What is your official title and how long have you been working in sales?

VP of Sales, North America, and I have been working in sales for 10 years.

What is the most satisfying part of your role in Sales?

I have two:

1) Speaking with customers that have a problem and a pain point, knowing that you can work with them to understand that problem, and ultimately help them solve that problem.

2) Sales has the most specific, measurable metrics for the success of any function in a business. You know exactly how successful or not your team has been.

What most inspires you about other Sales professionals you have worked with?

Especially in GovTech, there is a real passion for helping customers be successful. You can make more money, and faster, in other industries. If that was your main drive, you wouldn’t stay in our industry long-term.

What are your top three tips for success in Sales?

1) Persistence is the most vital characteristic of success. While many of us have heard about sales pros that make a few easy big sales, I’ve never met this person. Everyone I’ve come across that was successfully put in sustained, dedicated effort to be continually successful over time.

2) Know thyself. Understand what type of sales rep you are (Challenger, Relationship, Technical, etc.) and find the product and sales motion best suited for your strengths. Because, while every rep is coachable, I don’t see salespeople changing too much from their core disposition.

3) You make your own success in sales. But you can’t always outperform a bad fit. Whether it’s product, company, or market, success is based on these factors. Just because you don’t find it, doesn’t mean your next sales role won’t be a better place for you to be successful.

What is something you wish others understood about the importance of?

I know Sales has a bad reputation, and sometimes it is deserved.

But selling is a service. It’s how companies find solutions to problems and how companies are successfully represented to potential customers.

What advice do you have for your peers in similar roles around the world?

Empathy for both our customers and empathy for our individual contributors is critical to sales, and it is of even greater importance given current conditions in today’s world.