MARIOS PAPACHRISTODOULOU

Q We first met many years ago when you sold me a car. How did you get into the used car sales industry?

Indeed, many years ago! When I finished my studies in UK I was juggling different options of whether to come back to Cyprus or stay in UK. At the time, it was just months after the 2013 haircut that was imposed on Cyprus. One of the offers at hand, was from Mr. Andys Agathocleous (my godfather) who is the managing director of Andys Motors Ltd, to come back in Cyprus and assist with the business in the digital marketing front, which was my MSc.

After a few months in, it was evident that I had a strong proclivity in dealing with people, and that sales was something that came naturally to me. That’s how my journey in car sales begun.

Q What was it like when you began as it is a very hardcore sales industry?

“Hardcore” is the ideal definition to attribute to this industry. It is a very fast paced environment, where you are surrounded by other sales sharks (more experienced, wittier, savvier than you) so it is a mountain to climb until you can prove yourself and worth.

It is however, an industry I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn how to sell efficiently, and actually sharpen their skillset . It is an industry, where competition is both external and internal. In addition, you need to develop crisp communication skills, and also early on, a thick skin to be able to endure and keep going.

Q Were you the archetypal pushy used car salesman?

Looking back at it, I believe that I could be the archetypal pushy used car salesman (exactly as you see them on TV, if not worse). Much of the skills are the same, but the motivations vary.

There are 2 main reasons why I never really turned to the archetypal pushy used car salesman:

1. First reason, is the fact that the archetypal pushy sales person, is solely focused on the product (car) they are trying to promote, where as my main focus was never the actual product (in this case – the car). My focus is on whomever I am interacting with. I have a genuine interest in understanding what really drives each potential client, their motivations, concerns, and in turn that puts me in a position where I can provide specific solutions to specific problems.

2. Secondly, and I cannot stress this enough, is the fact that I had a great mentor (Mr. Andys Agathocleous). In an industry where one can easily get tempted into becoming the typical “pushy archetypal used car salesman”, I had a stellar role model of a sales person and a pioneer in the industry to look at, and turn to for guidance and support.

Q What skills do you need and learn in selling cars?

There is a big difference in “just selling” cars, and being “successful” in the car industry. Anyone can make one or two sales, sell one or two cars here and there. But doing it on a daily basis, selling stocks of cars, after stocks of cars, in the hundreds, from budgets across the spectrum, and clients from various market segments, that’s no easy task. That’s planning, strategy and execution!

The two major sets of skills needed are people’s skills and communication skills. Remember that people will buy you, before they buy the product. These skills enable us to speak in a way that conveys expertise, respect, understanding, empathy. Above all else, we need to have the ability to “breathe trust”, much like a dragon breathes fire.

A major skill that one will definitely pick up in the car industry, is the ability to qualify potential clients quickly. One of the best parts of working at Andys Motors was that I would get to interact with multiple potential clients in a day. The ability to qualify these potential clients quickly and in prompt manner was of paramount importance on how much time, energy and effort you would allocate. By learning to ask the right questions, and getting to the point, within the first seconds you knew if you had a potential client in front of you, or a window shopper.

Another skill that is quickly picked up in the car industry, is the ability to negotiate. Nobody has ever purchased a vehicle from the sticker price! The clients are conditioned to ask for a discount when it comes to purchasing a car, and our ability to work around numbers and get the deal within a reasonable bracket that is not coming at a loss for the company, is something that you learn by practice and practice and practice. And no, not everybody who asks for a discount, gets a discount!

Q You transitioned into luxury real estate, what motivated you to change after being incredibly successful in this area?

Whilst at Andys Motors, I had successfully become a Certified Marketing and Sales Coach, and had also become a Visiting Lecturer for the Cyprus Institute of Marketing, as well as an Accreddited Lecturer by the University of West London.

In the car industry, is where I fell in love with the art of selling. As I grew in the field professionally, my vision and direction shifted towards becoming someone who can train/educate people in sales, show them the ropes, explain to them how clients think and react, and avoid all the mistakes that I had done early on in my career.

It’s cliché, but they always say that “Growth comes once you step out of your comfort zone”, and car sales had become my “comfort zone”. My motivation was, and always has been about challenging, improving, and developing my skills.

Whilst immensely grateful for my incredible journey in car sales, I felt that the time had come to take the leap, and test my skills in a different industry with different potential and dynamics.

Q Was there ever any self doubt in moving from the safety of being established in selling cars, to a new and very competitive industry?

By the time I had decided to move from the car industry into real estate, I was clear in my mind about my vision and direction. My mindset was set to it, so there was very little room for self-doubt. I was concerned at the time about the fact that I was heading into the unknown, I had just taken a mortgage for our new home, but I had full trust in my ability to sell, as well as the support of my wife and family, and ultimately that is what has enabled me to enter a new industry and begin my incredible journey in real estate.

Q How much of a psychological change did it take in getting the deal done with more variables in play compared to selling a car. With most people requiring a mortgage, and that takes time. Has this improved your focus and organization?

On a personal level, the fact that I had to get used to the slower speeds of real estate, never sat well with me. I have learned from the car industry to close there and then, with much fewer variables, so transitioning to the lengthier deals was a huge challenge (and still is to this day).

When dealing with larger budgets, more people, a magnitude of variables, focus and organizational skills are of significant importance. Luckily this was something that I begun to develop in my years in the car industry, and brough it with me to real estate.

Due to the complexity of certain deals, the psychological stress sometimes can be overbearing if you are going at it alone, especially if you are juggling many complicated deals at the same time. Early on I have come to realize that real estate is not a one man show, and to claim that, would be both arrogant and foolish.

I have been fortunate enough to work with a fantastic team of Real Estate Agents, Admin Staff, and Management at RE/MAX Cyprus, which provides me daily with the support, knowledge and resources required in meeting all these challenges.

Q Are there different skills required?

Real estate has a particular peculiarity which makes it both challenging and exciting, compared to other types of sales. In real estate you must sell and negotiate on two fronts (simultaneously), which means that there is a magnitude of factors that can make or break a deal. You might be able to close on one side, but that doesn’t mean anything unless both sides agree. And even after that, until the actual fruition of the deal, there are multiple ways, pitfalls, where a transaction might derail. The challenging part was to learn to anticipate these difficulties, and being able to provide solutions that keep the transactions on track until completion.

I do believe however, and this has proven to be the case repeatedly, that the skillset required to sell a home, is the same skillset needed to sell a car, to sell insurances, to sell boats, or to sell any other product or service, and that is effective communication and people’s skills. At the end of the day what selling is, is our ability to communicate and convey certainty, and that is why professional sales people can switch between industries and products, and succeed.

Q You run an incredibly successful sales workshop. How and why should people attend?

Thank you for your kind words! According to the feedback from the workshops, one of the main reasons the training programs have been successful, is because they come from real life scenarios, real life successes and failures, and not just textbook theories. Everything that is being taught, is techniques that have been tested, and proven to work, both in selling cars, and selling real estate.

The participants at the workshops are from various backgrounds, whether that would be insurances, car sales, real estate agents, merchandise sellers, service providers and even people who have had no previous experience with sales but would like to improve their communication and sales skills for personal growth.

Why should anyone attend? There are 2 main reasons:

1. If you are a sales person, then learning how to sell effectively, directly correlates to your income and success in your respective field.

2. If you are not in sales, then simply to improve your communication skills and in turn, your self confidence.

There are 2 types of training programs being delivered:

The first, is the one on one coaching, where we discuss individually, and have tailor made 1 hour training sessions to help the individual become a better communicator, sales person and improve their business acumen.

The second format, is in the type of a classroom seminar. I have just recently partnered up with a well reputable training center in Limassol with which we will be announcing shortly a series of Certified Advanced Sales and Digital Marketing programs.

Q What’s the best way to reach you to learn more?

Once again, thank you for the opportunity.

For anyone interested in Real Estate, whether buying, selling or renting, you can connect with me directly via my LinkedIn profile.

Alternatively, if you are interested in updates on the training programs, then just visit my website on www.mariospapachristodoulou.com

Lastly, you can catch me on the 29th of June on REALTYON Expo at Parklane Hotel, Limassol, where I will be talking about Digital Marketing and Real Estate.

DORA CHRISTOFI Head of Digital Marketing at Orbex

Q How did you fall into FX marketing?

Let me start by sharing how I entered the marketing field in general. With a background in Computing, I initially worked in the Telecoms industry, in the Research & Development department. As part of my job, I travelled extensively, and during my journeys, I began documenting my travel experiences through a blog. It was through this blog that I first delved into the world of digital marketing, exploring techniques to drive more traffic to my site. I began engaging in self-study, which exposed me to the immense potential and opportunities that digital marketing has to offer.

Driven by my passion for continuous learning, I sought opportunities to put my knowledge into practice. This drive led me to join a marketing agency that specialized in serving clients primarily from the financial industry. Through my experience working with clients in the financial industry, I gained valuable insights and knowledge about the field. This exposure motivated me to transition into the industry, where I could further apply my expertise and contribute to the industry.

Q We first met when we started Game Changers about 6 years ago. How has a marketing role evolved in FX?

The marketing role in the forex industry has witnessed significant evolution and transformation during the last few years. It has been driven by advancements in technology, client needs and preference changes and market dynamics.

Marketers have recognized the importance of personalization and targeted messaging. We have embraced datadriven marketing techniques to segment our audience and deliver tailored messages, promotions, and recommendations. We leverage customer data and analytics, in order to better understand our audiences needs and preferences, which results in more effective and relevant marketing campaigns.

Influencer marketing has gained prominence in our industry. We tend to collaborate more with influential traders, educators and industry experts who have significant online credibility and are able to be brand advocates.

We are also giving greater emphasis on mobile optimization by investing in mobile apps and developing mobilefriendly user experiences to cater to the growing number of traders who are mostly using their mobile devices to engage with trading platforms. We have embraced mobile marketing strategies that have proven to be highly effective in reaching and engaging traders on the go. Push notifications, instant messaging and SMS campaigns have emerged as prominent channels for delivering timely updates, market insights, and trading opportunities directly to our mobile users.

Q As a marketing outsider, the role of Google Ads and Landing Pages seemed a pretty straight forward. How has it changed lately?

Using Google AdWords to promote our campaigns and send traffic to landing pages is challenging due to several factors which induce compliance and regulations, the competitive landscape, approval process and the rapid change of ad policies.

We must adhere to strict compliance and regulatory requirements, whilst make sure that we are creating compelling ads. The most popular keywords often have high competition which results in higher CPC rates. When using GoogleAds, we must plan and optimise our campaigns to maximize our ROI. We need to ensure that ads, landing pages and keywords are relevant to the target audience in order to achieve a higher quality score which means higher ad visibility and lower costs.

The approval process is another challenge we are facing, mostly because of the delays in getting our ad reviewed and approved or rejected. Google is also updating its policies on a regular basis to ensure user safety and prevent misleading practices. We have to stay updated and adapt our campaigns to comply with the new policies

Q Is it harder to acquire new clients in such a saturated market and with uncooperative social media platforms?

The financial industry operates under robust regulations, imposing strict rules and guidelines for promoting financial services and products. Adhering to these regulations creates limitations on the content and presentation of advertisements on social media platforms. Navigating these restrictions with caution, adds an additional layer of complexity to acquiring new clients in the financial industry. While social media platforms offer advanced targeting options, reaching the right audience can be challenging due to the complexity of targeting parameters. Moreover, the high level of competition among financial service providers on social media further amplifies the difficulty acquiring new clients.

I believe that with the right strategies and a proactive approach, we may overcome these challenges. However, it’s crucial to diversify marketing efforts across multiple channels. This includes utilizing other digital marketing channels like search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, email marketing, and targeted advertising on alternative platforms. By diversifying our marketing channels, we can reach a broader audience and mitigate the risks associated with relying solely on social media platforms

Q How do you come up with new and interesting concepts for a brand, as FX is quite a dry industry?

Coming up with new and interesting concepts requires a combination of creativity and a deep understanding of the markets and what our target audience is looking for. These insights can then guide the definition of concepts and messaging that truly resonate with them.

Great ideas often emerge through collaboration and exposure to diverse perspectives. I would encourage brainstorming sessions involving cross-functional teams to leverage the collective creativity and expertise within the company. Additionally, seeking inspiration from successful brands other than the financial industry can help us come up with new concepts that can be adapted to our brand. Staying updated with industry developments and trends e.g. emerging technologies, regulatory updates, consumer behaviour and market dynamics, can help to identify concept opportunities that will align with current trends which are interesting for traders.

I also believe in the power of storytelling to create emotional connections with the audience. Even in our industry, there are stories waiting to be told. By humanizing the brand and sharing stories of real traders, their journeys, successes, and challenges, we can make the industry more relatable and capture the attention of our target audience. Whether it’s showcasing the transformation of a novice trader or highlighting the impact of the markets on global economies, storytelling can be powerful to our brand. today, in a rapidly evolving field like AI, is a must. To keep myself informed and up-to-date, I actively engage in various activities and seek out opportunities to learn and improve. To deepen my understanding of AI, I follow reputable sources, attend webinars, complete online courses and gain certifications. These educational endeavours are aimed at enhancing my technical knowledge and equipping me with practical skills that can be directly applied to my role in marketing.

Q The new buzzword is Artificial Intelligence, are you using this for your day to day job?

In my day-to-day job, I actively leverage AI technologies to enhance my daily work and achieve better results faster. It’s empowering me to leverage data-driven insights, automate tasks, and optimize strategies.

From drafting content, analyzing data, and automating time-consuming tasks, to conducting comprehensive competitive analysis and market research, I can stay ahead of the curve and adapt my marketing efforts proactively.

Q Do you feel like your job will be threatened by Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence has undoubtedly disrupted various industries and job sectors, including marketing. I don’t view it as a threat to my marketing job, instead, I see AI as a powerful tool that can enhance and complement my skills and abilities.

While AI can automate certain repetitive tasks, such as data analysis or content distribution, it cannot replace the human touch when it comes to creativity and strategic thinking. Developing innovative marketing campaigns, understanding human emotions, and crafting compelling storytelling are areas where human marketers excel. AI can provide recommendations, but it is up to us, marketers, to leverage that information creatively and to connect with our target audience.

Marketers have a responsibility to consider ethical implications, such as privacy concerns and fairness, when leveraging AI technologies. Moreover, creativity is a uniquely human quality that drives innovation and differentiation in marketing campaigns. The ability to think outside the box, take risks, and create unique experiences is an invaluable asset that AI cannot replace.

Ultimately, it is the combination of human creativity, strategic thinking, relationship building, and adaptability that will continue to drive successful marketing outcomes.

Q What are you doing to learn about it? Are you looking to learn any new skills?

One specific area of focus for me is automation and optimization. By learning about automation tools, AIpowered platforms, and optimization techniques, I can streamline marketing processes and make datadriven decisions more efficiently. This knowledge empowers me to leverage AI technologies to their full potential, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our marketing strategies.

Q Can you tell us more about Trip Experiences that you are involved with?

Trip Experiences is a passion project I started 10 years ago that combines my love for travel, photography, storytelling, reviews, and sharing valuable travel insights. It serves as a personal journal and a valuable resource for travellers seeking inspiration and practical information for their own adventures.

Through my travel blog, I have not only immersed myself in the world of travel, but also discovered the power of digital marketing. As I began sharing my stories and insights, I realized the importance of reaching and engaging with a broader audience. This realization led me to explore various digital marketing strategies and techniques to enhance the visibility and impact of my blog.

Through this project, I have embraced the joys of documenting about travelling and discovered the exciting world of digital marketing, which has become an integral part of my journey as a marketeer.

Dora Christofi Head of Digital Marketing at Orbex

Dora is a highly skilled Digital Marketeer with a strong understanding of technology and over 7 years of experience in the financial industry. She has hands-on-experience in a range of marketing disciplines which include marketing strategies, content development, SEO, Social Media, Email Marketing, PPC, ORM and Data Analysis. As the Head of Digital Marketing at Orbex, Dora is dedicated to using her knowledge and expertise to create targeted, effective campaigns that will drive traffic, increase engagement, and boost conversions. Dora’s enthusiasm lies in supporting businesses to flourish and thrive. She constantly seeks out new challenges that can extend the brand’s influence and reach.

The importance of continuous learning, especially Ground Floor, The Catalyst, Silicon Avenue, 40 Cybercity, 72201 Ebène, Republic of Mauritius