I’ve at all times seen myself as a little bit of a insurgent. Blessed with the present of the gab, in a position to allure individuals round me with story and discuss my manner out of any state of affairs I discovered myself in.
As a child, I used to be the lady who would smuggle sweets into college and promote them to my classmates. I wasn’t nice academically, hated exams, and talked far an excessive amount of for my lecturers’ liking – training wasn’t proper for me.
However individuals, gross sales, and tales…that’s the place I discovered my calling.
Journey, gross sales, and loads of rejection
I left college as quickly as I might, desirous to dive into the actual world and make some cash. To start with, I travelled, working at bars to pay my manner by way of. While pouring drinks in Asia a buyer informed me I ought to discover a job in gross sales, and so my profession began.
The primary job I discovered was in Singapore, slinging bus shelter advertisements to the likes of Calvin Klein and Clarks. Businesses had been nonetheless uncommon in these days, so I used to be ringing these multi-million-dollar corporations immediately. It was a wild journey, and one which got here to an abrupt finish once I couldn’t get a piece allow, nevertheless it taught me the ability of persuasion and the significance of constructing real connections.
Again in London, I honed my expertise within the cutthroat world of recruitment and commerce media gross sales. The targets had been robust, the strain was intense, however I thrived on the problem. I discovered to snicker off rejection, figuring out that each no introduced me one step nearer to a sure.
By all of it, I got here to consider gross sales as an artwork type. You needed to discover a strategy to shortly join with individuals and have them put money into your tales. And I realised I had a pure expertise for understanding individuals’s wants and crafting narratives that genuinely resonated with them.
Promoting myself to Berkeley
Quick ahead to 2007 once I stumbled upon an advert for a part-time telemarketer position at a PR company in Studying. In all honesty, at this cut-off date, I didn’t even know what PR was. However I used to be intrigued, and by some means discovered myself sitting throughout from Chris Hewitt, the company’s founder, in a shiny orange boardroom.
Regardless of his scepticism about cold-selling PR companies, I managed to persuade him that I used to be the telemarketer he wanted. I began the following week, together with one other Caroline who joined the corporate on the identical time. We turned referred to as “The Carolines” – creative title, I do know – and labored collectively to vary Berkeley’s future for the next 12 years.
On the time, Berkeley was a small crew of 15, however we witnessed its unimaginable development firsthand. We noticed the delivery of storytelling as a core service, the growth into world markets, and the event of specialized groups in branding, content material, analysis, and video. It was (and nonetheless is) an thrilling time to be a part of the Berkeley household.
Whereas the opposite Caroline might have since left the corporate, to pursue a profession extra intently linked to her ardour for the atmosphere, we stay agency buddies to today.
Reflecting on the journey to this point
Trying again, I realise that my journey has at all times been influenced by storytelling. From the bus shelter advertisements in Singapore to constructing relationships with shoppers within the UK, I’ve at all times relied on my capability to attach with individuals and have them take heed to my tales.
I could have matured through the years, having simply turned 50, however I’m nonetheless embracing life with the identical enthusiasm and optimism which have guided me all through my profession. I’m surrounded by wonderful individuals, I’ve a plan for the long run, and I’m excited for the adventures that lie forward.
And that’s it. For those who’re in search of any key takeaways from this weblog, I’d advise this. Embrace rejection, discover your ardour, and by no means cease telling your story. You by no means know the place it’d lead you.
Who’s your favorite storyteller? French and Saunders, Eddy and Patsy. My daughter is definitely Saffy, always telling me off.
What would you sing at a karaoke evening? Having lived in Singapore – the place you at all times find yourself in a karaoke bar – I vowed NEVER to sing Karaoke once more. If I actually couldn’t get away with it, then Vacation by Madonna.
What’s the most used app in your cellphone? Spotify.