From graduate to growth

I am glad that I made the decision to join CTMS, I think it has been the perfect place for me to develop my professional career.

What immediately stood out about CTMS was how it felt like they genuinely cared about their team as individuals. My first conversation was with my future manager, Jordan Bruce. It could have been an intimidating experience but it didn’t feel like an interview at all. It was more like a two-way chat: we talked about me, about CTMS, what we were each looking for and more.

It felt like a proper exchange of minds…. As someone new to the job market, that made a huge difference.

There were no ‘tricky’ questions to trip me up, or grilling me about why someone with a first class degree in Computer Games Programming, wanted to go into sales. Looking back, I realise they wanted to get a sense of who I was as a person, so they could see how well I would fit into the CTMS team and culture. This was just as important as whether I had certain skills or aptitude for a role in sales.

I’ve probably never said this before to Jordan but I felt like I wasn’t just another CV to them, CTMS was interested in ME. That warm, down-to-earth approach told me everything I needed to know that this was a company that valued people not just productivity.

It turns out the reality is …. exactly what I thought I was getting with CTMS.  They are friendly, honest and supportive – all qualities that we demonstrate in our client relationships. I hear this reflected in the feedback from our many happy customers too.

A fresh start – in sales and in life

I was a new graduate still figuring out my place in the (working) world when I joined CTMS. I’d had many retail and customer facing jobs, but this was a B2B role and sales was new territory.

Additionally, IT Service Management (ITSM) was new. Although I had done a technical degree, the world of ITSM is vast and touches so many parts of a business – it was a lot to get my head around.

On top of it all, I’d recently moved away from my family for the first time. There were a lot of ‘firsts’ going on , and it wasn’t an easy adjustment, particularly being away from my personal support network.

What made a big difference was the support I received at CTMS. From day one, every member of the team was approachable, encouraging and always willing to explain things to the newbie on the team! When I was struggling with the adjustment, I remember Jordan asked me one question “what can we do to help?” and this immediately took the pressure off my shoulders.

Staying curious

I quickly learned how important it is to ask questions.  I never felt uncomfortable asking the small questions, or things that might have seemed trivial.  The world of ITSM has been around a long time and the breadth of platforms like Ivanti Neurons for ITSM is growing all the time.

What I realised is that no one knows everything about Ivanti, although the reputation of my CTO comes pretty close, judging by the comments we get each time we interview a customer for a case study!

But even he is happy to admit that he occasionally needs to go away and do some research to find a particular answer. But that’s okay.  I’ve also realised what matters most is not losing my natural curiosity and being brave enough to pipe up with another question if there is nuance that I don’t understand.

Learning by doing

One of my earliest learning curves was around developing my understanding of the ITSM platforms that we sell and consult around as well as the other products that we sell.

By applying myself consistently, I’ve learned a lot around the Ivanti platform as well as the other complementary solutions that CTMS offers, including IT Experience Management, IT Service Management and process management optimisation.

Attending my first on-site customer meeting was revealing. I was there to observe and take notes, whilst my CTO led the conversation. Being in the room as the customer needs were discussed gave me a new appreciation for the practical side of sales.

There is an art to listening carefully, asking the right questions about the customer challenges, finding out the ‘nice to haves’ and more. Capturing the right detail at the start of a conversation, can actually shape the whole customer journey. It was my first real taste of what customer-facing sales looked like in action.

Getting stuck into different tasks

Because CTMS is an SME, I’ve been able to wear a lot of different hats. I must admit, I’ve thrived off the variety. Although I joined as a Business Development Executive, along the way I’ve also had the chance to contribute in marketing and finance.

For example, one of the things I noticed during my pre-interview research into CTMS was that they were not very active on LinkedIn. That has changed considerably and the last two years has seen CTMS investing in their brand, their online presence and raising awareness in the market.

One of the areas I’ve taken ownership of is our email outreach. We use a platform called Constant Contact to build and manage campaigns.  I am responsible for putting together campaigns which means learning to write concise but engaging messaging, testing, building lists and segmenting audiences, as well as reporting on performance.

At first it was a bit daunting. I take pride in ensuring the emails look perfect and sometimes there’s a lot of tweaking to be done before it is right, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding responsibilities I’ve taken on.

Apprenticeship completed with merit

Parallel to my work at CTMS, I also completed an IT Sales apprenticeship through Pareto. It involved coursework, assessments, and real-world evidence of my development. I was proud to pass with a merit, especially because I’d had to balance that learning with my day-to-day role and the personal transition of living independently.

That qualification really helped solidify the skills I was picking up on the job. It gave me more confidence and a structured foundation to build on. This is exactly what I wanted to achieve in the early part of my career.

Holding my own in customer conversations

Industry events play a big role at CTMS. They are perfect places to network and showcase our solutions and insights to customers, prospects and partners.

The first event I attended was SITS – also known as the Service Desk Show.  This was a great opportunity to see many of CTMS’ partner solutions on show by the respective vendors. It was a vibrant event which had a real buzz to it.

I spoke with lots of IT and ITSM professionals, listened to some really engaging talks and came away with a broader perspective on where our work fits in the wider industry. It was energising and gave me new motivation to keep learning.

More recently, I attended Ivanti Live London 2025.  This was a step up as I was helping to staff the CTMS stand, where I was expected to lead conversations with customers and prospects.

I must admit to a few nerves before it started.  There’s something about putting on a branded lanyard and being in front of a hall of busy, seasoned professionals that makes you feel the pressure!

But I prepared as much as I could in advance and on the day, I was comfortable talking to everyone. I’m pleased to say that I managed to get plenty of people to complete the CTMS process mapping survey.

But more importantly, I led a very interesting conversation with a net new prospect who was interested in hearing more about our approach to process mapping – something that was called out in our brand new CTMS capabilities video.

I had to think on my feet and not just ask questions but the right questions, and then play back to the prospect how CTMS could help with their challenges. This underlined how I can make a key contribution to the sales effort at CTMS.  I am looking forward to following up with this new contact and continuing the conversation around what they are looking to achieve and how CTMS could potentially support them with achieving it.

What I’ve learned (so far)

I’ve learned a huge amount over the last two years and not just about sales, but about myself too. Here are a few takeaways that stand out:

• Flexibility is key.  When you work for an SME, it means you have to contribute in a number of different areas. There is no room for egos, e.g. I’m happy to make the tea for a customer meeting 😊.  It also means there’s always something new to take on if you want it. That’s part of the reason I have experienced growth – because I’ve been exposed to broader elements of the business such as finance and not just pigeon-holed into sales.
• Asking questions is a good thing. I still ask questions every day. There is no better way to learn. The world of IT, ITSM, cyber security, etc moves fast.  By retaining my innate curiosity, I plan to keep up with the ever evolving world that we work in.
• Confidence comes with time and effort. My confidence has grown from hugely from day 1. Every challenge that I’ve taken on from outbound prospecting where there’s a lot of rejection to planning email campaigns has helped to build my all round skills.

What’s next?

I believe I’ve found a good home at CTMS.  There’s so much more to learn and areas of development that I am committed to and they are committed to helping me. That’s exciting more than anything else.

I want to keep developing my sales skills but also stay close to the marketing work I’ve enjoyed, as this enables me to combine two different skill sets. There’s so much overlap between the two and I think that blend is where I can really help add value. Being at CTMS has shown me that a career path doesn’t have to be rigid or predictable. It can be full of discovery, challenge and unexpected opportunities that push you forward.

Reflections on the last two years

As I look back over the last two years, I’m proud of how far I’ve come, from my nerve wracking first online interview to the more confident and curious sales professional that I am today.  I am fully aware that I am still learning each and every day. I don’t see that stopping.

There is an old saying that we have two ears and one mouth, and we should be using them in that proportion. This applies so well to any sales role where it is important to build rapport and understanding of the customer’s challenges rather than talk endlessly about technology.  I try to apply that in my customer and prospect conversations.

What I appreciate most is that CTMS gave me a start, they placed their trust in me and supported me whilst providing a lot of room to grow.

I’m pleased that I chose to join the team at CTMS.  It has proven to be a great training ground for a developing sales professional.  I get to combine the geeky side of my nature with developing stronger sales skills, and I am looking forward to seeing where the next two to three years with CTMS will lead me. I believe I have earned the respect of my colleagues and am primed to take on larger roles with greater responsibility.