Fresh out of GMU with a Criminal Justice diploma in-hand I went into Telecommunications rather than Law Enforcement. I've now spent over 25 years in the telecommunications industry and I've seen it all. The rise and fall of the paging industry. $150 per month for a bag phone to $45 per month for unlimited talk, text and data. For the last 6 years I worked in a universal seller model, so you can add Business Internet, VPN, VOIP, Hosted Voice and Network Security to the portfolio. I've held positions in the areas of collections, internal audit, inside sales & customer service, operations, general management, business-to-business and government outside sales and now business sales management. I've managed my own book of business all the way up to having full P&L responsibility. My experiences have allowed me to learn a lot from many people, fellow employees and customers, who are now friends--and for all of it I am very thankful. Every day I learn something new about our customers and technology. It's great to have a job where you never stop learning.That being said, technology is here to aid people. People are the biggest contributor to my success as a sales manager. I strongly feel that in order to be successful as a sales manager you must care about your team members as individuals--both personally and professionally. Support your team by listening, recognizing them for their strengths, and helping them develop in areas of opportunity. In sales there are constant distractions and challenges--road blocks to success. There's a silver lining in every challenge. It's a sales manager's job to help sellers find it, express concerns but stay positive and focused on what we can control, then achieve and surpass our goals. Willingness to go above and beyond helping whenever and wherever it's needed has always earned me the respect of my team and propelled the team to levels I thought were unattainable. It's a great feeling.