Cyber Crime
Cybersecurity is as much about relationships and people as technology
In this conversation with Trend Micro’s Ellen Tweed, we discuss marathons, motivation and what it means to work as an SDR at Trend
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Behind every salesperson at Trend Micro there is a dedicated sales development representative (SDR). I sat down with Ellen Tweed, who has been an SDR for almost two years now, to find out exactly what her role involves.
“No day looks the same,” she explains. “Essentially, I work with five different account managers to target prospects across multiple verticals using a blend of emailing, calling and inMailing. It’s really about commitment and consistency as well as understanding the different nuances which exist within each vertical.”
Commitment is key for any SDR. Let’s face it, sales is never easy. But a bigger issue for Ellen is understanding the specific challenges a prospect may have, so she can craft a response that hits the right note.
“Given the ever-changing nature of this industry, it can be very difficult to get the right message across to the right person at the right time,” she says. “It therefore requires a lot of research to ensure what we are saying resonates with a prospect. Realistically, this means I get a lot of knock backs. But when I send a message that lands, the feeling of getting that meeting booked in is immensely rewarding.”
A marathon, not a sprint
It takes a particular kind of determination to absorb these knock backs and keep on pushing forward. Ellen showed the same kind of perseverance in running the 2023 London Marathon. It’s an experience which has helped her immensely; in work and life.
“I think with a marathon, it’s very easy to promise yourself you will do something. For instance, I had to pull out of the Dublin Marathon once because I hadn’t trained enough,” Ellen explains. “From that experience I learnt it’s important to set mini goals and deadlines for yourself to get to a final goal. This is applicable to training, sales and life more generally. Essentially, it’s about knowing what the bigger picture looks like but working towards that vision with a small, piecemeal approach.”
A marathon runner, a philosopher and a fantastic SDR: Ellen in a nutshell. It’s clear from her story that working here at Trend is so much more than just a job—it's about bringing your full self to work, loving what you do, and loving who you do it with.
