You join a company with a long-standing history, which looks appealing from the outside. Inside, you quickly realise it has survived largely on the shoulders of a handful of genuinely talented people across sales and analytics. There is very little real structure. The business appears to “go with the flow,” with no clear urgency to modernise systems or formally restructure outdated processes.
Redundancies are made quickly when times are tough. Just as quickly, hiring resumes - often before the business has properly defined what it actually needs from the role or the individual. There is no clear framework, no consistent direction, and expectations shift without warning.
The sales team is global, and few of the salespeople are impressive. However, some long-standing members of the team are erratic, out of their depth, and resistant to technology. Leadership is a major concern. The BD Director understands the business, but not sales. There is little meaningful mentorship. You are expected to operate entirely autonomously, with minimal guidance and zero margin for error.
Perfection is expected at all times. Anything less can result in dismissal. Decisions can be subjective - for example, being criticised simply because someone doesn’t like your email writing style, even if it is effective.
The sales team has a lot of hidden egos, with many overestimating their own abilities. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, which can work for some, but if you’re in a support role, you must constantly adapt your style to whoever you’re supporting that day. On top of this, the BDM team often quietly criticises colleagues and their approaches - a lot of ego for a team where most aren’t “true” salespeople, as nearly all work comes from inbound leads and existing business rather than actively hunting new opportunities.
The Japanese side of the business is thriving with a small, focused team. The global strategy seems to rely on simply copying the Japanese way of working, but it’s a half-hearted effort - more talk than action. Work styles need to be adapted to each region; what works in Japan does not automatically translate globally.
If you value structure, clear processes, modern systems, and supportive leadership, this may not be the right environment for you.
