Rob Walsh is a Business Development Representative at Tines, where he’s worked for approximately ten months. Here, we talk to Rob about his journey within the Sales team, his favorite part of working at Tines, his love of sports and reading, and so much more.
Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Hi, I’m Rob, a Business Development Rep (BDR) on the sales team at Tines. I’m based in Dublin, and I joined Tines in November of 2020. I was the 3rd person to join the sales team and the 16th hire overall.
Before Tines, I worked on some startups and spent a couple of years working in tech in San Francisco. Outside of work, I like my fair share of playing sports and getting outdoors, especially hiking in the Wicklow Mountains. Apart from that, in my spare time, I tend to catch up on some reading (currently reading: Carl Jung, Memories, Deams, Reflections ), and more recently, I’ve been getting into writing.
What do you do at Tines?
My job is essentially finding a way to initiate conversations with companies we want to work with. For example, I would love if Spotify was a Tines customer. To help make that a reality, I would typically start by scouring LinkedIn to figure out the best person to have a conversation with. It’s essential to connect with potential customers in a meaningful way, so I tend to do a lot of research to better understand their needs before reaching out. Then, it’s about delivering high-quality messaging that makes an impact so that we’re taken seriously and can secure time on their calendar to talk through their processes before arranging a demo.
Why did you join Tines?
For me, the founding story is always a great indicator of what a company is all about. It’s usually a good sign when a company or product emerges from people who spent years working on the same problem.
In Eoin and Thomas’ case, they spent over a decade working on this problem together. They have seen it all, from being in junior roles to leading global teams, all while at top tech companies like eBay, PayPal, and Docusign. I have a lot of confidence in them and in their ability to lead us. Few people in the world know what they do, and there are even fewer with the courage to go and build a company around it.
Beyond that, being able to bring on customers like Coinbase, Box, and OpenTable, and to have the ability to attract funding from the same investors as Slack, Deliveroo, and Dropbox, it didn’t take a genius to see that something special was happening.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve worked on at Tines to date?
When I started at Tines, we didn’t have a pure outbound role. The Sales Development Representative (SDR) role that I had at the time was a mixture of inbound and outbound. I really enjoyed the chase of trying to bring in a big logo. My team and the company recognized this, and as a result, I became the first person to take on a role solely focused on outbound leads. I’ve been given a lot of trust and autonomy to define what it means to be a BDR at Tines. It’s amazing to have a team that supports you and your decision-making.
What would you say to anyone considering joining the sales team at Tines?
For anyone in sales, a big part of what dictates how much we enjoy the work and how well we do financially depends on how hot the space is. Cybersecurity and low-code automation are two booming trends, and they will be for quite some time, so it was clear to me that Tines was a great long-term bet for my career.
Looking more internally, there is a great sense of humor at Tines. Often the picture painted of a startup is one of a serious grind. We certainly work hard, but there’s a great vibe and a friendly environment that makes it enjoyable to get involved every day.
Most of all, though, the sense of trust is what stands out for me. I’ve been trusted to figure out many different things since I started. While it might initially seem a bit daunting to solve problems for the team without specific guidance, I think the satisfaction and confidence we get from operating like this are tough to beat.
For anyone thinking of joining the sales team, it’s a fantastic industry to get into, the team is genuinely a joy to work with, and you’ll be trusted to make your own decisions.
Interested in joining the Tines team? View current openings and apply here: https://www.tines.com/careers