Graduate Case Study – Francis Waine – SDR at Fidel
‘The SaaSLeads Academy is a chance to prove yourself.’
Francis Waine is a recent graduate from the SaaSLeads Academy who is already forging a great sales career at Fidel. We sat down with Francis to talk about his experiences at the Academy.
Starting out
Hi Francis. Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first find out about the SaaSLeads Academy?
I saw an ad on Gradfuel and that led to a call with Laith (Azzee, SDR Team Lead at SaaSLeads). I did some research myself and it looked like a good opportunity. I liked the idea of the training.
I think with graduates, we’ve got a lot of academic experience, but not necessarily experience in business or the work environment. Most of us have worked in a pub, but that’s it. The training was a big thing for me.
How would you describe the Academy to someone thinking about signing up?
It’s a chance to prove yourself. Plus, you’re actually paired with a company. Internships are really hard to get, but SaaSLeads do the hard work of finding the companies and putting you in there.
I had a good experience and there’s a lot of communication between you and the company. We were fully integrated into the team already. I’d definitely recommend it to my friends.
Upskilling
What was the main skill you developed at the SaaSLeads Academy?
Sales, for sure. I didn’t know what an SDR was until a few days before the interview. Now, I’m phoning up CEOs and CFOs, speaking to senior business leaders.
I learned to write efficient sales emails, active listening for pain points, so much else.
You must have picked up some personal development skills too?
I had a lot of fun, especially with the team. We played a lot of games; it was a really good experience. But, for me, it was more about business skills.
I’m at Fidel now working as an SDR on their retail vertical. It’s hyper-personalised sales; quality over quantity, everything is written from scratch. I’m really enjoying it.
Highlights
What was your favourite part of the programme?
It was definitely being with the team and building team spirit. Being with eight other young people, playing games and doing quizzes together, that was really nice.
You must have some funny stories?
Yeah, some people were less good at the quizzes than others!
Each team would take turns to run a quiz. We ran a music quiz. Torron (Iveson, SDR Team Lead at SaaSLeads) did a singalong. There was a ‘guess the Disney song’ quiz too!
Finally, can you sum up your SaaSLeads Academy experience in three words?
Informative. Supportive. Encouraging.
Find out more
If you want to follow in Francis’ footsteps and join the SaaSLeads Academy, or you just want to find out more, visit our site – www.SaaSLeads-academy.io
Ready to talk? Get in touch today