Meet Stephen:
Sales Team Manager

After graduating from Birmingham University where he studied Politics and Internal Relationships, Stephen started his search for a role in sales. He’d been a student ambassador at university where he spoke to prospective students to ‘sell’ them the course. “I loved the conversation and providing reassurance that it was the right choice for them.”

Stephen was introduced to us via a local recruitment agency and once shortlisted for an interview, he came to our offices for the first of 2 interviews. When it came to meeting us, he remembers being provided with feedback promptly and made to feel comfortable during the process. When he was offered the position, his onboarding was smooth and efficient, which he says all helped to create a picture of what it would be like to work here.

He joined as a Sales Development Representative; in this role the SDR speaks to prospective clients to uncover a requirement for software and then books the software demonstration for a Sales Consultant to conduct. SDR’s carry a target and are required to book a certain number of demonstrations each month.

In this role, Stephen felt that he had an instant impact on the organisation and could see the tangible impact when a lead moved to a demonstration and ultimately to a sale. His aspiration was to be part of a growing company and he could see from making his first call how he was contributing to that.

Twelve months after joining us, the UK went into lockdown due to the pandemic, which impacted on the business and on Stephen’s progression. He told us that this was hard, “It was a hard year, businesses were slowing down…I picked up my game, reached out to more companies and utilised the online courses available to us to develop myself.” Two years after he joined Webexpenses, and after being very patient, he moved into the position of Sales Executive - managing his own pipeline of prospects and closing deals.

Starting with small business deals he then developed further in his role, selling larger deals and more products in our product suite. At the time, his highlights were transitioning from small business to mid market sales. During this time he was also acting as a coach for SDR’s, supporting and guiding them from their induction and gearing them up for success in their own roles.

In spring 2023, he moved into the role of Sales Team Manager, where he now manages a growing team of Sales Development Representatives. Another career highlight and proud moment for him.

He tells us that the best SDR will be open to feedback and ongoing learning; able to research and understand the company goals. In this role there is flexibility to try new ideas, and to maximise opportunities to hit targets. We don’t necessarily look for previous sales experience, but we do expect successful candidates to have the right attitude and be motivated.

Based on his experience we asked him if he had any advice for candidates applying for a career in sales “I had no experience when I started but I was willing to learn, and to be coached. Think about your transferable skills…be curious and demonstrate why you’d be a good candidate…consider how you’d sell yourself.”

In a sales role, you’ll need to be resilient but you can also enjoy the process. It’s not just about hitting targets, having a consultative approach is key in this role.

“It’s a happy, friendly environment where appreciation is shown and we celebrate successes as a team…it’s an agile organisation with big growth plans which has maintained its culture…there are no silos and you can see how the whole machine works.”