A personal journey through studying abroad, real estate, and tech sales, revealing how mentorship, genuine curiosity, and believing in people shaped an unexpected career path and professional growth.
Her Story
About Lorraine
Lorraine Abrego is a marketing technology professional serving as a Senior Pre-Sales Account Manager at Propensity, where she helps organizations leverage contact-level account-based marketing (ABM) strategies to better understand buyer behavior, strengthen sales and marketing alignment, and drive meaningful business growth. Joining Propensity as one of the company’s first sales representatives, Lorraine has played an important role in shaping go-to-market initiatives, building customer relationships, and helping teams transform buyer insights into actionable engagement strategies.
Lorraine began her career in sales and technology after completing a tech sales boot camp in 2020, building on her earlier experience in real estate client coordination, where she developed foundational skills in cold outreach, lead generation, and prospect qualification. Before joining Propensity, she gained valuable experience at Intentsify, advancing from Business Development Representative to Enterprise Account Executive, where she successfully managed complex sales cycles and partnered with organizations such as Adobe and Dell. Her success throughout her career has been driven by her ability to build authentic relationships, understand customer needs, and create trust throughout the sales process.
Lorraine holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business from Keiser University, completing her degree in three years while studying abroad and gaining valuable global perspectives that continue to influence her professional approach. She specializes in relationship building, communication, and sales strategy, with a strong belief that authenticity and trust are the foundation of successful partnerships. Inspired by her father’s example in sales, Lorraine values supporting others, fostering collaboration, and helping her team succeed. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new food destinations, hiking, reading, traveling, and continuing to learn through new experiences.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lorraine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people who believed in me.
Every opportunity I've had throughout my career began because someone saw potential in me before I fully saw it myself. My professors, mentors, coworkers, managers, friends, and leaders all invested their time, encouragement, and trust in me. Without that community, I wouldn't be where I am today.
Because so many people chose to believe in me, I now want to do the same for others.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've learned is to genuinely enjoy what you do and stay curious.
Don't choose a career simply because it's available. Find something that makes you want to keep learning. Curiosity creates authenticity, and authenticity creates trust.
The easiest conversations I've ever had weren't because I was trying to convince someone. They happened because I genuinely believed in what I was talking about and wanted to understand the person on the other side.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Take the time to learn who you are before trying to convince anyone else of anything.
Authenticity is what sells.
The relationship you have with yourself becomes the foundation for every relationship you'll build professionally. Invest in communities, meet people, join organizations, challenge yourself, and develop your communication skills. Learn how to listen. Learn how to care.
The strongest careers are built on genuine relationships, and genuine relationships begin with knowing yourself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges marketers face today is navigating an increasingly composable marketing landscape. AI has made it easier than ever to build workflows from multiple data sources, but it's also made it more difficult to understand where that data comes from, how it's validated, and whether it's trustworthy. Without clear standards and verification, companies risk making decisions based on assumptions rather than reliable information.
At the same time, I believe one of the biggest opportunities is rebuilding trust across the industry. Companies should be evaluated not by flashy marketing or recognizable logos, but by transparent results, verified data, and products that genuinely deliver on their promises. Trust and communication will continue to be the foundation of long-term success.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my professional life, I value camaraderie, teamwork, and working alongside people who genuinely care about one another. I want to believe in the product I'm representing and know that it creates real value for customers.
In my personal life, gratitude is the value I hold closest. It shapes how I approach each day and reminds me to appreciate both the opportunities I've been given and the people who've helped me along the way. Gratitude keeps me grounded and allows me to show up as my best self, both professionally and personally.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Lorraine
Expect the unexpected
How curiosity, mentorship, and genuine belief in people shaped my unexpected journey into tech sales.
I Never Expected to End Up in Tech Sales
Studying Abroad Changed My Perspective
When I was studying abroad, I chose to pursue a degree in business with a minor in international business. At the time, I didn't believe in myself enough to pursue marketing because I thought it was overly saturated. Looking back now, it's funny because marketing and sales became exactly where I was meant to be.
Studying abroad completely changed my perspective. I met people from all over the world who had overcome incredible obstacles just to earn an American-accredited degree. I realized that while I already had opportunities available to me through financial aid and the advantage of speaking English, many of my classmates had sacrificed everything to be there.
Watching their determination taught me to respect both their efforts and my own. If they were willing to work that hard for their futures, then I owed it to myself to do the same.
One of the greatest lessons I learned came from my professors. Many had studied at places like Harvard and other prestigious universities, yet instead of chasing bigger titles, they chose to return home and invest in the next generation of business professionals. That example of giving back has stayed with me ever since.
I truly believe that if it weren't for the people who believed in me, I wouldn't be in the position I am in today.
My Career Started in Real Estate
My career started in real estate as a Client Coordinator, where I learned how to qualify prospects, listen carefully, and understand people's concerns before ever trying to solve them.
That's where I first developed my communication skills and discovered that asking thoughtful questions is often more valuable than having the perfect answer.
Entering the World of Tech Sales
In 2020, a friend living in San Francisco introduced me to the world of tech sales. She told me it was an exciting industry that was growing quickly and encouraged me to complete a sales boot camp.
More importantly than learning different sales technologies, I learned how to present myself professionally and identify companies whose cultures aligned with my values. I wanted to work somewhere that believed in people because, at the end of the day, we're just humans behind the keyboard.
My first opportunity in tech sales was with Intensify. I honestly had no idea what content syndication or intent data was, but what convinced me wasn't the product. It was the conviction of the Sales Director, Benton. His passion for the company made me curious enough to want to learn everything I could.
Looking back, he sold me on the company long before I ever sold anything myself.
That experience taught me something I still carry with me today: genuine curiosity is one of the greatest skills you can develop.
Throughout my career, I've learned that people don't want to feel convinced. They want to feel understood. When you genuinely care about learning, understanding your customers, and believing in what you're representing, conversations become much more authentic.
Joining the First BDR Team at Intensify
When I joined the very first BDR team at Intensify, I was fortunate to be surrounded by Account Executives who believed in me, reached out to support me, and invested their time in my growth.
Less than a year later, I was promoted into an Enterprise Account Executive role.
While I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity, I also learned one of the biggest lessons of my career. I wasn't sure I was fully prepared, but I didn't want to disappoint anyone by expressing my concerns.
I accepted the challenge and gave it everything I had, but eventually, I reached a point where I realized that growth also means learning when to communicate honestly about where you are.
Looking back, I don't see that experience as a setback. I see it as an opportunity to learn discernment. Timing matters, and sometimes growth means allowing yourself the space to reflect before moving forward again.
Taking time to focus on my mental health became one of the greatest gifts I've ever given myself. It reminded me to slow down, appreciate how far I'd come, and recognize that God's timing is always better than my own.
Sometimes we become so focused on what's next that we forget to celebrate what we've already accomplished.
Joining Propensity
Later, another former colleague introduced me to Propensity. He believed in the company's vision and encouraged me to interview. During my conversation with the CEO, I was simply excited to learn more about the business and the people behind it.
That curiosity turned into an opportunity I continue to be incredibly grateful for.
Since joining Propensity, I've continued learning from incredible leaders, teammates, and mentors. From our CEO, Sumner, to our marketing leadership team and the people across the organization, I've been fortunate to work somewhere that genuinely values people.
That culture has reinforced everything I've believed throughout my career: people perform their best when they feel supported.
Looking back, I can honestly say that every opportunity I've received started because someone believed in me before I fully believed in myself.
That's why my goal now is to become that person for someone else.
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