Sales Manager for three European countries – I made it! My hard work and loyalty finally paid off.
I had turned around a critically underperforming division and grew profit margins by over 500%, won major key accounts and trained a team of sales people to assist with the growing demand.
If I had thought that I had achieved the ultimate goal and now I could find some balance my lifestyle, I was sadly mistaken.
Of course it only got more busy yet again and now that I was part of the management, I was invited to global events such as sales meetings in San Diego, training events in Dallas, Texas whilst the pressure to keep increasing revenue and profits was ever more paramount.
A part of me loved the ‘high flying’ career, the recognition and financial remuneration not to mention the five star hotels I had become accustomed to. Flying business class and taking clients out for lavish treats was part of my ‘scorching dessert’.
But the affect it had on my family was detrimental. My husband and I had completely grown apart. We didn’t seem to have anything in common anymore. When trying to figure things out by going on a family vacation, I was shocked how far removed I had become from my son as well. I did not know what he liked for breakfast???!!!
My husband and son had a very close relationship due to them spending so much time together and whilst on holiday, it felt that I was no part of it anymore.
What had happened? When did it all go wrong? And why did my attempt for a better life for us all backfire so badly?
To be continued…
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Gender Equality
Do you think you would find a man and a father ever reflecting on his career and consider the impact it had on his family? That's right - not at all possible. He would believe, he had done the very best for his wife and kids and no-one would question his motives otherwise.
Then why do we feel we have to justify ourselves for doing well? Explain, why we have given our career equal focus to our families and sometimes even more? Thinking that we have to make it up to everyone around us!
Are we still fighting the battle of gender equality? Is it society? Or is it our own expectations and perceptions? We certainly feel responsible to our children and spouses and want to ensure that home and life is running smoothly for everyone. Don't forget, we are really the first generation who is striving to have it all!
Then why do we feel we have to justify ourselves for doing well? Explain, why we have given our career equal focus to our families and sometimes even more? Thinking that we have to make it up to everyone around us!
Are we still fighting the battle of gender equality? Is it society? Or is it our own expectations and perceptions? We certainly feel responsible to our children and spouses and want to ensure that home and life is running smoothly for everyone. Don't forget, we are really the first generation who is striving to have it all!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Part IV – Juggle is a Struggle
Professional success can be a funny thing for a mother. Now, that I had carved out my career and had my first promotion, somehow there seemed to be a division from other moms in my son’s class. It is one thing of having to work full time to support the family however it seemed to be quite another to be a woman with ambition!
As much as I would have liked to be involved in my child’s environment, I was always rushing off to some important meeting. Once promoted into a field sales position to continue building strong relationships with customers I had acquired through my telesales activities, I would now have to spend days and weeks travelling around Germany to visit clients.
At this point 50% of my time was invested into travel and soon this would be getting more and more difficult to manage without any outside help.
I would continue to compensate for lack of quality time through amazing presents and lavish outings.
Anyone who has worked in the corporate world will know that you do get recognized for the amount of time you are prepared to invest. If you are there before your boss and leave hours after he has gone, well, you are considered potential for a management position. Strangely, productivity is measured in man hours more so than results.
Of course, it is wrong to assume that you must work at least 12 hours per day to be considered a committed employee. But I didn’t make the rules, I just followed them same as everyone who wants to get ahead in business.
So I continued to do my very best and was rewarded with more responsibility and expensive training courses in London in preparation for my promotion to Sales Manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
To be continued…
As much as I would have liked to be involved in my child’s environment, I was always rushing off to some important meeting. Once promoted into a field sales position to continue building strong relationships with customers I had acquired through my telesales activities, I would now have to spend days and weeks travelling around Germany to visit clients.
At this point 50% of my time was invested into travel and soon this would be getting more and more difficult to manage without any outside help.
I would continue to compensate for lack of quality time through amazing presents and lavish outings.
Anyone who has worked in the corporate world will know that you do get recognized for the amount of time you are prepared to invest. If you are there before your boss and leave hours after he has gone, well, you are considered potential for a management position. Strangely, productivity is measured in man hours more so than results.
Of course, it is wrong to assume that you must work at least 12 hours per day to be considered a committed employee. But I didn’t make the rules, I just followed them same as everyone who wants to get ahead in business.
So I continued to do my very best and was rewarded with more responsibility and expensive training courses in London in preparation for my promotion to Sales Manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
To be continued…
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Part III – The Cracks Start To Appear!
At the time I did not get the bigger corporate picture of what the company was trying to achieve. They had created this new telesales department to see if they could improve profit margins by lowering their overhead costs and by drastically improving conversion rates from prospect to clients.
Their new business model worked! Soon the department grew and within a year I was in charge of three more telesales people for the German speaking countries, involved in recruiting, training and motivating my own team of specialists.
Now the pressure was on with my own cost centre, budgets, concerns for targets and profit margins as well as staffing issues.
The 9 – 5 didn’t seem to be feasible anymore. There was always so much to do and as a perfectionist, I could not rest until everything was done, and was done, just right!
My superiors loved my enthusiasm and commitment and the more I was prepared to take on, the more they would throw at me. The incentives were becoming more enticing and soon I was completely sucked in.
Although I wasn’t home every night to tuck my little guy into bed, I told myself:” That’s o.k., I am there for him all weekend! And when we are together, we can now afford great outings to special places!” Thing is, did my three year old care about any of the fancy stuff?
I can tell you that my husband cared a great deal about having to take care of things especially now that my job had turned into a career.
To be continued…
Their new business model worked! Soon the department grew and within a year I was in charge of three more telesales people for the German speaking countries, involved in recruiting, training and motivating my own team of specialists.
Now the pressure was on with my own cost centre, budgets, concerns for targets and profit margins as well as staffing issues.
The 9 – 5 didn’t seem to be feasible anymore. There was always so much to do and as a perfectionist, I could not rest until everything was done, and was done, just right!
My superiors loved my enthusiasm and commitment and the more I was prepared to take on, the more they would throw at me. The incentives were becoming more enticing and soon I was completely sucked in.
Although I wasn’t home every night to tuck my little guy into bed, I told myself:” That’s o.k., I am there for him all weekend! And when we are together, we can now afford great outings to special places!” Thing is, did my three year old care about any of the fancy stuff?
I can tell you that my husband cared a great deal about having to take care of things especially now that my job had turned into a career.
To be continued…
Monday, January 19, 2009
Part II - Balance? But of course!
So there I was on my first day, enthusiastic, devoted and completely green to the corporate world!
Looking back it still surprises me how I persevered, overcoming language barriers and coping with new terminologies, complex software and services propositions and the sheer difficulty of learning the skills of telemarketing.
After my initial training week which was spent in all various departments including the manufacturing facilities, I was let loose on potential clients.
The company provided me with a phone, pen and paper and a telephone directory, wished me good luck and sent me on my merry ways!
In those days, a computer was a luxury and the internet was not really readily available, yet.
I was taught that cold calling is a numbers game! The more times you try, the greater the chance that you will speak to someone who is interested. And although I heard a whole lot of: “Not today, thank you!”, I was determined to keep this job.
It wasn’t long before I sharpened my ‘spiel’, refined my closing techniques and enjoyed my first taste of success. My first order was for 20 media cartridges and the value could have been not more than $240 but it felt as if I had just landed the biggest deal possible. I had made it!
That afternoon I went home celebrating with my family, treating us all to a special dinner – so far for any commission earned?!
While work was moving along and more little successes started to trickle in, my world primarily evolved around life at home. I worked to live and my husband and son always came first. That’s how it will always be, won’t it?
To be continued…..
Looking back it still surprises me how I persevered, overcoming language barriers and coping with new terminologies, complex software and services propositions and the sheer difficulty of learning the skills of telemarketing.
After my initial training week which was spent in all various departments including the manufacturing facilities, I was let loose on potential clients.
The company provided me with a phone, pen and paper and a telephone directory, wished me good luck and sent me on my merry ways!
In those days, a computer was a luxury and the internet was not really readily available, yet.
I was taught that cold calling is a numbers game! The more times you try, the greater the chance that you will speak to someone who is interested. And although I heard a whole lot of: “Not today, thank you!”, I was determined to keep this job.
It wasn’t long before I sharpened my ‘spiel’, refined my closing techniques and enjoyed my first taste of success. My first order was for 20 media cartridges and the value could have been not more than $240 but it felt as if I had just landed the biggest deal possible. I had made it!
That afternoon I went home celebrating with my family, treating us all to a special dinner – so far for any commission earned?!
While work was moving along and more little successes started to trickle in, my world primarily evolved around life at home. I worked to live and my husband and son always came first. That’s how it will always be, won’t it?
To be continued…..
Monday, January 12, 2009
Starting Out
I will never forget my first corporate appointment for a global IT company. My son Louis was only two years old when my husband, who had until that time served in the British Armed Forces, given me the opportunity to be a ‘stay at home mum’, spending the first two precious years with my little baby.
Now, that we were leaving the army there was no choice but to find a job that paid the mortgage. Initially working as a hotel receptionist, I soon found that the work/ pay/ life balance didn’t add up and when a position in ‘telesales’ with a normal 9-5, Monday to Friday opportunity came along, of course I did not hesitate. Ideal! Because at least I could spend the important bedtimes with Louis, cook a healthy meal and even read him a story. Perfect!
The IT company was looking to fill an international telesales position for the German market based out of Wales, UK and as a German National I was delighted to be able to utilize my mother tongue.
A minor detail was that I had no idea what ‘telesales’ actually meant. I knew it had something to do with sales. Well, and that was ok! But the only ‘tele’ I had ever heard of, was the television set in our home! I thought, “it’s regular hours and that is all I care about.”
Can you imagine my shock when I realized, I had gotten myself into a highly technical, totally male dominated industry?! And little did I know that this would be the beginning of an immense career, questioning the serene family life as I knew it.
To be continued….
Now, that we were leaving the army there was no choice but to find a job that paid the mortgage. Initially working as a hotel receptionist, I soon found that the work/ pay/ life balance didn’t add up and when a position in ‘telesales’ with a normal 9-5, Monday to Friday opportunity came along, of course I did not hesitate. Ideal! Because at least I could spend the important bedtimes with Louis, cook a healthy meal and even read him a story. Perfect!
The IT company was looking to fill an international telesales position for the German market based out of Wales, UK and as a German National I was delighted to be able to utilize my mother tongue.
A minor detail was that I had no idea what ‘telesales’ actually meant. I knew it had something to do with sales. Well, and that was ok! But the only ‘tele’ I had ever heard of, was the television set in our home! I thought, “it’s regular hours and that is all I care about.”
Can you imagine my shock when I realized, I had gotten myself into a highly technical, totally male dominated industry?! And little did I know that this would be the beginning of an immense career, questioning the serene family life as I knew it.
To be continued….
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)