An interview with Josipa Dragun, a Senior Sales Specialist at Revvity
When Josipa Dragun started studying experimental biology, she imagined a future in medicine. Sales wasn't part of the plan.
Today, she is a Senior Sales Specialist at Revvity, working with customers across complex scientific environments where technical expertise, commercial thinking, and collaboration all play a role.
Looking back, she doesn't describe her career as a series of big breakthroughs. Instead, she talks about curiosity, learning from people around her, and becoming comfortable with not having all the answers.
We spoke with Josipa about moving from science into sales, what surprised her most about the role, and why some of the biggest lessons in her career came from situations that didn't go according to plan.
Q: What made you leave the scientific side of the business?
Josipa: I don't really see it as leaving science. I started my career as a Field Application Specialist, and science is still a big part of what I do today. What changed was that I became interested in a broader part of the business.
I wanted to understand not only the technical side, but also how decisions are made, how customers evaluate solutions, and how different teams come together to solve problems. The move into sales gave me that perspective.
Q: You're several years into your sales career. What's driving you now?
Josipa: Honestly, the more I learn, the more I realize how much I still don't know. Some people find that uncomfortable. I find it motivating.
There are always new situations, new customers, new challenges. I'm interested in understanding how people think, how they make decisions, and how different parts of the organization work together.
That's probably what keeps me engaged. I never feel like I've figured everything out.
Q: What's the biggest misconception people have about sales?
Josipa: That it's mainly about selling. In my world, it isn't.
Customers usually come to Revvity because they're trying to solve a problem. The job isn't to convince someone to buy something. The job is to understand what's happening, ask the right questions, and help find the best solution.
Sometimes that solution involves products. Sometimes it involves expertise. Most of the time it involves both.
Q: How many people are usually involved before a customer decides on a solution?
Josipa: Far more than people imagine. In complex projects, sales is only one part of the process. We work closely with application specialists, service teams, product experts, and many other colleagues.
Each group brings a different perspective. One person understands the scientific workflow. Another understands implementation. Someone else understands service requirements.
The customer sees one solution, but behind that solution there is usually a lot of collaboration happening in the background.
Q: What surprised you most when you joined Revvity?
Josipa: How open people were.
I expected a large organization to be more formal. Instead, I found people who were approachable, responsive, and willing to help. That became especially important when I moved into sales. There are situations where you simply don't know the answer. Knowing that you can pick up the phone, ask a question, and get support makes a huge difference.
Q: You once said you might not still be at Revvity without your manager. Why?
Josipa: Because she played a huge role in my development. What I appreciate most is not that she gives praise. It's that she sees potential in people and pushes them further than they would push themselves.
She gives honest feedback, challenges assumptions, and encourages growth. Sometimes that means hearing things that aren't always comfortable, but that's usually where the learning happens.
Looking back, many of the biggest improvements I've made came after conversations where someone challenged me to look at a situation differently.
Q: What's something you've changed your mind about during your career?
Josipa: Open feedback. Earlier in my career, I sometimes saw feedback as criticism. Now I see it as information.
We're all too close to our own work. We see things from our perspective and sometimes miss what other people can see very clearly.
The people who help you improve aren't always the people who agree with you. Often they're the people who challenge you.
Q: When was the last time you got something wrong?
Josipa: Probably more recently than I'd like to admit. Sales is full of situations you've never seen before. If you're stretching yourself and taking on new challenges, mistakes happen.
The difference is how you react to them.
One thing I appreciate at Revvity is that I've never felt that one difficult day defines you. You don't feel like you need to hide mistakes. You learn from them, adjust, and move forward. You're not afraid to open your laptop the next morning.
That creates a very different environment from one where people spend their energy trying not to fail.
Q: What would you tell the version of yourself that was just starting out?
Josipa: I would tell her not to wait until she felt ready. Most opportunities arrive before you feel completely prepared for them.
I spent a lot of time thinking I needed more experience, more knowledge, or more confidence before taking the next step. Looking back, growth usually came after I accepted a challenge, not before.
You don't have to know everything on day one. You just need to be willing to learn.
One final thought
If there's one theme running through Josipa's career so far, it's curiosity. Not the kind that comes from having all the answers, but the kind that comes from wanting to understand more tomorrow than you understand today.
From experimental biology to sales, from technical expertise to customer conversations, her journey has been shaped by a simple mindset: keep asking questions, keep learning from people around you, and don't let uncertainty stop you from taking the next step.
