Dominique Brooks

I've been lucky to have some really supportive leadership and mentors throughout my time, and their guidance, even if just for a gut check on something, has been critical and invaluable. I ultimately make the choice that I think is best, but having that third-party insight when I'm too close to something and not sure I can be objective about it is really critical to me. That grit, that determination, that resilience is also key. Having clear goals helps quite a bit too. I had a goal to promote early to senior BDR at WalkMe, and when I met that goal, I pivoted to the goal of President's Club. I think people tend to put too many goals at once, and then your focus can't be on anything because you're expecting yourself to be in like 8 different places at once. We can't be everything to everyone, and that includes sometimes ourselves. So having a clearly defined goal with a clearly defined next step after that goal is very important. The goal doesn't have to be related to awards. It can be short-term, like paying off your car or saving for a wedding venue deposit. But they have to be clearly defined. You can't just nebulously want three things. You have to prioritize, understand what's really important to you in terms of your needs in the moment, clearly define it, focus, and do what you need to get it done.

No one will advocate for you except for you. You have to be your own biggest fan.

Sales, even technology sales, is still very much a boys club, not just in who is in it, but who gets promoted to leadership. You mostly see men still, and that can be challenging as a young woman entering it for the first time. That said, you have to be your own biggest fan, and you can't be scared to advocate for yourself. Keep tabs on your stats, your numbers, your KPIs or OKRs, or whatever abbreviation your company uses. Anytime you're checking in or it's time for your review at the end of the year, have that data handy, because people will try to lowball women especially when it comes to things like raises and promotions. There's a lot of that emotional labor piece of 'we're not going to promote you because you do too much' with women, but they're not concerned with your actual goals or understanding how that contributes to burnout, because it's like you're stagnating even though you know it's time to move on and they won't let you. So know your worth, have your stats to back up your worth, and don't be afraid to negotiate for salary, raises, and promotions. The only person that's really going to have your back is you, and you need to make that case. Don't be afraid to pursue other options if it doesn't go your way. Sometimes you have to pursue those other options to get where you're ready to be. If people come into your DMs on LinkedIn saying they thought you might be a fit for something, at least have that initial phone screen and see if it makes sense to keep the conversation going, because you never know. Lastly, try not to cross the line between advocating for yourself and bullying other people. You can cheer on other people and it doesn't take anything away from you.

Cold calling is a huge challenge really right now. Just getting people to talk, that's always the hardest part with sales. It's just getting people to respond to you, to pick up the phone, all of those good things.

Integrity is a huge one, because if you can't believe someone at their word, then how can you rely on them in a pinch? Following through goes along with that integrity. You don't have to drop everything for me, but if I ask you for help with something and you say yes, I do need you to help me. Don't go back on promises or lending a hand. Kindness is definitely overlooked in the world, in the workplace, and everywhere. I would rather work with somebody that struggles to understand things a little bit but is a genuinely good person than somebody who is an unquote genius but they're awful to people. One is a mild annoyance, the other one actively makes things unhealthy for everyone involved. That kindness piece is something that really a lot of people just don't appreciate as a value in the workplace either.