Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re up to now
I’m Nurudin, an Account Executive for the EMEA team at Hotjar, a product experience insights platform that gives customers behaviour analytics and feedback data to help them empathise with and understand their customers. I handle the acquisition of new logos at Hotjar while managing a book of business for expansion.
I came to the UK at the age of two, and I’m 1 of 5 children from my immigrant parents, we grew up in harsh conditions (My parent worked their socks off to make things better) in some of the most challenging places in London. Where I grew up does not enable young boys like myself to be the best version of themselves, but I had the drive and determination to create a different reality for my family.
In my personal life, I am a big gamer, who loves to read and lift heavy weights while travelling and stuffing my face with food from different cultures.
What was your journey into a career in tech sales?
I started my sales career in door-to-door sales for a charity, which set me up for the best sales career as it is the most challenging role I have had to do. I knocked on 100 doors daily, hoping for a 3% conversion rate; otherwise, I could not buy dinner as this was a fully commission-based role.
Post-university I could not get a job in my degree field, which was Marketing & Advertising, so I went back to sales as this was my most developed skillset. This was a challenge, too, so I said I would take any role and work my way up in that company by all means. That is when I joined Whitbread as a reservation agent, making bookings. Three years later, I worked my way up to the most senior sales role within the corporate sales team, dealing with brands like Barclays, Monzo, BP, and Mclaren.
However, I had a huge passion for tech, and I wanted to break into the industry so bad. After 200 applications, I finally did, and this was for a fintech company where I helped build out the account management function from 1 to 40 people in Europe, all while closing the most expansion revenue as an IC.
The defining moment that helped me break into tech was when I started applying my sales skills to the companies I used for. I drew out all my transferable skills and made them the focus of my CV; I would cold call and research my prospects (the hiring managers) and try to close them for an interview on he call. I would negotiate my comp plan and contract like I was with a customer trying to close a deal & that is how I got into the fastest-growing fintech company in Europe.
What would you say are the best things about working in Tech Sales?
The best thing about working in tech is, firstly, the compensation; I 2x my salary just moving over to tech from hospitality, which was monumental for someone of my background. Secondly, career development and sales in other industries are pretty siloed, but working in tech sales has opened my mind to many possibilities and skills development. My plan post sales is to start my startup, and working in tech sales has exposed me to so many different departments and operations, which has been a pinnacle for me to understand the do’s and don’t of starting your own company.
What advice would you give to someone who is just about to start their career in sales?
My main advice to anyone starting in sales would be to be a sponge. Find the person who performing the way you want to perform and be a sponge, soak in what you can by watching what they do, how they do and why they do what they do to be so successful. if you can, ask them to be your mentor and learn from them. This will 10x your speed to being a top rep. Secondly, Learn from your failures, but don’t take them personally; we fail more than we succeed in sales; successful people are the ones who don't let the losses get to them and learn how to win more often than others.
Why did you decide to join Tangent as a Mentor and why should others join as Mentors too?
I believe in this saying, ‘each one, teach one’
I came from nothing and have built an exciting career in sales. I want to help others take control of their future. That is why I joined Tangent; they are driven by helping people from similar backgrounds to myself excel. This will also help develop my leadership skills while assisting an early-stage startup to succeed!
Ready to make a difference?
Tangent connects you with aspiring Business Development Reps from socially diverse backgrounds for short-term mentoring and an employee referral.
Sign up to be a Tangent Mentor today 👇
