Georgina
Laird
Georgina Laird (25) graduated from the Keele University in
Staffordshire, with a degree in Geography & Environmental
Management in 2004.
Current
Employer
I work for NTL:Telewest Business,
part of Virgin Media – a leading provider of digital TV, broadband
and mobile phones, and one of the best-known brands in the UK. My
role is to sell a range of products to business users across the
UK, and I now manage a team of seven sales staff. I started my
career with NTL:Telewest Business in February 2007 as a Telesales
Executive before being promoted to Outbound Sales Manager in 2008.
I now enjoy a very competitive salary, together with benefits
including private health care, pension plan, dental plan, and
discounts on products from across the Virgin group.
Why did you choose sales as a
career?
When I graduated I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. My degree was
quite specific, and though I did some temping work at the
Environment Agency I knew I wanted to work in a fast moving, people
focused industry. After working as an air hostess for two years I
started looking for new opportunities and got in touch with Pareto
about sales roles. Their approach and the range of job
opportunities they offered really appealed to me. Sales provides
insights into a wide range of business areas, and offers great
potential to achieve your goals and recognition. I am a confident
person and love working with people and taking on new challenges,
so sales offers the perfect environment for me.
When did you start your
career?
When I graduated I initially worked for the Environment Agency. I
stayed there for nine months while I decided where I wanted my
career to go. I then applied to become an air hostess and did this
for two years, initially flying short haul from Manchester and then
long-haul out of Heathrow. The problem was the lack of structure
and team environment – I was working all sorts of times and days,
and rarely with the same people. I also wanted to have a role where
I would be recognised for my skills and could use them to help
drive my career forward. I left my airline job and the following
week had an assessment day with Pareto. They had already given me
an initial interview and provided a lot of information about sales
roles - the buzz and potential of it really interested me. I was
successful at the assessment day and then had two further
interviews with Virgin Media before being offered a job as a
Telesales Executive with NTL:Telewest Business – the whole process
from the initial interview to starting the job probably took no
more than three weeks!
What was the biggest challenge in
the sales environment?
The biggest challenge for me initially was achieving recognition
within a large corporate environment. I didn’t want to just be seen
as a telesales person working 9 to 5 – I wanted to have a
successful career and for management to see my potential. Also, I
had to get used to a very different, more structured environment,
and though this was what I wanted it still took a while to get used
to the business style. When I was promoted to my new management
role I also had the challenge of managing people that I had
previously worked alongside – this raised its own issues, but I
managed to implement the transition successfully and it has worked
very well.
What have you found to be the
best part of your role?
The best part of my role to date has definitely been my promotion
in March this year. I was very shocked to be offered the role as I
had only been with the company for a year, but it shows what you
can do if you are focused on achieving your goals. While I love the
excitement of sales, I am really enjoying my current position which
is more focused on managing a sales team. I have brought fresh
energy to it and enjoy seeing the results and feedback this brings
for the team and me.
How has your career
progressed
I joined Virgin Media in February 2007 as a Telesales Executive,
and over the next 12 months regularly hit or exceeded my targets.
My performance helped me achieve recognition within the company,
and in August 2007 I was selected to go on a management development
course. Following this I started to take on more responsibility and
became the point of contact for managers, while still performing
within the sales team. In February 2008 my team manager left the
company and I was asked to fill his role temporarily. In March 2008
I had an interview for the role – I was up against a range of
external applicants - but I was offered the manager’s role full
time, which was a fantastic complement as I had only been with the
company for a year. I now report to the Sales Director and work
alongside two other team managers, while managing my team of seven
telesales executives.
How do you see your future
developing
I love my job and am really enjoying the new challenges and
responsibilities that it gives me, but I am ambitious and thrive on
learning and growing my skills in different areas. I only started
my new role in March 2008 and the experience I am getting at
present is invaluable – I have my Sales Director to learn from and
the support of two other managers, so I am focused on building my
team for the future. It is a hard working environment, with a lot
of pressure, but it offers great potential for me and I am enjoying
every minute of it.
Is there any advice you’d offer
to others considering a career in sales?
The best advice I can give is that you do need to be driven and
motivated to succeed and maximise your potential in sales. This
really is an industry where you will get out what you put in – if
you want to be successful you can’t just sit back and expect to hit
your targets, you need to push yourself and believe you will hit or
even exceed expectations. Sales isn’t for everyone, but if you
enjoy a dynamic environment and have enthusiasm, it’s an industry
that I believe is second to none.