Millie Gulley was the top Sales Development Representative (SDR) at Sprinklr, a customer experience management platform. Recently, she’s been promoted into an Account Executive (AE) role where she has taken on an even greater leadership role with more responsibility. Millie has been a talented and hardworking leader throughout her career, displaying enthusiasm, adaptability, coachability, creativity, and resiliency in everything she’s done. Her mission is to enable organizations to generate brand affinity and increase revenue by delivering personal, pertinent, and prompt digital experiences.
In this episode, Millie shares her sales origin story, from an initial interest in marketing to becoming one of the most successful SDRs at Sprinklr. Millie continues by sharing the three specific attributes that have contributed to her sales success. These include her genuine curiosity, grit, and time management skills. Millie opens up about the loss of her father and the impact that her loss and grief had on her personally and professionally. While many may have shied away from the challenge, Millie channeled this grief and used it to her benefit. Additionally, Millie expounds on how her background as an elite soccer athlete translated to success in the field of business. Millie has the ultimate ‘can do’ attitude and never backs down from a challenge or competition; in fact, she welcomes it.
Millie describes a typical day in life. Every morning, Millie spends forty-five minutes on improving herself. This could mean meditating, exercising, reading, listening to a podcast, or journaling. From there, she sets her daily mantra and attacks the day with a clear mind and an open heart. For Millie, it’s all about self-care and showing up for yourself first so that you can be a productive and effective professional while at work. Millie speaks to her proudest accomplishment, embracing the challenges and learning curve of her new AE job and thriving in that role. Finally, Millie issues an actionable challenge to the audience. She encourages them to develop a great morning routine where you show up for yourself physically, mentally, spiritually, or professionally. When she’s not working, Millie can often be found running, practicing yoga, drinking coffee, and exploring Austin’s notable food scene.
What We Covered:
00:01 – Scott thanks the sponsors of today’s episode, Terryberry, Vidyard, and Alyce
00:40 – Scott welcomes today’s guest, Millie Gulley
01:12 – The top three attributes that Millie attributes to her success
01:24 – Number 1: Genuine curiosity
02:39 – Number 2: Grit
04:07 – Number 3: Time management skills
04:37 – Millie expounds on her role at Sprinklr
06:57 – Millie quantifies her sales results
07:58 – Millie’s sales origin story
11:28 – How Millie’s background in sports aided in her sales success
13:48 – The foundational habits Millie has cultivated throughout her career
15:56 – Scott takes a moment to thank one of today’s sponsors, Terryberry
16:31 – Millie describes a typical day in the life
18:59 – How Millie structures her workday
21:36 – Millie’s favorite sales success story
25:51 – Scott takes a moment to thank another one of today’s sponsors, Vidyard
26:20 – How Millie developed and grew in her SDR role and challenges she’s had to overcome throughout her SDR experience
30:14 – Millie’s proudest accomplishment
31:17 – Millie speaks to the challenges of balancing her work with her future goals
33:13 – Other habits and routines that are critical to Millie’s success
39:17 – Scott takes a moment to thank the final sponsor of today’s episode, Alyce
39:52 – The books, news, podcasts, and trade information that Millie consumes
43:25 – Tools and apps that Millie uses on a daily basis
44:17 – One of Millie’s beliefs that the average sales professional would think is crazy
48:28 – How grief became an enormous influence on Millie’s career
51:08 – Advice Millie would give to an upstart sales professional coming from a unique or different background
53:38 – How Millie has adjusted to her latest role as an Account Executive
55:16 – Millie takes a moment to express how much she enjoys leveraging LinkedIn
58:49 – The importance of starting conversations vs. pitching
1:03:56 – Millie’s actionable challenge to the audience
Read the full transcript & show notes →
Tweetables:
“For me, I’ve never really been someone who does something fifty percent. I always have been someone who puts my whole heart and soul into things.” (02:50)
“I think what’s consistent is the habit aspect. To be really good at sports you have to have this habit, this ability to create habits that make you successful that aren’t just going to make you successful today but long term.” (12:25)
“I feel like, as an SDR, the toughest part is staying really positive when things don’t go your way.” (28:45)
“For me, it’s having this ability to dictate my journey and putting the effort in to get to the next step that has been my favorite part of my career so far at Sprinklr.” (31:04)
“I always tell my SDR team to act like a customer. Go and see what it’s like to interact with this brand. And, if you’re having a bad experience, so are their customers.” (48:09)
“I think the more you surround yourself with people that are really smart and doing really well, the more you’ll learn.” (53:23)
Links Mentioned:
[email protected]
Sales Success Stories Podcast
2020 Sales Success Summit
Millie Gulley on LinkedIn
LinkedIn Article on Having a Positive Attitude
Sponsors Mentioned:
Books Mentioned:
Atomic Habits
Unfuck Your Brain
Think Like a Monk
Tools Mentioned:
Flow App
Pomodoro App
LinkedIn Video Tool
Audible
Headspace
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
ZoomInfo
SalesLoft
LinkedIn