Employee Spotlight: Erica Lappo – Business Development Manager
Our Employee Spotlight is here to help you better understand our people, culture, and what it’s like to work at Bridgepoint Consulting. We believe we have a great balance of challenging work and collaborative people that enables each of us to enjoy being part of #teambridgepoint thoroughly. Today’s featured Employee Spotlight is on Erica Lappo, our current Business Development Manager for Bridgepoint Consulting’s Dallas Office.
Get to know Erica
Erica Lappo has been working in the business development field for several years now. Although she’s a natural people person, her path to business development isn’t a traditional one. Upon graduating from the University of North Texas, Erica moved into a typical desk job at a consulting firm but was billable to PWC. As someone who is always on the go, she found herself needing to be in a more social role. After spending three years in her first position, she eventually progressed into a sales role. From there, she quickly excelled and transitioned into where she is today as a Business Development Manager with Bridgepoint Consulting.
When Erica isn’t working, she’s busy spending time with her daughter, husband, and parents. As an extravert, you can find her catching up with friends, meeting new people, and planning her next travel adventure.
What led you to consulting?
I wanted to get into a consultative sales approach. Selling a product was great, but it just wasn’t for me. I wanted a longer sales process where I focused on relationships rather than the price of a product. Building relationships is what I do really well, and I enjoy it. As I moved through my sales career early on, I realized that I wanted to focus on building relationships instead of selling a commodity.
What attracted you to Bridgepoint?
As I was looking to get into more consultative sales, I landed on Bridgepoint. My initial conversations with the Bridgepoint team went very well, and I knew I would enjoy learning from them every day. Finance and accounting would be a new world for me, and that offered ample learning opportunity, which helped drive my decision to join the team. I work closely with the Directors, so I’m constantly evolving, whether it be learning about a new area of finance, the technology practice, or the M&A space in general.
How would you describe the culture at Bridgepoint?
It’s great! I put a large emphasis on culture, and when I found Bridgepoint, I knew it was going to be a great fit for me. The Principals at Bridgepoint do a fantastic job of making sure everyone feels valued, included and frequently asks for opinions that are heard. It’s a type of environment where you feel comfortable asking questions, and the Humble, Hungry, Smart values at Bridgepoint are apparent amongst everyone here.
When did you know #teambridgepoint was for you?
For me, this moment came pretty quickly. During the onboarding stage, it was apparent that Bridgepoint puts a lot of effort into ensuring I understood their process. I found that very valuable to be successful in my role. As I continued to meet the rest of the team, I found myself getting excited about our capabilities in finance, accounting, and technology. There was so much for me to learn, but I was motivated to get out into the market and start meeting people.
What are you excited about in your role at Bridgepoint?
I’m excited about the partnerships (internal/external) that I get to build. Everyone that I’m able to connect with is someone new, but I’m never having the same conversation. Everyone I meet is knowledgeable, which means the conversations are always unique and stimulating. Outside of the relationships I’m building, I know Bridgepoint is putting forth a lot of effort on career pathing for our team, and I’m looking forward to where this goes.
Talk to us about who you are outside of consulting
Family is number one to me. My husband and I have been building a family over the last few years, and we currently have a two-year-old daughter and a new baby boy on the way. We live close to both of our parents, and it’s great to be in a place where our children get to see their grandparents regularly. When my husband and I aren’t chasing down our toddler, we enjoy traveling. I’ve done domestic travel and some international travel, and we’re trying to get out more often. We’ve been trying to go to Italy to celebrate my sister-in-law’s wedding but, due to COVID, our trip has been canceled a few times. We’re excited for all this to pass so we can continue to explore.
What’s one thing people might be surprised to find out about you?
One thing that comes to mind is my dad was a professional bull rider, so I spent several weekends at rodeos growing up. Classic Texas! I’m not a bull rider like my father was. However, I have “sat” on a bull, so depending on what your definition is of bull riding, you could spin that about me either way.
What advice would you give someone who is considering a career in consulting?
Patience is required from the sales side of things. Consultative sales have a much longer sales process when compared to a product or service. It also requires you to have the desire to go in and get your hands dirty. Each client’s problems are unique, and to offer the right (note, not just any) solution, you need to understand what’s going on. You’re often in situations where you don’t know all the details. Still, by continuously growing and jumping in to understand as much as possible, you can succeed in a consultative sales position.
Ready to join #TeamBridgepoint?
If you’re someone who has spent your time working in sales throughout your career but are looking to drive more change or looking for new challenges, consider a career in Business Development with Bridgepoint. We’re always on the lookout for top talent. We encourage you to browse our current openings and become part of #teambridgepoint!
Check out additional employee stories here or find out what makes Bridgepoint point a great place to work!
