It is funny how my work experience has coloured how I react to new situations and new roles. In the last 10 years I have worked in IT sales, in different places. Been responsible for forecasting, reaching targets on a quarterly or yearly basis. Chasing customers, closing deals, pulling my hair in frustration… feeling the high when a deal closed. Ranted over the injustice of sales. Raved over commissions hitting my account.
After 10 years I hit a slump. It just was not fun anymore. The job that is. The people I worked with… well what can I say. I’ve met some of the coolest, nicest and funniest people while in sales. The last team I was in for 5 years…it was a blast. Best people I have ever worked with. Made some good friends and we are still in touch and meet up.
I have now for the last 8 months worked in the backend of things. Still in IT but this time in the back office. Great sales figures means more work for me so technically I should be more happy about less work. But you know what… I still get excited when it all rolls in. Happy for the guys in the field. I understand their talks about forecasting, get their frustrations in terms of pipelines, can sympathise when it doesn’t work out and smile when THAT deal closes.
Many of my colleagues now have not been in sales and it a very different mind-set. Not worse or better, just different. I am happy where I am. I work with great people. I just never realized that what I have done would be so beneficial for me now. It was not wasted when I left. It complements me. It makes my interactions more valued. It is also great when approached by really annoying, pushy sales men/women – been there, done that… doesn’t work on me.
Damn… I am a sales person still. Haha!
