Black Narratives: 3 Tips For A Successful 2021 From This Black Community Founder
Actionable Insights from The Life of Black Tech Sales Network Founder and Consultant, Niall Simpson
Introduction:
2020 was a year that helped us all reflect, and hopefully approach 2021 with a sense of gratitude and drive.
Though this should be something we do every year, the result is often more than we expect for those who made time to do so.
I spoke with Niall Simpson, Community Founder at Black Tech Sales Network and Principal Consultant at Wiser Elite, a tech recruitment company based in London.
Here are the three lessons from Niall’s life philosophy that taught me how to approach 2021.
#1 — Bet On Your Horse
People find it challenging to take guidance or be inspired by someone who isn’t a practitioner in that field. It’s like taking advice from a barber who doesn’t cut hair but reads books on cutting hair. The type of advice you’ll give will likely fall on one end of the spectrum.
Practice what you preach.
This is precisely what Niall did, studying Sports science and training as a Strength and Conditioning Coach before moving to London to start as a Researcher at Wiser.
Three years in, Niall finished last year as a Top Individual Biller and won two separate awards for performance and his internal values.
- Top Individual Biller — 2020
- ‘Make Moves’ Values Award Winner 2020
- ‘Back Yourself’ Values Award Winner 2019
#2 — Be 100% Honest with You
It's no secret we lie to other people to get by, but lying to yourself never ends well.
Understanding what you say to get out of doing things that are uncomfortable helps you grow.
As you lean into the activities you find uncomfortable; you’re expanding your comfort zone and developing new skills.
As a Researcher and Associate, Niall learnt the basics of Sales; active listening, prospecting, qualification calls, follow-up, etc.
But the most valuable skills are derived from your life experience.
In his second year at Wiser, Niall started experimenting with his personality and being more open with candidates.
“I thought I needed to behave like a “Londoner” in a London based company to thrive, but really I needed to add my touch to the companies values.”
Embracing his tone of voice, word choice, and Northern accent opened up new levels of empathy that his callers reciprocated.
The point is to identify why you’re telling yourself the lie and overcome it so that you can be comfortable being yourself.
#3 — Give Back On Your Way Up
Part of growing is nurturing others to find success, so giving back is somewhat of a responsibility.
Niall decided to create Black Tech Sales Network to create a community for sales professionals to share learnings and opportunities with graduates interested in getting into technology.
I joined as an incognito member to see what it was all about, and I can say that all the members are fantastic at sharing content and new job opportunities with each other.
Niall still has work cut out for himself, Pablo Ruiz and the Wiser Team, as BTSN face “The Legacy Challenge”, defined as rebranding Sales and Tech in the black communities to portray the value of career options that exist outside of Law, Health Care or Finance.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with those industries, but there’s so much more available today than there was when our parents were working. It doesn’t make sense to leave opportunities on the table because of misconceptions.
I experienced the Legacy challenge back in 2018 after graduating. I turned down SDR roles because of what I thought Sales was going to be like. I wish I had started out as an SDR, and I would have, had I known the value of Sales skills.
The point is that people like me benefit from Niall’s experiences. You don’t have to be a Community Founder or Top Biller to give something back to someone that’s about to follow your footprints.
If you’re an SDR starting your career in sales or considering getting into tech, you can drop Niall a message or connect with him on Linkedin!
Takeaways:
- Bet on Yourself. At all times.
- Being Honest will unlock your hidden potential and perform better
- Giving back is a privilege and will help you leave a new legacy.
