MY AMBITION IS TO...

Ben Johnston, Inside Sales Manager, eir evo UK

Many would say that an outgoing personality is needed for sales, but some of the best salespeople I’ve met are introverts.

What is required to succeed in this industry is a bit of grit, a desire to build relationships with your clients and with your colleagues and quite simply, an ability to hold a conversation.

I learnt this very early on in my career when, as a fresh-faced 23-year-old I found myself sitting around a table of CEOs, CFOs and high-flying delegates, each at the peak of their careers and with an average of 40 or 50 years of experience behind them.

I had just won a hard-fought election to become Vice President of the Ulster University Student Union following my graduation from Computer Science and was meeting senior members of the board to deliver the goals of my manifesto, which was a daunting experience but one that held me in good stead for what was to come.

It was years later, when managing a team of 22 sales development executives, that I realised just how much my role at the SU had determined my career path. Not only did it give me a bit of time to figure out what I wanted to do, it also shaped my ability to connect with, support and lead people of different backgrounds, cultures, and languages.

Following a recommendation from a friend, I had joined a global telemarketing company, with headquarters in Philadelphia, which sells technical equipment to IT companies around the world. Managing 250-350 potential new customers each week might seem like a lot of work to some, but it helped me to learn quickly on the job. I’d rather get out in the world doing something than sitting at a desk learning about it.

I was introduced to eir evo when approached by a recruiter who was charged with finding someone who could establish the company’s first Inside Sales department and manage its development in line with their ambitious growth plans.

I was inspired by their vision for the future of eir evo, by their strong portfolio of accredited partnerships, including Microsoft, Cisco, Hewlett Packard, and by their credentials, including Microsoft Ireland Country Partner of the Year and Cisco Partner of the Year for three years running.

My role involves finding businesses who would benefit from our help and to jointly explore where our industryleading technological services could add value to them whether that be through our telecommunications, cybersecurity, cloud hosting, IT or applications, business broadband or or Wi-Fi solutions. On any given day this could be a mix of following up on queries that come through our website, speaking with current customers, following up with people we have met at events or conducting general outbound reach based on what we know about a business. Our team spends a lot of time doing market research to find companies who fit the target profile and who would benefit from digital transformation to reach their full potential.

As someone who has always enjoyed connecting with people and being part of something bigger than myself, I am also the captain of my local football team Holywell FC, and the manager of St Comghall’s Ladies Gaelic Football team. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to make my mark at eir evo as we expand the business. A lot of my job involves listening and asking the right questions. The conversations can be very rewarding as they tend to bring out new insights every time for both of us. The majority of businesses I talk to are facing the same challenges of technological complexity so when we start to demystify it for them by breaking down their options, they are really keen to learn more. There is no such thing as a wasted conversation, provided you know what to listen for!

I know that the work we are putting in now will pay dividends for the ongoing growth of the company, and I’m thriving on the targets we have set ourselves and doing what we need to do to reach them. My ambition is to continue growing the Inside Sales department to the point where it is a huge cog in the eir evo wheel to add value to the company and to our customers so that they can look ahead to their digital future with confidence.