Join us for an insightful Q&A session featuring Sarah Brunet, a dynamic member of our Business Development team at Mallcomm. Gain valuable insights into her role, strategies, and experiences in driving growth and fostering partnerships within our vibrant ecosystem. Get ready to delve into the world of business development with Sarah as she shares her expertise and perspectives on navigating today’s competitive landscape.
Can you provide a brief introduction about yourself and your role within the business development team?
Hello my name is Sarah Brunet. I am on the business development team for the Americas. I focus on connecting with owners and operators for malls, shopping centres, mixed-use properties and more, to understand their current needs and pain points and how the Mallcomm technology can help.
What steps do you take to build and maintain strong relationships with those in the industry?
I think it is really important to properly understand what those operating in our market are going through. By better understanding pain points, or positives it enables much more meaningful conversations. I am keen to educate myself as much as possible, whether through online resources like LinkedIn, ICSCS, or news outlets like the WSJ, or through speaking to people in the industry about their experiences.
I think it’s important to really understand people’s needs, and not to speculate, it opens us all up to a much more honest, and productive conversation, especially at a time where the commercial real estate industry is facing various challenges.
Are there specific qualities or skills you believe are crucial for success in the field of sales?
I think the most important thing is not to take a generic ‘sales’ call approach. No two businesses are exactly alike, nor do they have the same challenges. So in my view, by preparing and properly understanding the needs of the individuals you’re interacting with and the challenges their company is facing, the more you can develop a more personal conversation. This fosters a better connection, rather than going through the motions, which in turn means that you can be more outcome oriented in a tailored way. It’s not about just following a script; it’s about taking the time to truly understand the people you are engaging with.
Why do you enjoy working at Mallcomm?
For me it comes down to two clear reasons, the product and the people.
Mallcomm is providing a solution to real problems being faced by the industry. It’s really rewarding to be a part of the change happening as we start to see the impacts and rewards of digital transformation, and to see the positive impact our technology is having for our customers.
Our team is both innovative and ambitious as we all work together to deliver our product and continue to support our customers. There is a truly collaborative spirit at Mallcomm, creating a really forward-thinking environment, which is driving success.
It is very exciting to be a part of a company that is in such a strong growth period, and an industry that is in the midst of a transformation.
What features or capabilities of our technology do customers find most valuable?
The Mallcomm platform is exciting as it can truly be configured for each customer’s needs. We work with a lot of customers that are using it for the retail, residential and office tenants for their mixed use properties.
In an industry often plagued by outdated communications tools and manual processes, our customers see instant benefits from streamlining communications and using automated workflows to create operational efficiencies. They love that through Mallcomm they are able to create different channels, so the right people receive the right information at the right time, whether this be everyday communications or with our critical communication alerts for crisis situations – and importantly have access to real time reporting.
How do economic factors, such as recessions or market downturns, impact your sales efforts in the retail real estate sector?/Are there specific pain points related to navigating economic uncertainties?
We are definitely in a time where everyone is cautious with their spend. Fortunately the Mallcomm technology provides an ROI to our customers that reduces time and money spent on how they are currently communicating and operating the property, resulting in a cost savings.
Acting as a central operating system, one area where we’ve been able to really support and partner is in evaluating, and right sizing the customers technology stack and becoming an integrator of technology. In most cases, we are either replacing manual processes, tech with limited functionality, or integrating existing functionality to create a better user experience.
What are the pain points/issues impacting the industry?
The commercial real estate industry is facing a plethora of challenges, from a difficult macro economic environment, through to extreme weather events, changing shopper and worker habits, and challenges with tenant retention to name a few.
The ability to create connected communities that are empowered to be successful can be game changing. Which is why having a central operating system to do this, by enhancing your communication and operational efficiency, saving time and reducing costs, is so important.
One issue that has come to the fore in recent years are critical scenarios such as active shooters or theft are common in the industry – and the potential for increased legislation around safety and security. Mallcomm’s technology offers a way to be proactive in those situations, by using it for preparedness, but also for the ability to reach different groups efficiently and in line with planned responses, should a situation arise.
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