This article originally appeared on The Well, Jopwell’s editorial hub.Â
Myrna L. Datilus
Account Executive, Yelp
New York, NY
Twitter: @beloved_dimples
6:00am: My alarm goes off. I’m not a morning person at all, but my body always finds a way to wake up at 6am (with or without an alarm clock). When I first started working at Yelp in February 2015, I lived in New Jersey and spent 90 minutes commuting to work. Since moving to Harlem in January, I’ve been able to cut my commute in half and still make it to the office pre 8am, which is on the early side.
7:00am: I shower while listening to “Praise & Worship†on my iPhone. Inspirational music helps me feel motivated to tackle the day and reflect on how blessed I am to have a job I love. Once I’m showered, I text my sisters good morning and wish them a great day.
7:35am: I give my parents a call on my walk to the subway. They’re still wrapping their heads around me living in New York City — a dream I’ve had since I graduated college. After we hang up, I grab a seat on the train and read a chapter of Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. This book reminds me of my 2016 New Year’s Resolution to “capture my happy.†I’ve been in this mode where I won’t let anyone or anything distract me from staying positive and saying “yes†to challenges that push me out of my comfort zone. It’s going well so far!
8:15am: I arrive at our building — a skyscraper in Manhattan’s Flatiron District that also houses Credit Suisse, Sony, and a very swanky restaurant called Eleven Madison Park. I head up to my floor — one of two occupied by Yelp’s ~800 NYC employees. Before reaching my desk, I stop in the kitchen to grab a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch (my new morning obsession). I greet everyone and then eat while checking emails. As an account executive, it’s my job to pitch our advertising program to business owners and show them the advantages of using Yelp effectively. This means much of my day is spent on the phone. I decide which clients to call first.
8:40am: The account executives gather for our morning roundup, which we kick off by sharing how we used Yelp to help us make decisions for dining and hanging out over the weekend. Then my manager runs a brief training, sharing techniques we can use to further engage the business owners on the cold calls we’re making. At the end of the meeting, each person shares a few goals we hope to accomplish by the end of the day, as well as by the end of the month.
9:40am: I get back to my desk and start making calls. It can be quite challenging, but it’s also exciting because you never know what to expect or who you’ll get on the phone. The office vibe is very laid back. We have an open layout, and when you’re in need of a break, one of the floors has ping-pong and foosball tables you can use to take your mind off of work for a bit.
12:00pm: Time for a meeting with DiverseBurst — our employee resource group that focuses on improving internal diversity and inclusion initiatives. We’re restructuring, so today we discuss how to introduce ourselves to new NYC hires each month.
1:00pm: I make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and arrange my schedule for next week to fit more business owners on the calendar. Then I get back on the phone. I cold-call a heating and air-conditioning company with a five-star Yelp presence. I end up speaking with the owner and running him through the different ways we can help grow his business. He’s impressed and signs up for an ad campaign. I’m looking forward to working with him.
4:00pm: I take a quick break to grab water and a snack from the kitchen, where I bump into a few colleagues. We talk about the status of our calls. They ask: “Did you hit your target?†and “How many deals have you closed so far?†One of my recent goals was to be the no. 1 sales representative on my team and the sales floor for the month of May. I reached it, so these are questions I happily answer.
5:00pm: I call my clients to confirm my pitches for tomorrow, edit a doc for DiverseBurst, and prepare a demo.
5:45pm: I leave the office. I try not to bring work home with me at the end of the day, but I admittedly always end up thinking about it. I don’t call anyone after work, though. After making more than 70 calls today, I’m all talked out.
6:30pm: I recently started doing Shaun T’s CIZE Dance Workouts. I squeeze that in when I get home and then take a quick shower before cooking some baked chicken with veggies and rice for dinner.
9:00pm: I watch an episode of Black-ish and catch up on an episode of Shark Tank On Demand in my living room. When I get tired, I move into my bedroom (a screen-free space I reserve for reading and rest).
11:00pm: I turn in for the night, already looking forward to another day in the office tomorrow. Sweet dreams.
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