Cristian Crăciun, our Sales & Business Development Manager, is a person of focus, commitment, and a professional strategist. He is an advocate of best practices and client service excellence, with over 9 years of experience in the market research industry, working on both quantitative and qualitative surveys!
Would you like to learn more about him? Then keep on reading this interview!
What does working in the market research industry mean to you?
For me, working in market research means more than just my day-to-day job. Being a Sales & Business Development Manager, I usually need to understand first what our clients truly desire, so I can offer them our best solutions and services. But for that, I like to be updated all the time about tendencies in customer behaviour, what are top-level companies’ approaches, what are the latest technological and social trends and so on.
That’s why for me, working in this industry means being constantly up to date with everything that happens in consumers’ life and, being a curious person myself, it became more than a job – it’s truly a lifestyle.
From whom in the market research industry have you learned most in your career?
I really can’t say a specific name. In the past years, I have worked with so many people from so many companies that I truly believe that I am learning something new from every call, meeting or email I have every day.
If you were able to bring someone in our DataDiggers team, who would that person be, and why do you think they'd be great for our company?
Elon Musk. That guy is good at everything. If he was able to go from cars to the outer space, he could definitely rule market research too.
Thinking about your career, what is the achievement you are most proud of?
Growing up from a basic sales position to head of department.
What does success mean to you?
Success for me is having a balance between work and personal life. Being happy. Being good at my job. Travelling. That’s success for me: a complete life experience!
What do you do to move forward in the profession you have chosen?
Learn every day, especially from mistakes.
How would you describe the market research industry in Romania?
Growing fast, it is nice to see that companies are becoming more and more aware that they need to understand their customers’ needs in order to prosper.
If you were to give advice to one of your former managers, what would that be?
I would say that in order to make a client happy, the employee must be happy first in the company. If the employee is truly happy, he is going to do his job perfectly. That what we, at Data Diggers, are trying to do.
Why did you choose to work in the market research industry?
I was a student at the Faculty of Commerce, so it came naturally for me to work in this domain.
What advice would you give to someone starting in the market research industry?
Work hard. Pay attention to everything around you. Learn from mistakes. And don’t be afraid to ask questions.
What was your ‘dream career’ when you were little?
Fireman or pilot, like most boys. Sometimes I still dream about it, haha!
What are you planning to do on your next vacation?
Visit a lot of new places but relax at the same time.
What is making you get up from bed even when you have a bad day?
My alarm clock.
What are your dearest memories, some that you always think of with joy?
War museums. I love them so much that I smile every time I speak about them.
Can you name one hobby that you really enjoy?
Video games. I’ve gained some fascinating speed skills from them, good at work and especially in traffic. And they also relax me a lot.
What’s your favourite book and why?
I am not really a book person, I’d rather watch documentaries. But I really liked "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s about the creation of the universe and the creation and evolution of the human race, which I am really passionate about.