What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Sales Manager at Rapid7?
We connected with Sarah Sidford to find out!
Interested in learning more about Rapid7? Make sure to check out their company page!
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on Long Island about 45 minutes outside of New York City. I’m a huge theatre person so I spent a lot of time going into Manhattan seeing Broadway shows.
Where did you go to college? What did you study? Did this have an impact on your current career choice?
I went to Hamilton College, a liberal arts college in upstate NY. I majored in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. I’ve always had a technical brain that enjoys problem solving but I also love artistic and athletic activities. I was in an a cappella group, played with our school orchestra, was captain of a dance team and played ultimate frisbee. I constantly sought out a balance of analytical and artsy.
When planning for my next step after graduation, I spent time reading job descriptions posted to our Hamilton networking page. I then applied to the ones I felt I was well suited for. Lucky for me, there was a listing from a Hamilton alumni for a BDR position at Rapid7. It seemed a perfect blend of technical and social that I was craving. I’m able to work on a team and meet new people all the time but also get in the weeds and apply problem solving to help customers. The rest is history!
What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you from the role you started at Rapid7 with to the position you have now?
I’d say a big part of it is persistence. I’ve been with Rapid7 for over 7 years and investing that amount of time building a territory and learning the business will yield results. I also have a personality that embraces and thrives in change. Some people might find it jarring but the constant evolution keeps me entertained and challenged.
Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Sales Manager at Rapid7?
My job is to enable my team to reach their goals and find success in their career. I’m responsible for understanding where the team’s business stands and help where needed. I also work cross functionally to find ways sales as a whole can optimize and innovate.
Any tips for someone considering a career in your field or at Rapid7?
If you love learning and love thrive off of change and new challenges, this is the place for you. What has kept me here for 7 years is that no year is the same. The space is ever-changing, the company is constantly evolving and there’s no shortage of amazing people to work with and opportunities to grow.
Day in the Life
Coffee, tea, or nothing?
Every stage of my life I think it’s the time I’ll finally get into coffee, but still has never happened. That said, I drink tea almost every day and pretty constantly. It’s quite soothing.
What do you miss most about being live and in the office?
So many things. I miss seeing people that I don’t work with on a daily basis and meeting new people around the company or bumping into old friends. The energy and the space itself is magical. Then there are little things I miss like being in conference rooms for meetings, bumping into people in the hallway, high fiving people when they close a deal and so much more. That said, having this much time away will make coming back that much better.
What has been the best aspect of being remote (how has your company supported you)?
Rapid7 has handled remote working extremely well. I was able to transition pretty seamlessly to working remote. I always felt extremely supported and confident that Rapid7 would stay steady and solid throughout the external mayhem.
What are three things that motivate you in your role?
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Positive Impact- Helping our customers, helping my team and helping the company. I always want to leave things better than I found it and at Rapid7 you really have the ability to make a difference.
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Problem Solving- Even 7 years in, I’m still finding scenarios I have never encountered and I love facing these new challenges and finding creative solutions
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Teaming- I’ve always loved camaraderie and being part of a team. At Rapid7 there are lots of different team structures you work within which gives you exposure to great people. You learn a lot from them and having that many perspectives helps you grow
Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?
Right now as I transition into this new role, it is a LOT of meetings. 1-1s with my team, interdepartmental meetings, interviews, and strategic planning meetings. Then I also find time to update tracking data for our pipeline and listen to calls to help with feedback and strategizing.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
When I first started on our Detection and Response team in 2014, we had less than 10 customers, a sales team of 2 and we were trying to pioneer a new space that had yet to be defined. Rapid7 had a vision to solve a massive problem in the security space but it was going to take a lot of education to get the word out. When I think back to that time and compare it to where we are today- a market leader, hundreds of customers and a dedicated sales organization of over 80 people - it blows my mind. I’m truly lucky to have been part of this team from the beginning and see how much believing in that vision has paid off.
