Career Stories: Why Spencer Cameron Is Betting Big On Observability
By Knox Lively,April 25, 2022
You don’t get opportunities like this often in life, much less with jobs.
In the past year, Observe has doubled its headcount from fifty to almost one hundred employees. We’ve been hard at work building the next generation of SaaS observability tools, but that hasn’t stopped us from having a little fun.
This week I spoke with one of our newer employees, Spencer Cameron, to get to know him better and talk about why he’s excited about observability, his role, and the future of Observe.
First, tell us about yourself and how you got into sales.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, though I now live in Chicago. When it comes to my personal life, I’ll never give up an opportunity to travel the world with family and friends, whether it be fully experiencing a new culture/cuisine, playing rugby, skiing, or scuba diving.
In terms of my career, I started out in the recruiting industry, but have always been pretty entrepreneurial. I’ve always been very consultative in my approach to solution-based selling and constantly looking to support the customer and how can I get them a win. Even if that means it’s not with me that’s fine, I want to be as transparent and helpful as possible.
Can you describe your role at Observe?
I’m what you call an SDR, which stands for Sales Development Rep. I call it the “front lines” of sales, where we take inbound leads from downloadable content that we have on our website, eBooks, white papers, etc. We then engage with prospects to meet through personalized outreach, messages, and calls to understand what piqued these individuals’ curiosity and see how we can provide value to them.
Essentially, it’s that upfront contact following a positive interaction on our site and getting them in front of an expert to see how we can bring them value today.
What attracted you to this role?
It all started from a conversation that I had with my friend that works at Snowflake. He mentioned Observe and said if I ever thought about leaving my current company I should look into them.
It just happened that three months following this conversation the same friend reached out to Scott Taylor [Account Executive at Observe] and then Scott mentioned that Observe was interested in bringing on an SDR.
Accepting the offer was kind of a humbling moment because having worked in sales for a while, it felt like taking a step back. But I knew that my development in sales and overall acumen would level up working with Keith and Scott. Also, it didn’t hurt knowing that Observe was backed by the likes of Sutter Hill Ventures, John McMahon, Michael Dell, Mike Speiser, etc. Joining [Observe] seemed like a no-brainer and has been every day since.
What did you know about Observability before starting this role?
I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about observability, but then I talked to another friend that had worked at AppDynamics who opened my eyes to it and I realized that observability is the lifeblood of an organization. After talking to Keith [CRO at Observe] and Scott Taylor, I just became obsessed.
It’s an exciting time within the company and I believe in the formula and the people and where we’re heading at the moment.
Did something special stand out to you in the interview process about people or culture?
It was the idea that Keith planted into my brain that this was going to be a grind, as the organization was still developing and building a strong customer feedback loop to learn how to best meet the customer’s and market’s needs. You don’t get opportunities like this often in life, much less with jobs.
What do you enjoy most about working at Observe?
The people that I’m able to share in building the future with – they’re some of the best and brightest, amazing individuals that I’ve worked with so far in my professional world.
What excites you most about the product?
The most exciting thing to me is the benefits that customers see and not just our customers, but the customers of our clients: to be able to see how the savings we offer directly impacts their bottom line, and to see how our customers can build and iterate more effectively and more efficiently on the products they put out there for their customers.
I’m also excited by the fact that we can stay true to our word when we say, “customer is king” because I know we can bring value to their business and their customers.
Do you have any words of advice for prospective employees?
It’s the little brushstrokes that bring the whole picture together. Ask questions early and often. I’ve never been a part of a more inclusive and willing organization to support and train me along my career path – which comes from the top down. Lastly, it’s how you show up every day. If you show up with intent and effort you can’t fail.
Join Us!
Though we’ve grown quite a lot in the past year, there’s still a ton left to do. From engineering to design, to sales, and more, we’ve got no shortage of opportunities – wherever you call home.
We’re looking for the best and brightest, those passionate about learning and solving the world’s most difficult problems in new and unique ways, and those that want to make a difference. If this sounds like you or someone you know, then we’ll make it worthwhile with a competitive salary, best-in-industry benefits, and unlimited vacation.
Check out our jobs page to see where you fit in!