Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast we’re talking to Vik Mediratta, Senior Manager of Trailhead Marketing at Salesforce, to talk about productivity when it comes to working with Sales, and how he rallies everyone around him to get more done.
More about this Insights session: why you need to celebrate incremental wins, how to use the people paid to help you, and how you can put yourself in your employees’ and team members’ shoes.
You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Vik Mediratta and Gillian Bruce.
What’s in it for them?
Vik sits right by Gillian at Salesforce HQ, so she gets to witness firsthand just how much he’s able to get done on a daily basis. One of Vik’s major roles in the company has been spreading the Trailhead message across the organization by taking what he’s learned working in sales organizations and putting that out there. Salesforce is a 30,000+ person company, so that’s a huge job.
“With our group we’re always looking at how to scale that message,” Vik says, “when I came onto this team the biggest challenge was how to reach 30,000 people in all these different countries and cities, I do that by keeping the customers in mind: Why are they going to listen to me? What’s in it for them?” So before he picks up the phone or sends out a Chatter message, he’s already putting himself in the shoes of his audience and thinking about his employees as if they were his customers. They also have a zillion things to do, so you really need to think about what’s in it for them.
Remember that people are (literally) paid to help you.
As far as getting down to the brass tacks of productivity, Vik has a few tips. “Don’t work alone,” he advises, “there are times when you feel a lot of pressure really want to impress your boss or your colleagues or your customers, but there are people in your organization who are literally paid to help you, so make sure that they’re successful because that’s what makes you successful.” Picking up the phone and using your colleagues effectively is a huge way to up your own productivity.
At the beginning of a project, as the Salesforce Admin, everyone is looking to you for a solution, and you’re excited to provide one. However, it’s really important to set an “Upfront Contract.” This term comes from Tony Rodoni, the Executive VP for the Commercial Business Unit at Salesforce. That means having a kickoff where everyone can meet each other, talk about what they’re responsible for, bring up deadlines, and also discuss any PTO or other things that might create some challenges.
The trick is to keep circling back at project milestones, so you’re always on top of what’s coming up on the horizon and everything is transparent. “If you can get ahead of 90% of the surprises, and 10% is left for the unknowns, then you’re going to be successful because the unknowns are what we get paid to solve.”
Finding the personal stakes.
One thing that really makes Vik stand out is just how fun he is to work with. It still comes back to that question he always asks of what’s in it for you? But it’s not just a general question: “I want to know what’s in it for you personally,” Vik says, “if I know that and I can help you get there that’s going to make both of us super successful because there’s more than coming to work and making your boss happy, there’s also making yourself happy.” By getting to know his team and understanding their interests, he’s better able to engage with them and help them succeed.
Vik notes that just like you want to keep circling back with team meetings to set expectations and get everyone on the same page, you also want to celebrate the milestones you hit. “The success of one milestone is only good for the next one, so make sure that all your milestones are celebrated equally so everyone understands how you got there.”
Trailhead:
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