Imagine this: You’re at a prestigious company, making great money, and then you decide to take a 50% pay cut to join a startup with literally zero revenue.

Everyone thinks you’ve lost your mind.

But what if I told you that “crazy” decision led to becoming Director of Sales for the US market?

That’s exactly what happened to Laura Erdem from Dreamdata, and honestly, her story is one of the most inspiring I’ve heard.

Laura and I sat down (well, virtually, she was in NYC at 7am, I was in Melbourne at 5pm with my dog causing chaos in the background 😅) and she got so real about:

• How she negotiated a 40% salary jump as a woman in tech

• Why she then took that massive pay cut (and why it was actually genius)

• Being a mum of two while leading a sales team across the US

• Why she thinks introverts make BETTER salespeople than extroverts (yes, really!)

• How to break into B2B sales when you have zero “sales background”

Here’s what I love about Laura’s story: She didn’t follow the “safe” path. She took risks. She negotiated. She bet on herself. And she’s proof that you can have a demanding career AND be present for your kids.

This episode is for you if:

• You’re thinking about a career change but scared to make the leap

• You’re underpaid and don’t know how to ask for more (or feel guilty even thinking about it)

• You’re a mum wondering if you can actually have both career ambition AND family time

• You think you’re “too quiet” or “too analytical” for sales

• You’re in a male-dominated industry and wondering if you’ll ever break through

• You want to hear what strategic career moves actually look like (not just “work harder” advice)

Laura’s journey from “I don’t even know Excel” to Director of Sales is honestly so good. And the best part? She’s so down-to-earth about it all.

Let’s dive in.

(05:30) Laura’s origin story: Breaking into tech without knowing Excel

(12:00) The Gartner move: How she negotiated that 40% salary jump

(18:00) The “crazy” decision: Taking a 50% pay cut to join DreamData as employee #9

(24:00) Real talk: Being a woman in male-dominated tech sales

(27:30) Why aren’t there more women in sales? Laura’s honest take

(32:00) “You don’t need a sales background. You just need to figure it out.”

(35:00) The introvert advantage: Why quiet people crush it in sales

(40:00) Your “soft skills” are actually your sales superpowers

(45:00) Balancing motherhood and sales leadership (the real version, not the Instagram version)

(49:00) How sales and marketing actually work together (when they’re not fighting)

(54:00) Using data and buyer signals instead of just cold calling everyone

(58:00) Building your personal brand on LinkedIn (Laura has 50K followers!)

(1:03:00) Advice for women thinking about getting into B2B sales

(1:08:00) Laura’s permission slip: “Go get the role and figure it out”

Connect with Laura:

She’s amazing on LinkedIn (seriously, follow her): https://www.linkedin.com/in/lerdem/

Check out Dreamdata: Dreamdata.io

Connect with Me:

Let’s be LinkedIn friends: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shesellsb2b/

My website: https://www.theuntappedspace.com/