Her Story
About Joanne
I've been in my current industry for 3 years as a sales executive, and it's been very good - I love it. My day-to-day involves reaching out to customers and finding who's in need of safety and security in schools. I connect with customers to find out their needs and how to help them, and I partner with my teammates to collaborate and find the best solutions to help our customers see the value in our safety solution. I really provide guidance to those that are in need. I feel like I am one of the ones that kind of started in this company - over the 3 years, we've gone from 40 people to like 340 people, and our team has definitely grown. I consider myself a resource for my teammates, helping them through struggles, the days that aren't so great, how to close deals, or just being a resource of knowledge for them. Prior to this, I was still doing sales, but I worked at my previous job for such a long time - like 13 years - where I was in retail management, and then I moved into inside sales, and that's where I left that last position. I had a lot of different progression in that area before I changed companies to where I am now.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Joanne
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think dedication, loyalty, is my biggest success - the loyalty I have to customers, to my job, putting that hard work in, and seeing it through.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Plant the seeds. Take the time to plant the seeds, whether it's with co-workers or customers. It takes time, and watch it grow. It takes time for things to grow. So don't be - you know, we all want to get out there, and guns a-blazing, and sometimes that's just not sometimes how it works. So take a deep breath. It all will grow.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say be bold. Don't be afraid to be bold. You know, there's a lot of - I think we all know that men probably are in a lot of our, you know, especially in the field that I'm in, I feel like it's very men-driven, and sometimes you have to be the bold person in the room to be heard. And it's okay to be bold.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think, well, in our industry, it's very - you know, I work in the K-12 industry, and I think the main challenge I have is just trying to get a hold of certain people. I don't really have very many challenges. I think it's just finding the time to try to touch everyone. Sometimes there's just not enough hours in the day. As for opportunities, I think making myself more available, possibly. And I really want to grow my network outside of what I have now, and really seeing the value in that, and how to grow outside of what I'm doing, and just reach out to other women. I find it very empowering when I get to see how other women similar to my story, different stories, can grow and network and just empower one another and really lift each other up.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty. Honesty and follow-through.
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