This week’s installment of Seismic’s leadership spotlight features our Head of Inside Sales, Jeff McDonough, and the best fun fact we’ve received so far.
- How long have you been with Seismic, and what drew you to the company?
I have been with Seismic for 18 months. I was drawn to the company for two reasons: leadership and product. Our President Ed Calnan paired with a platform that solves real business problems made it a no-brainer.
- How has your background helped you in your role with Seismic?
In the past I have sold tangible products and software (some good, some not so good). I learned that in order to sell a product, you have to truly know and believe that it adds value to your customer.
The most valuable part of my background, though, is the connections and friendships I made at each stop.
- What part of your job are you the most excited for this year?
I’m most excited to keep watching my team members grow and excel in their roles. We have the talent, process and product- 2015 is our year. The team has been growing exponentially, and will be continuing on this path for the rest of the year.
- What are some of the challenges you’ve experienced in a startup, and how have you overcome them?
One challenge is technology. At every company I’ve worked at we always have some problem with some system; it’s always breaking, freezing, or updating and startups rarely have a dedicated team or person to turn to for help. If someone’s laptop crashes or the internet goes down whoever has the bandwidth or knowledge to fix the problem is the one to step up.
Another challenge is physical space. Growing from 3 to 25 people in a 1,200 square foot office in six months felt like playing Tetris most weeks. But we sure have gotten to know each other quickly.
- What are some of the habits that have helped you in your role?
Taking Action: When I see something that needs to be done to help the organization, I don’t ask questions or wait to see what happens. This has transferred to my team as well; everyone steps up and gets it done.
Focus: Each morning, I come up with a personal goal and team goal. I’ve found that if you don’t have something to measure that day’s success, what’s the point of being there?
Caring: At some of the companies I’ve worked at, coworker relationships didn’t make it past small talk about weekends or weather. At Seismic, we make an effort to genuinely care about what’s going on with everyone at the office- professionally and outside of work. It builds culture and also shows you have each others’ backs.
- Bonus fun fact?
I won a New England-wide McDonald’s raffle for every Beanie Baby made in 1998. I still have them and the newspaper article.
Pictures or it didn’t happen.
