Allison Kantor has been a lifelong volleyball player and as a student athlete, she loved that the harder you worked, the more success you would see. That philosophy seemed to translate perfectly to sales. At her Apprenticeship at Liftoff, she’s already over pacing 21 opportunities for the quarter when her goal is 15!
Being a part of a cohesive team has always been important to Allison, playing a team sport for most of her life. That was the biggest draw for Allison in joining Liftoff. “The first person I spoke with at Liftoff was Jon, and he made me feel super comfortable when we first connected.” It was clear to Allison that everyone she encountered genuinely cared about the team and their role within it–the environment they cultivated was exactly what she was looking for.
Starting the Apprenticeship in a remote fashion would be difficult for anyone, given the times, but Liftoff took the initiative in recognizing it. “People would reach out to me and say, ‘I’m so sorry that you onboarded remotely, and we’ve never had a chance to meet,’ then they would throw time on my calendar to meet with me.” Having never met her team in person, Allison appreciated hearing their stories regarding their personal experiences working at the company. “Especially when it came to people in leadership, the fact that they would make time for an SDR starting out was really special to me.”
In collaboration with the company’s onboarding, Allison was provided supplemental coaching through her Vendition Coach. The most helpful part was tools training. “I would start most of our meetings asking, ‘is there a better way to do this?’” Whether it was showing her a faster way to select all of the accounts she wanted to look over or creating and pulling more sophisticated reports on Salesforce, her coach showed her how to be more efficient with her process. “Having my coach walk me through something process-oriented in a short 10 minute part of our meeting would save me so much time every time after.”
Allison says that the most noticeable difference today is her confidence. Whether it’s approaching a cold call, a scheduled meeting, or just knowing how to fully explain her product, Allison made a comparison to her progression as an athlete. “As a freshman in volleyball, you’re definitely nervous before the first few games. You really want to make a great impression and show your team that you can do it. Then compared to how you feel as a senior, you know that you can perform because you’ve shown the coaches and your teammates what you’re capable of. The same applies now: I just feel more natural, I’m not as nervous, and I’m ready for it.”
Allison’s advice to SDRs starting out:
- Don’t be afraid to ask a question that you think could be dumb. “Looking back, if I would have asked certain questions I had sooner, I could have gotten that next point a lot quicker.”
- Go out of your way to meet other people on the team. “If you were to reach out and say, ‘Hey, I’m new, I was onboarded remotely. I’d love to chat for 15 minutes just to get to know you.’ People appreciate that.”