The first clue was probably Yemi Elesinmogun’s initiative to sell small samples of her aunt’s heavenly cakes after church for 25 cents a taste. She quickly moved up to $1 for a full slice.
A classic proof-of-concept, land-and-expand sales strategy — at age 15. There was something about sales and Elesinmogun. So, naturally, she landed at Signifyd and quickly moved up the ranks to Enterprise Engagement Manager.
Signifyd Enterprise Account Executive Maureen Young had the bug, too, which started stirring at JP Morgan Chase where she advised the bank’s private clients while being steadily promoted. The combination of working to help Chase succeed while also working to make clients’ lives better just clicked.
While working from home during the pandemic, Young became increasingly familiar with her wife’s account executive role on Signifyd’s sales team.
“During Covid, I kept hearing these conversations and calls, because for once I was at home and not traveling a lot,” Young says. “And I was like, ‘Who is this Signifyd company? And I love what you guys are doing. And your manager seems awesome. And it’s an inclusive place. I just felt this draw to be a part of Signifyd.”
Sales professionals are a special breed
It takes a special breed to work in sales. You need to be fast on your feet and an unhurried listener, a tough negotiator and an empathetic counselor, a persistent presence who’s not seen as pushy, an optimistic practitioner who faces rejection every day.
Yemi Elesinmogun
Elesinmogun and Young are two of the best. Their names frequently appear on Signifyd sales team leaderboards. Young was honored with a Signifyd Crusher award for closing the most business in a year in her segment. Elesinmogun was recognized for working the most opportunities that closed in a year.
Colleagues seek out their advice and help in opening accounts and closing deals. They are models of how to research and understand the challenges and ambitions not only of accounts but of the people attached to those accounts. They understand that companies don’t sell to companies. People sell to people.
In the spirit of learning from the best, it seemed wise to sit down with the two to talk about their success, their experiences and any advice they’d have for others looking to follow a similar path.
Despite some progress, sales is a male-dominated world
Elesinmogun and Young have excelled in a male-dominated field — a fact we all wish were irrelevant, but we all know is not. Gartner reported that 40% of mid-level B-to-B sales jobs and just 31% of senior-level B-to-B sales jobs are held by women. The study also convincingly made the case that women face “obstacles and a lack of opportunity” when it comes to advancing in sales.
Maureen Young
These are not foreign concepts to Elesinmogun, the mother of an 8-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, or Young, the mother of 2-year-old twins. Young says she’s encountered pushback and being treated differently in meetings in the field because she is a woman.
“Has it ever gotten to the point where it has discouraged me? Maybe frustrated me, sure, the ignorance. But not discouraged,” she says. “If anything, it makes me want to win that much more.”
Come and join usLooking to join one of Fast Company’s most innovative AI companies? Signifyd’s sales team is looking to add the following positions: Senior Enterprise AE (US) |
But Young and Elesinmogun point to sales leaders and colleagues — male and female — who provided support, encouragement and empathy. In fact, they say, the support Signifyd’s sales leadership and sales colleagues provide is among the reasons they joined the company and continue to flourish.
“I think most, if not all, of my roles that I’ve been in, I’ve been the female minority within the group,” says Elesinmogun, who joined Signifyd nearly a year and a half ago. “But I think what has been great is the people. At the end of the day, it still boils down to the kind of people that organizations have. The individuals themselves are folks who advocate for what matters to me. So for me, especially at Signifyd, I always feel supported.”
Work-life balance is elusive, but not nonexistent
There is an inherent understanding at Signifyd, Young says, that employees are individuals with individual needs — including personal needs that compete for time with professional needs. Needs like getting her toddler son and daughter ready for the day, while also getting herself ready.
“We have such an emphasis on work-life balance,” says Young, a Signifyd veteran of three-plus years. “As a working mom, there are definitely days where, my kids, I got them dressed. And then I turn around and they’re naked. And I’m like, Oh, my god, you guys. It’s 8:30. Why don’t you have clothes on?”
Signifyd’s remote-work culture plays a key role in providing a healthy balance, Elesinmogun and Young agree. The company allows employees to work from home and provides regional offices for those who prefer an office or hybrid model.
“It’s really great just to be able to have that flexibility because life with kids is unpredictable,” Elesinmogun says. “Having that extra time to yourself, to be able to take them to school, or have that extra time to prep breakfast. It’s really priceless. And the understanding from leaders, that they trust you to do what you need to do, but also get your job done. It goes a long way.”
Elesinmogun adds that the easy accessibility to colleagues up and down the organizational chart allows her to take risks accompanied by the support of higher-ups. And it opens up opportunities that might not present themselves at considerably larger organizations.
The company you work for should be your foundation for success
“For example, being able to be co-chair of the ERG group,” she says of her key role with Signifyd’s Black and Latinx Employee Resource Group. “I don’t think I would have had that opportunity or even know that it was available in a larger organization. So the access to even more opportunities to grow, I think, has been really great.”
Obviously, success in sales takes diligent study, hard work, practice, persistence and intellectual and emotional intelligence. But Young and Elesinmogun stress the importance of the organization for which one is doing the selling.
In fact, Young says, for anyone launching a career in sales or looking to make a change, it might be best to start with the organization.
“Do your research on the company,” she says. “Really get to know who they are at their core. Where is the team that is going to support you? Where is the team that’s going to allow you to make mistakes? Where is the manager that’s actually going to manage and lead instead of just coach to numbers and reports?”
And if you’re looking for validation for the advice, look no further than Maureen Young and Yemi Elesinmogun.
Cropped feature photo by Broad Bean Media published under Creative Commons license. Portraits: Signifyd file photos.
Looking for an organization that supports your ambition and your whole self? Join Signifyd.
