Clay Telfer’s Post

Hello friends. I am reaching out to ask for your help. After a great, revitalizing summer, I’m looking for my next venture.  At this stage in my career, finding the right company is more important than finding a specific role. What type of company excites me? Simple: growing with lots of upside potential and a leadership team that respects their team members. As far as roles, I am flexible. Three come to mind: (1) Fixing Net Retention for a SaaS provider. Net Retention can either stymie or unlock growth, and I have great experience around navigating what might be broken and how to fix it. (2) Individual contributor in an Enterprise Sales role. (3) Early Stage SaaS Sales leadership. Please point me to openings that you think would be a good fit. I really appreciate any help you can provide.

Hey LinkedIn Community! 👋 Exciting news—I’ve just wrapped up my Master’s in Information Systems at Northeastern University in Toronto! 🎓 Now, I’m ready to dive into my next role, where I can combine my passion for ERP ⚙, data analysis 📊, and data engineering 🔧 to make an impact. A bit about me: I’ve worked with ERP/SAP 💼, Python 🐍, and SQL 🗄 on data-driven projects that power smarter decision-making and smoother processes. I’m all about solving complex challenges that bring together tech and strategy—whether that’s through data insights 💡, optimizing workflows 🛠, or building systems that just work better 🔥. What I’m looking for next: Ideally, I’m after a role where I can keep growing and bring together ERP expertise, data insights, and engineering skills. Roles in Consulting 🤝, Data Analytics/Engineering 🧩, or Business Strategy 🎯 are right up my alley, but I’m open to any opportunity where I can work on impactful projects and add value. If you know of any opportunities or just want to connect, drop me a message or comment below! I’m always up for a chat and exploring possibilities. 

I have made a lot of poor decisions. A whole lot. What sets you apart from others? What makes the biggest impact on your life? You guessed it right. It is your ability to make decisions. It can make or break you, all things being the same and that includes your talent, your education, your skills, your finances. Recently I read the book “Clear Thinking” by Shane Parrish If you are curious who he is, he is the founder of Farnam Street. If you are curious, what Farnam Street is, go check out fs.blog The book highlights 4 defaults we switch to when we are about to make poor decisions. 1. The Emotion Default: Do you let your emotions cloud your judgement? In the heat of the moment, do you take decisions which are irreversible? 2. The Ego Default:  Do you resist feedback?  Do you feel uneasy when others correct you? Are you adamant on not doing things others tell you to do? 3. The Social Default:  Do you sometimes cave into the activities which may harm you because your friends are doing it? Are you unable to question your group members’ actions? 4. The Inertia Default We all want to keep doing what we’ve always done. Bloody INERTIA It makes change difficult. The lesson I learnt is we cannot change our brain-wiring but we can use it for our benefit and DEFAULT TO CLARITY. The book is precious and I know reading is overrated but this book has made me aware of where I need improvement. P.S. I am open to work and looking for Associate Product Manager jobs.

There is no shame in asking for a hand, so today is my turn: I have been in Canada for almost 2 years now. During this time, I’ve thrived as a Marketing & Ecommerce Consultant and Fractional CMO for several companies, primarily in Latin America, enjoying a good life. But after nearly 2 years, it's time for a new chapter. 🌍 I’m eager to dive into the Canadian market. Even if the financial rewards are initially less, I believe the experience and growth opportunities are invaluable. I've learned that I can be successful doing remote work, but I can’t pass up the chance to immerse myself in the local workspace. 🌟 Starting today, I am on the lookout for part-time or full-time opportunities in Canadian companies. I’m open to roles from Director to VP, or even C-Level positions, ready to prove my capabilities. My hands-on experience with the American Marketing Association over the past year has given me a solid understanding of the local market, even if my resume might not pass through ATS filters as a newcomer. 🫡 If you know of any company in need of a seasoned C-LEVEL marketer with 20 years of experience leading teams of up to 34 people across 4 countries simultaneously, let them know I’m up for the challenge. My areas of expertise include: Marketing Strategy, Branding, Digital Marketing, Performance, Ecommerce, Personal Branding, Account Management, International Growth and Teaching, Innovation and AI (i don't feel like an expert yet, but I build, train, and sell my own GPTs). Feel free to reach out or drop a comment, like or share if you think it may help or if you have any leads or advice. 🚀

Today marks a new chapter in my professional journey as I was impacted by a layoff. While this is undoubtedly a challenging moment, I’m optimistic about what lies ahead and eager to explore opportunities where I can make an impact. As a Vice President of Customer Experience, I have a proven track record of building customer-first organizations, driving retention and growth strategies, and delivering exceptional experiences that foster loyalty and long-term value. Some of my proudest achievements include: • Reducing churn by 12% YoY and achieving sub-2% churn rates through proactive engagement strategies. • Leading cross-functional alignment to drive $4M in incremental ARR and improve CSAT by 20%. • Scaling Customer Success operations to support 3X growth while maintaining high customer satisfaction. I’m passionate about creating customer-centric cultures and leveraging data-driven insights to transform the customer journey. My experience spans leadership roles in SaaS, IoT, and technology-driven industries, managing globally diverse teams and implementing strategies that drive measurable results. I would greatly appreciate any support from my network—whether it’s sharing this post, connecting me with opportunities, or offering advice as I navigate this next step. I’m open to roles in Customer Experience, Customer Success, Operations Leadership, or consulting on any of the aforementioned, where I can continue building meaningful customer relationships and delivering exceptional results. Feel free to reach out via LinkedIn or email [email protected]. Thank you for your kindness and support—it means the world!

Reflecting on My Career Journey: Since graduating in 2019, navigating the professional world has been both a challenging and rewarding experience. Starting my career amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic made finding a stable, long-term position difficult. Over the past five years, I’ve worked in three sales roles and three marketing positions, gaining invaluable experience but also feeling the weight of constant change and adaptation. While this journey has been exhausting at times, one undeniable silver lining is the wealth of knowledge and skills I’ve acquired in both sales and marketing. From developing strategic campaigns to building lasting client relationships, I’ve had the opportunity to hone my expertise across two vital areas of business. Now, I’m ready for the next chapter: joining a company where I can contribute, grow, and thrive over the long term. I’m seeking a solid organization that values growth, teamwork, and innovation—somewhere I can truly make an impact while continuing to develop professionally. If you’re part of a company looking for a dedicated, experienced, and well-rounded sales or marketing professional, I’d love to connect and explore opportunities!

It’s time for “the post.” After weeks of networking and reflection, I’m reaching out for support as I explore new opportunities. For the past 6+ years, I’ve held Director of Media and Director of Programmatic roles, but I’m also open to exploring Ad Tech, People Operations, Communication & Partnership roles. As I begin this next chapter, my ideal company would have the following: 1. Remote-first, people-first culture 2. A commitment to curiosity, learning, and growth 3. Diverse leadership team Heres what I bring to the table: • Programmatic Expertise: Deep experience with DSPs, managing capabilities, vetting partners, and staying ahead of industry trends. • Team Leadership: Mentoring, problem-solving, training, and fostering an inclusive, growth-oriented environment. • Creative Problem Solving: Building and improving processes, collaborating across teams, and finding innovative solutions. In a dream world, I’d love to contribute to a mission-driven organization, but I’m also open to roles in tech/software or even exploring brand-side opportunities. As we all know, the job market is tough, so I’d greatly appreciate any leads, connections, or advice as I pivot out of the agency world. Thank you for reading and for your support!

I spent the last few months on a listening tour, reflecting on what I should do next, which included (mostly) listening to many former colleagues and managers, previous direct reports and friends. I'm deeply appreciative to the many people that were generous with their time and advice. It is amazing what you can learn about yourself when you just listen. It's such an undervalued skill! So what's next for me? I'm going to continue leading technical client-facing teams at the intersection of Product/Engineering, and Sales and Partnerships, to gain a deep understanding of customer and internal needs and challenges. I love building teams and strategy around customer or partner needs, and with that vision, deliver results back to the business. I am looking for a full-time Director level position in a medium to large-size tech company that allows me to build and/or lead a technical client-facing team and work with clients or partners directly. Some of the things I am most passionate about and where I've made the most impact: - Building, leading, mentoring and empowering high performing client-facing teams. - Starting and scaling partner ecosystems while building meaningful and lasting relationships that unlock business potential. - Combining technical and non-technical expertise to sell complex technical solutions in simple terms. - Understanding customer needs and collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to leverage insights and influence product decisions. - Bringing new products, platforms or services to market. I'm targeting in-office or hybrid, in the San Francisco Bay/Silicon Valley area, and I would appreciate your support. Teams in Customer Engineering, Sales Engineering, Solutions Engineering/Architecture, Technical Account Management or Professional Services are all possibly a good fit. Thank you in advance for any connections, advice or opportunities you can offer.