18 May Leader Achieves a 30% Raise, Promotion & Role Clarity

The Opportunity

Sondra H. engaged Jennifer Howell for leadership development services to help her gain clarity and make progress towards a promotion and raise. Prior to partnering with Jennifer, Sondra led and managed the sales and marketing functions of a leading pharmacy and health care data service company. She was at a crossroads in her professional career, working very long hours, taking on a tremendous workload and feeling under appreciated for all she had accomplished for the company during the previous five years.

In order for Sondra to get to the next level, she knew she needed to choose a career path within her company – either marketing or sales. She also realized she needed help proving her value to the CEO and corporate board of directors.

How We Worked Together

Sondra and Jennifer met for a 90-minute Leadership Launch session to jumpstart the coaching process. During this time, Jennifer helped Sondra clarify her goals and began uncovering roadblocks that could prevent her from achieving what she wanted.

The two met three times a month via video over a three month period. Sondra also benefited from unlimited email access to Jennifer, as well as two live chats per month for 20-minute boost sessions. Every session ended with an agreed upon homework assignment(s) and detailed notes for future reference.

Each meeting was customized to address specific needs, including but not limited to:

• Cultivating a success mindset
• Leadership best practices
• Communicating with influence
• Boundary setting
• Productivity and priority setting
• Negotiation tactics
• Demonstrating one’s value

Sondra received best practices, templates, tools and exercises specific to her goals. Jennifer also helped Sondra role-play difficult conversations and provided feedback on materials Sondra prepared. The purpose of these actions was to prepare Sondra for challenging conversations and meetings and to overcome internal fears.

Addressing Sondra’s mindset, fears and concerns was a critical component to reaching her goals. Sondra was empowered to turnaround her unhelpful thoughts and move forward with a sense of trust, determination and courage.

The Results

“I’m so excited to have received a 30% raise and title change to Senior Director of Sales. So thankful for your mentorship and to have you on this journey. Can’t thank you enough!” – Sondra H. Senior Sales Director

Achieved 30% Salary Increase and Promotion:

Sondra received a 30% raise and her title changed from Sales and Marketing Manager to Senior Director of Sales. Sondra successfully demonstrated her value in a way that was meaningful to her CEO and board of directors. She effectively communicated her wins and strategic plans during individual conversations with executives and also during a stressful board presentation. She made it clear that she was prepared for a significant promotion and raise. In addition, Sondra addressed potential objections and articulated how she helped her company grow during her tenure.

Gained Clarity About Her Future Path:

While Sondra is capable of achieving success in numerous roles, she realized she needed to narrow her professional focus and choose a path that would best suit the skills she enjoyed most. This meant deciding between a path in marketing or sales.

Once Sondra gained clarity that a senior position in sales would suit her best, it was easier for her to advocate for a promotion and raise.

Better Prepared for Negotiations:

Sondra received tools and a methodology to prepare for a significant salary request (i.e., 30% increase). She was prepared with talking points, and the slides and data she prepared was challenged by Jennifer so she would be ready for potential surprises. Sondra also outlined her current responsibilities and how they would need to shift in her future role. Finally, Sondra practiced her talking points and leaned on her helpful mantras to guide her towards successful executive discussions.

Boost in Mindset:

During this three month process, and in addition to her normal workload, Sondra was challenged by long hours, customer events, team hiring decisions and onboarding new staff members. This was a stressful period, but cultivating a positive and successful mindset was critical to her success.

When fear and uncertainty entered Sondra’s mind, she used tools to diminish fears and push forward with confidence. She leaned on new ways to think about situations and powerful mantras.

“A shift in positive thinking and mindset shifted everything else in my life.” – Sondra H., Senior Sales Director

Congratulations to Sondra for her hard work and well deserved success!