What was your background and motivated you to start or continue a career in sales from whatever else you were doing?
"I’ll never forget meeting with a friend’s aunt, who was in a senior leadership position at a well-known technology company, to discuss where to go next in my professional journey. At the time, I was working at a non-profit training guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired. After speaking for a few minutes she firmly said “You should look into tech.” Having just enough tech skills to turn on my laptop, I was intimidated by that suggestion and admittedly brushed it off. A few months later, as I was searching for jobs online, I stumbled upon a post from LaunchSource. I don’t recall its exact words, but I remember that it took some of that previous intimidation I was feeling and replaced it with curiosity and optimism that I could enter into a new career and industry despite my seemingly irrelevant job experience. So I applied to be a part of the LaunchSource process. I quickly learned that my experience, skills, and knowledge weren’t irrelevant at all. That, with LaunchSource’s support, I could forge a path that I never imagined for myself. A path in sales. It was the LaunchSource team that motivated me to enter into sales. Everything from that initial online post, to meeting their team, to entering the group interview process, and to accepting my first sales position. That push has opened the door to so many amazing opportunities, including my shift into a sales-adjacent role in GTM enablement, which I hold today. "
What’s your best advice for interviewing for the SDR Role given the competitive landscape and the current demand for higher quality talent?
My advice for interviewing for the SDR role is three-fold:
- Do your research: Go beyond just understanding the company at which you are interviewing and do everything you can to understand their customers. Connect with sellers at the company on LinkedIn, read case studies, look at customer reviews – go into the interview with a deep understanding of their target market.
- Articulate your “why”: The SDR role is so critical to a sales organization and it is a role that takes a lot of persistence, determination, and grit. Be sure that you can articulate why you want to get into sales and how your previous life experiences set you up for success.
- Be yourself: Don’t try to fit yourself into the mold of what you think an SDR should be. I’ve seen so many people, with diverse backgrounds and experiences, succeed in sales because they brought their unique perspectives and skills to the table.
What LaunchSource Company I’m starting my career and what I’m most excited about in 2024?
"Launchsource helped me land my first sales position at Bedrock Data, a small startup with a technology that enabled integrations between critical business systems. I was in a full cycle Account Executive role, which meant I was responsible for qualifying and generating leads, winning the business, and even, since we were a lean team, assisting with onboarding them onto our platform. It was certainly my “crash course” in sales and technology and equipped me with a lot of the knowledge and skills that propelled me into future roles.
Now, 9 years later, I am humbled to be able to help so many sellers, many who are new to sales and technology, in my GTM Enablement position. I’m excited to embark on a few major enablement initiatives in the second half of 2024 that I know will propel the careers of so many of our sellers, just like my learnings at Bedrock Data did for me."
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