In April of 2008, I was faced with a very difficult decision. Do I take a Financial Planner position with a large investment company or do I join the sales force of a private SaaS company flying under the global radar? I have a finance degree and had just experienced the thrill of being part of a start-up that was acquired, but there was something about learning sales methodology that seemed intriguing. During the interview process, Meltwater drove home the point that “our goal is to develop managers responsible for running a global organization, whether that be in sales or any other area of business.” With the dream of international opportunities and with the drive to pursue something new, I chose Meltwater and jumped in head first.

After 6 months as a sales consultant, with the ultimate highs and the deepest lows, I was given the opportunity to become a Controller for our North American operations. Newly armed with the knowledge of how B2B sales works and with 2 years of previous finance experience, how could I turn it down? After being beat into shape by 6 months on the front lines, I had a new appreciation for sales methodology, and I was now back in my preferred arena.

Some people (ok most people) see finance professionals as boring bean counters that live in a world of debits and credits. I have the utmost respect for accountants, but I am no bean counter. The thrill of driving business strategy by analyzing raw data is more my cup of tea, and I was excited to be given the opportunity. Instead of focusing on my own quota, it is now my job to synthesize data and predict future performance so our Directors have the necessary facts to make educated business decisions.

As I look back at my experience, I realize how beneficial it was for a finance guy like me to learn what it takes to be a successful sales person, and directly contribute to the growth of an organization. Previously, my job was to generate revenue by selling my company’s product, and now I am asked to be the conscience of the company and accurately track key performance indicators. Looking back, it seems impossible to be successful at the latter without having experienced the former. I can’t help but ask myself: “has the perfect opportunity really just fallen into my lap?”