I Used To Be Crap At Sales

Leading a global SDR team? Just promoted to SDR manager? This episode is packed with real-world advice from Catherine Olivier, VP of Global Sales Development at Cognism, on how to build and lead high-performing sales development teams—without burning out or losing your team’s trust.

Catherine shares hard-earned lessons from her experience leading SDR teams across the US, UK, Germany, and France. She unpacks what most first-time SDR managers get wrong, how to avoid managing like your old boss, and the biggest mistakes leaders make in a hybrid, high-pressure sales environment.

Learn how to:
✅ Structure and scale global SDR teams
✅ Manage former peers without favouritism
✅ Coach new SDR managers for long-term success
✅ Avoid common leadership traps and burnout
✅ Build culture in remote sales teams
✅ Deal with imposter syndrome in sales leadership

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✅ Connect with Us:

Follow Mark Ackers on LinkedIn:   / https://www.linkedin.com/in/markackers/
Follow MySalesCoach on LinkedIn: / https://www.linkedin.com/company/mysalescoach-com
Follow Catherine Olivier on LinkedIn: /  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-olivier/

What is I Used To Be Crap At Sales?

Even the most prominent voices in Sales were crap at Sales once.

Join bestselling Author, Founder and Sales Coach Mark Ackers as he speaks with successful Sales professionals about their early Sales struggles, and how they overcame these challenges to become the people they are today.

catherine olivier: I

think there's still way

too many SDR leaders out

there who are, like, very

proud. Like, oh my God,

my team sent 20,000

emails this week. It was

a great week. There you

go. Really, was it?

Though? What did you book

from that?

Mark Ackers: Former

senior director of Global

sales development at EDB,

VP of global sales

development at click, VP

global sales development

for talent, the

ambassador for SDR

leaders, EMEA, and now

they're the current VP of

global sales development

at cognism. Today's guest

is Catherine Olivier. A

Unknown: lot of people

don't realise how lonely

leadership can be. You

need to keep that

distance, and you need to

be able to step away and

not take it personally.

What are

Mark Ackers: they finding

hardest right now as

first time SDR managers,

you

catherine olivier: can't

manage every single

person the same way, even

if it's only seven

people, it's still very

necessary that you kind

of figure out what makes

your team tick on an

individual level.

Mark Ackers: How do you

go from being a friend to

a manager? If

catherine olivier: you're

being very close friends

with, like, one or two on

a team, you always have

the perception of

favouritism, I think

people don't realise how

tricky that is. When they

get into it, you can't

ease your way into it.

You have to set

expectations from day one

that they go, okay. Now

it's different. What's

Mark Ackers: one change

that you are seeing right

now that wasn't apparent

last year. It's

continuously

catherine olivier: changing.

So what worked last year,

last month might not

work. Now you think

you've cracked it, and

then everyone copies, and

then it stops working. If

you're an SDR who doesn't

manage to have well

researched and well

personalised messages,

you're doing something

wrong.

Mark Ackers: What do you

believe the ratio should

be of manager to rep?

Golden

catherine olivier: Rule,

never more than SDRs to

one manager. If you add

more, the cracks are

starting to show.

Mark Ackers: Hello and

welcome to another

episode of The I used to

be crap at sales podcast.

I'm your host, Mark

Akers, the co founder and

Head of Sales here at my

sales coach, we call the

podcast app because it's

true, and all of our

guests say the same, and

today I am joined by

someone with incredible

experience when it comes

to building leading, high

performing, winning sales

development teams.

Today's guest, if you

haven't guessed it

already, is Catherine

Olivier. Catherine, a big

welcome to the I used to

be crap at sales podcast.

How are you? Thanks very

much, Mark. I'm really

pleased to be here,

delighted to have you,

Catherine, obviously has

gone through your resume

there. I appreciate I

might have got that in

the slight wrong order.

That is an incredible

background, so well

experienced, as I say,

when it comes to building

leading, winning sales

development teams. But of

course, your journey

started somewhere. We

always kick up the

podcast off with a yes,

no question, Catherine,

did you used to be crap

at sales? Oh yes, when

you said yes, what part

of your career come

racing to the front of

your mind when you had

that light bulb moment

that perhaps you wasn't

as good as you may have

thought that you were, I

suppose I just

immediately go back to my

first days as an SDR,

right? And I can't age

myself too much, but that

is in the day of real

telephones, phone books

and excel sheets and

nothing else, and really

having no clue what to

do, how to approach it,

and just trying to shove

a solution down people's

throat no matter what,

was there a particular

moment when you just

thought something needs

to change, because what

I'm doing is not working,

yeah, for sure. I mean,

it's that point where you

don't hit quota right

where you go, Oh, my God.

So clearly I need to

change. The situation

that I was in was that it

was a group of all new

SDRs that all had never

done SDR role before. So

it's like the situation

where no one knows what

to do, and you don't have

a coach available to kind

of show you the row. So

it's just trial and error

and testing and testing

and testing and then

eventually figuring out

what works best. And how

did you figure out what

works best? Did someone

help you? Or was this all

on your own? No, no, I

did get some help

eventually from the AES

that were like, Oh my

gosh, our SDRs are

struggling. We better

give them a little bit of

help here, and then it's

starting to really break

down what we were trying

to do, which is like you

need to first build a

relationship, and you

first need to maybe start

with some information

gathering before you

assume that you know what

they want. And I think

that was that little

light bulb moment that

you go, Okay, it's not

just about trying to

push, push, push, but

it's more a game of give

and take, and there's no

wrong answer. I'm just

curious, what was the

reason it wasn't your

manager helping you? You

know, not thinking back,

it's a very long time

ago, I can genuinely not

remember whether I had a

manager or who it was,

which is kind of an idea

of how much I worked with

them and how much impact

they had, was it quite a

big team. Then that all

fell into one manager. I

think we had like 15

SDRs. I think at that

point we were just doing

the best we could. And

eventually more structure

came, and eventually

people started to join

who had more experience

and were taking everyone

under their wing. Do you

feel like you might have

lost people in the team

that could have gone on?

Be great, but because it

just took too long to get

the structure in place,

people quit the

profession. Possibly,

Unknown: possibly people

that thought they weren't

any good, but maybe with

the right type of

coaching, they could have

been better. Obviously,

you mentioned

Mark Ackers: 15 there,

jumping to where you are

today, and then we'll

come straight back. But

you obviously know what

it looks like,

structurally to have a

great sales development

team. What do you believe

the ratio should be of

manager to rep? Golden

Rule, never more than

seven. SDRs to one.

Manager. Tell me why it's

seven. It's not five,

it's not 10. That's a

hard one.

catherine olivier: Probably

just experience. I've

seen it. I've seen it

work kind of up to seven,

and if you add more, the

cracks are starting to

show where there's just

not enough time in a week

to to deal with anyone,

everyone sufficiently.

Five, great. I mean, I'd

have a one to one ratio

if you could have it, but

that's just not

realistic, right? So I

think currently I've got

a team of five with a

manager, six over the

manager and a few of

seven with a manager. You

do what you can and the

fewer the better. But

don't try to go over

seven. Is what my advice

always is,

Mark Ackers: sounds good.

So just recap for us.

Then, what is the

structure of your team

look like today? I have

catherine olivier: a team

in America with a

manager, a team in

Germany with a manager,

team in France with a

manager, and I've got

three teams in the UK,

like call them an SMB

team, a mid market team

and an enterprise team,

and each of those with a

manager,

Mark Ackers: you must be

incredibly busy. We'll

get to your time and

cognism And that's where

we're spend most of the

episode. But I suppose

before then, one of the

questions I like to ask

guests as well is, when

you look back at your

career, everyone's made a

big, big mistake in

sales, something where

they've maybe lost a

deal, so it's gone

completely wrong. It's a

funny lesson that they

can look back on. Now,

what would you say when

you reflect back is

probably one of the

biggest mistakes you've

made in sales?

catherine olivier: Oh,

I've made so many

over the over the years,

but I think, personally,

it's been thinking that I

can do everything. So

I've had teams where I

had not only the sales

development team, but I

also had an inside sales

team, and I had a

customer success team,

and everything rolled up

to me, and it's three

exceptionally different

motions, right? With

different skill sets,

different people,

different targets,

different everything. And

at that point in my

career, maybe it's

different now, but at

that point, there was no

way I could do all of

that successfully in one

go. So what happened,

like what broke to make

you realise you can't do

anything. Well, it's the

shifting in between

motions, right? Like the

SDR team. You have to

support them in, like the

lead conversions, the

outbounding and all of

that. But then you have

to also work with the

inside sales team that

has quotas of closing

things, and they need

support with like pricing

and demos and all of

those kind of things, and

then you have the

customers that are trying

to, like, either renew or

they're trying to expand,

and that's a whole other

host of discussions and

issues that come up with

with that. And that is

just a lot, if it all

flows into one person.

Oh, absolutely, like too

many plays to spin with

someone with such a

background in sales

development, I'm curious

what made you fall in

love with sales

development, of all the

different aspects of

sales, what was it that

made you fall in love

with this part of the

role? I think there's a

few things. One is that

it's continuously

changing. So what worked

last year, last month,

might not work. Now

there's new tools,

there's new tactics, new

strategies, every single

time, and you think

you've cracked it, and

then everyone copies. And

then it stops working.

You have to start all

over again. So I think

that staying on top of

things, staying relevant,

staying modern, I would

almost call it right, not

not being stuck in in the

past with what used to

work for you. I really do

like that, right? So, so

that's definitely a thing

that I that I enjoy about

it. Another thing that's

very, very important is

obviously the SDRs being

that career building

team, right with the

youngsters very often

that are in the beginning

of their sales career and

are trying to figure out

what, what is next for

them, and then kind of

guiding them towards

that. Like almost every

single SDR that's

interviewed usually goes,

oh, I want to be, be an

AE next. That's what I'm

going to be. And then,

fine, I don't say much.

And then they get

started, and then they

figure out, wait,

actually, I'm really good

at something completely

different, and I'm going

to go in this different

direction. And like being

part of that journey, and

kind of like being there

to support and mentor

them where we can is, I

think, a really, really

important and fun bit of

being an STR leader.

Well, I love the you

know, very clear. You got

a passion for it. Let's

talk about some of the

changes that you have

seen. You know, I

appreciate you said

yourself. You don't know

age yourself with some of

your answers, but some of

your answers are, are

indicating you've got

vast experience here,

right? You've done this

role for a long time. You

talk about what worked

last year isn't working

this year. What's one

change that you are

seeing right now that

was, uh, wasn't apparent

last year? Well, whether

it's last year or a

little bit longer ago.

I think there's been a

massive shift of quality,

of quantity. So

definitely the shift from

just blasting and just

putting more and more and

more activities in

knowing that at some

point things will be

okay. Now you really need

to be a lot more

researched, considered

personalised, etc, at

least in organisations

that I've been, that I've

been at, so that's a big

shift, and there's just a

lot more tools these days

to help SDRs with doing

that right. So I think

expectations have gone up

that if you're an SDR who

doesn't manage to have

well researched and well

written and well,

personalised messages

you're doing something

wrong, because everything

is there to help you do

it. And a year ago, I

don't think a lot of that

was available yet. So

people were like, No,

it's fine. Like, he

couldn't help it, you

know what I mean? And now

it's like, no, no, no,

no. You should exactly

know how to how to do

this now. And you

Mark Ackers: mentioned

tech stack. So I want to

ask you what a key piece

of technology is that you

use today that perhaps

you didn't use a couple

of years ago? And the

answer, of course, cannot

be cognizant. But I'll do

that for you at my sales

coach. We're we're

customers of cognizant.

And Cognizant is a

customer and my sales

coach, of course, but

yeah, Cognizant is an

amazing tool. I know we'd

be lost without it. But

without saying, cognism,

what is one piece in your

tech stack that you

didn't have a couple of

years ago that you just

couldn't live without now

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catherine olivier: So

I'll break that answer up

in two. I think, like,

couple of years ago,

like, long time ago, we

didn't have things like

outreach and SalesLoft,

so having that has made

an incredible impact to

how SDRs go about their

day to day, right? So I

think that's been, that's

been one massive shift

that I've seen over the

years. But again, that

ages me massively,

because that's been

around for a while. And I

think tools like Gong,

right? Recording,

insights, training and

coaching on on calls,

etc, made a massive

impact as well, and

that's not been around

for too long either. It

feels like it's been

around forever, but it

really hasn't. Yes,

Mark Ackers: I mean,

there I'd say, like table

stakes. Now aren't they

having having a tool

like, like Gong,

conversation

intelligence, obviously,

Jiminy here as a UK

version of that as well.

And then, like say,

sales, loft, outreach.

I've bought outreach

before and been in that

process. Do you have a

preference out of sales?

Often outreach? Ah,

catherine olivier: funny

that you ask. Everyone

always asks me I started

the first one I got used

to was sales loft. Then

when I changed

organisations, they had

outreach, weren't happy,

and then we moved to

sales loft, so that was

an interesting one, and

in other organisations,

so the last one, and now

with Cognizant, we have

outreach. And I think, to

be fair, both are good,

both do a similar thing.

So I might have like a

personal preference, but

it's not necessarily

based on how well they

work, fair enough.

Mark Ackers: I'll let you

stay on the fence of that

one slightly let's talk

about landing the role at

cognism. Huge shoes to

fill, in the sense of

David Bentham. Had that

role, very well known in

the industry, been with

cognism a long time? Take

me back to first of all,

how did that opportunity

come about? Did you apply

for it, or were you

approached? Funnily

catherine olivier: enough,

both. Okay. So obviously

I'd known Dave and been

following him, and like

following cognism as

well, so, and I'd been a

Cognizant customer for

quite a while. So it's

also like, Okay, I know

about it, and I love the

I love the company and

the product. So obviously

you then see, hey,

something comes up at

cognism, and they go,

Wow, okay, this is kind

of perfect, because it's

a role that suits me to

the T and it's a company

that I'm genuinely

passionate about, so I

would love to work there.

So I applied immediately,

and then adhere anything

for a while. I think they

were kind of overwhelmed

with the number of

applications that came

their way. So I did what

I think everybody should

be doing when you're

applying for any type of

role, whether it's SDRs

or anything in

leadership, you start

reaching out to the

people in a company,

right? So reaching out to

the hiring team, people

in HR, people in sales,

people on the SDR team,

to just understand what

was going on, what were

their needs. How would

that fit me? And if

there's anything

specifically that I could

bring up then in

interviews. And then,

funnily enough, Dale

Thorne, who is one of the

founders of SDR leaders

of the USA, who's a dear

friend of mine, he spoke

to Cognizant CRO at one

point, and he was like,

oh, have you spoken to

her yet about the role?

And I think the answer

was no. The application

got lost somewhere in the

in the heaps of other

ones, right? But then he

he dug it out, and he

reached out and he said,

Actually, I've, I've had

a look, and I think it

would be a very good idea

if we have a

Mark Ackers: chat. A few

things there. One, using

your network, really

smart move. Two, I agree,

treating the role like

you would a sales

opportunity, working it

multi threading. How did

you reach out to those

people? Was that email?

Was that phone call? A

mix? What were you doing?

A mix of phone and

LinkedIn, and then, what

did the interview process

look like? This is a type

of interview that many

people might not have

gone for, an incredibly

senior position a massive

organisation responsible

for a large team. What

did that interview

process look like, start

to finish?

catherine olivier: So

mine was a little bit

lopsided, because I

started with the CRO who

would have, would

probably have been the

last one, right? So that

was, that was an

interesting one. So had a

chat with him, spoke,

obviously, to the to the

recruitment team. So had

a, had a lot of sessions

with James Corfield, who

is our head of the TA

team, and he's been

great. So answering all

the questions as to,

like, why is this role

even here? Like, why did

they leave? And

understanding a little

bit better about about

the expectations. And it

was with God I've got to

think back. Like, like, a

workshopping session

with, like, some heads of

sales. So I sat down with

with John islet, for

instance, right the head

of our sales

organisation. I do know

that the very last one

was a an hour with the

CEO to again talk about

that. So I I've had

different experiences in

going for these type of

roles and having

interviews, having to do

your 3060, 90

presentation, I've had to

present a five year plan

before where they asked

me for a five year plan

that I had to present,

etc. That wasn't the case

here. It was very, I

would almost say

conversational and

strategic, and really

seeing whether my views

and my way of working,

etc, aligns with what

they needed. How

Mark Ackers: helpful do

you think was the

recommendation from your

friend straight to the

CRO in terms of taking

your interview to more of

a place of look, we trust

that you're a good

candidate. Let's talk

strategy, versus dropping

you in at the very

beginning of the

interview process. I

catherine olivier: think

it was hugely important.

Mark Ackers: Here's the

thing. I know you're

going to say that, and as

did everyone that's

listening, and it's the

same in sales, getting

that referral into a

decision maker is just a

game changer. But I know

you would have seen this

to say, I appreciate you

manage SDRs versus AES

and quota carry, but

you'll still see this.

Oh, we go after referrals

a lot. Oh, well, perfect,

right? But what I see all

the time from from

sausage, they don't ask

for referrals. Like, it's

just something that

inherently, they don't do

as often as they should

when it absolutely works

like, you know, as a

great example there you

mentioned, obviously, and

you have, like, when we

went for your resume, it

had a number of these

roles when you are

interviewing, how do you

prepare for for an

interview like that?

What? What do you want to

show in those interviews?

I

catherine olivier: think,

start at the basics and

really research the

company itself. I think

is important. But then I

usually try to talk to

various people on

different teams to kind

of prepare as well, like,

what's what's been going

well, what's not? What

are the main discussion

points and talking points

so to say within the

organisation, and I'm

trying to link that back

to things I've seen and

done before, and how I've

solved that, or how I see

that you could approach

it, because I'm very much

a believer in I don't

want to pretend to be

something that I'm not,

or pretend that I know

things that I actually

don't, is kind of a take

it or leave it approach.

This is me. This is how I

work. This is how I look

at things. This is how I

would challenge things.

And if that's the way you

think you would like your

organisation to be run,

then I think this is a

match. If you would like

it to be completely

different, then I would

need to go against

everything I stand for.

And then I rather not

talking about

Mark Ackers: the first

few weeks in that role.

Then, as I say, I'm

really keen to understand

the mindset, right? I

know you're really strong

leader. I've spent time

with you equally. I know

what it can feel like to

fill shoes from someone

else. How do you approach

those first few weeks and

those first few

conversations? I'm the

new boss. How do you

approach those

situations? Very

catherine olivier: carefully,

but I've been very, very

lucky with incognizance,

because my boss, the CRO

Rob tomcek, he gave me

time. So instead of

giving me the team from

day one, having seven

people reporting to me,

the whole organisation

sit under me, he gave me

a quarter or longer, if I

wanted to, to just

understand the business.

So they kept. Running the

way they were running.

They didn't change a

thing. And I was just

there observing, talking

to people, interviewing,

participating in

meetings, and just taking

notes and making a plan

at that point. Rather

than just coming in from

day one going, Hello,

we're going to do

everything different. I

was very, very fortunate

to be given the chance to

just take the time to

understand the business

better before having to

make any decisive calls.

Mark Ackers: I love that.

I mean, to give you a

quarter just feels like a

really well thought out

process from cognism and

the right way to do

things. One of the

questions I'll have for

you and everyone has

impostor syndrome at

certain points in their

career and in day to day

life. No doubt, even

though you are well

qualified and exceptional

candidate to hire into

this role, they would

have been part of you

that had that level of

imposter syndrome, new

role, new gig, as I say,

taking over. How did you

manage that imposter

syndrome that you may

have had taken the role I

have

catherine olivier: it

every day, to be fair. So

that doesn't really ever

go away. I don't think,

at least, not for not for

me, but I think it's just

about trusting your skill

set and going, Look, I

also have to trust the

people that hire me that

they know what they're

doing, and they wouldn't

give me the role if they

didn't see something in

me, right? So, and that's

kind of where I'm getting

back to, like, I'm not

pretending anything that

I'm not so I don't have

to be fearful about,

like, keeping up a

pretence or anything like

that, as I as I go about

my my day to day, just

like I've told them

exactly what I know. I've

told them how I want to

approach it. And they

saw, yeah, this is a good

idea. So now that's what

I'm going to be doing. So

kind of read by staying

really, really close to

myself, I think it's the

way to, like, try to

minimise that imposter

that imposter syndrome.

But generally, it doesn't

ever really go away.

Mark Ackers: I agree

everyone I speak to. And

when this comes up about

imposter syndrome,

everyone has it. And as

you say, near enough, if

not every day is near

enough. Every day when

you're having those

moments of imposter

syndrome, how do you deal

with it? Do you deal with

it in your head and by

yourself? Or do you speak

to anyone

catherine olivier: most

of the time? It's, like,

fleeting and I can deal

with it in my head for by

very rationally going,

No, come on. I can do

this. I've done this

before. If it gets worse,

and specifically, like,

around the times that

you're, like,

interviewing for new

roles, or there's like,

massive changes happening

in organisations that,

you know, oh, my

goodness, Am I doing the

right thing here? I'm

very lucky that my

husband's super

supportive. So he'll,

he'll listen, and then

he'll go and be the voice

of reason, going like,

come on. You've been

doing this for ages. You

can do this. This is

fine. And something else

that's been super, super

helpful has been like a

community, like the sales

leaders of EMEA, where

there's other SDR leaders

in similar situations,

and I can just call them

up and go, am I crazy?

I'm trying to do this,

like, is it just me? And

then you can have that,

you can have that

conversation. So that's

been really super over

the past few years as

well,

Mark Ackers: amazing. And

one of the things that I

know you now get because

we've started working

together with my sales

coach. Is access to a

coach here, one to one

coaching. But I'm

curious, throughout your

career, have you ever had

a coach or a mentor that

you work with?

catherine olivier: I've

had a coach once before.

They let me think back.

So that was when I was at

EDB. They gave like a

certain level of

leadership, leadership

coaching. So we all got

group sessions, and then

some one on one sessions

with our personal coach.

And that was very

helpful, but it was very

much focused on how to

become a better leader as

such. And it wasn't

necessarily, well, it

sounds relevant, like

very personal on like the

How to Become a Better

you kind of thing.

Mark Ackers: What about

though, throughout your

career? Have you had

someone that you've been

able to lean on, maybe,

maybe less formal than a

coach and a coach

relationship, but someone

that's kind of taken you

under their wing and

helped you? There's been

catherine olivier: various

people, I think, over the

years, where some helped

more than others, some

helped very consciously,

and others maybe more by

accident. But you learn

from people that you work

with. Someone who always

comes back in in mind is

a lady called Paige

powers. I was back when I

worked at Extreme

Networks as a just an SDR

manager, and later the

leader of their inside

sales team and their SDR

team. And she was head of

Global inside sales, and

it was the first how to

call it, like powerful

woman, female leader that

I ever encountered,

because, like, tech

sales, it's a lot of

guys, right? So all the

like, there's girl SDRs,

but I hadn't necessarily

worked for a female boss

before, and that was a

revelation at that point

in my career, in any

case, and she taught me

things like, maybe

consciously or

subconsciously, from her

end, about like being

just yourself, and not

being afraid to just be a

woman, even though

everyone else is not, and

just making kind of that

your strength, rather

than trying to pretend

you're all masculine and

one of the guys and stuff

like that. And I think

that was super, super

valuable. That point,

Mark Ackers: Paige

powers. What an

incredible name. That

sounds like a superhero

name, right? So tell me a

bit more about Paige

powers, then it feels

like she was important

person in the development

of you. You've shared

there that she encouraged

you to be who you are.

And I've really picked

that up in the interview

that one you're not

afraid to say, look, this

is who I am. These are my

strengths. These are my

weaknesses or blind

spots. And you'll say

that even at the risk of

someone saying, Well,

maybe you're not right

for the job then. And

that comes down to my

second thing that I've

noticed is you're really

not attached to the

outcome. The outcome will

be what the outcome is. I

know who I am and what I

can do, and it feels like

perhaps you first learned

that from from Paige.

Would that be fair?

catherine olivier: Yeah,

I think that's where it

started Exactly. So do

what you think is right

and make people

understand why you're

doing what you're doing.

Go to Bat for your team,

right? Like, she always

threw herself up as, I

think she called herself

a mama bear or something

like that, where she was

like, I protect my team

and try to protect them

at all costs, and that's

her job, and they don't

need to worry about

everything. And I really,

really liked that in her

approach of things,

right, trying to shield

the team. And she was

always very personally

involved on a personal

level, you know what I

mean? Like, genuinely

trying to get to know

people, and don't be

like, Oh, I'm I'm the big

boss, and, you know, I

don't care about all

those minions under me,

very, very personally

involved. And not a

weaker leader for it,

right? I think even a

stronger one, because

people would run through

fire for her. You know

what I mean, it's like,

because of that kind of

relationship, and I think

that kind of opened my

eyes, like, that's how I

would like to be when I

grow up, right? Still not

there, but it's something

to something to strive

for.

Mark Ackers: When you say

you're still not there,

would you say that it's

just you being humble and

a little bit of imposter

syndrome? Or are there

things that you genuinely

think you need to work

Unknown: on? No, I always

have to work on things,

right? Absolutely. What's

one thing that

Mark Ackers: you would

like to to improve on?

catherine olivier: That's

a tricky one, but I think

I'm very aware of the

fact that I sometimes get

really stuck in my ways,

like, Oh, I think this is

the solution, and then

I'll keep working on it

like forever, even if

it's not going anywhere.

And I need to be able to

kind of what you were

saying, like, detach from

the outcome and, like,

take a step back. Like, I

know this is what I have

been working on for a

very long time, but it's

time to let it go. It's

not going to go anywhere

and start over or try

something different. And

I think that moment of

letting go, I I'm still a

bit on the late side with

that sometimes, what's

Mark Ackers: the last

thing that you let go of?

Because it just wasn't

working. As

catherine olivier: the

comp plan changes, right?

Like, I know something

needs to change, and I

want to change it, but

eventually just need to

go away pause, you know,

like, wait a little bit

and regroup, talk to more

people and then try

again. When you say talk

to more people. Who do

you mean, generally,

within my organisation,

so the people that are

going to be either

impacted by it, or the

people that have a very

better, much better

understanding of the

impacts and the numbers

behind it, etc. So I have

a very close relationship

with Rev ops and and

stuff like that. So I

think that's an important

one. But I also run like

ideas past other SDR

leaders, like, oh, I

would love to go, and I

don't know, pay on this,

and then they go, oof.

I'll never do that

because I tried it and

didn't work, right? So

it's really nice to have

other people that you can

just ask, ask things. But

on the other hand, you

need to keep in mind that

they don't know your

organisation and your

team, that the way that I

do and their views might

be skewed based on like,

their circumstances. So

it's like nice to have

like a sounding board and

to kind of get maybe some

fresh ideas, etc, but

then you do have to make

sure you can apply it

properly in your own

organisation. And that's

what I need, like the

various bits of my team

for and I think

Mark Ackers: that's an

important thing, you

know, when you can lean

on other people and ask

what's working for you

and and sort of take, but

take back the bits that

you think you can apply,

and maybe not the bits

that wouldn't work. But I

love that you've got

other people you can

reach out to. And again,

it just comes back to

you're not afraid to say,

look, I don't think I've

got all the answers here.

Can somebody help? And

even internally, where

sometimes people might

not want to do that, they

might not want to look

weak internally. They

might want to look like

they haven't got the

answer internally, but

you're just look, this is

my strength, this bit I

need some help with, and

you're not afraid to do

that. And I really admire

that. I kind

catherine olivier: of

have the same approach to

my my team and to my CRS,

right? Because I tell

them, Look, I can sit on

my little perch and,

like, make plans for you,

and like, make rules, but

you guys are doing it on

a day to day. I don't

know how it impacts you,

genuinely, hour to hour,

right? So if there's

anything that you need or

that I'm trying to put in

place that you feel will

not work, let me know. If

you have suggestions. Let

me know. Right? It's been

a very long time since

I've been an SDR like on

a day to day. Basis, and

even though I think I

have a fairly good

understanding of how it's

all going every single

day, I might not have the

right insights in the

intricacies. So to say

right so I always say,

Look, I don't know

everything. So if you're

feeling I'm missing

something or I need to

look into things, please

flag it. I love that

Mark Ackers: as a sign of

a great leader, you know,

really embraces that

feedback, of that that

circle of feedback and

that feedback loop from

their team. It may be 10

years time, maybe five

years time, someone in

your team is going to be

on a podcast, and they're

going to be talking about

their own page powers,

and that's going to be

you, because you're,

you're leading the SDR

managers at cognism, many

of whom are first time

SDR managers themselves.

What are they finding

hardest right now as

first time SDR managers?

Oh,

catherine olivier: good

one. I think one of the

things that is always

hard when you're first

time SDR manager is that

you can't manage every

single person the same

way, because people are

very different. They

respond to different

things. Call them

triggers, or, you know,

it's the stick, carrot,

kind of discussion like,

people have different

ambitions, different

things that drive them.

So you can't just blanket

your approach to your

team, even if it's only

seven people, right, it's

still very necessary that

you kind of figure out

what makes your team tick

on an individual level,

and then kind of adjust

your approach for that.

And I think that's hard,

because when you've been

in SDR, your manager

managed you a certain

way, and you might assume

that that's how they

managed everybody, and

that's therefore the way

that everybody needs to

be managed going forward,

and it's again like that,

disconnecting from, wait

a second, I can do things

differently because this

person needs different

inputs, different

outputs, different

approaches. And that's

fine. That's okay, but

coming to that

conclusion, and then I

think effectively

implementing that is

always a learning path. I

think what

Mark Ackers: you said

there, whilst it was so

obvious, is also a light

bulb moment, in the sense

of you're totally right.

If you're managed by

someone, you will just

assume that's how they

manage everybody, because

you don't know what you

don't know. And I think,

like I say, it's an

obvious thing to say, but

until you really say that

out loud, when you step

up into management, you

almost have this warped

reality of, well, this is

how I was managed. That's

obviously how they

managed everybody. And it

can be hard to not fall

into that trap. As I say,

really obvious thing, but

a real light bulb moment,

I think, for many people

to when they're thinking

about stepping up into

management, to consider

how are other people

managed? And I think one

of the mistakes that many

people share with me, and

I think you'll probably

say you've made this

mistake yourself at some

point, I know I have, is

that that's why it's easy

to try and hire people

like you hire a team of

mini use because you can

manage them in the same

way. Why is that the

wrong thing to do?

Because

catherine olivier: you

should never have a team

of all the same people,

because then you'll never

get any fresh ideas,

fresh approaches,

different views, etc. You

need it specifically,

because what I said,

Right? SDR, world keeps

changing, and you need to

keep innovating and being

creative, etc. And every

if every person thinks

exactly the same way,

you're gonna get down

through a very, very

narrow path. How

Mark Ackers: do you

ensure then that when

you're hiring people,

that you are hiring

people that are just very

different to you? Have

you got a way of doing

that, yes

catherine olivier: and

no, like in the way that

when we're going through

a hiring process, we're

looking for skills first

and foremost, right?

We're not gonna go like,

Oh, we need to have

someone who was x, not.

Okay, so we're going for

skills and experience.

However, you eventually

end up with a pool of, I

don't know, say, 10. Then

you have two roles, and

you go, like, how we're

going to do this? And

then it's very much about

like, who's slightly

different, who's

exciting, who has that

extra gene, Sequoia,

right? That you go, Okay,

this is not something

we've seen before this.

This would be like an

interesting addition. I

mean, we know what's

what's successful when

you're looking at SDRs,

like people have who have

played, like, competitive

sports or anything like,

like those things. Yes,

great. SDRs, absolutely.

But I don't want the full

SDR team that were all

former competitive

sportsmen, right? That

that's another like

extreme on that, on that

end. So it's nice to kind

of mix that up a little.

So I trust my team to go

through the first cycles

of the hiring process

themselves and then

present me with their top

got it top five, or

something like that. I

always do the final

round, and then I pick

and make a case, right?

I'm not the final

decision maker on that

and as such, but I try to

explain to to the team

like, who I think would

be a valuable addition

based on maybe those

softer type of criteria.

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ask, have you got in the

these final stage

interviews? Have you got

a killer question that

you love to ask, and it

can make or break the

success in in the

interview, not

catherine olivier: really

genuinely. I'm trying to

think my starting

question is always

really, really simple,

because I found people

are for one reason, or

they're very nervous when

they get to talk to me,

so I need to, kind of,

like, ease them into it,

right? And my first

question is like, why did

you apply like, and then

they do have to put it

all on the table. And I

think some people go,

Well, I just needed a

job. And then it's like,

no, bye. But it's the

ones that that come with,

like, a well thought out

answer, which I would

like to think they'd have

after they've gone

through like two other or

three other rounds by

then, right? They should

have an answer that kind

of summarises everything

they've learned about

themselves and about us

in the roles before, in

the rounds before

Mark Ackers: I just did

the job, is an

incredulous answer to be

giving at that stage of

an interview. One of the

challenges that that we

have in sales is that

first time managers are

almost always former

great reps that have been

promoted, like top

performers, that get

promoted and for logical

reasons, in many ways.

You know, we don't want

to lose them. We want to

retain them. They're

ambitious. Hence, they've

been top performers. But

being a top performer

doesn't mean you're going

to be a great manager to

start with. Now we could

talk about that, but

here's the other

challenge that I think

rarely get spoken about,

and I've struggled with

this as as many, many

other people that have

had a first time manager

role. How do you go from

being a friend to a

manager that's

catherine olivier: so

hard, it is so hard, I

think people don't

realise how tricky that

is when they get into it.

It's a reason that you

have to be very, very

careful who you pick to

promote into a leadership

position if they were

very much part of the SDR

click, so to say, right

before, and that's why

very often, I would very

much gravitate to those

people that are already

almost naturally just

mentoring and Helping the

rest of their team

already rather than maybe

being the the a list

superstar 100 or 50 plus

percent. SDR, those are

not necessarily always

the ones that are the

most helpful, because

they're very much focused

on their own success,

right, and doing the

right thing. And fair

enough, right? That's

okay, but it's those ones

that are doing well, but

are then also taking time

out to sit down with the

others, or, like, sharing

their their experiences,

or their their tips and

tricks, etc. I think that

is way more valuable when

you're, like, deciding

who to like, promote

into, like, a leadership

role. When they are

interviewing for that,

it's like very much. Do

you realise what this

means? Right? Because

it's going to be hard,

and you'll have to do

that from the beginning.

You can't ease your way

into it. You can't go,

Oh, my first month of

being the manager, I'm

still very much your

friend. But then I need

to start becoming a

little bit more harsh on

you the month after, and

then the month after

that, I'm really gonna,

like, crack down on

things. Doesn't work. You

have to set expectations

from day one that they

go, Okay, now it's

different, and it doesn't

mean we can't go out and

have a drink after work

again, but it is going to

just be slightly more

distant, I think. And I

think a lot of people

don't realise how lonely

leadership can be, right?

Because there's fewer and

fewer of you, the higher

up you go. It's very much

like the team versus the

managers, sometimes,

right, depending on what

the circumstances are.

And then you need to keep

that distance, and you

need to be able to, like,

step away and not take it

personally and just go

like they're doing their

thing, and I have to do

mine. And it is not

always what you might

want to do, but that is

the maturity I think SDR

leaders need to have if

you want to be successful

manager your former

peers, rather than

Mark Ackers: make it just

about cognizant, because

then you might be talking

about people that work

there today. If you look

back across all the

people that you've

managed across your

career, what are some of

the mistakes you've seen

people make, where

they've stepped into a

manager role and they've

got that wrong, they've

acted like a friend and

not a manager. Have you

got some some maybe some

funny stories or some

observations that you can

share,

catherine olivier: don't

date them? That's That's

step one. That's a given,

though I think it is

where, when an SDR has

like to put it like in a

generator. Generalisation

has like a grievance, and

they go, Oh, this isn't

right, and I feel hard

done by and it's unfair.

And then instinctively,

immediately the manager

going, Yeah, you're

right. Like, absolutely,

I feel Yeah, right,

because they were an SDR

before, and they know the

pain. They feel it. They

know they understand it

without taking a beat and

having a moment ago. Wait

a second, but what of

like the view of the

company and of the wider

team, and actually the

overarching rules, and

without immediately

agreeing to whatever the

SDR is feeling and like

kind of making it a

bigger thing, just going

like, I'll look into it.

Let's look at this. Let's

take a step back. And I

need to explain to you

why. Yeah, it might suck

as an SDR, but from a

team perspective, it is

the right thing to do.

I'll

Mark Ackers: avoid the

can of worms around don't

date them. Because, yeah,

I could imagine there's

some funny stories there.

But are there any other

stories of where they've

just got that line wrong?

Because that could be

quite humorous.

catherine olivier: I

think it is about

specifically after work,

getting too close. So not

the dating part, but just

the like being, being

very, very close friends.

If you're being very

close friends with, like,

one or two on a team, and

your team is bigger than

that, you'll always have

the perception of

favouritism, right? Like,

Oh yeah, but you'll do

that because you tennis

with each other, or

because you, you know

what I mean, like, there,

there's always that kind

of thing, even though it

might not even be the

case, right? But I think

being very aware of,

like, the perception of,

yeah, putting the one SDR

above the others because

you happen to get on a

lot better is a very

scary thing to have.

Mark Ackers: So that's

really interesting,

right? That that

perception of favouritism

socialising, one of the

things that I've always

seen people struggle with

is is socials after work?

What do you think a

manager should do? Should

they because there's

options, right? They

don't go at all. They

never go, or they go but

they leave early, or they

go and they're the last

ones there because they

want to stay out late.

What? How do you get

those situations right? I

think

catherine olivier: it

does depend on your

personality and so on. I

would never necessarily

tell an STR manager, oh,

you're not allowed to

stay until the end,

right? Because if they're

the type of person that

really enjoys that, then

who am I to tell them?

No, they should stay very

sober. So I think, I

think you need to keep

your wits about you,

because you need to make

sure that you keep that

professional relationship

right. Okay, so it's,

it's very much like you

can be there and you can

have a good time, but you

need to make sure that

you don't say the wrong

things, that you don't

start blabbing about

things they have no

concern about, and that

you're not that person

that everyone then is

talking about because you

were, I don't know,

dancing on the table or

fell off the bar or

anything like that,

right? Because, again,

you have to maintain that

sense of professionalism

and and so on. And I

think as a leader, that's

something you have to

make sure, like, I don't

care how you maintain

that if it means you

don't drink at all, or if

you have to leave early

because, you know, you

can't contain yourself,

you know, that's fine,

and that's a goal you'll

have to make yourself.

Mark Ackers: I think that

could be the hard thing.

You know, well, just last

week, I was an SDR, I was

their friend, and now a

week later, it's

someone's birthday or

someone's leaving do, oh,

I've got to be completely

different. And, yeah, I

mean, I'm sure we can

exchange many a story.

There people on the

tables of one of the

bars. Let's, um, let's

talk about how you're

managing in a hybrid

world. So, yeah, I was in

your offices a couple

weeks ago. We sat down,

and we're talking about,

you know, our coaching of

your SDR managers. And,

you know, I asked you

about your commute to

work, and what was it

again? Was it? Was it

three hours? No, no, it's

just over two. I mean,

that's still horrendous.

So a two hour commute

each way, and you know,

you're, you're a mother,

you've got a young boy,

haven't you? And I asked,

well, how often do that?

You said, two days a

week. And I'm curious

how, and I know you'll

have a great answer for

this, but that's, that's

the new norm, right? We

live in that world where,

if we want to attract the

best talent, which

obviously cognizant. Do

you embrace that? And

that's what your one you

know, you live two hours

away. Why would you want

to do that every day,

four hours lost when, as

I say, you've got a

family. How do you in a

remote world, stay close

to your team? I

catherine olivier: think

it's I've grown used to

it a little bit in the

sense that I've had fully

remote teams before. I

also managed all the way

through COVID. So that's

that's helping with the

experience as well, as

you can imagine. But I

think the main thing is

just managing

expectations, right? So

when it comes to like,

how often I go to the

office, I was very clear

whilst interviewing,

like, there's no way I

can do this five days a

week. It's just not

happening. If that's what

you want, then that's not

me, right? Just from a

practical perspective. I

love being in the office,

by the way. I love being

around people and just

being able to walk over

and just having a chat,

etc. But yeah, at the

moment, that's just

logistically not

possible. So what I do

make sure of is that the

time that I am there, I'm

like, available. So. So I

tend to make sure I block

out time that I'm not in

meetings and I'm just

there, because what's the

point of me coming in and

then going, Oh, I've got

back to back meetings for

five hours. I'm going to

sit in this meeting room

and I'll come out when

I'm done right then

there's genuinely no

difference for me just

being at home or being in

a meeting room in the

office, trying to make

sure that I block my day

so that I either have,

like, the one on ones

with the older managers,

right, that I can do that

in person, I have

separate moments that I'm

just there for SDRs to

come and have a chat, or

for me to just walk over

to to sales or to

operations or marketing

and just go and have a

have a catch up, and have

that personal connection,

and then all the other

hard work I can then do

when I get home. I

Mark Ackers: think that

must be hard for you as

well, though, because

you're coming in to serve

your team. But equally,

when you're going to be

in the office, I know

other senior leaders.

We're great. Catherine's

in, we can get some time

with her, and you'll have

to push back on that,

because again, you know,

what's very clear is how

you put your team first,

but that must be very

difficult for you to try

and juggle both sides of

that. Yeah,

catherine olivier: it is.

So it's, it's the ever

evolving state of my

calendar. And anyone you

talk to will say that my

calendar is absolutely

insane, but I try to just

juggle it as much as

possible, and even if it

means I can go and walk

to go and grab some lunch

with a chunk of the team,

you know what I mean, and

just have, like, a light

hearted chat and get to

know them a little bit

better. That for me, is

super valuable.

Mark Ackers: Speaking of

going for a walk for

lunch, you and I walked

over to Borough Market.

Have you been

Unknown: back since? Yes,

like many times. Have

you? Have you discovered

anything new? Well, we

had a great Spanish

sandwich last week. This

was amazing.

Mark Ackers: I saw these

strawberries and

chocolate at Borough

Market. Yes, they're too

messy to walk with,

though. Oh, okay. Well,

next time I want to, I

want to try those. You

have to take me there.

Um, speaking of juggling,

right? So juggling Canada

and whatnot, let's get

into you as the coach and

mentor there, but, but

also a mother, and it's

very pertinent for me.

My, I've got two boys,

but my, my wife, just

returned back to work two

days ago after a year off

for maternity leave, and

our youngest has started

nursery. So it's very

pertinent to me, and I'm

very conscious of it.

You're a leader and a

parent. How do you

balance the intensity of

both military

catherine olivier: precision,

I would say so it's, it's

a regime, right? Almost

like my husband and I

have like the like school

drop off, school pickup,

like he does the one I do

the other. The beginning

of the week. We make sure

we know who is, who does

what on which day and and

whether we need to change

it because of meetings or

events or anyone being

out of the country and

stuff like that. It's

having a school where I

can genuinely have him

from eight in the morning

until five or six in the

afternoon, so I can have

a full day in in between.

And he's used to that,

right? He's been there

since he was, like, six

months. So so he doesn't

know any better, and

loves it. But that gives

us the space right to to

plan our days around it.

And I think for me, it's

being ruthless with,

like, blocking those

moments out. So like, I

I'm, at the moment, in

charge of all the

pickups, so I don't drop

off, I only pick up, and

that is blocked in my

calendar. And I can be on

calls, because I'll be in

the car, so I can speak

on my hand, hands free

setup, but I can't look

at slides, so it's

specifically in my

calendar. If you want to

talk to me now, it's a

chat, and it's not like I

need to check out any

graphs or anything like

that. So doing that, and

then having an hour after

where I can spend time

with my child to, like,

talk through his day,

feed him, bathe him, and

all of that, and then I

can be back on calls

again, right? That's,

that's fine, but it's

really about being very,

very, I think, again,

ruthless in like, No, I

can't do this because

this is my time with my

family. And once he's in

bed, you know, all bets

are off, I'm back. That's

fine,

Mark Ackers: but that's

the time of your husband,

yeah, but he

catherine olivier: has

the same he works very

much American hours as

well, so he works later,

late as well, which is

why he can do the drop

off in the morning. So,

yeah, it's the it's to

juggle. So so to say,

yeah, do we get loads and

loads of time together in

the evenings? Probably

not, but, like, we make

up for that over the

weekends. I don't work on

the weekends at all.

Mark Ackers: Good, so I'm

glad you have that

boundary. And this next

question comes from a

parent that my first born

was in nursery, eight

till six, five days a

week. They went to school

and it was after school

club every night of the

week. Now, got a baby

that's just started

nursery. So this comes

from a place of a parent

that's done exactly the

same. But I also know the

guilt that my wife has

balancing her career and

and I feel that too, but

I feel that that sits

heavier with her as the

mother, and I'm just, I'm

just wondering, you know,

we tell ourselves every

day, this is the right

thing. This is what's

best for our children.

This is the right thing.

But I'd love to hear from

you as the as the mother,

and there'll be loads of

other mothers that listen

to this, that have their

kids in after school,

clubs, breakfast clubs.

How do you and. And Gil

is the wrong word,

because I don't believe

you should have it, but I

know it sits with us as

parents. How do you deal

with that

catherine olivier: as

much as possible? Again,

by rationalising it out

going like one, he

doesn't know any better,

and he's very happy

child, so it doesn't seem

to doing any harm in him

at the moment. Two, I

also know I'm a much

nicer person or better

mom. I think if I work,

because I noticed that

when I'm on maternity

leave I was miserable,

that might just be me.

There's a lot of people

who love it, right? I

couldn't wait to go back

to work because I really,

really missed it, right?

So I know that unless I'm

working, I'm not a very

happy person to be

around. So it's better

for him that I'm doing

what I'm doing doesn't

make it any easier,

though. I mean, I've

travelled to, like, I had

to do a presentation in

in Las Vegas, and I was

like, on on the verge of

getting on that plane,

and then my husband calls

saying I'm at a GP

because he's sick. And

then it's like, that

moment where you go like,

Okay, what do I do? Do I

now not get on this plane

knowing that there's like

1000 people waiting for

me to do that

presentation, or do I

trust him to deal with

it, and then kind of say,

like, let's see, let's

see what happens. And

that's the choice I made,

because it wasn't

ridiculously urgent or

severe at that point, at

least that's what I

thought. Went to America.

I got there and it was

tonsillitis. So he was a

very unhappy baby for

that week. My poor

husband was like, lack of

sleep for five nights, I

think so he wasn't very

happy. But that was then,

that is then the balance

right for like, I'm the

I'm the leader of the

organisation that is

expected to go there and

do this. Do I trust my

partner to have my back

and to deal with this?

Did I, like, literally,

every day think, Oh no, I

need to get on a plane

back home. Yeah, pretty

much. So I cut it short

and went home. But I had,

I had to go at that

point, at least that was

the call that I made, and

other people might make a

different call, right?

And it might also be like

circumstance or anything

like that at that point,

but it's never easy.

First

Mark Ackers: of all, you

made the right call,

right? You, You are the

best person to make that

call and judge. So you

made the right call 100%

and I can just so relate

in a number of ways. I

I've been at the train

station, wife's not well,

child's not well and and

I appreciate like dad

guilt doesn't get spoken

about as much, but had

that same thing of, do I

get on this train or not?

I've got to deliver a

talk at an exhibition or

show, etc. I think what

you've said, though, is

just so relatable. And I

think so many people are

gonna smile when

listening to that. And

literally, last night in

the kitchen, talking to

my wife, day two back at

work, and she says, I

think I'm a better mom

already. I feel like I've

got more patience for my

for my little boy. You

know, he's quite clingy

because he's just come

back from his second dad

nursery, but I feel like

I'm here for him because

I've been at work. My

mind's been stimulated.

I'm really enjoying being

back. I'm gonna be a

better mom going forward.

And yeah, my wife

definitely enjoyed a

limited paternity leave,

but part of it sucked.

Charlie was unwell. She

was unwell, or a friend

last minute dropped out

because their baby needed

a nap, and it can be a

really lonely place, but

yeah, it's, it's great to

hear how you deal with

and again, these are

unfair words, but it's

what is called that, that

mum Gill and I was really

conscious to get into

your mind of someone with

such a demanding job, how

they deal with that, with

one hell of a commute as

well. And I really

enjoyed that part of the

conversation, I think

coming towards the end,

because, again, you

mentioned how busy your

calendar is. I know we're

so fortunate to have your

time today. Let's try to

wrap this up. What's one

thing you wish every SDR

manager would start doing

various

catherine olivier: things?

First thing that comes up

is like, just be yourself

and trust your trust your

gut when it comes to,

like, dealing with your

team and ask for advice

and then make, make

something. Tailor, make

something for your group,

rather than try to fit in

the mould that been set

for you. Too often, I

just see people doing

what everyone's been

doing, never questioning

processes, setups, etc,

that are available to

them to go. Well, I know

this is available, but do

I like this? Do I even

want this right? Does it

make sense for me and for

my team? And I think that

just trying to fit the

mould and then not

succeeding is way worse

than just trying to

suggest other ways of

doing things. I

Mark Ackers: suppose one

of the things that your

work on then, and you've

spoke to me about before,

is giving them the

confidence to do that

flip the question, What's

one thing you wish SDR

managers would stop

doing? Well,

catherine olivier: one

thing is definitely

pushing for inputs rather

than caring about the

outcomes. I think there's

still way too many SDR

leaders out there,

despite all evidence to

the contrary, who are,

like, very proud, like,

Oh my God, my team sent

20,000 emails this week.

It was a great week. And

you go, really, was it

though? Like, how many

came back positive? What

did you book from that?

You know, where they're

like, Oh yeah, my team.

They were, they were,

they were on fire. They

all made like, 300 calls

today. It's like, Yeah,

but was that good? Did

they get anything from

that, right? So, so I

think a lot of people

hide behind vanity

metrics, if it makes

sense, right? We've been

very busy putting loads

and and look at all the

numbers that we're that

we're throwing at it

without then actually

showing what gets out of

that. So care about the

outcomes. First dashboard

Mark Ackers: managers.

The easiest thing to do

is to build a dashboard

with loads of widgets and

gives you numbers. The

hard thing to do, sit

look at the emails,

listen to the calls,

check the responses and

the quality, because that

takes time, and I think

it's such a true point.

Here's the thing that's

been a problem the whole

time I've known the world

of sales and sales

dashboard managers. And I

think it's great that you

know, you mentioned some

tools earlier on, tools

out there that that help

you get better insight

into into what's going

on. Catherine, I have

loved our time together

this. This has been a

great episode. I feel

like we've gone into so

many different little

pockets of areas that

I've really enjoyed. I

just want to say thank

you for coming on telling

us how you went from

being crap at sales to

the incredible leader you

are at cognism today.

Delighted that we get to

work together as

customers of each other,

and want to thank you for

coming on the podcast.

And I'll come down to

your offices again soon,

and we'll go and check

out those strawberries at

Borough Market. Thanks

for coming on. It was a

pleasure. Take part. You.