Samantha Templeton

I attribute my success to building trust with my clients and putting in the hard work. At the core, you cannot build a relationship or move forward in either a personal relationship or a business partnership without having fundamental trust and understanding of one another. I've seen it time and time again where once trust is broken, marriages have crumbled and business partnerships have collapsed. In my industry, I believe success comes from the fact that we as women work our butts off and put in the time. We don't take shortcuts. We do the right thing, always. We follow up consistently and above all else, we put our ego aside and we listen. We present solutions that are not self-serving to us but that are genuinely going to help whoever we're talking to. That is how you build success and rise up quickly in this industry.

Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. In the beginning of my sales career, there were countless times where I was thrown in situations where I did not have all the answers, or I was going up against competitors that had 20+ years of experience, relationships and product knowledge on me. I've learned that the top sales reps in my industry embrace this wholeheartedly, and that the quickest way to grow is to be in rooms with people who know a whole lot more than you do. I've learned that the majority of opportunities come from people referring your name in rooms that you are not in, so it is always a good thing to put yourself out there and network even if you have imposter syndrome or you are new in your respective role.

Above everything, always be true to yourself. Do the right thing, work hard, put trust in your leadership and customers, and as long as you stick to these core values, good things will happen. When I say be true to yourself, if something does not feel right, you need to listen to that. You only have one life. You need to make sure that everything you are building is ethical but also safe, for yourself and for your customers. Do not let the pressure of high-stress environments or quotas derail you from doing the right thing. On the contrary, speak up and stand up for yourself if you ever feel that a current work environment feels unsafe, because safety should always be non-negotiable in any industry. I tell all of the young girls that I've mentored throughout the years that no sale is ever worth your physical or mental health. Good companies will support you in letting customers go who threaten your safety and wellbeing.

Establishing credibility is both the biggest challenge and opportunity I see in my field for women especially. Because this is such a male-dominated field, women at times have to work harder than our male counterparts to be taken seriously. Another challenge I see is learning how to navigate and establish boundaries with after-hour events. Many work events and trade shows involving colleagues and customers will have alcohol present that can open doors to bad behavior if you are not cognizant of your surroundings. You have to learn to protect yourself, know your boundaries and ensure you are surrounding yourself with the right people. What makes me so proud is despite the pressure and challenges women face in my field, the top 5% of reps I have worked with at my past three companies have all been women. I think it's because we know what it takes to get the job done, and we have learned to effectively balance our personal and professional obligations to ensure we are not letting our customers or our family slip through the cracks.

I strive to always stay humble and curious in all facets of my life. There is always room to grow and learn no matter how much experience and time I have under my belt. If I adopt a growth mindset to everything I do I know I will succeed or learn a lesson, which the latter is always seen as a form of success in my book.