A veterinarian. A firefighter. An astronaut. A teacher.
These are some of the common things children will tell you they want to be when they grow up.
But not Tom Scott, who answered, “The VP of Sales at Brafton, of course,” when asked about his childhood career path dreams. Lucky for us, he stuck to his youthful goal and holds the title today!
Living the Dream
In all seriousness, Tom has been a major asset to the team for years. He started at our previous sister company, Castleford, over six years ago as a business development manager. At the time, he was darting around Sydney, taking on multiple in-person meetings with potential prospects on a daily basis. Oh, how the times have changed.
Before joining the team, Tom studied media, culture and society at Northumbria University in Newcastle, U.K. His education covered a variety of subjects that piqued his interest, such as media, sociology, politics and history, but wasn’t exactly sure where he would end up afterward.
Tom then found himself working for a small company that specialized in online reputation management and local SEO for small businesses. He also started there as a business development manager and transitioned to a role managing his own team of salespeople. It was here that he started to get into the thick of digital marketing and SEO, and the rest is history.
When he’s not wrapped up in content marketing, he’s living the simple life: drinking a cold beer, eating great food and enjoying good company. But for the most part, he’s neck deep in a good sales strategy.
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Life@Brafton
The sales world is something that Tom has lived and breathed over the last decade. When the opportunity to throw marketing and all things digital into the mix presented itself with Brafton, he took full advantage. Beyond his own personal knowledge in the industry, Tom loves Brafton because he gets the opportunity to continue his education through his peers and even his clients.
“The people I work with all have so much expertise to share across all aspects of digital, strategy, business and life in general — all of which has really helped me progress my career!” he shared. “I also love the fact that I get to interact with so many different types of clients and prospects, from all walks of life and all corners of the business world.”
With tech changing at such a fast pace, Tom loves to sit down with clients and have conversations with business and marketing leaders about AI, machine learning and the general application of technology in different industries.
“I love the fact that I get to interact with so many different types of clients and prospects, from all walks of life and all corners of the business world.”
“I gain an incredible amount of knowledge in this role,” he said. “The digital space waits for no one and there is always something new to learn or a change to adapt to. It’s so important to stay on top or you get left behind.”
When it comes to style, products and services, Tom is a big fan of content that goes above and beyond to help clients stand out against the competition.
“I think interactive content is always really compelling and more engaging for users, and it helps you stand out from the pack. Also, mediums like webinars, workshops and even podcasts that make your brand more personable are great ways to build stronger connections with your audience.”
“The digital space waits for no one and there is always something new to learn or a change to adapt to.”
Skills Needed to Succeed
Staying focused on the client, rather than only zeroing in on personal success, is a must in the world of content marketing, according to Tom.
“From my own experience, I feel like the most valuable skill you can have in sales is to be genuinely inquisitive and passionate about understanding your clients’ situation and goals,” he said. “Only then are you really going to be able to demonstrate how your solution can actually benefit them!”
Being able to think on your feet and adapt quickly are two other necessary skills, as different situations and personalities can shift conversations in the sales world.
By honing in on these skills, Tom has seen major successes at Brafton, which have only pushed him toward further personal and professional growth.
“Being responsible for revenue and growth means I’m always working towards goals and targets and there’s always a sense of accomplishment when you or your team collectively hit them.”
But Tom isn’t only proud of his own achievements. He’s a huge believer in the old adage that says “teamwork makes the dream work,” and believes that it’s key to Brafton’s true success:
“I love the fact that we practice what we preach at Brafton,” he said. “Our lead generation model is 100% inbound, meaning that we have — and we are — hard evidence that the digital strategies and tactics we prescribe really work.”
