Working in Lead Generation: Projects, borrel, and more
Sarah is a member of the TOPdesk UK lead generation team which is spread across our London and Manchester branches. The team consists of hard-working students who are studying a range of different subjects from Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery to BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism. Working on average 15 hours per week, the team plays a vital part in the TOPdesk sales cycle.
Sarah took some well-deserved time out from studying and working to tell us all about her journey with TOPdesk so far.
Introducing Sarah
“I am currently a student at the University of Manchester, in my second year studying International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response (BSc) and I’m due to graduate in June 2021.”
Finding the balance between studying and working
“I first found out about TOPdesk through the university’s ‘JobShop’ – a website where employers post vacancies suitable for university students. I was looking for a part-time job that would fit alongside my second-year studies and the lead generation job spec fit exactly what I was looking for. After emailing my CV across, TOPdesk got in touch with me to schedule a first-round interview, and then a second-round interview, then I got the job!”
Working with a team of students means that everyone’s timetables are always changing so you work with different colleagues every shift, which is great.
Sarah
A typical day in Lead Generation
“One of the best parts about the lead generation job is that no day is ever the same! Working with a team of students means that everyone’s timetables are always changing so you work with different colleagues every shift, which is great. This flexibility is one of the best things about the role, it’s really easy to balance the job alongside university commitments. Another benefit for students early on in their careers is to learn business protocol; such as GDPR compliance, the use of different CRM/marketing tools and gain insight into the IT industry.
A typical day in lead generation looks kind of like this:
9 am – Start work. Log onto the computer and check emails, Microsoft Teams and your calendar for the day.
9:15 am – Roll-in. Every morning and every evening before we leave, we roll-in and roll-out. This involves checking in with our colleagues in Manchester and London over Skype to find out what everybody’s been working on.
9:30 am to 12 pm – Typically we spend this time calling potential customers through our independent workflows, while always being creative with our approach (emails and LinkedIn!). We usually have a mid-morning break for foosball and a brew, too!
12 pm to 12:30 pm – Lunch! We get away from our desks to mingle with our fellow TOPdesker’s around the lunch table!
12:30 pm to 4:30 pm – Usually, we carry on with our calling workflows. However, we often have meetings with other teams/fellow lead generation colleagues to gain knowledge or work on projects.
4:30 pm to 5 pm – Roll-out, followed by daily admin such as logging hours and efficiencies.
While this is a typical day, everyone in lead generation is involved in separate projects, meaning every day at work is different. We are all given the freedom and flexibility to work with different teams and departments, like Inside Sales and Business Development, on projects to build our own personal and professional skills.
Personally, I’m interested in project management and have been in charge of organising team building days for lead generation. This involves booking an activity, restaurant, and the logistics of travel for either the London or Manchester branch.”
‘Feel Good Friday’ Dutch style
“Every Friday at 4 pm it is Dutch tradition to finish up working and share a beer with your colleagues over a game of foosball and some snacks. This is always fun, and a great way to get to know everyone better! TOPdesk is always inviting staff along to fun events and a real highlight of mine was the recent Million Pound Party. We got all dressed up and celebrated reaching a big milestone for the UK branches!”
What it means to be a TOPdesker
“The TOPdesk culture is hard-working but fun, independent but supportive, and really allows you to build skills for future careers.”
