TL;DR: After a few years leading sales teams this year reminded me that sales is FUN and the people who matter most (by far) on GTM teams are the folks on the frontlines.
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After a few years leading sales teams, I started at a seed-stage company as the first GTM hire.
The typical tropes applied: my job entailed sales strategy, hiring, and infrastructure, fancy revenue planning - oh yeah, and selling all the deals. This meant being my own SDR, hours of SFDC data entry, and putting on my success / support hat when needed. The results after 2Q - we 3xโd our paid customers, 2xโd our revenue, and raised an inspiring round from a tier 1 VC.
When I initially took the job, a few of my peers asked if Iโd be โworking deals at a tactical levelโ, with the implication that this was โless thanโ the leadership or strategic work Iโd done at later-staged places. I can honestly say that Iโve learned more, had more fun, and am genuinely excited about the โtactical levelโ sales Iโve had the privilege of doing this year. Plus, it was a fun reminder that Iโve still got itโฆ ๐
ROLL BACK THE CLOCK, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE!!! ๐ฅ ๐ โฐ
Sellers: AEs, CSMs, SEs, SDRsโฆ The work you do MATTERS and you f-ing rock. Now that my team is growing and my focus is shifting, Iโm going to make sure that my renewed appreciation and admiration for sellers is a pillar our culture, informs how we recognize people, and celebrate wins for the folks who ACTUALLY make it happen. Happy Q3 everyone.
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