SALES 4.0 | Master in International Sales Management (MSc)
Meet our alumni: Constance Pfeiffer, Class of 2018
From studying classical piano at the prestigious UdK in Berlin, to working as a Senior Sales Executive at SAP while running her own event hosting business, Constance Pfeiffer's academic and career journey has been a unique one. In this interview, Constance shares her insights on moving to business from a completely different field, the role her internship played in her current career, and how she was able to utilize creative skills as tools in her professional arsenal.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m originally from Berlin, with French-German-Vietnamese roots. I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Mediation from EAC in Paris and I also studied Classical Piano Studies at Universität der Künste Berlin (Berlin University of the Arts).
Tell us your thought processes when you decided to apply to the MISM and what you felt this type of programme could add to your profile.
I followed an artistic path before applying, but my goal besides following a piano career was always to join a renowned business school to get additional education in business, specifically in sales, as I‘d always been interested in that specific field. But due to my background I thought it would be difficult for me to pursue this track, without any business knowledge. For me this Master meant starting from scratch in the business field and learning a completely new type of language.
What has your career been like since graduating from ESCP?
I did my internship at SAP in Global Business Development, where I stayed for 6 months. I got directly recommended at that time to apply to the Sales Academy at SAP, which I did and got accepted in 2019. This was a 9-month program, with an intense curriculum designed in both field readiness at the Headquarters in Walldorf, Germany as well as three months of learning in the classroom in San Ramon, close to San Francisco (California).
Since then, I’ve worked in Sales selling SAP Cloud and On-Premises Solutions like the Business Technology Platform, SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Concur Solution. In 2021, I flew to the Winner Circle to Hawaii and got promoted to work in Switzerland in 2022 as a Senior Sales Executive.
Since starting at SAP I’ve developed a strong skill in digital selling via creative videos, including storytelling, and started recording various generic and personalized videos. This led to a strong collaboration with the marketing team, when I started hosting webinars during the pandemic, and later on also on stage events. That field, event hosting, became my USP and quickly led to hosting events in other lines of businesses / markets, so I decided to create my own event hosting business aside from my SAP work.
I closed the loop with my own business “Harmony Hosting“ to combine my music, piano background, with my IT knowledge and expertise, offering event hosting as well as piano live performances.
How do you think your background in piano has influenced your career?
My piano background influenced me and shaped my future career much more than one could imagine. I acquired crucial skills like willingness to practice and learn, patience, discipline, reflection on my practice, playing with others, in an orchestra, and being at ease on stage. These attributes were later in my studies, at ESCP, but even more today in my career core for being performant and successful. Specifically in sales, a competitive environment, where one shouldn’t be afraid to put themselves out there in unfamiliar situations while always keeping the focus and resilience on your business — here my intense piano career helped me through the whole process.
What aspect of the MISM curriculum did you enjoy the most?
First, I most enjoyed the quality of our chosen professors as well as our class — the people made the Master unique! On top, the sales-specific modules, like “Selling and Negotiation“ but also “Cross Cultural Differences“ as well as the practical, hands-on business cases and group presentations fostered the learning for my later job.
Where did you do your internship and what was the scope of your responsibilities?
I was on the SAP Global Business Development team, based in Berlin, responsible for redistributing confirmed sales leads to the respective accountants, updating figures in the PPT for the Jour Fixe calls for the different markets.
What were the highlights of being a student in both Berlin and Paris?
The term in Paris was a great aspect of the curriculum, as it added some more internationality to the program as well as exchange with other ESCP students and professors. Exploring this beautiful campus and city allowed us students to explore the French language and culture.
To what kind of person would you recommend the programme?
This programme is for young students eager to pursue a career in sales, who have a determined and open mindset, who are not afraid to jump into the unknown and are keen on learning from an international environment. I personally can say that your background is not the most important, but your mindset, curiosity, and a commitment to learning matters most.
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