Rise, Fall, and Rise: Navigating the Curves of a Sales Career

📚 I am starting to realize that writing is fun. So here I am, second article for the week. Happy reading! 📚

People don't often come clean about their career struggles. Victory and achievements are celebrated, but I believe it is the dark days that truly make or break us, professionally. 🌟

In the vast world of sales, a staggering percentage of the workforce is dedicated to this field. Approximately 10% of the global workforce is involved in sales, with a significant portion, around 5%, specializing in B2B sales. Despite the common perception that success in sales is an elusive myth, I believe that success is not only attainable but can be clearly defined. For me, success is the ability to build lasting relationships, achieve sustainable growth, and consistently deliver value to clients. 🤝📈

When I embarked on my sales journey, young and naive, I was driven by the desire to hit ambitious metrics. Along the way, I have been labeled as selfish, arrogant, insensitive, overfriendly, and excessively emotional about my deals. Yet, none of these perceptions deterred me from pushing forward. Instead, they became stepping stones, teaching me invaluable lessons about resilience and self-awareness. Here are three pivotal stories from my career that have shaped my growth and perspective in sales.

The Keka HR Deal: A Hard Lesson in Readiness 🏗️

February 9, 2019, I signed my first significant deal at Keka HR for 1.35 L INR per month, with a one-time setup fee of 2.5 L INR, the biggest ticket to that date. It was a monumental achievement, but within three months, the account churned. We learned that our product and engineering bandwidth wasn't ready to serve this account. I wasn't paid my incentive, but I gained something far more valuable: the understanding that closing a deal is just the beginning. Ensuring your product is ready and capable of meeting client expectations is crucial for long-term success. This experience taught me the importance of aligning sales promises with product realities. 💡🛠️

The Struggles at Mesh : Resilience and Intent 🏃♂️

I wasn't performing well at Mesh. I wasn't the guy the team hired, and my personal life was in turmoil. I could barely achieve any results during my time there. Did I cry over my failure? Yes. But then I made a bold decision: I moved to Gurgaon in the blink of an eye to stay closer to the team and be more visible at work, even though Mesh operated as a remote setup. This move was a testament to my resilience and intent. I learned that results aren't always consistent. Your performance will have rough patches, and you might lose your shine. What matters is the intent you show and the mindset you maintain every morning when you wake up. 🌄💪

The Growfin Experience: Support and Togetherness ❤️

My time at Growfin was marked by love and togetherness. Moving to Chennai for the first time, I was thoroughly enjoying both my work and the late-night catch-ups with colleagues. However, the night before my QBR presentation, my wife zoned out, battling a mental health condition I was unaware of. It was the longest night of my life. I showed up late to work the next day, and to my surprise, everyone was there to support me. Our pod was the stand-out pod in the QBR, and we finished our presentation without any issues. Later that night, during an after-party, personal relationships began to loosen up, but my boss stood by me, strong as a rock. This experience underscored the unpredictability of life and the importance of a supportive work environment. 🏆🤗

The CloudEagle.ai Experience: Learning from Losses 🚀📉

I lost a must-win deal valued at $50,000. We were clear winners until the very last second when I lost it to a competitor on price. I connected with my boss on a Slack call at 3 AM IST (she lives in the USA) and we were both exhausted, our brains barely functioning. What went wrong? Did I lose them way earlier than I realized? How did I not see this coming? My problem was my emotional attachment to my deals. 😓

This reminded me of a classic scene from the movie Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. In the movie, Dr. J. Asthana explains to Meena why he believes emotional detachment is crucial in medicine:

Scene: Doctors' Orientation

Meena: "[explaining why she thinks she would be a good doctor] Sir, I love people. I believe I can feel the patients' suffering. I want to treat them as friends, not just as patients." ❤️

Dr. J. Asthana: "We are not here to make friends. In my 25-year career, I haven't befriended a single patient. I have not felt their pain, just cured it. And I've done well. I do not love my patients. Confused? Let me explain. See this hand... Rock steady. It's done thousands of operations, but it never shook. But if I were to operate on my daughter, it will shake for sure. Why? Because I love my daughter. Friendship, empathy, attachment... these are weaknesses for a doctor. For the next five years... you'll be taught that a patient is just a sick body, nothing else." 🏥✋

The learning here is profound. Just as doctors must detach emotionally to perform their best, sales professionals need to balance their passion for deals with emotional detachment. At CloudEagle, despite the high-paced, professional environment, this incident taught me to detach emotionally from deals and focus on the process. 🤝💡

Embracing the Journey 🌍

In conclusion, being labeled as selfish or arrogant did not hinder my progress; instead, it became a catalyst for self-improvement and growth. By redefining success in my own terms and staying true to my values, I have been able to achieve remarkable milestones in my sales career. To all aspiring salespeople, remember that success is not a myth. It is a journey of growth, learning, and unwavering determination. Embrace your unique qualities, learn from every experience, and never let criticism define your path. The road is not always smooth, but it is the journey that shapes us, teaches us, and ultimately leads us to our own definitions of success. 🌟🚀