Advice to my younger self

A client asked me the other day - what would I have told myself 20 years ago when starting out as a sales executive?

Well, we'd be here all day if I thought about this question in detail but there are a few pieces of advice I'd give myself.

The first would be to make mistakes, and lots of them. In my experience this is the quickest way to learn and grow.

Second, stop trying to prove how smart I am. Listen to and care about the challenges of potential clients and see if you can genuinely help.

I would tell myself to be more present in conversations, and stop trying to 'pitch' or preempt my next response.

This is exactly what any decent actor does, allowing for a genuine, authentic human interaction to take place.

Ask intelligent questions and really listen to the answers with curiosity and empathy.