In this episode of Enterprise Sales Development podcast, we speak with Andrew Lawson, Head of Inside Sales at MountainSeed. Andrew talks about how he leads his team to focus on results rather than the activities that lead to those results, using some of the key lessons he learned from his previous jobs. He also shares the ideal career trajectory for an SDR and the common misconception about SDR teams. Listen to his advice for those coming up in the enterprise sales development space in the more trickier markets such as banking.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

Andrew’s eclectic work path and what it was like to go through companies such as Vonage and Topgolf

Some key lessons he learned from his previous jobs

How he found the right balance to focus on results and the activities that lead to them as well as shifted the emphasis on meetings

What he observed on behalf of his team with this new balance and shift and where his team tends to gravitate towards

What is the ideal career trajectory for an SDR and the common misconception about SDR teams

How he approaches the unique and competitive space of banking and how he oversees the closers at MountainSeed

How he proactively aligns KPIs to what the company needs and learns how to improve

General advice he would give to someone coming up in the enterprise sales development space in the trickier markets

QUOTES

“I never wanted the focus to be on activity. Activity, it’s there. It’s a good way to coach. It’s a good way to monitor people. And it’s a good way to build habits, but for me, if your focus is so driven on having to hit minimums of a dial requirement or anything else, you’re taking off the focus on what a company needs as a whole, which is money in the door, right?” -Andrew Lawson [05:51]

“If you put the focus on what is important to the company and if you ask yourself that question ‘What is most important to the company,’ you’re going to be able to develop what KPIs are.” -Andrew Lawson [12:47]

“You don’t want to oversaturate your company or oversaturate your pitch, because you start to lose effectiveness on what you’re actually trying to accomplish, which for us is to get them in the door and have a conversation.” -Andrew Lawson [29:22]

“It’s a mental game. I mean that’s what this is all is. It’s a mental game not only from our end, but the physiological aspect of talking to someone. How can you control the conversation without them thinking you’re controlling it? All of that stuff kind of fascinates me and that’s where I love this game of trying to figure out how can we get you to talk to us.” -Andrew Lawson [32:05]

“That’s what I try to tell my reps is that the best learning experience is failing.” -Andrew Lawson [38:44]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01] Intro

[00:31] Andrew’s career trajectory

[04:47] Key lessons he’s learned

[08:03] Finding the right balance

[15:22] The results he saw with the new balance and shift

[20:01] An ideal career trajectory for an SDR and

[22:41] The common misconception about SDR teams

[27:48] Approaching the unique and competitive space of banking

[32:34] Overseeing the closers

[37:02] How he proactively align KPIs to what the company needs

[42:00] Advice for someone coming up in the space

[46:18] How to contact Andrew

CONNECT

MountainSeed website

Andrew Lawson on LinkedIn

CIENCE website

CIENCE on LinkedIn

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