much we need each other.
“No two days are ever the same here, so be prepared to come aboard and wear lots of hats.”
Of course it also helps to have a genuine interest in business travel. It’s one thing to say, “Oh, I love travel. I go to Mexico every year.” But business travel is a whole different industry. It’s not a glamorous lifestyle; it’s a lot of hotels and being away from family. We have Sales team members at TripActions from all sorts of backgrounds, including plenty from tech, and the people who really thrive are the ones who take time to fully immerse themselves in the industry, to understand the hardships and learn the quirks.
What are you most excited about in the coming months?
The momentum. We’re constantly hitting — and exceeding — our sales quota. There’s really no lull here. There’s just such a buzz over business travel start-ups right now, and TripActions probably has the most brand recognition out there.
I’m especially excited to see our global presence grow. We’ve made quite a lot of strides here on the West Coast. Now we’re opening up the East Coast in New York and building that brand recognition not only in the United States, but worldwide — in London and Sydney and Amsterdam. There’s a huge need for what we’re offering.
Interested in making business travel easier for road warriors?
Check out job openings at TripActions or get in touch.
