Inside Enboarder: Meet Sarah, U.S. Sales Development Pro
Meet Sarah Koefod, one of our U.S.-based sales development representatives (SDR). She joined Enboarder in the fall of 2021 and has been bringing her lively spirit to everything from our culture to solutions ever since.
We recently sat down with Sarah to discuss what her days are like at Enboarder and how she spends her time outside of work.
What made you choose Enboarder?
“I honestly wasn’t looking for a new job but knew that I wanted to make an industry change. When I felt like I was really ready I started going through some messages from recruiters. One of our recruiters-shoutout to Michael!-had reached out to me about an opportunity at Enboarder a few weeks earlier.
I thought for sure that the role would have been filled, but Michael said he’d love to chat for 10 to 15 minutes. That call lasted nearly an hour and it was great! That initial call with Michael showed me how special Enboarder is.
After that I poured myself into researching more about the company, the mission and the team. I knew I wanted to be part of it. I had a few conversations with other companies, but none of them gave me the warm welcome that the Enboarder team did. The office is also less than half a mile from my apartment, which helped because Austin traffic is getting unbearable.”
Do you snooze your alarm in the morning?
“Yes-more often than I’d like to admit. Being so close to the office only enables this bad habit of mine. In an ideal world I’d wake up at 6 a.m., but in this world I’m usually up at 7:30 a.m. I’m then running around like there’s a fire until I leave for work. It’s pure chaos and I’d call my morning routine a constant work-in-progress.”
What’s your schedule like during work days?
“Typically I start my day around 8:45 a.m. (I’m nearly always on Slack though) and I organize my day based on my priorities for the week. Some weeks are slower for inbound leads so I spend time supplementing my leads with outbound prospecting.
Normally I’ll check Slack, emails, and LinkedIn right away. Then I’ll start reaching out and sending content to prospects. That same cycle takes place again in the afternoon, though not always in that exact order.
Aside from that, I meet with my teammates, manager, and account executive throughout the day to make sure we’re all aligned on opportunities and the pipeline we’re working on. I also have weekly calls with colleagues in London to chat about what is working well for us and how we can improve.
Most importantly, I make lots of time for coffee. The barista at the coffee shop around the corner from us is also named Sarah so when I walk over the conversation goes something like, ‘Hi Sarah!’ and then she replies, ‘Hi Sarah-the usual?’ Which might be a little embarrassing, but this interaction always brightens my day.”
What excites you about working at Enboarder?
“There’s so much opportunity for growth here both personally and professionally. In the year I’ve been at Enboarder we’ve grown so much and it’s so cool to be working for a company that feels small but is also kind of big. I love the relationships I have with my colleagues (both in and outside of my department!) and I love cheering them on as we all succeed and grow with the business.”
What’s your favorite feature of Enboarder?
“Our product is incredibly versatile. We’re so much more than just onboarding software and while, yes, that’s our bread and butter, we handle so much more than that. Our customers use Enboarder to manage their DEI initiatives, parental leave, offboarding, promotions, learning and development, and the list goes on.
If a customer has a need that we aren’t currently capable of, our team looks at that need and is usually able to solve the issue by utilizing Enboarder in a new and exciting way. Consistently creating value for our customers isn’t necessarily a ‘core feature,’ but it’s one of my favorite features of Enboarder.”
What’s your biggest challenge as an SDR?
“This one is easy-shutting down. I know there’s always something I can be doing and it’s why I love this role. I don’t think there’s been a moment yet that I’ve gone to my manager and said ‘I’m bored’ or that I don’t have anything to do. The challenge for me is creating a boundary to shut off work because I really enjoy what I’m doing.”
What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to your first day as an SDR?
“Relax and be yourself. In sales everyone wants to know what you are doing to hit quota or how to have great conversations with prospects and-honestly-it’s just about getting comfortable being yourself. Product knowledge is important and being able to communicate effectively matters, but that’s not why people stay on the phone with you. They’re giving you their time because of how you position yourself.
Sales is a unique world because many people change the product they’re selling throughout their careers. In my career I’ve sold insurance, retail, and medical products before I transitioned to SaaS, and being passionate about the product truly makes a difference. When you’re being yourself and you truly believe in the product and mission it will come through in your conversations.”
How do you like to spend your free time?
“I spend most of my free time watching ‘Housewives’ or catching up with friends over drinks at happy hour. Lately I’ve really gotten into the new ‘House of the Dragon’ show on HBO. It has a firm grip on me.
If you’re reading this and you haven’t started it, I suggest that you do. Don’t use the ‘I haven’t watched ‘Game of Thrones’ excuse’ either because I watched the entire seven seasons of that show in a few months so that I could be ready for the final season. You can do it!”
Do you have any other hot takes you’d like to share?
“Watching BRAVO-and really almost any reality television show-is a true personality trait. I’ve never met someone who also loves the ‘Housewives’ that I haven’t liked.”
What did you do during the last Enboarder Enrichment Day?
“The last Enrichment Day at Enboarder fell on my best friend’s birthday so I really made the most of it with my friends. We took a short trip to Jacob’s Well in Texas and then went to a music festival called Camp Nowhere. Fletcher, Evan GIIA, Lane 8, and Porter Robinson were all playing and it was an amazing way to spend the day. Enrichment Days are an awesome perk of working here.”
The Enboarder team enjoys a lot of perks, from Enrichment Days to truly competitive compensation. Want to learn more about what we offer our team? Get started and check out our open roles!