Marcelo Ramos

I have almost 10 years of experience selling and building rapport with customers in very different settings — from telephone sales of health insurance to selling fine-dining experiences and wine in Michelin-starred restaurants. I learned to quickly read a customer's profile, adjust my sales pitch, and close under pressure. I currently work on board Disney cruise ships, where selling premium experiences and upselling are part of the job every single day.

Chef de Rang (Dining Experience Sales) — "Enchanté" and "Remy" Restaurants (Chef Arnaud Lallement, 3 Michelin Stars) - Disney Cruise Line

(2023-04)

• Sell and upsell menus, wine pairings and premium experiences directly to guests from dozens of different nationalities, every single day.
• Quickly read each guest's profile and preferences to adapt my sales approach and maximize both satisfaction and check value.
• Present products and technical concepts in a simple, persuasive way, without sounding like a rehearsed script, which drives higher take-up of suggestions and extras.
• Work under strict international quality protocols, which demands consistency and discipline in both service and selling.
• Part of a multinational team, communicating clearly to solve sales and operational problems on the spot.

Head Waiter / Maître d'Hôtel (Wine Sales Management) - Nómada Avenidas Novas - Lisbon

(2018-01 - 2023-04)

• Owned the wine list: product selection, pricing, and profit margin management.
• Built and sold personalized wine and food pairings, increasing average spend per guest through consultative upselling.
• Managed and trained a team of 12 (10 waitstaff, 1 hostess and 1 bar staff), including daily sales coaching and performance follow-up.
• Picked up bar skills on my own initiative, keeping sales and service running smoothly during peak demand.

Sales Representative (Outbound Sales) - Connecta (Call Center)

(2017-01 - 2018-12)

• Sold health insurance over the phone through outbound cold calls, mostly to people who weren't expecting the call and, at first, had no interest in listening.
• No face, no gestures, no second chance: just the voice. Learned to grab someone's attention in the first few seconds and drive the conversation forward, clearly and in an organized way, through to close.
• Worked from a script but learned to move beyond it, reading each person's tone and pace to decide when to push, when to reassure, and when to just listen.
• Explained insurance terms, coverage and pricing in plain language, adjusting vocabulary and pace to each person's age, background and patience level.
• Handled objections and hesitation in real time, without visual cues, relying only on tone and pauses to tell when someone was genuinely not interested versus just cautious.
• Consistently met and exceeded monthly sales targets in a high-rejection, high-volume environment, building resilience to constant "no"s without losing energy or tone.
• Kept a structured, repeatable approach call after call, while still making each conversation feel personal rather than scripted.