I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and lived there my entire life leading up to college. Whenever I graduated high school, my career path was originally set on nursing which brought me to the University of Arkansas for school – they have a solid program there. Long story short, I didn’t end up getting into the nursing program when I first applied, and then when I accidentally missed the application deadline the second time around, I ended up changing my major to Public Health which is the degree I have today. I’m still not sure what exactly you use one of those for…

Outside of work I like to be outside, with a group of friends as much as I can. Whether it be kickball teams, happy hours, pickleball, etc. If we’ve got a good group of people together, I’ll probably have a good time doing it. I enjoy hiking as well, and I am hoping to hike twenty 14,000-foot peaks in North and Central America which me and my girlfriend, Tori, are planning on starting before the end of this year. The ultimate goal is to end with ice climbing Mt Denali in Alaska, but we’ll see if I’m still as ambitious once we get halfway into it.

What motivated you to start your career at Dell Technologies?

I actually didn’t have any intentions of starting my career with Dell after graduating college. I knew I was going towards sales but was more focused on finding a role in the medical area. After a few months of applying and realizing how hard it was to break into the industry as a post-grad, I ended up taking a meeting with Dell for interview practice at the recommendation of a friend who worked here at the time. It was a phone interview that was unlike any structure I was expecting, but I ended up liking the interaction with the two individuals so much that by the end of the call they told me they would be sending an offer letter that following Monday, and a few weeks afterwards, I had moved to Austin and started my career here!

What skills or mindsets help someone be successful in Sales?

• Grit and tenacity. You must be extremely driven to be successful in sales. You will always be met with challenges, and you will always be told no. To be the best you can be in a role like that, you have to know that you will be successful. There is no amount of sales training in the world that can control your mentality and attitude. That is something that must come from within and you have to constantly work on not just maintaining it but improving it.
• For controllable or trainable skills, it comes down to consistency, organization and coachability. It takes a very consistent approach towards steady growth to maintain a successful sales career. To do this, you need to learn from your peers and leaders. Learn from them, learn from their mistakes and most importantly, learn from your own. If you like what the person next to you is saying, use it with your customers and see how it works. It's more about learning, absorbing and repeating the best from those around you. Put your own spin on it and make it yours, but always rely on the support system around you to increase your potential.

What are your favorite activities for keeping a "work-life" balance?

• Staying active and healthy is always the beginning. I like to work out before heading to work. It helps wake me up but honestly, it’s just because I never want to when I get home later. It’s important to feel good when you start the day.
• Take your time off. Plan a vacation. Do something where you can leave your laptop at home for a few days and literally not even see it. Live life.
• Remember to breathe. There is always going to be another email that you can respond to at the end of the day, or another quote that you could make – and it will always be there tomorrow. While what we do has a significant impact on our customers, we aren’t performing surgery or putting rockets in space. You have eight hours of commitment a day. Fully utilize those eight hours and work at full capacity in that time. When they are up, log out and continue tomorrow. If you fully commit each day, then you’ll free yourself of any feelings of not getting enough done because you know you achieved everything possible that day.

What tips do you have for someone looking to start or grow their Sales career at Dell?

• Your personal brand is everything. Not just being good at selling the laptop, but good at understanding how you sold the laptop. Knowing why you got a certain objection, not just what the objection was. All of that displays business ownership, and it’s the easiest way to tell if a seller has a plan that can be actioned and improved, or if they are just dealing with things as they come, which can result in inconsistency. Once you know that plan, share it with others. Be an advocate for success, and you will find more of your own.
• Know where you want to go. Every detailed plan first has to start with a goal. Set ambitious goals for yourself and know what you want out of your career first. Then, start to outline how you achieve those goals. Outline them with specific, actionable items that can be tracked. If you are working towards a goal, every action you take in a day is done with intention.
• Have fun. You’ll have many ups, many downs and many mundane days when you’re selling. Make it fun. Interact with your team and have a good time. You need to laugh a lot when you’re in a sales role, and so find whatever way you can to make this grind as fun as you can for yourself and those around you.

Next, read about Mica's story and how she makes an impact in sales.