What pointed recommendations do you have on gaining influence as a new member of an organization or as a junior team member?

My biggest tip for gaining influence as a new member of an organization is a two-parter - Work creatively and know your numbers.

As cliché as it sounds, thinking on your toes & thinking outside the box will constantly give you a leg up. Failing fast and pivoting to a new program or idea is something I learned quick in my career. Try everything!

The second part of this tip recommendation would be to know your numbers. Dig into the details. When you think you know everything, review the numbers through a different lens. Understand your waterfall metrics, your conversion rates, your ROIs. Follow your leads. Partner closely with your Marketing Operations teams and BDR Leadership – understand what data is good vs bad. Never be afraid to ask the questions to see what else you can uncover.

To gain influence, do your job well. When you join a team, it is essential to connect with all your teammates and try to add value as soon as possible. Throw yourself into projects and offer up your time and expertise. A series of small, quick wins can go a long way toward earning you some "street cred" while showing you're a team player here to make an impact. 

Whether you are new or junior, the first step is to listen and understand that current organization, their products, campaigns, successes and failures; before making any recommendations.

A key way to gain influence is to offer help to whoever seems overwhelmed on the team – sales or marketing and be specific when you offer help. Instead of just saying “let me know how I can help”, say “I can clean up that excel and upload those leads for you”. Lighten their workload, and learn along the way. Rather than trying to solve for a big problem and show big impact, you can build your portfolio by nibbling away at the smaller things – especially when you are a junior team member.

Three recommendations I have for gaining influence as a new member of an organization or as a junior team member include:

• Understand how your work impacts the business objectives. The leadership team wants to see ownership and accountability. Be sure to get clarity on how your work ladders up to the overall business objectives and be able to speak to these points.
• Understand how your work impacts metrics that matter even if indirectly. The leadership team wants to see you demonstrate that you have an understanding of metrics that matter and how your work impacts these metrics. 
• Be a part of the conversation. To gain influence you have to be a part of the conversation. This does not mean you have to be the loudest voice in the room. This does mean that you demonstrate asking thoughtful questions, showing signs of curiosity, and having ownership in your projects.

As part of the items noted above, be someone that people want to be around including showing traits of being empathetic, supportive, and helping to elevate the team around you.