Being Ahead of the Sales Game | Wendy Harris, Head of EMEA at Gong
Wendy Harris, Head of EMEA at Gong, recently joined James on a truly revealing episode of Tech Salescraft. We trace Wendy’s career journey to date; exploring her high-pressure role at one of the globe’s most renowned firms, to being the first firm representative in the region, spearheading exceptional, dynamic growth. But what catalysed the change in environments throughout her journey? Wendy hones in on the motivating factors, and what it takes to find the workplace in which your strengths can best thrive. This episode guides us through professional excellence as we explore one of the most exciting sales enablement platforms in the market.
What drove Wendy’s success at one of the worlds largest invest banks?
- Work Ethic
- Sweat the small things – pay close attention to detail
- Do everything to the best of your ability
- Stay ahead of the game
Whilst the above may be the basics and self-explanatory, their power to elevate and empower you is often underestimated; particularly when each is practiced consistently. Wendy made a habit out of excellence by ensuring each was practiced to the highest standard. Although they can’t totally eliminate pressures, they can ease the stresses of a dynamic environment.
Work Ethic
Your work ethic inherently operates on a spectrum; it is subject to fluctuating due to often uncontrollable events. But it is something we can bolster and invest in to ensure we have a consistent basis that allows us to bring our best self to the workplace. Wendy highlights the importance of environment and cause. If we enjoy the type of work we do, buy into what we’re doing, and are somewhere that supports our motivations, building a sustainable work ethic becomes so much easier.
Sweat the small things
Whilst Wendy was working at Goldman Sachs, attention to detail was particularly important; a miscommunication or numerical error could result in a multi-million pound error ensuing. But no matter where you are, focusing on the minute details early on is crucial to seeing the bigger results later. It protects efficiency; communication becomes streamlined; and we understand the importance of paying due attention to everything, no matter how inconsequential it may appear when looking at the grand picture.
Do everything to the best of your ability
Leading on from the latter, this simple notion of doing everything to the best of your ability is an indispensable mindset. It can propel your career, encourage new learning opportunities, and subsequently bolster your personal understanding of your work ethic. It’s a basic one that every company will expect. Doing it consistently will allow you to truly standout.
Stay ahead of the game
“When I was working at Goldman Sachs, I was always looking for the new area of development. And that’s what informed my job search after Goldman Sachs, I wanted to find the next growth business and area.”
Look to the future and understand how that will impact you, and how you can be part of it. Wendy’s dynamic work demanded this, but she, as with the latter traits, invested in it to prepare for any possibility. Seize the opportunities the marketplace offers and allow yourself to adapt and grow with them.
Thank you Wendy for joining us on Tech Salescraft. This was a masterclass in professional excellence and broadened our understanding of sales excellence.
You can now watch the full episode on YouTube, or listen now across all major podcast streaming platforms here.