What it’s like to be Head of Sales Development, EMEA: An interview with Conor McCabe

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Written by Aoife Anderson

Conor McCabe plays an integral role in driving the success of the EMEA Sales Development team. By leveraging his expertise and guidance, he helps equip Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) and Business Development Representatives (BDRs) with the necessary skills to become valuable contributors to reaching sales objectives while optimizing performance standards. Conor’s leadership style creates a dynamic atmosphere for the Tines sales team to succeed – cultivating an environment of collaboration, growth, and opportunity.

Can you tell us a little more about yourself and what you like to do in your free time?

I had quite a varied career before finding my passion for tech sales. After college, and like most in my class, I pursued a career in finance for over seven years. This included working with hedge funds and across commercial & corporate banking. What I loved most was working with clients, and this passion transferred nicely across to the tech sales industry, which was exploding in Dublin at the time. I spent six incredible years at LinkedIn across numerous sales jobs before finishing up leading sales development for its sales solutions business.

Most of my spare time is taken up as a proud dad to two young daughters. When I find time for myself, I love running up mountains as it’s a great way to clear my head and re-energize. This got me into ultra-running and completing my goal of running 130k over the Wicklow Mountains with two mates over two days. Outside of that, I will watch and play any sport.

What does a typical workday or week look like for you at Tines?

There is a great buzz at Tines; everyone is excited about our journey ahead and highly motivated. We are very much in start-up mode, where you are wearing many hats. Most weeks consist of interviews, coaching, individual and team meetings, plus the projects I am working on to drive success for my team. 

In sales development, we work very closely with marketing, sales, and commercial operations, so I have regular meetings with these teams to help build out and improve our current processes and strategy. Tines has a great environment where intelligent risks are encouraged, and although there is never a guarantee they’ll always pay off, people have your back, and you learn from them.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve worked on to date?

I get energy from working in sales development. I work with some of the most driven, enthusiastic, and talented people, many of whom are early in their sales careers. Their passion and motivation to succeed light a fire for me, and it helps me power through the day. Having career development paths for my team to work toward that match their ambitions is very important.

Last year, we prioritized building out performance guidelines. Since last February, we have celebrated six promotions across my team and will soon celebrate our second international SD move at Tines. The planning and process of building this out may not have been the coolest, but the results are and continue to be something I’m really proud of.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out at Tines?

Focus on the core purpose of your role, master that, and the rest will come. It’s easy to get swept up in all the noise or goings on in a start-up, which can be very motivating for some, but it can also be distracting for others. Double down on what will make you successful. That applies to all roles but specifically in sales development. Making career goals can often send our sights beyond the present, but focus on learning and growing sales skills today that will be invaluable to you in 20 years.

What’s your favorite thing about the Tines platform? Any tips for our readers?

My favorite thing about the Tines platform is how it is constantly evolving. At every company all-hands meeting, without fail, we are updated with some slick new features and improvements to the Tines platform. Not only are our talented product, design, and engineering teams bringing these changes, but our customers also have a lot of input. That is a testament to how flexible Tines can be and how much our customers love the platform. We have only scratched the surface, making it very exciting to be around.

Want to know more about Tines? Check out our About page.

Interested in joining the Tines team? View our current openings and apply here.

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