Her Story
About Margaret
I started my career thinking I would work in fashion PR, as that was my emphasis in public relations during college. I love talking to people and meeting people, so I decided to get into sales. I did IT staffing for a bit, but wasn't as passionate about it, so I moved on to work as a broker for construction rental equipment for about a year and a half. I was doing inside sales and wanted to get out and really meet people and sell in person, so I was hunting for an outside sales role. I was looking into device sales and pharmaceutical sales when, out of the blue, a recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn about logistics. Trucking was kind of random and wasn't on my radar, but what really attracted me to the role was all of the different industries I would work with. It's so diverse when you think about shipping and all the different companies and types of companies that have to ship. That was a huge reason why I took the job, and I never looked back. I've been in logistics almost 8 years now in June, and I love it. I'm still 100% in sales as an individual contributor on the mid-market team, and my title is National Account Executive II. I've climbed up the ladder within the organization, and this is actually my 10th title within the company. I work with incredibly diverse products, from boat parts to police flares and traffic lights, 3D printer companies, cleaning products, printing supplies, and third-party logistics warehouses. I wouldn't say I have one niche. I'm kind of all over the place as far as products, but freight is freight, and by and large, it doesn't differ too much depending on what the product is. My main focus is adding new business for the organization, though account retention is also important. I've hit national sales contests, and joining the mid-market team, which is about 32 reps chosen for that team, was a huge accomplishment. I have accounts I've worked with for almost 8 years now, and that loyalty and those relationships mean a lot to me.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Margaret
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received, especially in sales, is that truly what you put into it is what you get out of it. If you grind and you work really hard, it will pay dividends and it's worth it. It's all up to you and what you build. Everything in this job, I would say, is like you have to hunt and kill yourself. So it is a grind, but I enjoy it. That's the advice I would give to someone in sales: just stick with it. What you put in is what you get out.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that when I started off, I was [AGE] and knew nothing about logistics, which is so funny. I've learned a ton in the role, and I think your first year typically is the hardest. I even tell new reps that within our company, because you're learning so much of the ins and outs of the industry, but in addition to that, you are grinding really hard. As you're in this role for a while, you do get referrals, and your product knowledge is way deeper at this point, so it does get easier as the job goes on, even though it is still a grind. So I would say just stick with it, and know that it will get easier, and you will be more knowledgeable as time goes on. Your skill set will develop.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
With fuel costs rising, that's been definitely a challenge for a lot of manufacturers across the board, and just in general in transportation. Especially with full truckload, what we've seen is that shippers have actually been sending smaller loads at a time so that they can ship their shipments via LTL rather than a full truck, which is tightening the capacity for LTL. So it is a tough time for a lot of companies with fuel being so expensive, and that's really where we come into play. We're trying to add operational efficiencies within their organization to provide a soft dollar cost savings, but also get creative on the carrier mix and different strategies we can implement within their transportation and logistics to kind of help them cut costs and just streamline things to save their bottom line.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would definitely say authenticity, and just having integrity and having the best interests of the other person, whether it be professional or personal. You have to have their best interests in mind in order to sell the product, so I think authenticity is probably number one. It has to be ethical. I couldn't sell a product that was harmful or didn't benefit a company. So professionally, that's really important to me, that it's the best interests of the customer, and it really is going to benefit them. But I would also say loyalty as well. I've had accounts for almost 8 years now, and that means a lot to me, the relationship side, and the loyalty and the relationship that we've built, because there's a lot of trust there. And I would say that definitely reflects in my personal life as well, having that loyalty to your people, whether that be personally or professionally.
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