Name: Nikesh Modi
Job title: Business Development Executive – East Midlands and East Anglia
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I’m 25 and live in Northamptonshire, where I was born and raised. Very much a family man; you pretty much have to be with the size of family I have! I’m a massive sports fan and will literally watch anything sports related on the TV. I think the only sports I struggle to enjoy watching are golf and rugby, which comes as quite the surprise to many in this industry. On the topic of sports, I’m an avid Liverpool fan and yes, this year is DEFINITELY going to be “our year”! My evenings generally tend to consist of fitness by playing football twice a week (five-a-side) and going to the gym. Outside of this, to unwind, you can catch me listening to a wide array of music or binge watching a show like Friends; the greatest TV series after Game of Thrones (trying to avoid the fact that there was ever a season 8!).
Describe your job to a five-year-old
I sell bathrooms to people who also sell bathrooms.
What do you like most about your job?
For me it’s the development piece, so the fact that there are differentiated customer strategies requiring us to implement a tailored approach/plan to reach the best results is great. As such, no two days are the same with the job offering so much variety. I really enjoy working coherently across the organisation and this is paramount in reaching a common goal. Being part of and seeing the individual or team efforts and hard work that has gone into bringing customer activity, initiatives and plans to life is extremely satisfying.
How did you get here?
I studied a BA (Hons) Business Management with Marketing and Overseas Study degree in Manchester, where I was also merited with the opportunity to study abroad in Murcia, Spain for my penultimate year. Upon completion of this course in 2017, I undoubtedly knew I wanted to enter the field of sales. Perhaps an instinctive move due to majority of those close to me also holding sales positions and my previous experiences, though it fits perfectly into my career aspirations and plans. This vacancy popped up and now I am just over two years into the role, a role which is highly rewarding and exciting, especially with Project Flywheel and all the changes taking place.
What motivates you?
There are many different factors which can motivate me, depending on which situation is in question. However, narrowing it down, a couple of motivators would be:
(1) Learning new things, advancing on my current knowledge/skillset to date as I am a strong advocate for continuous development.
(2) Understanding people.
For me, these are both key drivers which aid success and evidently stems from my inquisitiveness.
If you could swap jobs with anyone, who would it be?
An inspirational talker, examples being Simon Sinek and Jay Shetty. Both are experts in their fields and deliver strong messages / teachings to their audiences. They base their discussions largely around psychology, which is a deep interest of mine.
Your favourite song lyric or line from a film
My favourite song lyric is by my favourite artist J Cole. It’s a paraphrase of Oscar Wilde’s quote whereby J Cole says “every saint has a past, every sinner has a future, every loser has to win and every winner has to lose someday”
Your favourite app?
Spotify, so I can listen to my favourite podcasts and the occasional throwback.
Biggest facepalm moment at work?
This is a short story from my previous part-time job whilst I was studying my degree… So I managed to secure the job and full of excitement, I hit the shops to get some new work clothes in the morning before my first shift. I then set off on a 25 minute walk to the train station, grabbed a 20 minute train journey and then walked a further 20 minutes to arrive at the workplace. Bearing in mind, this was in Manchester, so no surprises when I tell you I was absolutely soaked by the heavy rain on this journey. I walked through the entrance with a huge smile on my face ready to make a great first impression, wearing my new work outfit that was absolutely drenched, only to be told “you start tomorrow mate”.