This year I made one of the biggest decisions in my life and switched from university teaching to IT sales. Compared to academia, tech is a very fast-paced environment – every day you have multiple meetings, constant updates, new conversations, and tons of things on to-do lists. This little blog will help me record the highlights of my journey in sales.
Almost every day my team of glorious BDRs meet for 15 mins to talk about prospects, challenges, and successes. Our manager – who leads these meetings – is off this week. What does it mean for us? We still join the meeting and talk about work – but….maybe for just a minute, devoting the rest of the time to jokes and casual chat about life.
Today when I joined the teams meeting, my camera did not work for some reason. I turned off my microphone and focused on writing emails, half-listening to the conversation between my teammates. The guys chat, and I keep typing the next email. Suddenly I stop half way through the sentence when I hear the word “Peppa Pig.” In my mind: “Why the heck are they talking about Peppa Pig?” The cartoon character surfaces from my memory: my little niece giggling at the image of some awkward pinky character on TV.
I forget about my email and start paying attention to the conversation: turns out one of our BDRs shares how much he loves watching it, never missing a single episode. It sounds so random and so helplessly funny. Our top BDR, who looks so professional and business style on calls and meetings, loves watching Peppa Pig and is not afraid to share it with us.
The guys do not see my face, but I am smiling.
This day I get no success on cold calls. 40 of my emails get zero response. I book no meetings. But every time I get a cold rejection, I remember Peppa Pig and her playful, exuberant personality. Such a random image in my mind, but it works – it helps stop taking things personally and too seriously.
Peppa Pig – a global phenomenon – surpasses the borders, cultures and contexts. As it turns out, even in sales, there is a place for Peppa Pig. So, next time you get a rejection on a cold call, remember to keep calm and Peppa on.
NATABLE 