Meet Lilyana Boneva, Marketing Funnel Operations Manager at Progress

We’d like to introduce you to some of the people from around the world who make us who we are at Progress. In this post, meet Lilyana Boneva, funnel operations manager for the developer tools product group.

When she's not tackling data-based marketing projects, Lilyana is solving logic puzzles, demystifying escape rooms and playing board games. With four awards from escape-room competitions so far, she doesn’t shy away from a new challenge even if this means travelling the world. You can meet her in Boston, Sofia, Brussels, Budapest, cracking mysteries and going all the way to find a solution of a problem. Her strong logical thinking combined with passion for challenges make her a great marketer, always striving to figure out what’s behind the numbers and how she can leverage that to drive business success. Read on to learn more about Lilyana’s passion and how it helps her excel at marketing.

Lilyana, what is it about logic puzzles that makes them fascinating to you?

First of all, I love looking for the truth, finding solutions and learning something new along the way. I love mental challenges, making sense of something which looks unbreakable on the surface. I enjoy every step of the process–from the initial exploration and “This does not make any sense at all,” to “we may be on the way to something here,” to the long-awaited, “A-ha! That’s it! Let’s crack it!”

I also love the team spirit that comes with solving puzzles and I’ve met some brilliant people that way. While participating in escape rooms and puzzle hunts, you can very clearly see how different minds can think in different and unique directions. Having diverse ideas boosts the chance of getting the answer right fast and winning. Seeing how an avalanche of ideas can trigger even more unexpected ideas is one of the most exciting moments and very humbling¬ -- together we can achieve so much more. From time to time, I love to create logic puzzles myself. What’s fascinating is that you actually create a game you want to lose in order for someone else to win.

How does this translate into what you do at Progress?

On a daily basis, I work with lots of data, gathering information, discovering trends and optimizing for success. To be able to successfully do that, I use my logical thinking and passion for finding what’s beyond the surface. I want to see what these numbers mean and how we can use them to drive better results for the business. So, I am constantly looking for something hidden and unknown, something I have no idea what it might be. This can be a quite a complex puzzle on its own.

It’s also interesting that both in puzzle solving and funnel operations, teamwork is critical. Funnel operations is a cross-team discipline between business intelligence, demand generation, marketing operations and sales, to name a few. Working with and bringing in people with different backgrounds and points of view results in more perspectives which leads to opportunities and revelations that might never occur to a homogeneous group. This leads to reaching greater heights and solving complex business problems.

On your team, are you the person arranging the puzzle pieces? Or the person shaking them to build a new picture, a new perspective?

As a funnel operations manager, my key goal is to optimize the marketing funnel for lead quality and quantity and to improve conversion rates for better business results while having in mind regional and product differences. If we compare that to a jigsaw puzzle, I think I do a little bit of everything. I find the relevant pieces, figure out what’s the picture we need for better business decision-making and make sure we get there together.

You've been with Progress for four years. Looking back, what are the most important things you've learned?

The most important thing I have learned is that it is OK to make mistakes as long as you acknowledge them and learn from the experience. This mindset allows for continuous development, experimentation, creative solutions and often more relevancy and agility in a quick-changing environment. A safe and open-minded atmosphere is essential for solving any business problem.

Another important thing I’ve learned is that nothing stays the same. You can’t expect what it is today to be like what it was yesterday or what would be tomorrow. In the tech industry, everything changes with the speed of light and you have to be flexible to react on the spot and come up with relevant solutions.

Imagine that a new person joins your team today. What would you tell them about Progress?

Welcome on board. Enjoy the ride, meet great people and dream big. Progress is a place which fosters learning but remember that we are responsible for our own development.

What do you love most about Progress?

I love how Progress supports everybody in their professional development by nurturing collaboration and providing learning opportunities. This is the most important investment a person or a company can make.