Rose Robinson Mauriello's career in sales and sales management spans 20 years. Previously, Mauriello was vice president of telesales at GTE Internetworking (formerly BBN Planet), where she built an inside sales organization marketing Internet services to Fortune 2000 companies.
Mauriello's background also includes management, staffing and team development for telesales departments at such high-profile companies as Sybase and Lotus Development Corporation, as well as Intersolv, Inc, Applied Reasoning Corporation and Intermetrics. She has a track record of exceeding individual and team sales quota performances and achieving superior customer satisfaction.
Mauriello holds an MBA from Babson College, and a BA cum laude from the University of Massachusetts.
1. What was your first job in technology?
My first job in technology was as a marketing assistant at Intermetrics
Inc, a systems integrator in Cambridge. It was a very technical company
for someone with a liberal arts background.
2. Who has been your most significant mentor? Why?
My most significant mentor has been Eileen Pettengill who was a VP I
worked for at Powersoft. She was a great role model in both her
professional and personal life because of her ability to focus on the
critical issues and make decisions and get results. She was a great
example of how it's possible to successfully work in a high pressure
position and manage a family with three children. She taught me how to
say "no" and not feel guilty about it.
3. What has been your greatest challenge and what strategies did you use to overcome obstacles?
My greatest challenge has been working in technology companies and not
having a technical background. The way that I have overcome this is to
quickly determine what I need to know to be successful and find people
who can teach me. Learning to ask the right questions to the right
people has been one of the keys to success.
4. Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why?
I prefer to select two people here. They are my best girlfriend, Wendy
Jacobs and my husband of 15 years, Gino Mauriello. The reasons are that
they have both been great support systems to me. Wendy is someone who
has always provided honest and open advice and feedback that has been
invaluable. Gino has always been there as a support system and has
helped me get through challenging stages in life, for example when I was
working in a management position, going to Babson for an MBA at night
and having my first child. Even now, I am able to devote much of my
time to my career because of the supportive environment that I have at
home.
5. What lessons have you learned that would be valuable to women beginning their careers in technology?
The lessons that I have learned are to ask the right questions to the
right people to find out what you need to know to be successful in your
current position or the one that you may want next. Also, it's critical
to set career goals and have a plan for how you will reach them.
Through trial and error I learned what I enjoy doing and what my
strengths are.
6. What new technology do you believe will have the most positive impact on the world in the next 20 years? The most negative impact?
The Internet will have the most positive impact on our lives and how we
communicate and share information. As this technology advances and
becomes more widely used it will have a dramatic impact on productivity.
The most negative impact of technology is that the amount of human
interaction that occurs lessens as technology advances.
On a lighter note:
1. If you could have dinner with any 2 people (living or not), who would they be?
Jerry Seinfeld and Kramer. I love to laugh and spend my time with
people who are entertaining.
2. What was the last book you read? What books do you love to recommend?
A Civil Action.
3. If you couldn't do what you are doing now, what profession would you choose?
I would be a psychologist.
4. What is your definition of success?
Success is knowing what you want and going after it.