From first sales hire to US sales leader: six years scaling with Summize

Six years ago, Harvey Trimble joined Summize as a Sales Development Representative as our first sales hire. Today, he’s Senior Director of Sales in the US – but the question is, how did he get there?

We sat down with Harvey to reveal all! From closing Summize’s first ever deal, to scaling our sales function and opening our first US office in Boston. We asked him what it takes, can everyone be a sales person, and most importantly – what does the next six years look like?

How long have you been at Summize, and do you remember what number employee you were?

Six years and a lot has happened in that time! When I joined Summize I was employee number five, which is of course miles apart from how many people are in the company now. When I joined it was just our two Co-founders, Tom Dunlop and David Smith, plus our Chief Technology Officer Richard Somerfield, and a Marketing Manager.

What originally attracted you to Summize?

It was the chance to join a real startup, and obviously the opportunity to come in as a founding salesperson isn’t something you come across very often. I remember meeting Tom and learning about his background as an in-house General Counsel, his struggles and his vision, and even though I had a few different opportunities at the time, I really bought into Tom’s idea and could see the potential in both the company and the market. I just thought to myself “I’d be stupid not to take this!”

Six years ago, we didn’t have the HR and talent team we do now, so what did the interview and onboarding process look like?

There wasn’t an onboarding plan per se. We were a startup and still figuring things out, so it was very much “here’s a laptop and off you go”. In hindsight, I learnt so much in this period about sales, growing a business and developing a market fit. We were all learning together and it felt good to be a part of that.

The interview was in person, with a group of us brought in to meet Tom and Charlie - our Chairman at the time. It was a proper grilling from Charlie to see if you could stand up to that, which I quite liked. After the interviews they said they were going to go away and think about who to hire and that they wouldn’t make an offer on the day, but I was in the middle of signing for a house and needed confirmation of employment. So I basically said, “if you want me to join, I need an answer.”

So you closed on the day?

Obviously.  

Let’s move onto sales. Did you make Summize’s first ever sale?

I certainly did! It was a small deal compared to what we do now, but at the time it felt huge. I was very new to sales and had a good relationship with the client – he was a big Arsenal fan and I’m a big Manchester United fan. We spoke for a while about what the business needed, what he was trying to achieve and how we could help – I could tell we were onto something. So I rang Charlie, our Chairman, and asked him, “Charlie, I’ve got something real here. How do I close?” He said, “Harvey, just ring him and ask if we’re in luck.”

That’s what I did – the client laughed and said, “You’re in luck.” That was our first customer and we celebrated properly, even though it was a small deal.  

So it’s been six years and you’ve progressed and grown a lot in that time! How many job titles have you had?

Too many to keep track of! I started as Sales Development Representative and now I’m Senior Director of Sales. Titles might have changed, but a lot hasn’t.

Within that time, you also moved to Boston and set up our first US office. How did that come about?

Myself and two colleagues relocated to set up the Boston office. We didn’t fully believe it until about six weeks out and they just said, “We’ve got a plane ticket, you’re going.” It was exciting, just three of us in a very small, industrious shared office space. We had a lot of fun, three young guys enjoying what the United States had to offer, especially the nightlife, but we were working hard as well – and the numbers show that!

We knew the business had taken a bit of a risk on us and had given us an opportunity to go and build something, so we wanted to pay them back and show we could do it. And I think we’ve done that – we’ve now moved offices three times in Boston, each to bigger and better spaces because we keep on growing. We’ve also done six straight years of 100% growth. And it’s not just sales colleagues in the US as it was when we first moved over, there’s now marketing, implementation and customer success teams here too. It’s also incredible to see the opening of our second US office – in San Diego – so it’s a great honor to see the success and growth we’ve had over here and that isn’t stopping anytime soon!

Looking back, is there anything you would’ve done differently when moving to the US?

Good question. When we first moved over we tried to do as many in-person meetings as possible. It was a new country for us and the business, so we wanted to learn how people interact face to face and all about the different business culture. I would do more of that. Virtual calls are great for productivity but meeting people in person is still where real business gets done, and it’s how you get to know people as a person, not just a job title.

So to finish, tell us what’s next for Harvey Trimble over this year and the next six.

The next chapter is all about continuing the growth journey with Summize. I’ve been lucky to be part of the business through some really important stages already, and it feels like we’re now entering another big chapter. We’ve just closed our Series B funding, which is incredibly exciting, and I’m looking forward to seeing where that takes us. There’s still so much opportunity ahead – to keep growing the team, building in both the US and the UK and helping Summize reach the next level.

After six years here, I’m excited about what’s next, both for the company and for the journey we’re all on together.

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Inspired by Harvey’s journey? We’re always looking for ambitious people who want to grow with us. Click below to explore our open roles!