In March 2020, Matt Sandy joined team Gungho in the UK as a Business Discovery Agent (BDA). Having never worked in telemarketing before and starting a new career only three weeks before COVID-19 forced the UK into lockdown, you’d be forgiven for thinking the adjustment must have been challenging.
We interviewed Matt in August 2020 to find out about his first few months at Gungho. At the time, Matt said that he could see there was room for progression and he saw Gungho as a long-term career, rather than a gap-filler role, which is what he seemed to find at the time he was job searching.
Fast forward two years and not only did Matt take to his new role like a duck to water, but he also quickly moved up through the ranks to Operations Manager. Here we talk to Matt about his Gungho journey.
From Business Discovery Agent to Operations Manager in only two years. What’s the key to your success?
If you’d have told me in March 2020 that I’d be an Operations Manager two years later, I wouldn’t have believed it! I’ve been exceptionally well supported and that’s probably one of the main reasons why I’ve been fortunate enough to get to where I am now. I’ve had excellent people around me who I’ve been able to go to and ask for advice and who have guided me to do the right things and follow the right processes.
I didn’t have any experience in telesales. I knew what a phone was and that was pretty much the extent of any kind of experience in this space! The training that Gungho provides is a big part of my success. I know more about the RegTech world now than I ever thought I would, and I continue to learn new things all the time.
I’ve also always been a hard worker so I hoped that my natural work ethic would put me in a position where I was considered for promotion. The beauty of Gungho is that you have your destiny in your own hands. Gungho hire managers from within and when I was a BDA I knew that I could earn career progression by putting in the hard work and utilising all the training that’s available.
How achievable are the targets at Gungho?
For me personally, the targets are very achievable, and I’ve never once felt that the target is out of reach. We have peaks and troughs, but I would say that you are able to hit targets and achieve your KPI bonuses more regularly than not.
It goes back to what I said before; it’s in your hands. If you have the attitude to go out and find opportunities and work hard then the targets are very achievable. It’s helped me quite a lot to focus on targets because, with everything I do, there is always an end goal in sight.
Targets aren’t for everybody but for me having that daily and weekly target to focus on motivates me and gives me a sense of achievement. I enjoy trying to get better and improve my performance. No matter how tough the week has been you go home knowing that you succeeded.
Gungho operate a four-day working week. Does your manager role impact your ability to enjoy the three-day weekends?
You’d expect as an Operations Manager that there would be too much to do, and that work might impact your weekend. I might have to do an extra hour or so during the working week but if you manage your time, you get the full three days to properly switch off.
We work very hard during the 4 days in the office so I like to unwind after a busy week. I play a lot of golf during the summer. Between April and October, I travel the UK competing in different tournaments. During the winter my partner and I go on holidays or days out.
What advice would you give to someone looking at a career with Gungho?
I was looking for a career change when I came to Gungho. At the time that I was job searching, a lot of companies were concerned that I didn’t have the experience in the field I was applying to. I was looking for a company to give me a chance to learn a completely different skill set. I was lucky enough that Gungho were happy to give me that opportunity.
Work hard, try and hit your targets as best you can and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re not sure what certain phrasing means or how to handle an objection just ask. The team are there to support you so never be afraid if there are things you’re unsure of.
My advice to people would always be don’t worry that you don’t have experience in RegTech or even in marketing. Gungho are interested in you as a person. If you’re driven, you like targets, you want to try something new and are willing to learn, that’s all you need. We can train you in the technical skills needed but we can’t train mindset so if you’re keen and committed, that will take you far in Gungho.
If you’d like to find out more about working at Gungho, visit our jobs page via this link.
