This post is based on an interview with Lyuda Rogers. If you’d like to listen to the full episode, you can check it out below.
Want some inspiration? Want to see if the American dream is alive and well?
Just speak with Lyuda Rogers. As an immigrant to the US, she had to create a mindset that would allow her to make her own opportunities.
Rogers joined us on the #FlipMyFunnel podcast to talk about how her experience has helped shape her into one of Terminus’ top Sales Development Representatives.
Coming to America
Rogers, who grew up in a small town in Ukraine, got a high school exchange student scholarship to visit the United States. She ended up in a tiny town in Iowa. While it wasn’t the America she’d seen in the media, the seed was planted, and she wanted to come here permanently after she graduated.
Fast forward to 2015 when she returned to the US to get her masters degree in PR and marketing.
When she ended up job-searching in Atlanta, she created a list of startups to target. Terminus was at the top of her list. There was only one problem, when she called to ask about a job, they said there wasn’t one. That didn’t stop Rogers.
Lyuda: He told me there were no opening at that point. But I was persistent. I said, “That’s okay. Can I get 15 minutes of your time to meet with you?” So I did, and that’s how I learned about an opening that came up on the inbound side.
Sangram: Let’s just back up for a second. He said there’s no job for you, and you said, let me have 15 minutes with you. You actually closed. This is Sales 101. You actually got in and helped him identify a need that he didn’t even know he had.
Lyuda: Then I came back for the interview and they already knew me to a certain point. So it was a lot easier.
Making Your Opportunities
Lyuda: Coming from another country, you learn along the way that you have to work a lot harder to get opportunities and make the best out of them.
Sangram: I hear it about you every day. She’s hitting her number over and over, every week, every month. What are the things you’re bringing to the job that are different?
Lyuda: Always asking questions – whether future prospects, or even people on the sales or marketing teams, digging into our processes; why we’re doing things the way we are, or are there other ways, a different approach? Are we tapping into the full potential of people that we could be talking to? Even on the inbound side?
I look at intent data, from Terminus, from G2 Crowd, even if they haven’t filled out a form, I try to go beyond what’s just given to me. That was not something that was taught to me. If I have free time, if I have more chances to do that, I will.
Sangram: I love that about you. I hope people take away that when you go over and beyond, it matters.
Sangram’s Summary:
Sangram: Here are my top takeaways:
- It doesn’t matter if you’re an immigrant. What matters is caring about what you want, and going and getting it. That is the American dream and the American way.
- If you believe in something, go for it. Nothing should come in between as long as you’re going after it with respect, with love, and with care.
- If you don’t know how it’s going to happen, keep at it.
- Always ask questions. You’re not someone who is saying, I have the answers. You’re bringing people in, letting them speak, and hearing their thoughts.
- Go over and beyond. When somebody comes to the website, look at many things about them before reaching out to them. That’s a mentality that everybody needs; go over and beyond to achieve the impossible, achieve what you want.
Lyuda’s Challenge:
Lyuda: Have a plan of action. What is the end goal? Work your way back from that goal. Lay out the steps along the way and follow them to make that happen.
