Written by: Sarah Young, VP of Sales at 120Water
“Wow, you are much taller than I expected!”
“It’s been exhausting being around so many people all day.”
“I thought I liked working from home, but being back in the office is much more fun!”
In person interaction is back and it’s brought some surprises, excitement, and an overall readjustment period. While many people are returning to work with the teams they had previously seen day in and day out, over half of my company is meeting their coworkers for the first time face to face.
Fortunately, 120Water continued to thrive throughout the pandemic, more than doubling the size of our team, revenue, and customer base.
We recruited, interviewed, and onboarded new hires remotely, with team members joining from Boston, Arizona, Atlanta, and many places in between. A geographically disparate team, coupled with the demands of a high growth technology company, requires a deep level of trust in your teammates. As we now move into the second half of 2021 on the same growth trajectory, I’ve been reflecting on the ways we’ve been able to build this trust and continually achieve our goals.
Building a productive, high performing team is difficult. At the core, we needed to recruit the right people. By “right” I mean candidates who would have the highest likelihood of success in their roles and who would mesh well with the culture of our team. While the pandemic didn’t make it any easier, one of the best things it created was a much broader candidate pool. With everyone working remotely, it didn’t matter where my team members were located. The blank canvas opportunity to pursue the “ideal” candidate for my sales team roles was exciting, and also left me with a lot of questions.
“How many years of experience should the sellers have?”
“Should I hire someone with a water industry background, or is software expertise more valuable?”
“What type of person will strike the balance of fitting our culture, while pushing us to grow?”
In talking these questions through with a great advisor, Adam Tank, I discovered that the qualities I was seeking weren’t as readily discernible on a resume. Looking at track records of success from current team members, and through feedback from customers on what they enjoyed most about working with our team, I found several common threads (none of which were based on previous experience in the water industry or SaaS companies).
The following are what I’ve found to be the common indicators of success on our sales team:
Passion: A desire to make an impact, do meaningful work, make a difference, and do whatever is needed to better the business, the team, and further our mission.
Curious: Constantly learning, asking questions, listening to others, and proposing creative ideas. Genuine interest in the people they interact with, and in solving the challenges they face.
Relentless: This has a bit of a negative connotation, but it is the most accurate word to describe the commitment, work ethic, constant pursuit of growth, speed, and drive that the most high achieving individuals bring every day. An ability to dive in head first and creatively solve hard problems.
Accountable: Individuals who crave accountability and require it from their teammates. Every person plays a part, and is expected to deliver. They value transparency, clear objectives, constant measurement, and do what they say they are going to do, with a high degree of urgency.
Collaborative: Those who have a healthy competitive spirit, and who simultaneously work well with the broader team to achieve objectives. Celebrating wins of their teammates, and making time to help them through obstacles. Picking up the phone and calling one another regularly.
Honing in on these qualities has informed our recruiting strategy, and we’ve seen each new hire ramp up more quickly than the last. We’ve experienced minimal turnover (less than 1%), and receive regular internal referrals. We plan to add quite a few new 120Water team members this year, and look forward to further analyzing the evolution of these success factors.
I’d love to hear from those of you who have/are experiencing similar journeys. What’s working in your business? What qualities have you found to be the highest indicators of success in your sales organization? Get in touch with me on LinkedIn or via email sarah@120water.com.
About 120Water
Water professionals across the country rely on 120Water to automate their most complex drinking water programs. 120Water combines sample and filter kits, modern software, and professional services to manage costs, enhance efficiency and streamline compliance requirements. 120Water solutions are used by water systems, municipalities and government agencies across the United States, including the city of Newark (NJ), Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Chicago Public Schools, and Indiana Finance Authority. More information is available at 120Water.com and on Twitter @120_Water.
Disclaimer: Hunter Crown provides a platform for water and wastewater thought-leaders to share their expertise in the industry. Guest contributors provide content that is free and unpaid. Although all guest content is reviewed by Hunter Crown staff, the views, opinions and positions expressed within the content are those of the author alone and do not represent those of Hunter Crown or any associated entities. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within guest content is not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. For any questions and concerns, please reach out to us at info@huntercrown.com.
Looking for your next great opportunity?
Have hiring and/or recruiting needs?