Sonia is a Business Development Coordinator at Alston & Bird. Although born in DC and raised in Virginia, she is quick to point out that she is a die-hard Spartan fan, having graduated from Michigan State University.
Sonia cut her teeth in the hospitality industry, working in hotel sales during and post college, and ultimately rising into a sales manager position for a DC Marriott hotel. In this role, she was responsible for establishing and growing group and transient revenue. Sales quotas ruled her world. Sonia had to be two steps ahead, constantly researching what new companies were coming into DC and figuring out new ways to engage prospects. Cold calls were the norm in those days. Her ability to connect with clients to build relationships that extended past a sales transaction and become the foundation for ongoing trust gave her a tremendous advantage in her role. While the work was hard, it was very rewarding. Sonia was a major contributor to the team included in Courtyard by Marriott’s top 10 highest earnings portfolio, the only non-Manhattan based hotel in the prestigious ranking.
Her eyes were opened to legal marketing by someone close to her working as a legal librarian in DC. She began exploring the industry, and immediately the idea of being strategic and focused in business development appealed to her. She regularly draws upon her past experience including market research, relationship building, and sales-driven thinking in her current role. But the cornerstone to her success has been her exceptional customer service skills. “Attorneys are angels to work with compared to unhappy guests,” says Sonia.
She became involved with LMA as she entered the industry and has been actively engaged with the group ever since attending workshops, programs, and accessing online resources. She appreciates the tremendous amount of knowledge sharing the group provides and believes that the networking has been invaluable to her professional development.
Sonia finds the biggest challenge in her role is being consistent in producing top quality work when multiple deadlines and priority projects all coincide within the department. But, she rises to the challenge, recalling the best piece of advice she got years ago was to “Stay humble. Stay hungry to learn.” And she tackles each task and personality, large or small, with the same focus and attention to detail in order to exceed expectations.
When Sonia isn’t working, she enjoys long walks through Washington’s many trails, parks, and monuments. She is dedicated to fitness and enjoys the discipline it brings to her life. Along with the attorneys at her firm, she is currently reading, “Difficult Conversations. How to Discuss What Matters Most.” As she dives into the book’s first chapters, Sonia relays that her impression thus far is that it is less about how to communicate and more about how to listen.
By Michelle McWhinney, Founder of Navigate Recruiting, LLC for the July/August 2014 Issue of the Capital Ideas Newsletter