Meet David Prestele, who hits rewind to transport readers back in time to when he was working with Taboola as a client. Fast-forward to today, and David, a Senior Sales Manager of Taboola DACH, shares more about his experience transitioning to Taboola over the last year.
Life Before Taboola
I spent a decade in various marketing roles at Germany’s one of the largest insurance company. In 2018, we initiated a new channel using native ads through Taboola. The project thrived, transforming native ads into the premier lead generation program in Europe’s insurance sector. At that time, I was an affiliate manager, but I took on this additional task because running native ad campaigns was incredibly enjoyable and allowed for great creativity. The excellent collaboration with the Taboola team had a significant impact. We eagerly anticipated our weekly calls with Taboola, which evolved into a friendship alongside professional support.
After ten years at the same company, I sought a new challenge and accepted a position at a renowned agency specializing in native ads and closely collaborating with Taboola. My role involved building relationships with new and existing customers, leading to frequent interactions with the Taboola team and new connections within Taboola. I was consistently impressed by the positive energy and enjoyable interactions with the Taboola team, reflecting their positive corporate culture. After nearly a year, I realized the agency world wasn’t for me, so I reconnected with a former Taboola contact from my insurance days. This is when I discovered an opening in the DACH sales team, and everything progressed quickly from there
Becoming a Taboolar
I am now happy and proud to be part of Taboola. My initial impression was accurate—the work culture, team spirit, and support at Taboola are outstanding. Having been on the client side, I experienced various levels of support from different companies. Taboola’s support and attention far surpassed anything else, and since joining Taboola, I can confidently say that we strive to be as close to our customers as possible, ensuring their needs are met and their campaigns succeed. When I joined Taboola DACH, my onboarding involved a thorough process. From comprehensive e-learning and live coaching to invaluable mentorship and Taboola University, I was enabled to connect with new colleagues globally, broadening my network and support system.
Our Regional Director for Central Europe, Markus Frank, has created a high-trust environment, something I’ve never had before. His recognition of each individual on the DACH team, his commitment to staying close to the team, and taking the time to recognize and appreciate all the big and small milestones go a long way. The management style at Taboola is the opposite of micromanagement, giving us significant freedom in organizing our time and work. For example, our team, all of whom have children, values flexibility for things like Kindergarten pickups or caring for sick kids, and we support each other in these instances. While we must deliver results, especially in sales, being trusted and having the autonomy to shape our approach is gratifying.
Applying creativity to sales
When I was a bit younger, I would have liked to have been much more extroverted. Sometimes, it affected my self-confidence, and I tended to be a little more reserved. One of my old bosses, whom I hold in high esteem, once said, “David, I talk so much without a filter. Half of what I say is probably for the ton. You are a great listener, and when you speak, it really has meaning.” Those words gave me more self-confidence, and today, I apply that feedback to my sales approach as I work with clients to build creative and strategic campaigns to drive their businesses forward.
There’s a creativity I enjoy about working in sales at Taboola. For example, I have a lot of freedom in preparing customer presentations, in that we advise our customers on campaign strategy and how best to use images and texts. I can also draw on my experience from my own campaigns, which I did in the past, so speaking from that experience has been beneficial. Pulling from my prior experiences and infusing creativity into my outreach, such as how I word my emails, helps make the process fun and impactful.
I am not the typical salesperson who can sell everything. But I can now offer a product that I stand behind 100% to new potential customers with complete self-confidence because I have used it successfully myself as a customer, and I know what huge potential native ads have.
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