I’m working day to day with such an exciting customer in such a fast-moving industry, bringing the best of BT to the fore to help enable their digital transformation journey. I get to observe first-hand how technology and our people/service enables business and drives outcomes that unlock considerable value for organisations. Part of what makes this role unique includes opportunities to travel internationally to develop global relationships with the customer as well as meeting our great diverse BT team supporting the customer. Given the strategic nature of the customer relationship, you also get the chance to gain exposure and engage regularly with our senior leadership team.
We had a chat with Matt to understand our role in taking corporate customers through digital transformation, the best things about working in sales and, how D&I is a crucial point for us and our customers.
What is your role and what do you think is unique about it?
What do you enjoy most about working in a Global sales team?
Very simple, the people! This is what gives me energy. Working hard but also having fun along the way. We have got a fantastic team set-up across the world to support the customer and build relationships in-country, bringing the best of global and local to drive results! I also enjoy the learning culture- ensuring we take the best in class in our experiences and execute across the board.
Which skills, experience or capabilities do you think helped you become a top performer in your role?
Customer obsession and centricity. By listening and being empathetic, you can focus on alleviating pain points and driving towards the intended end outcome. Balancing customer and internal expectations to reach a mutually agreeable position, i.e. diplomatically dealing with the ‘dual pressure’, is equally key for this role. Sales is just the outcome. Upskilling in areas outside of your comfort zone (service, delivery, billing) enables more productive conversations and ultimately the right outcome.
What excites you about the industry you work in / and work with?
It’s extremely fast moving with a complete shift in the way most companies are now operating- less focused on hydrocarbon and traditional oil and gas businesses, and alignment on driving to net zero through the uptake of renewables (wind, solar, EV etc). A huge part in this is fully understanding the history and also the future of the industry. Bringing both of them together keeps everyone on their toes and no day is ever the same. The industry is very competitive and therefore continual improvement and innovation adoption are crucial factors to success. Identifying and executing on this is a very stimulating challenge!
Why do you think it’s important to have a diverse and inclusive sales team for our business and our customers?
Our global customers and partners need to see us reflect their organisation and the world as it is today. Not the world 50 years ago. So diversity is key to developing relationships, being truly empathetic and a more complete understanding of our customers and the markets they operate in. Diversity in our team drives different perspectives and ultimately better ideas! Cognitive diversity enables the best ideas to come to fruition and a fuller 360 view of challenges we face, often resulting in a quicker and more complete resolution. Creating an inclusive environment sets the right framework to truly move the dial when it comes to customer, and internal, experience. If everyone feels like they can be open and share any views freely then we will be able to move forward quicker, developing ideas that can make a bigger impact for our business and our customers.
What kind of internal recognitions have you received at BT?
I’m a proud member of the BT Group Accelerate Talent Programme: an exclusive talent pool made up of people deemed to have high potential to become a future senior leader at BT. I’m also incredibly honoured and proud to have been selected for the prestigious BT Global Winners Club; an exclusive award presented to a very select group of people across the world.
