It was a Friday afternoon in 2005 when he cold-called Onguard and landed a sales job position. He has showcased Onguard globally, from Brazil to Australia. He’s been working at Onguard for the past 20 years, but his story starts way before credit management software. This is Marco Bontje, Strategic Account Executive at Onguard!
From jeans to Java
Marco’s early ambitions had nothing to do with tech. “My family was in textiles,” he says. “We sold jeans.” It wasn’t until 1985, when someone tapped him on the shoulder and said, “I want you to work for me. You’re going to sell IBM and WANG computers,” that his career took a sharp digital turn.
“I had no clue about software,” Marco laughs. “I just jumped in.” And this is when he discovered he had a knack for translating complex requirements into simple customer wins, even before anyone called it ‘solution selling.’
The castle call that changed it all
Fast forward to 2005. Marco was working for a Belgian company when he started coming across the name Onguard more and more: clients were using it, and he quickly got to know the product firsthand.
“I did some digging. I sent them a letter. Nothing happened. So I picked up the phone on a Friday afternoon, and said, ‘I want to talk to your sales manager.’” That call landed him a meeting with the then Sales Manager at Onguard, and just like that, he found himself walking into the (literal) castle where Onguard was headquartered at the time.
What’s the best thing about working at Onguard?
“That’s easy,” Marco smiles. “The people. We have been working together with Natascha, Jan, Christine, Kimberley, and Maarten since the early days. After so many years, they are not only colleagues. We’ve built something together. And even as the company changed hands, from family-owned, to private equity, to now Visma, that culture of collaboration stayed.”
Sales, but make it personal
While Marco had once managed people, he quickly realised: leading teams wasn’t his thing. “I’m happiest when I’m doing the job: meeting people, listening, solving issues.” At Onguard, he stayed close to the action, first focusing on the Dutch market and later expanding into international sales, presenting Onguard in Australia, Brazil, and many countries in between.
“Pre-COVID, I used to travel all the time. I miss that face-to-face connection. It’s just not the same through a screen. There’s something about the energy in the room, reading people. The non-verbal stuff matters. However, remote work is better for the environment. And we’ve adapted. It’s part of moving forward.”
Working at Onguard: Looking back, what makes you proud?
“The winbacks,” Marco says without hesitation. “Getting a customer back after they’ve left because they realise the grass isn’t greener. That tells you everything about the value of what we deliver. And the relationships we build.”
Do you want to learn more about working at Onguard? Visit our careers page, our job opportunities, or contact us directly.
