Every Day is Unique When You're in Sales

Name: John Dodson 
Role: Business Development Executive 
Location: Columbus 
Joined Sogeti: 2008

True customer service is the difference between winning a project and gaining a lifelong customer. Not to say that it’s easy to win a project. But what truly matters is that relationship you have with the customer. That’s how you gain the trust and respect with your customer.

A former BDE really illustrated for me how powerful this is. She had more than 30 years with the Capgemini group, and she was very successful and extremely talented. The way in which she established rapport with her customers was truly inspiring. She brought a deep well of expertise and she always put the customer ahead of any benefit Sogeti may get out of the relationship. At the end of the day, it was all about the customer for her and that established that trust.

I truly admire that customer-oriented perspective in sales, and it has helped me become the salesman that I am.

I really do love this line of work. Sales really never has a dull moment and no two days are the same. There’s always something to do whether that’s supporting internal operations to make us more efficient, helping to drive sales and revenue through new opportunities, cultivating client relationships, or injecting new talent into our organization. Every day is unique as there’s always continued refinement and opportunities to improve those processes.

Sales also speaks to my competitive side 😊 There are high expectations for us to continually solve our clients’ business problems by leveraging innovative technology, and that competition is exhilarating.

And sales was not even where I started when I first started my career. I’m a great example of someone who didn’t have a focused career path after I graduated. I started my career as a manual tester contributing to a single project, and then, after gaining some training and certifications, I moved into automation working on a number of different projects within that skillset. Then I moved into project management where I was coordinating across a portfolio of projects. I ultimately made it to sales, which I have been in for the past 8ish years and has been very rewarding.   

The point is this: at Sogeti, we’re looking for people who want a career, not just a job. That career might not be the role for which you’re hired. That role is more of a conduit to the role that you ultimately want. Our group is a 200,000-person organization; there are so many different paths that you can navigate to that ultimate goal, that ultimate career.  You will have the resources and support, you just need to have the confidence and determination to take your career in the direction you want.