Melissa Gugliotti

Melissa Gugliotti wears a variety of hats. As a territory sales manager for Syngenta covering most of New England, she serves as a liaison between the company and the distributors and superintendents it serves.

“My customer is technically the distributor,” Gugliotti says, “and I count on them to be able to make the actual sale. But at Syngenta, we believe it’s important to stay in touch with the superintendent, the end user, as well, so I do everything from sales to helping technical support to distribution. There are a lot of things that fall under the umbrella and then internally you talk about creating programs, how things internally are going to be presented to the end user. There are a lot of things throughout the year you get involved in.”

Gugliotti earned her bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and her master’s from the University of Connecticut, and has worked for Sygenta since 2007. She did not have a turf background when she joined the company, but she did have a lifelong interest in science and was already a recreational golfer.

Appearing on the Wonderful Women of Golf podcast with host Rick Woelfel, Gugliotti spoke about building her credibility with the superintendents she works with.

“I actually think that being a woman got my foot in the door with a lot of superintendents maybe the first time,” she says. “But after you walk through that door, you have to back it up with something. My science background and my technical ability were able to bring something to the table.

“I was actually able to get them the answers they needed and talk intelligently about the science of things and what could be going on and help problem solve. That’s a huge part of our business and what my job is, is problem solving. Everything from delivery to product quality to turf diseases. What’s going on? What am I seeing in other areas? People choose distributors and manufacturers based on relationships but also on the knowledge that they can bring them.”

Gugliotti’s job requires flexibility and an ability and willingness to address her customers’ concerns — sometimes with little advance notice.

“The No. 1 key to being a good sales rep is being able to answer that call immediately,” she says. “Be responsive, be reactive. You might not have the answer right away. They might ask you something you don’t know how to answer right away, but (it’s important) being there and showing empathy for them as well as getting out there as soon as you can, or at least having their distributor touch base with them as they can.

“I work superintendents’ hours. I’m up at 4:30 in the summer and sometimes you get that call at 4:30 in the morning. ‘What do I put in the tank?’ Or, ‘Does this go with that?’ Being able to be responsive and have them be your priority is critical.”

Gugliotti was part of the group of female volunteers who supported Josh Saunders and his team at Lancaster Country Club last spring during the U.S. Women’s Open.

“It was interesting because I’d never really volunteered for a whole week until this year when I volunteered at two different events,” she says. “The first one I participated in was not the same as the U.S. Women’s Open. It was still a good experience and I still got to network with other ladies in turf, but the U.S. Women’s Open was done in such a way that I can’t thank Josh and his team enough for making us all feel welcome, and needed, and important, and taken care of. It was a tremendous experience. It was a wonderful venue. We got great weather other than one day and that definitely helped. It was a well-run machine and the hospitality we received and the opportunity we received to network with people was unmatchable. It was great.”