Meet Jake: ClearCut’s Director of Sales
When he’s not planning his upcoming wedding or juggling the responsibilities owning two dogs requires, he’s tackling the challenges brands face in today’s complex retail environment. Jake Bernstein, Director of Sales for ClearCut Analytics, spearheads his department and sets the tone for our culture by ensuring the team stays positive and connected with each other, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Jake of All Trades”– a Strategic and Operational Team Player
With over 10 years of previous experience, Jake has certified himself as a sales leader for tech startups. When joining ClearCut in June 2019, he looked forward to building off that previous experience by incorporating best practices around how ClearCut can perform, grow, and scale as a company. He has since worked hard to help everyone on the team establish solid work habits (from giving each other productive feedback to establishing defined, metrics-driven departmental goals) and reminds us all that “it’s not about how we operate today, but how we want to operate and grow in 2-3 years.”
Beyond the strategic, long-term lens, Jake is also fired up when he’s improving the team’s day-to-day approaches. Jake loves testing new sales methods and acting as a mentor to other employees, even those outside his branch. Without a doubt, he has solidified himself as an internal go-to guide for navigating the professional landscape.
We work hard for our clients, and for each other. That keeps me waking up every day excited to go to work.”
A Clear-Cut Pride for His Work
Jake says that his proudest moment at ClearCut is when we closed a very large customer (and leader within our target market) that was originally generated through his cold outreach.
More than where the sale originated, the whole ClearCut team was involved at various stages of the process. To him, this shows a truly cross-functional, team-driven effort to land, upsell, and onboard the new customer.
It gives me great joy when departments work together to showcase our capabilities, commitment to service, and expertise.”
Keeping The Team Connected
A description of Jake is not complete without mentioning his commitment to ClearCut’s culture. Jake is constantly building up the team’s spirit and confidence. Additionally, his cultural leadership has especially shined through during the pandemic. For instance:
- As our team continues to work remotely, Jake increased our team communication through weekly Zoom calls and Slack chats. Both methods ensure we don’t lose focus on important relationship-building across departments and are always promoting transparency. In addition, our team has grown over the past 6 months. Every new employee is welcomed, heard, and a member of our family from day one thanks to Jake’s efforts.
- Jake is also committed to team self-care and well-being. It’s not just about work! From starting Yoga Wednesdays to time off, Jake says “we need to be flexible and empathetic to everyone’s environment and situation.”
Jake has found that big picture driven one-on-one meetings, combined with lighthearted conversations and activities to promote well-being are what support ClearCut’s internal pandemic response and keeps related anxiety at-bay. Jake offers additional insights about how to carry your team’s culture during quarantine in his blog post here.
ClearCut could not be more fortunate to have Jake as a member of the team. His persistence for results, team spirit, and positive attitude inspire all of us. You can learn more about his experiences at ClearCut, or which celebrities he’s an expert on impersonating by reaching out to him via LinkedIn here. You can also find all of ClearCut’s job openings here.