Once upon a time, Coralie de Robert read the news on French radio and sold coffee at London’s Borough Market before getting fired at the age of 28. On episode three of Sales Rewritten, G2's Director of Account Management explains how she reset her career and rose from SDR to sales director in just four years.
Like most salespeople, Coralie de Robert's career doesn’t follow a simple path: French radio newsreader, London coffee trader, fired at 28. Then she progressed from SDR to sales director in four years - 10xing her salary along the way.
In episode three of Sales Rewritten, she tells host Alex Wood how every detour made her a better seller, and why the best salespeople never stop closing.
Coralie's first career was in journalism. At Radio Nova she was up at 3am to read the 6am news, and by 20, she was reporting on a French presidential election. It taught her to ask the right questions, follow her curiosity and approach anyone - even senior politicians.
"It's about what do you do with that extra energy that you get? What do you do with that stress?"
Used well, she says, nerves give you an edge. A move to London followed, first to build and sell her own sponsored podcast product, tracked on a homemade spreadsheet. Then came Borough Market and running a busy coffee shop, where she learned the hard way what managing people means.
"I was in a classic relationship of, ‘I'm your boss, just do what I say’, instead of being, ‘I'm working for you as much as you're working for me’."
After two years in sales and marketing at London Glassblowing, Coralie’s results were strong but communication had broken down. As a result, she was fired. For years, she told people she had simply hit a ceiling.
At 28, with three diplomas and a master's degree, she found herself at a recruitment day surrounded by 20-year-olds. She landed an SDR role at Peakon, covering the French market, and set herself a clear goal.
"I had to build myself back up. I had to prove to myself that I can be good at a job... that I have competencies and skills and that I could be successful."
Coralie threw herself into the world of sales. She learned the tools, built talk tracks and studied every persona. Her SDR manager gave her a mantra she still repeats to her own team: persistence beats resistance.
She proved it with one HR leader at Chanel. Coralie knew she was the right person, so she kept calling.
"I call her every day for six months...And then it just became a thing that I wasn't even thinking about anymore, I'd just call, call, call."
When the prospect finally picked up, she was interested. Coralie made AE within 18 months, became the top seller at Salesloft and was appointed sales director two years later.
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Today, Coralie hires sellers at every level. Skills can be taught. What she looks for is coachability, self-awareness and the vulnerability to ask for help. And one mistake rules most candidates out.
"They don't close...but we're in sales. If you're not asking me this question, I don't trust that you're gonna be asking your [buyer] this question."
The standout? A candidate who asked for her number at the end of a call, then sent a WhatsApp thank-you within minutes. No script needed, just working on pure seller’s instinct.
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G2 is the largest B2B software marketplace, where verified users review the tools they use every day. Coralie used those reviews to win deals long before she joined the firm.
"It's huge, it's massive. It's voice of customer, it's validation by a third party."
That trust matters more as buyers swap search engines for AI tools. LLMs crave depth and real opinions, and G2 has become one of the most cited sources when buyers ask them about B2B software.
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There is plenty more in the episode, including why Coralie loves selling face to face, the pressure curve that keeps her performing, her big prediction for sales and marketing teams, and a five-year plan involving a French vineyard.
Coralie de Robert is Director of Account Management at G2. She started in SaaS as an SDR at Peakon, then became a top seller and sales director at Salesloft. Find her on LinkedIn.
Surfe finds verified emails and phone numbers for your prospects and sends them straight to your CRM.
Alex Wood tells Surfe's story across every part of the business, from product news to onboarding new users and everything in between. He oversees all aspects of Surfe's video content production, communicating new features and connecting with audiences. Born in the UK. Based in Bristol. Can quote every line of Jurassic Park 🦖
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