Michelle Dotinga
Director of Production Print in Los Angeles Market
Company: Ray Morgan
Company URL: http://raymorgan.com
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dotinga/
Did you choose print or did print choose you?
Print chose me even though I didn’t know it at the time what a blessing it would be. I was in college selling printing services working at a Printshop, when I was 18 years old. Graduated College, then ended up at Xerox selling equipment and the rest is history. I have learned so much from my Xero Training, I am very grateful for the best sales training I have received and the challenging sales approach
How do you establish credibility with customers, colleagues and bosses?
I have always valued credibility in the currency of knowledge, and I decided I would learn what I needed to learn to become highly credible with my customers, and colleagues. I didn’t want to be the person in the room who didn’t know the answer, or made up excuses. I wanted to be a valuable, contributing partner and turn this knowledge into trust and credibility.
What advice can you offer regarding negotiating salary raises/addressing fair pay issues?
I am originally from Brazil, born and raised. Everything I have achieved came thru a lot of hard work, persistence, and professional growth. In the last few years, I noticed an increase in discussions about salary and women in the workplace. Knowing what you are worth, versus what the market will pay it’s a challenging game. I think we need to create our way, push thru barriers and raise our voices more often. But nothing speaks louder than a proven track record. The USA Women’s Soccer Team is a great example of this concept. They won multiple world cups and didn’t have equal pay, they had to pave the way. We must join forces and encourage each other to get to the next level.
What advice did you receive early in your career that you wished you had followed?
Follow your gut feeling, even if it’s not what the other person wants to hear, wants to know, wants you to do, don’t worry about them. Follow the inner voice that guides you so that voice gets stronger and louder, instead of quieter and quieter.
