Condo Media - October 2020 - 48

Ask a Busy Person
What brought you to CAI-NE?
I followed a zig-zag route. I majored
in studio art (painting) at Brandeis
University. After graduating, I didn't
know exactly what I wanted to do, so
I posted my resume on Monster.com.
A staffing agency contacted me and
placed me pretty quickly in a temporary
administrative job at a small law firm.
It wasn't anything I had envisioned for
myself, but it was interesting and I was
good at it. Two months in, the firm offered
me a permanent position and I accepted.
I worked there for almost three years.
When a larger practice acquired the firm
and laid off the entire administrative staff,
I signed up with another staffing agency.
They sent me to interview with Claudette
Carini, the CAI-NE Chapter Executive
Director, who was looking for an assistant
to the sales and marketing manager. She
offered me the job.
What about the position was
appealing? It was different from anything I'd done. I'd never worked in sales
and never worked for a trade association.
This was an opportunity to learn new
skills and to learn about a new industry.
I knew I could do the administrative
work and I thought it would be interesting, but I didn't expect to advance as
quickly as I did. After I'd been here
about 10 months, we had some turnover.
I asked Claudette to give me more responsibility, and she did - she made me
the sales and marketing coordinator.
What does the job entail? I am
mainly responsible for overseeing
advertising for Condo Media and for
developing and selling sponsorships for
chapter events. I'm the primary contact
after ads are sold to make sure the ad
copy is accurate and that the design
specs are correct. I manage the advertising and sponsorship relationships with
our members and business partners.
What do you enjoy most about what
you do? I really enjoy interacting with
our members and our vendors. This is a
very diverse industry and it's fun to learn

48

CONDOMEDIA October 2020

overflow, when it is hard to know what to
do next. When I get stuck on a painting,
I have to step away from it so I can see
clearly where it's going and what needs to
be added or changed. When I'm juggling
a lot of assignments and a lot of deadlines, I've learned to step back from my
to-do list, take a breath (or a few breaths),
slow down and center my thoughts. That
helps me see the priorities more clearly
and control them, rather than being
controlled by them.

ADINA GELLER
SALES AND MARKETING COORDINATOR, CAI-NE
about different companies and what they
do. I also enjoy the sales part of my job.
I still get excited when I land a new account or sell a new sponsorship.
What do you find most difficult?
Collections. Selling ads and sponsorships is fun, collecting payment for
them is more difficult. People are busy.
They have their own priorities and they
don't always get back to me right away.
That can be frustrating.
What are the most important things
you've learned from your CAI-NE
experience? Not just in this job but
in general, I've learned how to pick my
battles. I've also learned how to deal with
people - I've learned to recognize people
who might still be open to opportunities (if they say no to an ad initially)
and those set in their decisions;
people with whom I can joke
around, and people
with whom I can
only have a strictly
business conversation.
And I've learned a lot
about how to manage stress.
There are so many moving parts
involved in publishing the magazine and
working on special projects. Keeping
track of everything can get a little overwhelming. I think we all get to the point
sometimes when our brains fill up and

Let's talk more
about your
painting. I knew
when I went to college
that I wanted my life to revolve around
art. I thought at first about art conservation, but I decided I was happier
creating art than preserving it, so I majored in studio art. I knew art wouldn't
generate a steady income, so I didn't
expect to work on it full time, but it will
always be an important part of my life.
What would it surprise people to
know about you? That I love ballroom
dancing. I was on the Brandeis ballroom
dance team and I've been dancing off and
on ever since. I worked part-time at the
dance studio where the team took lessons
when I was in college and I still work
there two or three nights a week.
What do you do in your spare
time? In addition to my
painting, I like to knit, I enjoy
making jewelry for myself
and my friends. I enjoy cooking, I play the guitar and the piano
and I sing - mostly in the kitchen
when I'm cooking - but have no objections to a karaoke night.
What's the best advice you've
gotten? The best life advice:
Take things as they come, take
them with a grain of salt, and don't take
them personally. The best professional
advice: In sales, don't give up after the
first no. Keep pushing. See if you can
find a way to turn a no into a yes.
http://www.Monster.com
Condo Media - October 2020

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