Written by: Kristen Loch, Senior Product Manager, DemandPDX
The only thing I knew, was that I wanted to move from the Detroit suburbs to Chicago. Graduation was quickly approaching and I started applying for jobs like crazy. It got to a point where was I applying to any open role in Chicago, but nothing was working out. I started to panic that I would not have a job waiting for me when I graduated. Too nervous to go without a job, I decided to take an offer I had pending for a position in Detroit. The job was with a great company but I knew I was meant to be in Chicago.
One day while researching companies in Chicago I found Victory Lap. The concept seemed interesting and past candidates seemed to genuinely love their experience with the company. I applied online and soon after that was going through the interview process. Next thing I knew, I was accepted into their two-week bootcamp. I felt like this was my chance. I moved out of Detroit two weeks later and started the Victory Lap program. Little did I know that this was what would become one of the most defining moments in the early stages of my professional career.
The main reason I decided to pursue a career in sales was that I felt it would allow me to tap into my determined nature and push myself in a productive way. I’ve always known that I would enjoy working in a competitive environment. Each day I’m surrounded by highly motivated people who have ambitions similar to my own. My coworker’s drive holds me to a higher standard and their support helps me grow both professionally and personally. Together it’s exciting to see the outcome of hard work; truthfully, sales is one of the best ways to directly see the results of your efforts.
Victory Lap gave me the confidence to be the best salesperson I could be. It also provided me a group of new sales professionals like myself. While we were all very different, Victory Lap connected us, and through the 2-week bootcamp, I cultivated many lifelong connections to take with me into my sales career. Additionally, Victory Lap’s bootcamp allowed me to perfect my interview skills and gain that foundational base of sales knowledge.
While participating in the program, I was able to learn about multiple companies in the Chicago area–many of which I was unaware of when I had started my job search in Detroit. It was through Victory Lap where I found my current company, ShipBob. ShipBob is a tech-driven Fulfillment Company helping eCommerce businesses become more successful online. I was hired in as a Business Development Representative where I reach out to potential clients and set meetings for our Account Executives. With the support of the Victory Lap team, I was able to feel confident in my interview and my initial weeks at the company. I truly could not be happier about my decision to start working for such a wonderful start-up.
Working in a sales career has been an amazing challenge. The fundamentals I learned during my time at Victory Lap helped prepare me for the wide range of outcomes a sales career can hold. In my first month at ShipBob, I came in strong and nearly tripled my quota for the month. I thought sales was a breeze and that absolutely nothing could stop me. My second month I was able to again hit quota, but I did not exceed it quite as much as I did my first month.
Sales is a rollercoaster. When my third month rolled around, I struggled. I worked just as hard as I had previously, but for some reason was unable to hit my quota. This hurt my pride and made me think I was not as good of a salesperson as I thought. I spoke with my managers and tried to figure out what I could do better and how I could better prepare myself to continually hit quota. If sales has taught me anything, it’s that you will have great months, good months, and even bad months. But when you do find yourself in a rut, you need to trust your training to pull you through.
No matter the outcome, you must keep your head up and not let the bad months get you down. When times are touch and quotas seem unattainable, I’ve found success in thinking back to the basics. Victory Lap provided me with those preliminary skills from which all sales strategies and tactics are born. Having a solid base of knowledge allowed me to have faith in myself and my abilities even during those down months.
I’ll say it again: sales is a rollercoaster. This is an unpredictable career, but the reward from all of your hard work and efforts is far greater than that initial discomfort of not always hitting your quotas. Going forward, all you can do is work hard, seek help, be creative, and trust your training.
Are you also sure not what to do after college like Kristen? Apply to Victory Lap today by going to victorylap.io/application or simply by pressing the button below.