Another month, another chance to celebrate our amazing team. Welcome back to our employee spotlight series, where we highlight all of the incredible people that make DataGrail such a great place to work.
Ian Halpin has been at DataGrail for almost two years and has grown quite a bit in his time here. He started out as Mid Market Sales Development Representative (SDR), helping our outbound efforts by reaching out to potential customers so we can help them in their data privacy journey.
Ian has since been promoted to a Senior SDR before recently landing a spot on our Mid Market Account Executive sales team. Ian shared some of his insights on success in sales and what his journey has been like at DataGrail.
1. You started your career in recruiting – what made you want to try out tech sales? And what ultimately made you want to pursue growth in tech sales once you got into it?
I always knew I wanted to be in a customer facing role where I was going to have the opportunity to work with new people each and every day. I had a friend who worked at DataGrail and he did some pretty good selling on me. Still, I was looking for a bit of a career shift and I knew sales was the route I wanted to go.
As far as pursuing growth in tech sales, I really saw an opportunity here at DataGrail. Privacy is becoming a staple of everyday life and it’s something that is never going away. In fact, it’s just going to become more and more relevant. I saw that as an industry I could grow in.
2. Was there anything about tech sales that surprised you?
I think the biggest change was the speed at which things take place. Being in the startup culture and tech world, things have to change quickly in order to keep up. I knew things would move fast. Still, I was a little surprised at the sheer speed in which our company and industry as a whole has moved, and even more so our prospects and customers.
3. What was your favorite part of being an SDR at DataGrail?
The culture, without a doubt. Our team was, and still is, so great. My manager and peers invested so much time and effort in me to help me learn and grow faster than I thought possible. The SDR job really taught me how to handle failure, learn from those mistakes, and then create positive growth from those experiences.
4. What are you most excited about in your new role?
Challenge. I am always up for the hardest task possible. I’ve always heard this is a difficult but important career jump, and nothing excites me more than that.
5. For people trying to advance their careers in sales, what advice would you give?
Stay consistent. You’re not going to have 100% every single day because it’s just not realistic. I pride myself on bringing the absolute best I have every day, regardless of what that is. It’s necessary that you grind every single day out.
If you can only give 80% that day, give your best 80%. This will allow you to put your best foot forward. It’s also important to stay curious and be able to implement feedback!
Want to work with Ian? Check out our open roles here.
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