Taking the long term view on your career and life

One of the best pieces of advice I've received in my career was learning to zoom out.

I didn't really understand where my Director was coming from at the time when he gave me this advice. How could I possibly think 3-5-10 years ahead when I had a monthly sales target. The advice felt like a cop out - if I didn't perform short term, would I be around in the long term to benefit?

I thought to myself, how could I possibly afford to look the bigger picture when I had monthly targets. I was in survival mode. 

Years later, I sit here and it finally clicks. 

There is a reason management like hiring younger sales talent - because they come with an unjaded perspective and a level of hunger that can't be taught. In my case, this ambition was also coupled with a desire for instant gratification. To get the next promotion. To close deals faster. To secure the next big commission cheque. 

The highs were high and the lows were incredibly low - an emotional rollercoaster

These short term views made my emotions swing like a roller-coaster. I remember my heart sinking when I was passed up for a promotion from BDR to Account Executive. I had over-achieved for the past 12 months, aligned with my manager on a professional development plan and after 3 rounds of interviews - I was quietly confident I had gotten the job. They ended up hiring someone externally. I was devastated. 

Looking back on this now, it is ridiculous how much I let it affect me. The next role opened up 3 months later and I got it - it wasn't the end of the world. In fact, after many years - I had completely forgotten about it.

In hindsight, the energy I spent being angry, I could've redirected to more productive parts of my life. Those 3 extra months quite literally mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. 

Pushy sales tactics costed me thousands in commission

It showed in my sales process and my customers felt it. Rather than focusing on the customer's timeline, I was thinking about how I could shorten the sales cycle to meet my own needs. The irony of this was my shortsightedness costed me more in commissions than if I had just been patient and focused on helping.

Having been involved in hundreds of deals now, I can confidently say that customers have a fantastic sense for desperate sales people. It will not only cost you the deal but completely destroy your personal brand.

So rather than trying to move them on your timeline - ask questions to uncover their compelling event and reason for change. There is a big difference between holding customers accountable to their project timelines and being pushy to close them for your own personal benefit. 

Adapting to organisational changes

This is a big one. If you've ever worked in a hyper-growth business, you'll know that change is something you become accustomed to quickly. Things like new territory, new management and new commission structure are part and parcel with the industry. At times, the short term changes can feel so painful and illogical that it's difficult to see the bigger picture.

One vivid example was when the business decided to remove BDR alignment from my territory. This meant I was responsible for 100% of the revenue sourced from my territory. This was paired with an increased sales target. It was like a smack in the face - we were expected to do more with less. I remember thinking, the sales targets were hard enough to achieve with a BDR. How could we do it without BDR support?

The following 2 years, this particular segment without BDR's was one of the best performing teams in the business and continue to thrive. By removing BDR support, the business re-invested into marketing ops and lead generation. Turns out the deal sizes in that segment didn't justify having a BDR - I was just too shortsighted to see this. 

I'll finish by sharing one of my favourite quotes from Steve Jobs.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in the future".