One of the most interesting aspects of working at Meltwater has been truly understanding the difference between sales vs. management. On our sales “playing field” here at Meltwater, we basically have three roles—Sales Consultant, Sales Manager, and Managing Director. I like to refer to these roles in sports terms: Player, Team Captain, and Coach. Our goal as a company is not to hire just sales coaches or salespeople—we hire future managers who first have to master the sales process.

In many aspects of life, you can pretty much spot the difference between a player and their coach. Sometimes, coaches were not good players, and quite often the players have no desire to be a coach. The dynamic is always interesting.

When I started at Meltwater, I was all “player.” I had grown up playing sports and dancing, and it is safe to say that I always had to be visible in whatever arena I stepped into. I strived to be the cheerleader at the top of the pyramid, the dancer with a solo, and the soccer player who scored the winning goal. The sidelines were just not for me. I would still consider myself a team player, and always got along well with my teammates. I was even voted Captain several times. Deep down though, if someone else scored the winning goal I wished it had been me.

When I got to Meltwater, the same rang true. I was inexperienced, and could not wait to make my mark on the company. I was even bold enough to tell the top executive in my interview that he didn’t want me working for the competition. I did everything I could to learn the ropes of sales from my Sales Manager, Beth. I copied her style, tried to make more phone calls than she did, and asked a million questions to perfect my form. She led by example, and I was learning by doing. Textbook success case at Meltwater.

Now comes the hard part. Six months into my career my Managing Director (MD), Frida, promoted me to Sales Manager. She promised I would be great, and that I just needed to start by leading by example. Boy, did I struggle. Was it time management? Not leading by example? No, the problem had nothing to do with what I WAS doing—the problem was in what I WASN’T doing. I admittedly did not pay enough attention to my team members because I could not take my focus away from selling my own clients. In my first three months as a Sales Manager, no one on my team hit their sales targets, and although I was exceeding every goal in sales, it took me a full year to become “ready” to be a Managing Director and open a new office for Meltwater in Montreal.

Can you guess why I wanted to be a Managing Director? If you guessed because I wanted my name stamped on my office’s results, you are correct. Can a single person develop a successful office by himself or herself? Definitely not.

My first month as an MD I sought the advice of someone that had built several offices successfully, Matt. He told me “You can’t build an office with a bunch of people watching you be successful selling. You need to build the office by helping THEM sell. That is what will build an office—your Sales Consultants doing the work with your guidance, rather than you doing the work for them.” Interesting thought. Why didn’t I think of that before? That sounds like the wise words of a great coach to me. I felt like I was talking to Joe Paterno.

When I really opened my eyes to the world of helping people develop crucial business skills and helping them become successful, that is when I really felt myself growing as a leader. To see someone go from literally shaking and stumbling over their words on a cold call to negotiating with a CEO in a month’s time is the best feeling in the world. New hires at Meltwater work so hard to get their first deal. Some people struggle against setback after setback before seeing any success. When one of my new guys in Montreal, Lee, got his first deal… I was so happy that I cried. That’s right, Amanda. Cried. I called my boyfriend and he could not believe that I actually was that happy for another person. ☺

My office in Washington DC now calls me “Mama Bear”—partially because I nurture my team and partially because I defend them like a madwoman when necessary. I would rather them call me “A-Pa” (like Joe Paterno—get it?), but whatever. I love my job now more than ever, and feel proud to have my name stamped next to my office’s results.

I’m currently in my third year at Meltwater, and I have realized that it is possible (and rewarding) to be both a player and a coach.

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Based in Washington, D.C., Amanda is Managing Director of the Meltwater News office

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