Coming up with a fun fact about yourself can be a struggle — unless you’re Madison Zeinert, Resy’s SDR team lead. Before joining the hospitality company, Zeinert was in California working in TV entertainment — and before that, she was a high school track star.
While her background may be the opposite of cookie-cutter, it translates perfectly. As a manager, she encourages her team to think differently and take ownership — two things she has a lot of experience with. We caught up with Zeinert and learned more about her leading role on the sales development team.
What’s your professional background, and what brought you to Resy?
Prior to Resy, I spent time working in the television entertainment space in Los Angeles. I later decided to make a career change and pursue a larger passion of mine: the food industry! After using Resy myself to dine at some of my favorite restaurants, I was eager to apply and become part of the success of this growing startup.
As we’ve expanded in the last couple years, our passion for the industry has only continued to evolve and remains at the forefront of our work.”
What was your first impression of Resy’s sales team, and how has it measured up since?
Within my first few weeks at Resy, I quickly realized I was joining a very passionate sales team. From former restaurant managers to front-of-house staff, the majority of our team comes from hospitality backgrounds and truly cares about helping restaurants succeed. As we’ve expanded in the last couple years, our passion for the industry has only continued to evolve and remains at the forefront of our work.
Tell us about your role. What's your favorite part?
I oversee the day-to-day strategy and growth of the sales development team. My favorite part of this role is the coaching aspect. Since I previously spent several months as an SDR myself, I get to use my personal experience and expertise to benefit our team members in their own individual career paths. I also love helping others reach their goals, which is a big part of my job!
What’s your leadership style, and how do you give feedback? Can you give us one specific example?
My leadership style is relationship-oriented. I value getting to know my team members and learning how they are doing both in and out of work. In every Friday meeting, I ask everyone to share a high and a low to reflect on their week and build relationships across the team. When it comes to feedback, I provide coaching and mentorship but also encourage my team to take ownership of their tasks to foster individual development.
How does your team bond? How do you celebrate wins?
Our team bonds through weekly meetings and spontaneous monthly outings. We always have a meeting on Monday mornings to get motivated, and another one every Friday evening to wind down after our exciting week. Both involve sharing updates, immediate targets, weekly wins and success stories. We also do monthly team nights out, which most recently involved a fun trivia night around the block.
I always appreciate managers who not only trust their employees to get the job done, but also empower them to go the extra mile in their work.”
What's one trait that everyone on your team needs to have to be successful? Why?
They actually need two things: drive and accountability. The workday of an SDR is a grind and I am so impressed with how driven everyone on our team is in their day-to-day work. Additionally, as a salesperson, each SDR must hold themselves accountable to be on track to hit weekly metrics and their monthly goals overall.
What do you look for in a manager, and how has that shaped the way you manage?
I always appreciate managers who not only trust their employees to get the job done, but also empower them to go the extra mile in their work. In my role, I often practice this by challenging my team to think outside of the box, which leads to both personal and professional development over time.
What’s one surprising fact about you?
I have two! First, all of my siblings and I are named after presidents. Can you guess which one I’m named after? (Hint: his first name is James!) Second, I still hold the track record at my high school for the fastest 4x100 relay race! Just don’t ask me to run it again.
