We all know that there is no specific educational route into becoming a Sales Development Representative. That doesn’t mean that just anyone can do it though. It requires life skills, soft skills, some things self-learnt and some things taught. Above all else though, having a belief in yourself and a desire to get the job done, even when it seems like the world is against you, is essential. This is the character and inner confidence we look for. Of course, our SDRs all have these qualities in abundance but despite the common traits, they are all individuals, and they all found their own route here. That’s why we thought now was the time to gain a greater insight into some of our brightest stars.
In this instance, we asked Kim to share his story with us.
Professional Philosophy
“If you want the best results, you need to put in your best effort.”
I grew up in a very small village in Norway. There wasn’t much to do and there was only about four hundred people. I spent most of my childhood outside, playing football with the other kids from the neighbourhood and riding my bike. It was a fairly normal upbringing in the early noughties. As I got a bit older, I really got into sports and played a lot of football, ice hockey and basketball. Then, when I was 14, the family moved to a bigger town although it’s fair to say that they would have struggled to find somewhere smaller. So, from my early teens, I lived in Tromsø and that’s also where I finished high school.
Throughout my school years and leading up to my exams, I knew two things for sure. First, I wanted to work in the real estate business and secondly, I wanted to study overseas. That’s how I ended up applying and being accepted into Kingston University, London to study Real Estate Management. The course was really interesting and I learned a lot. Also, with living away from home for the first time, I learned a lot about myself and went through a strong period of personal growth. My original plan had been to become an estate agent and I know you don’t need a degree to get into that business but I felt that the course would give me a better base to build on and perhaps help me to progress faster. As it happened though, my first proper job was in property management and maintenance. This gave me great experience in dealing with people and I was able to improve my organisational and time management skills. I changed jobs a number of times but in terms of roles, I stayed largely under the umbrella of real estate.
After six years, I decided to leave the UK. Looking back on it, it was a good time. I had my degree, had international business experience and many friends but leaving was still the right decision. I wanted to go somewhere warmer for a start. So, with that in mind, I packed my bags and moved to Valencia. I was learning Spanish anyway and if you want to learn any language, it’s best to be among native speakers. I quickly found a job at a company where I had to cold call and cold email shipping companies entering ports in Spain and Portugal to sell them spare parts. I was quite happy there but unfortunately I had a road accident and was quite badly injured. The company did everything they could but eventually, the situation was unsustainable and they had to let me go. Thankfully, I made a full recovery a few months later and started applying for jobs again.
I first heard of Aexus (SDR as a Service is an Aexus label) as a recommendation from my old boss and when I did my research, I just had to apply. My interest in technology had been piqued when I was working with property tech in London and seeing what Aexus was doing, particularly in Med Tech, got me really excited. So, when Aexus made me an offer, I jumped at the chance. They really want to grow at the moment and I want to be part of that. It’s great to be at a company that has as much ambition as I do. I’m relatively new here but I’m really enjoying this role and know that I want to be here for the long haul and make my way up the Aexus ladder.