Lesley Ronaldson

And they were growing out of a huge team. And I knew I was going to try and go as far as I could there. And I had made a commitment. I did a couple of foreign assignments there. I helped set up the first call centre in India. 2004, I lived in Slovakia for a while in Bratislava where we outsourced our German sales. After about 15, 16 years in Dell, I had a mentor say to me, hey,

And they were growing out of a huge team. And I knew I was going to try and go as far as I could there. And I had made a commitment. I did a couple of foreign assignments there. I helped set up the first call centre in India. 2004, I lived in Slovakia for a while in Bratislava where we outsourced our German sales. After about 15, 16 years in Dell, I had a mentor say to me, hey,

You've had a great run. You know, I was managing partners at that stage, a senior manager. He said, hey, you've had a great run. But could one say you're a one trick pony? Now, that phrase lives in my head rent free. He said, you know, you've been behind a pretty big logo, pretty deep pockets selling hardware.

You've had a great run. You know, I was managing partners at that stage, a senior manager. He said, hey, you've had a great run. But could one say you're a one trick pony? Now, that phrase lives in my head rent free. He said, you know, you've been behind a pretty big logo, pretty deep pockets selling hardware.

I think you may need to start looking at SaaS, looking at software and potentially kind of the startup world. So I was like, oh, yeah. Okay, let me have a look. Now, in Dublin, there is, we were really, really lucky at that time, around 2010, I suppose, there was Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and we called it Silicon, like there's like a Silicon Valley element to Dublin.

I think you may need to start looking at SaaS, looking at software and potentially kind of the startup world. So I was like, oh, yeah. Okay, let me have a look. Now, in Dublin, there is, we were really, really lucky at that time, around 2010, I suppose, there was Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and we called it Silicon, like there's like a Silicon Valley element to Dublin.

And I had a friend who worked in LinkedIn and we had a chat and he said, look, they're starting a new business line on LinkedIn. It's called LinkedIn Sales Solutions and the product is Sales Navigator. And this was 2014. I was like, okay, yeah, you know, I know a bit about LinkedIn. I used to call it the Facebook for work. How wrong was I?

And I had a friend who worked in LinkedIn and we had a chat and he said, look, they're starting a new business line on LinkedIn. It's called LinkedIn Sales Solutions and the product is Sales Navigator. And this was 2014. I was like, okay, yeah, you know, I know a bit about LinkedIn. I used to call it the Facebook for work. How wrong was I?

So I went to the interview and I was one of the first managers hired in and they called it a startup within a startup. So we launched Sales Navigator. LinkedIn absolutely brought me on a journey. I would say the leader I was in Dell would have been, you know, I grew up in a boys club. I grew up surrounded by a lot of men and I definitely had kind of

So I went to the interview and I was one of the first managers hired in and they called it a startup within a startup. So we launched Sales Navigator. LinkedIn absolutely brought me on a journey. I would say the leader I was in Dell would have been, you know, I grew up in a boys club. I grew up surrounded by a lot of men and I definitely had kind of

sharp elbows but LinkedIn taught me a lot of things to be an empathetic leader to seek to understand always to you know always lead with my heart and my head but data right data is really important but your people are really important and customer LinkedIn was the first place where I ever heard about value engagement

sharp elbows but LinkedIn taught me a lot of things to be an empathetic leader to seek to understand always to you know always lead with my heart and my head but data right data is really important but your people are really important and customer LinkedIn was the first place where I ever heard about value engagement

and I had an amazing manager in LinkedIn called Paul Terry and he said Lesley let me finish you like this if you're at a dinner party and the person on your right only talks about themselves and the person on the left asks you lots of questions about you who do you want to sit beside and I said well I want to sit beside the person you know I want to talk to the person on my left and he says why I said well because he's interested in me and it's conversational he goes and that is how we treat our customers no feature blasting no talking at them no talking about the product

and I had an amazing manager in LinkedIn called Paul Terry and he said Lesley let me finish you like this if you're at a dinner party and the person on your right only talks about themselves and the person on the left asks you lots of questions about you who do you want to sit beside and I said well I want to sit beside the person you know I want to talk to the person on my left and he says why I said well because he's interested in me and it's conversational he goes and that is how we treat our customers no feature blasting no talking at them no talking about the product

You want to know about them. And for me, that kind of turned on a light. When I think about the Dell days, we were selling like laptops and desktops and there was an incentive. If you sold a printer, you got like a multiplier. So it's more commission. And I remember sitting beside a guy called Fred, he hung up the phone and he goes, yes, I just sold two printers.

You want to know about them. And for me, that kind of turned on a light. When I think about the Dell days, we were selling like laptops and desktops and there was an incentive. If you sold a printer, you got like a multiplier. So it's more commission. And I remember sitting beside a guy called Fred, he hung up the phone and he goes, yes, I just sold two printers.

And I said, oh, we work in consumer sales. So how did you do that? And he goes, oh, you know, this old couple have just bought a desktop, but I sold them two printers. And I said, mate, you've literally just turned our dining room into a WeWork. You know, that's not selling with integrity. Nobody needs two printers. They probably didn't even need a printer. God love them.

And I said, oh, we work in consumer sales. So how did you do that? And he goes, oh, you know, this old couple have just bought a desktop, but I sold them two printers. And I said, mate, you've literally just turned our dining room into a WeWork. You know, that's not selling with integrity. Nobody needs two printers. They probably didn't even need a printer. God love them.

But I just remember thinking, that's not cool. And then I think when I got to LinkedIn, I was definitely brought on an education about it is all about your customer. And SaaS, because the way the SaaS model works, you know, retention and churn, it was an absolute like an overnight haul of how I sold. and how I saw integrity and more integrity and always with customer in mind, never overselling.

But I just remember thinking, that's not cool. And then I think when I got to LinkedIn, I was definitely brought on an education about it is all about your customer. And SaaS, because the way the SaaS model works, you know, retention and churn, it was an absolute like an overnight haul of how I sold. and how I saw integrity and more integrity and always with customer in mind, never overselling.