Getting to Know Claira: Joe Podnar

Welcome to our weekly corner: Getting to Know. Every week, we’ll take a few minutes to catch up with a Claira team member to help our readers and users get to know them better. You know what Claira does, so let us highlight the people behind the machine and what makes them an expert in workforce development through different questions. Hopefully, this will give you a glimpse into their personalities and even their competencies.

This week, we’re getting to know Joe Podnar, Senior Business Development Representative at Claira. Joe joined Claira in early November of 2022. Prior to becoming a team member, he owned his own pressure washing business, where he went door to door selling his product. This experience gave him the tenacity for his current role as Claira’s BDR. Joe’s a big advocate for self development, and tries to improve himself every day in at least one aspect of his life.

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Which soft competency of yours do you rely on the most as a Senior BDR?
‍I’d say I’m a naturally optimistic person; I’m rarely ever down on myself. This mindset helps me build confidence, and that’s definitely needed in sales. I’m also a morning person. I do really enjoy waking up everyday for this role– having a strong morning builds momentum for the rest of the day.
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What is your approach to handling tight deadlines and ambitious goals assigned to you?
‍By getting ahead of the game. If I’m facing a deadline, I make sure to not look at the entirety of it. My approach is to get my feet wet by doing something that I think is going to help me accomplish a milestone towards a specific assignment or deadline. Once you start moving, you figure out two things: Is this going to help me get where I want to go? If not, what other route will give me the outcome that I need?
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How do you handle difficult prospects and rejection?
‍I shrug it off. Referring back to my naturally happy attitude, I just focus on what I can do in the moment that’ll set me up for success. I can’t control how a prospect will react or keep them from hanging up on me. Also, I have no idea what they may be going through that day. The only thing I can control is how good my pitch is, and treating everyone the same.