Ethan Phillips is a Sales Support professional at Finalto. We spoke to Ethan about collaboration, building strong relationships and why there’s no such thing as a stupid question.  

Tell us about your role 

This is actually my first role in this industry. It was a big shift in terms of getting to know the jargon, as well as the different systems used within Finalto and how the business operates. 

My job title is “Sales Support”. In practice, this means I act as a point of contact for the sales team for both internal and external communications. My responsibilities range from helping to keep track of client activity, to ensuring team documents and reports are accurate, and as well as supporting the sales more broadly team on a day-to-day basis. 

In practice, my day-to-day tasks vary greatly, which I enjoy. Each day is a new opportunity to learn something and to interact with smart people within Finalto and with professionals across the industry. 

Was it a steep learning curve? 

Everyone has been incredibly supportive from day one. Notably, my colleague Isabella, who previously held my role, has helped me to adapt to the new work environment with confidence. I try and use each task as an opportunity to learn something that will help in the future, as well as pick up as much information as I can from the others within the sales team.  

I regularly collaborate with other departments to resolve operational issues and facilitate communication across teams. Working across departments gives me a broader view of the business and is an opportunity to learn about new workflows and processes. My colleagues from the other department have been extremely supportive, helping me build my knowledge or understanding of Finalto’s systems. 

You also play a role in coordinating between Marketing and Sales at Finalto 

I have been working alongside the marketing team to help organise meetings with Finalto  subject matter experts to inform content before publication on our own website and in industry outlets and financial news publications.  

I also had an opportunity to dip my toe into event organisation at the Finance Magnates London Summit last year. I really enjoyed the experience of putting faces to names; meeting people I had previously conversed with by phone or email in person. I also helped to ensure our drinks event ran smoothly on one of the evenings of the event which was a great chance to network and socialise with people across the industry.   

Being able to assist with this side of the industry has been great insight into just how much organisation that goes into these functions, in addition to learning the importance of a strong brand name and image.

Tell us about life at Finalto 

The office culture here is really friendly. Everyone communicates openly between teams and is always happy to support each other. It’s nice knowing that if you have an issue, someone will be happy to take time out of their day to assist. It’s a combination of a care for the quality of work we do, as well as a desire to ensure that others able to handle an issue confidently and independently.  

Each department seems to gel together really well, and that helps to be efficient in our work and support each team in a symbiotic way. It’s nice to know that people want you to do well and enjoy the work. 

What advice would you give someone who wants to start in the industry 

The best advice I can think of is ask as many questions as possible. It may feel as though you are taking up someone’s important time with a silly question, but not once have I felt like a burden. People realise you just want to get better at your job and expand your knowledge, and so are more than happy to set five minutes aside to help you achieve this. I was told early on that “no question is a stupid question” and that approach has served me well.  

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