We’re excited to have Tara Weddle join the AIES family as our Manager of Sales Operations & Analysis. I recently sat down with her to learn more about her background and life in and out of the office.

How would you describe your job at All Industrial Electric Supply?

As the Manager of Sales Operations and Analysis, I work to help drive growth with the sales organization and implement process improvements to make the organization more scalable as we grow.

Initially I’ll be involved in streamlining process improvements, commissions, and focus on sales reporting. Finding out what the salespeople’s needs are, how to help them sell. Basically my role is to be the their advocate, and resource so they can do their job more efficiently.

What was your work experience like prior to AIES?

My past experience is well-rounded.  My experience focus is in the high tech industry with consumer electronics, networking products, and software. I’ve been a salesperson, sales support, senior demand planning analyst, and also worked on the supply chain side.

Why did you join the All Industrial family?

I liked the job description. It appealed to me because it was a combination of managing operations, improving processes, identifying areas of inefficiencies and finding opportunities to create efficiencies. That’s what I love to do.  I like to call myself a fixer. If something’s taking 20 minutes when it really should take 5, I like to figure out how to get there.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge of this role?

I think the biggest challenge is going to be managing personalities, and finding ways to improve the data available to both sales and management team to assist with planning and decision making.

And the biggest reward?

Whether or not I can manage those personalities.

One of my previous managers was a great leader. She was our advocate, she would defend us to other departments, we knew she had our backs. If the salespeople here can see me in the same light, that would be the biggest compliment I could receive.

I want our sales team to see me as their advocate and the one who’s going to bat for them when there’s an issue that needs to be fixed.

What has work been like for you so far?

I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people in the organization. This has given me an overview on how things work around here. Just being able meet all the different departments and see how things flow gives me a better overall view of the company.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

When I’m not in the office I like to spend time with my 19-month old son and competing in dog sports. I compete, train, and host Barn Hunt Trials; a scenting sport for dogs.

I’ve competed in Nevada, Arizona, L.A. and Washington state. I’m in the process of becoming an official Barn Hunt judge. I’ve always loved dogs. I have a border collie (Switch shown in pic to right), a mixed brindle breed, and a parson russell terrier.

Favorite show?

Homeland, Silicon Valley, The Americans

Do you support any Bay Area teams?

I’m a 49er and Raider fan, which is an oxymoron because you can’t be both.

Which personality traits are essential for your job at All Industrial?

You have to have a backbone. You need to be assertive, but you also have to have a soft touch.

You have to know how to approach every situation, because not every situation is the same. You have to have initiative and be a self-driver. Someone who waits to be told what to do – is not a person who’s going to be successful in this role.

A sales manager has to be a driver, an advocate for the sales organization. They need to find solutions to help the company grow, increase efficiency and make the organization scalable. Every time we approach a situation, my question is, what are we trying to solve here? If you’re very finite with that answer, you can have a very detailed solution.