The ones who pull the strings - Pro Aqua

SCENE AND PEOPLEA matter of passionGiuseppe – Pino – Madonia. His career throughthe direct sales business to the top of Pro-Aqua International, where he was promoted asManaging Director to the Head of Sales at thebeginning of September 2007, is equally unusualand extraordinarily successful.The smart, very polite, articulateman representsan exciting combinationof gentleman and linguisticgenius. He speaks five languagesfluently: Italian, German,English, French, and Spanish.His bright smile, his winningcharacter, and the authenticway of communicating are theessential gifts for his success.Moreover, he is a good listener,and when he starts speaking hisarguments are well founded.Pino was born in Germany, buthe soon moved back to Sicilywith his parents, and his youngerbrother Domenico. He was14 when he returned to Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Atthe age of 16 he started a vocationaltraining as “precisionmechanic”, at the age of 21 hetook over his first leadershiprole: he worked as a machinesetter and was in charge ofmore than 30 employees.“I really wanted to achieve something,change something,and make a difference” saysPino Madonia when he talksabout the time when he was stu-dying Mechanical EngineeringTechnology while at the sametime catching up on his Germanuniversity entrance qualificationand earning his livingby working in a fitness studio inthe evenings. He had to earn hisliving by himself. He couldn’texpect financial support fromhis parents, particularly, becausehe had already left home atthe age of 17. At the age of 28he had made it sucessfully. Hehad finished his studies withtop grades. But where to gofrom here?. He got in contactwith a distributor of room cleaningsystems by chance. Hewas soon fascinated by the ideaof “direct sales” and focussed,right from the beginning, onthe work abroad. He had thechance to know the EasternBloc with the Commonwealthof Independent States, Lithuania,Estonia and Latvia froma direct sales perspective, alsoFinland, Sweden, Italy, Spainand North America as well asLatin American countries suchas Chile, Mexico, Colombiaand Ecuador.Diagnostic systemHe says that he approached each “new” country with some sortof diagnostic system. Finland has been a “model country” in hisopinion. He spent at least one complete week per month in Finland,“often also a second week”. “When I took on Finland, I had elevensales a month. After three and a half years, turnover increased by900 percent”. Overall, Pino Madonia took care of twelve countriesfor several years. A purely personal decision resulted in the factthat Pino Madonia’s life took another direction in mid 2007.He aimed at a completely different industry. “However, my wifewas the first to tell me that room cleaning systems were an integralpart of my life”. Being from the south of Italy this wasn’t only amatter of profession, but it was also a matter of passion. He feltuncomfortable, being pulled out of the context. Then he went onvacation. He wanted to travel to Apulia (Italy) with his family, andon their way towards the south he met with some Italian friends.These friends were Andrea Weger and Sergio Coletti, leading expertsin direct sales of room cleaning systems, who disposed ofa great experience regarding the demanding Italian market. PinoMadonia knows them from a previous job.A contact to rememberWhen Andrea Weger and Sergio Coletti talk about Pino Madonia,they say: “It was a real shock to all of us when we heard that Pinowould no longer be our contact”. The good relationship betweenPino Madonia and his foreign business partners had been based onmutual confidence. The fact that this friendly business relationshipshould be over now, was not a minor problem to the two Italians.However, there was more water under the bridge when Andrea Wegerand Sergio Coletti have also signed contracts with Pro-AquaInternational – like Pino Madonia, who in the summer of 2007,met his Italian friends at Munich airport where he was “converted”to Pro-Aqua, so to say. After thismemorable meeting, the two smartItalians made a contact with the Presidentof Pro-Aqua, Jürgen Wehner,who showed up at Madonia’s place inApulia only 48 hours later. They spoketogether, and soon afterwards theyagreed upon cooperation.Giuseppe – Pino – Madonia, Managing Director,is the new front man of Pro-AquaInternational for foreign sales. His experienceconcerning direct sales of roomcleaning systems is decisive.50 • The sales force magazine 01/2008 www.pro-aqua-gmbh.de www.pro-aqua-gmbh.de The sales force magazine 01/2008 • 51