And where do you find one? I have so many questions about sales, but my management is quite laissez-faire. Are there any good resources online if I want to soak up personal & professional knowledge?
Do you have a mentor?
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This community is kind of built around this concept...if you ask the right people.
Good point
If
Go ask @paddyhe's the one you need!
My mom. She's a savage.
The "Whitewashing the Fence" from Tom Sawyer was the only bedtime story I got besides anecdotes from Zig Ziglar and Stephen Covey.
If you don't know about Tom Sawyer and whitewashing the fence, you should go read it. It's a quick and fun read.
The "Whitewashing the Fence" from Tom Sawyer was the only bedtime story I got besides anecdotes from Zig Ziglar and Stephen Covey.
If you don't know about Tom Sawyer and whitewashing the fence, you should go read it. It's a quick and fun read.
Love that😂 what a beast. Thanks I’ll check it out
I sought out a top AE at my company, walked him through my process, listened to his and we found a lot of similarities. I’ve been glued to him since
Just gotta make the first move
For an SDR I would recommend reading "Cold Calling Techniques that Really Work" by Stephen Schiffman. Learning and applying these techniques in my early career set me apart and lead to an AE job just 2.5 years later. - In the middle of the great recession
Coool! I’ll check it out!
If your AE is amenable, join him/her on calls, ask for advice, etc.
Meanwhile, pay attention to the people up the ladder who are successful, and do your best to learn from them. If you identify someone who is successful, you can always ask to have them review your work, offer pointers, etc. You can also ask if they will help by mentoring you.
One other thing to keep in mind is be sure you are mindful of the job you actually have - and do your very best at that job. Don't fall into the trap of trying to get out of being the SDR/BDR that you are as quickly as possible. If you focus too much energy on your next step without doing your best on your current step, it's not going to work out well. Mentoring should help you overall as you focus on stages of your career.
Meanwhile, pay attention to the people up the ladder who are successful, and do your best to learn from them. If you identify someone who is successful, you can always ask to have them review your work, offer pointers, etc. You can also ask if they will help by mentoring you.
One other thing to keep in mind is be sure you are mindful of the job you actually have - and do your very best at that job. Don't fall into the trap of trying to get out of being the SDR/BDR that you are as quickly as possible. If you focus too much energy on your next step without doing your best on your current step, it's not going to work out well. Mentoring should help you overall as you focus on stages of your career.
Commit to your level!! Nice
Well shoot your questions here and see the magic in the comment box.
Yes, you need one, ask someone at your company, and keep asking until someone actually puts effort in.
Right I imagine it’s exhausting to mentor someone because it takes so much time, finding that one person means so much
Absolutely it is extra work, and as IC's a lot of AE's don't care to take the additional time.
When you find one who is, be a sponge and reciprocate.
When you find one who is, be a sponge and reciprocate.
There is so much free content out there. Podcasts, blogs, videos and online courses. I think it depends on what you want to get better at.
Looking in your own company is great way to find mentor. I think it’s good to talk to top sales reps, marketing, and tech. Marketing and tech get pitched all the time, so they can tell you what stands out and what is effective.
Looking in your own company is great way to find mentor. I think it’s good to talk to top sales reps, marketing, and tech. Marketing and tech get pitched all the time, so they can tell you what stands out and what is effective.
Interesting way to look at it!
If you have a lot of questions about sales I would probably see if you can get an training paid by your company.
Try and find a buddy instead of a mentor. Listen to each other’s calls and talk about best practices and your fuck ups and learn from them. The best way to learn good sales is to ask the right questions and when you get an answer ask more in depth questions about that subject. And come one. We are in sales, we don’t take no for an answer.
Try and find a buddy instead of a mentor. Listen to each other’s calls and talk about best practices and your fuck ups and learn from them. The best way to learn good sales is to ask the right questions and when you get an answer ask more in depth questions about that subject. And come one. We are in sales, we don’t take no for an answer.
I developed my mentors organically by just working hard and asking questions of those that knew more than me early in my career.
It sounds dumb but just be humble and go ask top performers with a little more tenure things you are interested in learning about.
It sounds dumb but just be humble and go ask top performers with a little more tenure things you are interested in learning about.
True everyone starts somewhere
There’s a lot of good feedback in this thread. To build on it, find someone you respect who does well and be their shadow. As your career develops and you shift jobs you’ll build up more mentors. I speak regularly to a few old bosses that mentored me, along with a former colleague who was in a different department that I grew to respect a great deal.
Always ask successful colleagues what they do to be successful and most importantly listen. Invest and build your social capital.
Always ask successful colleagues what they do to be successful and most importantly listen. Invest and build your social capital.
I have a mentor in role, a younger mentor to help me adapt to the current times and an old guy to keep me grounded.
That is all I keep in my circle.
That is all I keep in my circle.
I think the idea most people have in their head for what a mentor is, is false. I don’t know many people that had some senior level rockstar randomly walk up to them, put their arm around their shoulders and say “hey, I like your style, you stick with me and I’ll show you the ropes” that’s some Hollywood bullshit.
Mentors to me are all the people I ask advice from periodically and are willing to give it. Their the execs that get involved in my deals and I get to brainstorm with people who’ve been there and done that. It’s communities like this where I can get a lot of real advice from real people. It’s good books and training programs that teach me new things.
Ok, getting out of hand here, need coffee. In short - dont wait for some Hollywood representation of a mentor to take you under their wing. Go to everyone and everywhere you admire and start collaborating.
Mentors to me are all the people I ask advice from periodically and are willing to give it. Their the execs that get involved in my deals and I get to brainstorm with people who’ve been there and done that. It’s communities like this where I can get a lot of real advice from real people. It’s good books and training programs that teach me new things.
Ok, getting out of hand here, need coffee. In short - dont wait for some Hollywood representation of a mentor to take you under their wing. Go to everyone and everywhere you admire and start collaborating.
This is a good question. At the moment I do not, but I have had many. Mentors put a coefficient on your growth, and the better the mentor the higher the coefficient. Your growth can be exponential with the right guide.
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Be eager to learn, chomp at the bit, and hunt down the right mentor like a shark who’s smelled blood. The guys you actually want to spend time around tend to respond to that kind of tenacity.
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Be eager to learn, chomp at the bit, and hunt down the right mentor like a shark who’s smelled blood. The guys you actually want to spend time around tend to respond to that kind of tenacity.
What an answer. Stay tenacious. Absolutely resonant my friend @TheNegotiator
I do but I don't. I ask some things to some people, family and friends. Not so much on the friends side, and I have the Warroom.
I'm getting there, maybe??
I'm getting there, maybe??
use linkedin! but make it yours, be you and reach out to people that you truly think can help
I moved from finance to tech (sales). So I have a finance mentor. Luckily, my father has been in sales his whole life, so I tend to just ask him. His advice always seems a little off, but it has never failed me when talking sales.
How can we help?
Now that must be nice
I’m fairly confident you completely misread my meaning. What part of “that must be nice” is triggering you exactly?
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