Always calm in stressful situations – Meet Maria Lebedeva

We’re here to shine some light on a valuable team member, Maria!

With an academic background in physics and HR, as well as marketing and sales experiences in industries ranging from tech and professional services to retail and non-profit, Maria has both the quantitative understanding of marketing metrics and strategies and the cognitive knowledge of consumer behavior under her belt. Maria’s analytical approach and her get-it-done attitude have moved her forward in her digital marketing career.

Outside of work, Maria enjoys a good training session at the swimming pool, trying out a new craft beer bar with her friends, and traveling anywhere she hasn’t yet been.

Read on to learn more about Maria and why a turtle is the best superhero!

Job Title: Senior Account Manager
Expertise: Working with, interpreting, and delivering insights from data. Staying calm in stressful situations.

 

Question: You are a new addition to the crayon box. What colour would you be and why?

Maria: White, a colour that is grossly underrated in arts and crafts, but can do so much – from fixing mistakes to blending other uncooperative colours 😉.

 

Question: If you were a superhero (and we know you are), what would your superpower be and what can we call you?

Maria: Super Turtle. The superpower is always being extremely clever and giving the best advice to everyone. Super Turtle is very old and wise; she resolves the toughest problems and always makes things better, even if it takes a long time to get there!

 

Question: Your favourite Inspirational Quote and Why

Maria: There is a Russian folk saying that translates roughly to this:

“Whatever doesn’t happen, happens for the best.”

I think we always strive for these big goals, always want our life to go forward and improve, and we get disappointed when something doesn’t go right. In those moments, it’s important to take a step back and look at things in perspective – it will all make sense soon enough.

 

Question: Name one thing about your job that inspires you to keep working at AIM and gets you out of bed in the morning?

Maria: Simple; not wanting to let my team and clients down. I believe we should always be doing our best work, and I never want someone to be disappointed in the work I am delivering.

 

Question: How did you become interested in Marketing?

Maria: Very good question. I’m not sure myself – I sort of just fell into it. I like working with data and I find human behaviour interesting, so when some marketing roles came along, they seemed to require a good blend of both skillsets. I make decisions with my data-driven side, and communicate with clients and think about consumers by understanding how people think and behave.

 

Question: Tell us about your greatest achievement in your career, so far.

Maria: I once planned and organised the content of a conference, designing the flow of the agenda and working with the speakers and workshop facilitators to ensure content was engaging and relevant to the 500 attendees.

 

Question: What are the three key in Affiliate/Performance Marketing to look out for in 2020?

Maria: 1) Customer Journeys: Where consumers go before they buy is an important piece in understanding their behaviour and getting insights into which partners are valuable and why.

2) Privacy: With online privacy being top of mind, what will the future of performance marketing look like?

3) Mobile: More consumers discover products/services and purchase them on the go, and it is more important than ever to consider app partners and mobile-focused campaigns.

 

Question: What is your biggest professional challenge?

Maria: Of course, what is a challenge in my work life is also a challenge in my life in general; I need to constantly remind myself that people are different: they work differently, respond to things differently, and are motivated by different things. I always need to re-evaluate my approach to individuals before actually approaching!

 

Question: What is the one piece of advice you can offer a budding Affiliate Marketer?

Maria: Just try. No one wants to work with the new guy/girl who is afraid of trying something because they might fail. Everyone fails, so give it a shot, screw up, and learn from it. Have the courage to own your tasks, your clients’ programs, and your successes and failures.

—