ML Achiever: Peter DeBartolo - Data Manager

In less than two years with MarketLauncher, ML Achiever Peter DeBartolo has lived in New York City, Italy, Chicago, and his current home, Lakewood, Colorado. Peter is a living, breathing example of the success of ML’s work-from-anywhere culture. 

ML’s flexible culture has attracted many travelers, but I think you win the prize for number of places lived in the shortest time working with ML. Tell us a bit about that. 

The ability to work from anywhere was one of the things that attracted me to ML. I was living in New York working in the advertising industry in data management roles. I’m a native of New York State but was starting to crave a new adventure. When an opportunity to move to Florence, Italy, came about, I took it! To take full advantage, I realized I needed a forward-looking employer who was supportive of remote-based employees. ML was ahead of the curve in that regard. I quickly learned that they are also leaders in understanding and harnessing the power of data, so as a data professional, that intrigued me. They had an open position for a Data Manager, and I was fortunate to pass their intense interview process. 

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We take a lot of time interviewing potential new team members to make sure they will be a good fit. Peter impressed us immediately with his ability to share the insights his data uncovers in a manner that delivers business value. That’s harder than it sounds.

Lara Stewart Triozzi, CEO and Founder, Founded ML in May 2001

After a few months with ML, I headed off to Italy for five months. That was an incredible experience that would have been a little more difficult without the support of Lara Triozzi and the ML crew. When it was time to come home, I went to Chicago. I have family there, so it was a natural location for me to re-establish my US roots. 

In August of 2023, I fulfilled another dream and moved to Lakewood, which is just outside of Denver. That’s a city that has attracted me for a long time. I love skiing, and it has a vibrant music scene, which is a passion of mine. I plan to stay here for a while. 

Let’s talk more about your passion for music. 

Sure; I was in an Americana rock band in New York called Means and Ways. We're a 4-piece rock band, and we released our first album on Spotify in the Fall of 2023.

I had to give up playing in a band when I moved abroad, but now that I’m settled in Colorado, I am getting back into it. I play piano and organ. 

As a “work from anywhere” pro, do you have any advice for others?

I do. Three things:

1. Have a dedicated office space. If you can, have a room that you only use for work. This helps me focus and sign off at the end of the workday, which brings me to my second tip…
2. Make sure you prioritize your personal life. It’s easy to forget to step away when you work from home. Make sure you separate your work and personal life. Close that office door (whether literally or figuratively) and switch off until the start of your next workday.
3. Communication is vital! Stay connected with your internal team and with the clients you support. Tools like Zoom and TEAMS make that very easy. Most importantly, synch your calendar and make sure everyone understands your availability. I navigated a 6-hour time difference between Italy and the East Coast of North America, and open communication was a key to success.

Now, let’s talk about your Data Manager role. 

I’ve always had a natural affinity for data and knew early on that was my career path. I understand data and can communicate it to clients in a way they understand. I turn data into a valuable business tool.

As I mentioned, prior to ML, I worked for eight years in the advertising industry in New York. I was part of several strategic operations teams, including a position as Associate Director for the Account Direct Investment Team of a technology giant. I managed their US Brand awareness campaign. Over those eight years, I acquired deep data analysis, reporting, and project management skills that perfectly fit the Data Manager role here at ML.
ML allows me to leverage those skills and gives me access to a wide selection of industries to support. I help clients with lead generation, and voice of customer campaigns including market research. 

We invest deeply in identifying our clients’ Total Addressable Market (TAM). ML is a leader in understanding the critical importance of spending time on this at the beginning of any sales-related project.

The leadership team here is very invested in data. They equip the team with the best technologies to support our clients and pay close attention to emerging trends our data analysis programs uncover. This has led to a few transitions in my role, which keeps things interesting and satisfies my need for continuous learning and growth.

Speaking of technology advancements, how is AI affecting your role? 

AI tools are impacting how we build the TAM lists I mentioned. ML invests in best-in-class providers who are also utilizing AI and other advanced technologies, like ZoomInfo. This has a trickle-down effect on the services they provide us, which is a win for us and our clients. We employ other tools to perform tasks like importing the data into our HubSpot CRM. That saves us a lot of time.

Using industry-leading technology tools also helps us improve our services. For instance, we just introduced a new process that I designed, which gives our specialists greater visibility into the actions of our target audience. In real-time, we can see individuals actively engaging with our email outreach. This gives our Sales Development Specialists an edge since this signals that an issue is top of mind and our prospect is actively seeking information. This business process change is proving very beneficial in helping us engage with buyers faster and in a more meaningful way.

Thanks for sharing, Peter. Do you have any parting thoughts?

Yes, the ML team has been incredible from the very beginning. When I first came on board, I was taught the ropes in terms of navigating ML’s platforms and the technologies I would be using every day. The team shared best practices for putting together reports and I was given the freedom to make recommendations and share my expertise to improve the customer’s experience.

In fact, sharing knowledge and collaboration is actively encouraged at ML. I think every good leader should encourage and trust their teams, as the entire leadership team does at ML.