What’s your career journey been like up until now?

Before working here, I worked in a sales based role but with a lot more of an account management focus. This role provided me with great training to help me with communication and goal-oriented skills but I wanted more chance for advancement and the opportunity to develop my selling skills, closing techniques and managerial skills. It was at this point that I chose life here. I’ve been here for 6 months, now and I feel that I have already developed as a person and improved significantly within my job role – this development and improvement is due to the people that I have met at Sky Business and how helpful, supportive and insightful they have been.

What does a typical day working here look like for you?

I plan my days the night before using Prospero (Sky CRM System), and making a journey plan with as much information as I can gather about the particular premises that I’m going to visit. I will try and see as many decision makers as possible (preferably at least 5 a day), ideally to have an initial ‘selling’ conversation; but if not, then at least finding out more information about the premises and understanding the local knowledge and demand of sport fans in order to build my sales pipeline. Every day is different for me, which is great and I really enjoy my day-to-day life on the road, visiting a minimum of 8 outlets a day and getting in front of as many DM’s as possible, in order to have that ‘selling’ conversation, and share with them the value of having Sky can have on their premises.

What’s been your proudest moment since working here?

Upon joining, after an initial period of understanding my role and products and refining my sales approach, my proudest moment would be achieving 5 Sales in 2 days. For context, the expectation is that I make 1-2 Sales per week. This achievement was particular pleasing, as I built strong relationships with these customers, managed my pipeline effectively, and negotiated with each of them to find a solution what was not only great for me and the business, but I am confident will be a really positive commercial decision for each of these sites.

What’s the most enjoyable thing about your job?

There are two aspects of my job that I find most enjoyable.. One is definitely the buzz that you get once you’ve had that initial meeting with a decision maker – where you know that you have educated your customer, shown them the value of the product and they are keen to proceed with taking it on. The second is the different characters that I get to meet through working in this industry. I get to enjoy having a wide range of conversations and interactions with my colleagues, peers from industry partner organisations we work closely with , pub licensees, bar staff etc – whoever it may be, there will always be a story to be told and t’s great working in such a diverse, dynamic industry.

Describe your work/life balance?

I play Squash to a high standard and am very dedicated to my sport. My role is demanding and working hard definitely equates to results, but I am given the autonomy to balance this hard work, with the demands of my Squash activity, so can make decisions on how best to manage my time.

What advice would you give to others trying to develop their career?

Joining here was a great decision for me when it has come to driving my development. In addition to the skills I have picked up through my role, I have also embraced ‘My Sky Development’ – an online portal at Sky with numerous resources and tools to support development and progression. Through this, I have been able to partake in workshops/webinars, and engage with LinkedIn Learning and Ted Talks helping me progress not just in my career but also your life in general.

An interesting fact/something no one else knows about you?

In a previous role, I waited on England World Cup Winning Legend – Gordon Banks!!