A Day in the Life of a Sales Executive
*** Want to join Teamleader's Sales team? Explore our Sales vacancies here. ***
Important note: Teamleader offers two work management software tools. Teamleader Focus is aimed at SMEs, Teamleader Orbit mainly at mid-sized agencies. The role of a sales executive differs in content depending on the software tool the employee sells.
Matthijs: I give product demonstrations to potential customers to show them how Teamleader will help them sell, bill and organize their work, in a way that suits their needs.
Jakob: I help entrepreneurs and their teams to work smarter with Teamleader, the n°1 work management software company in Europe.
Roos: I sit down with small and medium-sized company owners and together we analyze their internal processes, identify the areas for improvement, and then I translate this into functionalities for the Teamleader Focus software tool.
Matthijs: My first weeks at Teamleader were great. During a full onboarding week, I was given intro sessions by enthusiastic colleagues from all departments of the company. I felt at home straight away.
Jakob: From day one, I was warmly welcomed by everyone. During the onboarding week, I got to know my own team and role as well as the other Teamleader departments. I was assigned a buddy whom I could go to with all my questions. Within the Sales team, I was closely followed up and coached, and given useful tips and tricks.
Roos: I remember as if it was yesterday, although the onboarding was completely digital from the home office (corona measures at that time), I did feel welcome. And once I could start going to the office I loved my job even more. Teamleader has a really nice office vibe & culture!
Matthijs: By checking my email and a final prep for the meetings I have planned for the day. At the office, there’s always a short, informal check-up meeting with my Sales colleagues.
Jakob: Coffee, what else? And a hearty breakfast. Before I start giving demos - about 3 or 4 a day - I check my mailbox and answer questions of leads. At 9.30 I kick off my first demo of the day, the next one is usually around 11 'o'clock. During my lunch break, I go for a quick 20-minute run or exercise so I feel energized for the second part of the day. In the afternoon, I follow up on emails and I give another one or two demos. After that, I finished my other administration: Customer Success briefings, side projects, etc.
Roos: The day starts with a fresh coffee & a good morning chat with my colleagues. After that, I check my e-mails to answer questions from leads I'm following up on. Then the day is usually filled with ca. 3 meetings and some evaluation sessions. The rest of the day is thus filled with prepping, executing, and finishing up my meetings with prospects.
Matthijs: The Sales team has a shared hunger for success. Although we all carry personal responsibilities for our own pipeline, we have each other's back. We give feedback, help out with difficult cases and chat throughout the day. There’s always a healthy competition on who will do best per month.
Jakob: We’re a competitive bunch of goal-getters who push each other to the next level.
Roos: The Sales team is a close-knit, young, ambitious team in which no one holds back and in which we constantly challenge each other.
Do you feel like there’s enough variety between your days? What is an annoying routine task you have to do?
Matthijs: Yes there is, although the variety does depend on the leads you’re working on. I’d rather interact with all kinds of different companies than only talk to builders for a whole week. An annoying routine task is - as any sales rep will say - the administration part.
Jakob: Each customer has their own needs and wishes, and this creates a lot of variation. You have to think along with the customers and find concrete solutions for their specific needs. Sometimes you have to be creative to accommodate their situation in the tool. Doing 3 or 4 demos per day can eventually become a routine task.
Roos: As a Sales Executive you have partial control over your own schedule. Of course, there are meetings scheduled by other Sales colleagues. Those meetings are always different, since you have a variety of leads from different sectors, and with different needs & wishes. Other than that, you’re free to choose when you do follow-ups, improve your product knowledge, do administration, etc. This makes every day different and makes the job exciting.
According to Jakob, here's what an average working day for a Sales Executive looks like:
Do you feel like you’re involved in projects which benefit your department and the organization as a whole? Do you feel like you can make an impact in your role?
Matthijs: The organizational structure is set up in a way in which we report and give our feedback to our managers. They, in turn, can decide to take action based on that feedback.
Jakob: Yes, through one-to-ones I can share ideas with my manager. You also get the chance to take the initiative and propose and work out projects/ideas yourself, e.g. following an online sales training with the entire team to expand certain skills.
Roos: At Teamleader, you get a lot of freedom and opportunities to take initiative. If you’re open to it, you can choose to be involved in multiple cross-departmental projects. Ultimately, you’re free to decide how many projects you participate in and how much time you devote to them. As long as you get your Sales job done, of course.
Matthijs: As a Sales Executive, your agenda is always full thanks to your Sales Development and Inside Sales colleagues. I tend to have 20 to 25 meetings every week, either new business or follow-up. Keep in mind there’s always follow-up work to do as well, so make sure to reserve enough time for it in your schedule. If for some reason you have some time to spare, you can always check in with some old leads that you were “storing in the fridge”.
Jakob: Most days are equally busy with an average of 3 to 4 demos per day, some follow-up work and some internal meetings. Of course, there’s days when you get lots of emails and lots of extensive questions.
Roos: It's kind of busy, you have 3-4 meetings per day, combined with follow-up meetings/evaluations and team meetings. The key here is to set healthy boundaries for yourself as in how many meetings you can handle in a day, and put blocks if you need some focus time. You are responsible for your own schedule.
Matthijs: I work very closely with our Inside Sales and Sales Development team. They schedule our meetings so we are in constant communication to make sure we have the best information regarding our leads. Next to that I’m in close contact all day with my direct Sales Executive colleagues and my manager.
Jakob: As a Sales Executive, I talk to people from all different departments. I like the fact that we don’t work in silos. For instance, I’m in close contact with our Support and Customer Success team in order to answer specific customer questions. After a lead becomes a customer we do a sales handover to Customer Success with a briefing about this customer.
Roos: As a Sales Executive you are in daily contact with lots of people internally and externally: the Sales manager, the Sales team, the Inside Sales colleagues who plan the demos in your calendar, the onboarding colleagues who follow-up on the prospects once they become customers and so on. Externally it is mostly the prospects, you follow up on the deal/company from A to Z.
Are you receiving adequate guidance? Do you get the necessary freedom and confidence to work autonomously?
Matthijs: I’m very happy with the amount of freedom I get. I’m free to have my own way of approaching leads, a method that works best for me. As far as guidance is concerned, I have a bi-weekly one-on-one check-in with my manager. This helps to discuss larger, more difficult cases.
Jakob: Every two weeks, I have a one-on-one meeting with my manager during which I can share my concerns and questions. The manager also takes the time to give specific feedback and tips and tricks. Apart from that, I’m free to organize my work as I like.
Roos: As a Sales Executive, I like the amount of responsibility and freedom you get to do your job the way you want. In the end, it's you who's in direct contact with the prospects, helping them from A to Z, and closing the deal. So autonomous working is kind of necessary here. Nevertheless, we have frequent one-to-one's with the manager wherein you can ask for tips and tricks, or share your feedback on the process.
Matthijs: I’m a happy Account Executive when I have a full agenda, filled with interesting, well-qualified leads who already have a realistic and hopeful expectation of what Teamleader can offer them. I’m a very happy Account Executive when I can amaze them with possibilities they did not even expect. It’s great to see the eagerness in their eyes after a demo.
Jakob: In a Sales role, of course, you want to sell and get good numbers. This is why the first thing I do in the morning is check if any of my leads activated their account. I also like it when a lead sends an email after the demo saying it is educational and interesting.
Roos: I get the most energy from bringing in new customers. If you don't get satisfaction from this, Sales probably isn’t your thing. I also get a lot of energy when a lead has an 'aha moment' during my demo, suddenly realizing how much time they can save and how much more productive they can be. If this 'aha moment' is then followed by a 'one shot' I am totally hyped!
Thanks, now back to work!
