Carrington Fisk

Sales. Life. Growth

The End of My Beyond Journey

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For the first time in 3 years, my whiteboard is clear.

My journey at Beyond ended today. I am so appreciative of the many wonderful people I worked with and knowledge I gained during my nearly 3 years at the company. It’s funny (in a sad way)… six months ago I was told that if my region’s numbers didn’t hit a certain level, that I would be removed from my role. That was the first time I ever considered the idea that Beyond wouldn’t be the final destination in my career.

My team rallied and we emerged setting two sales records back-to-back. These incredible people did amazing things… Despite that, I was rattled.

I immediately considered what I would do next if I was removed and I settled on the idea of starting my own ISO (payments company). I came up with a name, and even spent a ton of my off-work time building a website – so sure was I that my path had reached its end.

I apologize now to all those incredible sales professionals on my team for not having faith in them. This was a time when every day I felt in jeopardy of being removed from my role.

I needed to provide for my family and couldn’t endure the thought of having a long gap of being the provider I’ve been during the nearly 13 years of my marriage.

Despite all this, I was re-energized by my team, especially my veterans and division leaders, and re-committed to making Beyond the future I envisioned it being. I rolled out trainings to help them – returning the work that they completed to keep me where I felt I belonged. I started researching different lead generation activities and tried leveraging niche marketing strategies via websites I created. I put my name on these to test the strategy thinking that, if successful, what a great opportunity for this company I had invested so much into.

I tested capabilities that no one was actively testing, and tried pouring into those who had demonstrated that they were willing to pour themselves into their job.

In December I was given a new role, one that was loosely defined that I approached as an internal consultant. I worked with several different departments to help streamline internal operations and with the marketing team to revisit how the company’s messaging was received.

I felt like I was making big strides in advancing different programs that would eventually make a giant impact on the sales force of nearly 400 commission-only sales representatives.

Sadly, my lack of faith in my team (encouraging my exploration of what’s next) and my experiments in lead generation (advanced B2B payments and niche vertical payment processing) were taken as me selling for another company or several other companies and misappropriating leads that should have been meant for another.

It’s crazy. As challenges continued and solutions were slow to arrive, I re-sold myself on staying at Beyond on a regular basis. I talked others out of quitting and became a resource for those who were struggling but weren’t comfortable talking to their direct leader. I turned down job offers and ignored the itch to start my own thing – after all I was in this thing and had invested so much time and effort.

I had become an extension of Beyond and Beyond became an extension of me.

I cannot encapsulate my disappointment in no one having a conversation with me or exploring my perspective. I still feel twisted up inside about this journey ending via an email from my HR department this morning and not having a chance to be heard. It baffles me that three years of embodying a brand can be ended without a conversation, but here we are.

So what’s next for me?

I’m going to take some time to spend with my family and explore the options I honestly never thought I would. My whiteboard is, for the first time in 3 years, clear.

If you or your company is in need of a sales professional and sales leader that has extensive experience in SaaS and financial technology products, let’s have a chat.

What you put your name on says a lot about you

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I have been pitched every MLM out there. I’ve been recruited heavily by dozens of sales organizations in just the past year. I got recruited last week by a financial advising company.

I said no not just because I’m happy where I am, but I don’t believe in mutual funds. I think they are antiquated and that technology would have made them obsolete if it weren’t for the salesmanship of its proponents. Does it make them wrong and me right? No, it makes us on different sides of an opinion. What it does mean is that I shouldn’t put myself in a position where I have to sell mutual funds.

More recently, I have been on the other side of recruitment, trying to bring the right people to an opportunity that is right for them.

If you’ve read anything I’ve written on here or on LinkedIn, you’ll know I am an advocate for the Nobility of Sales. I believe sales is a skill and a calling and necessary to make business and life work. You’ll also know that it is a power that must be used wisely.

If you’re going to sell, sell the hell out of whatever you’re selling. If you’re going to sell the hell out of something, you better make sure that is something you want to attach to your reputation, your brand, your name.

In sales, there is nothing more valuable than your personal brand. Your personal brand transcends the product or service you are promoting… unless that product or service drags your brand down.

At my company, we all ride the white horse. We all really believe in what we are doing and that we are doing a great thing. We believe in the service that we offer, that no one will work harder or try harder to make the client love working with us. We believe that the philanthropic focus of our company is not just unique but empowering, allowing us to make a healthy living while helping those who aren’t.

So when you lose a promising prospect to a company that is the antithesis of what we stand for, it’s tough.

It has me thinking – what is your name worth? What are you willing to promote for a check? I get it, we all have goals and bills to pay and the curtain isn’t always drawn back. You can’t always know. But when you do know… when you know that the company that you are going to work for intentionally deceives not just their customers but their employees and partners for the sake of shareholder equity, that is something completely different.

Does it make you a bad person? No, I don’t think it does. I think it says more about your ability to push past fear. The easy choice, the one that isn’t scary, is rarely the best one. Does it mean you’re making a mistake? Yes, I think it does.

Decide who you are and what you stand for. Make sure that the company you work for, the company you start, or the products and services you sell mirror your stance. What you put your name on says a lot about your character, your focus, and your ability to make hard decisions.

Get Off the Fence and Get in the Game

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One of the things that the human brain loves the least is conflict. Often, indecision is more painful than even the wrong decision.

I know people that will sit on the fence for years – hemming and hawing about the pros and cons of a choice yet never making a decision. They are so terrified of being wrong that they choose nothing.

I’ve been in sales since I could properly structure a sentence. I learned early on that there is no “no decision”. There is yes, and there is no. I’m not sure… maybe… we’ll see… no – you are saying no. I won’t let someone make themselves feel good by offering a non-answer. There is yes, let’s move forward, and there is no, we won’t move forward. Not choosing is a choice.

I’m seeing this more and more in the job market. Everyone at Beyond is posting a lot about their experience. Who wouldn’t? For many of us, this opportunity is a dream wrapped in a rainbow. Obviously, we have all walked down different paths to get to where we are today and many of us, myself included, are sharing our journey.

I challenge you – and you know who you are, and there are many – if you find yourself popping in on my LinkedIn profile to see what I’m doing, to see what I’m posting, to read about what I’m doing and the journey I’m on… reach out and get in the game.

Obviously, something I’ve written has resonated with you – otherwise you wouldn’t find yourself feeling what you feel when you read what I’ve written. Sometimes we check on people who have made decisions that we are too scared to make as a way to somehow degrade their choice, to minimize the satisfaction they have to justify our indecision.

Don’t feel bad, it’s your subconscious. It’s the lizard brain trying to keep you safe.

I’ll leave you with this…

Diets don’t start next week, they start today. Opportunities don’t last. Setting and committing to achieving goals doesn’t happen on January 1st. Get off the fence and get in the game, there is no better time than now.