“Get nerdy about your product and your industry.”
That’s one of Natalie Jones’ main pieces of advice to sales professionals looking to grow in their careers. The Vice President of Sales at Triose/
Cencora knows this firsthand. Her passion has helped her become the leader she is today.
We spoke with Jones about mentorship, career growth, and balancing her personal and professional lives. (Hint: “Mom guilt” is real, but she makes it work.)
What attracted you to Triose/Cencora, and why did you join the team?
I joined Triose in 2014. What initially attracted me to the Triose team was their commitment to building a strong employee and customer-first culture — a culture focused on personal development and continuous improvement across the board.
Within six months of joining the team, I took on my first leadership role. I was also introduced to mentors to help me be successful at leading people. When Triose was acquired by Cencora, the culture match was clear.
Since I’ve been part of the Cencora team, I’ve had many wonderful opportunities to advance my leadership skills, build my skill set, and stretch outside of my comfort zone.
Since joining Triose/Cencora, you’ve continuously grown your career and taken on positions of increasing responsibility — from Vendor Relations Coordinator to VP of Sales. Could you tell us more about how you grew your career and how your manager and company supported this growth?
I’ve always been upfront with the leadership team at Triose about wanting to be a people leader. I’ve been committed to continuous improvement and willing to help advance any initiative or project we were working on.
When I joined Triose, my first role was in a niche area. Still, I focused on building relationships with the other teams my work impacted. I took the time to learn about the different roles and what was important to my colleagues as they worked with our customers. I learned about how we served our customers and dug into the details of all the processes to gain a deeper understanding.
A lot of people take cross-functional relationships for granted. But I think it’s so important to know what other teams do, their impact on our customers, and how we can more effectively partner together. By engaging with other teams, I gained greater visibility across the organization and vice versa.
I have always been hungry to get better — in every role and every department. I think that’s the key to ensuring growth in your career.
During your time at Triose/Cencora, what skills did you develop that have helped you excel today?
The main skill I’ve developed is how to be a people-first leader. I’m laser-focused, not only on results but also on the development and expansion of my team. This skill has allowed me to build a highly successful and fulfilling career.
Whenever a team member is promoted, whether internally or externally, I take pride in the fact that I played a small part in their journey. I’m always aware that we spend more time with those we work with than our family and loved ones. Work needs to be fulfilling, fun, and inspiring. That’s what I hope to provide to all team members.
Communication skills and building up others will always help you advance in your career, whether it’s learning how to give constructive feedback to having difficult conversations with peers or direct reports.
Strengthening how we communicate in all forums allows us to show up in any scenario. Critical thinking is another key area. As responsibility grows, this muscle will be tested. With this skill especially, it was essential for me to find a mentor who could help me think of my role and the business in a different way.
What advice would you give to other women who are hoping to achieve internal mobility like you have?
My advice would be to own your development path and communicate what you want to those leaders you work with — both directly and indirectly.
When I first entered the working world, I asked one of my early mentors in the company, “Where do you see me in five years?” He flipped that question back to me and asked, “Where do you want to be in the next five years?”
I took the time to reflect on that question. I realized I saw myself in a role that was much different from the one I was in at the time: I wanted to move to and eventually lead sales.
I returned to my next mentorship meeting proud of myself for deciding and ready to deliver that news. My mentor said, “You’re an operations person. I don’t see you in sales. You should rethink that and focus on developing in your current role.”
I was disheartened by that response at first. But I owned the path I wanted to take. Two years later, I took on my first commercial role. Three years after that, I was given the honor of leading the entire commercial team for the organization.
I was steadfast in my goal, so I put myself in a situation that would help me get there.
Another powerful part of that journey was letting the commercial leader know that I wanted to move into the commercial side of the business and would assist the company with whatever they needed to get there. The power of that dream, leveraging my network and taking on any opportunity to showcase my abilities is what got me to where I am today.
It can be scary to commit to the goal and not know the path to get there. It can also be scary to put ourselves in situations to take on more challenges and responsibilities. But I think my journey is an example of how you can feel fear and seize the opportunity anyway.
Mentors have been a huge part of my journey. Being vulnerable and open to all types of feedback from them has helped me hone my skills and my path.
Find those leaders who you look up to and are inspired by, reach out and tell them how they inspire you, and then ask them if they would be willing to mentor you. I continue to be so humbled to be asked to help someone on their journey. I take every opportunity to help others grow and expand their skills. I know many other leaders within the Cencora organization who are most fulfilled when mentoring and helping others as much as I do.
Tell us a bit about your current job as the VP of Sales at Triose. What’s your day-to-day like, and what are your favorite parts about your role?
One of the reasons I adore my role is because there’s never a day that’s the same as another. I thrive being with team members and in front of customers. The best part of my role is getting to sit with the customers we impact every day and hear from them about what’s good, what could be better, and what we can do next.
I love to explore how we can approach things differently. Bringing our customers along on that journey is powerful. When I’m not in front of our customers, I’m usually meeting with my incredible lead team and working through initiatives to grow the business and continue to strengthen our customer’s experience. I also spend a lot of time collaborating across the Cencora team and internal Triose teams to ensure our customers’ voices are heard and we continue to evolve our offerings.
What advice do you have for professionals who are hoping to take their sales career to the next level?
Invest in your development: To grow in sales, you need to grow your skill set. Learn from salespeople who inspire you. If there’s a sales leader who does inspire you, ask them to mentor you or help you craft your pitch. You have to own your development, but also leverage any resources around you. Podcasts are also a great tool to listen to on those long travel days when you can’t get service to call others.
Network: Everyone says “network,” but you truly should network — just to meet new people, whether they’re in your industry or not. Learn how to connect with others when there’s nothing to sell. A great book on how you can strengthen your skills in this area is How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes.
Craft your powerful requests: As salespeople, we can sometimes focus on honing the sales process but not always get what we need out of our meetings. Spend time crafting your powerful requests, whether you want access to another decision-maker or get them to sign on the line.
Get nerdy about your product and your industry: When you sit in front of your prospect for any meeting, you’re being given the privilege of their time. Ensure that you understand your impact on them and their industry and how you can help them better serve their customers, clients, or patients.
Learn to really listen, and learn to be quiet (no that is not a joke): The biggest mistake we make as salespeople is being so committed to the delivery of the deck or the pitch that we miss a lot of key information the prospect is telling us. We’re too busy trying to advance to the numbers slide with 20 minutes left of the call, and you’re missing some key areas to dive deeper into when a question comes up. You want to get the prospect talking. Listen to the customer, ask the questions, be quiet and take in what they’re saying. We don’t have to be so committed to the call plan that we forget that what we really should be committed to is the mission of the customer and how we can be part of it.
What’s your advice for women who are new to leadership or aiming to move into a leadership role?
Lead with compassion: When you’re new to a leadership role, it’s easy to get excited about your newfound “power.” Still, it’s important to remember you’re leading people. Get to know your team and care about it first and foremost. Learn each team member’s mission, goals, strengths, and areas for growth. Lean in with them on all areas. Allow them to shine in their strength and grow in their areas of improvement.
Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement: Your ability to grow got you to this leadership role. Continue to be hungry for growth. Lean into your strengths and where you want to improve, and find yourself that mentor to help you.
Remember that it’s okay to be vulnerable: You’re leading people, but those people need to see you as a person, too. You’re not a robot. You can have feelings, share any struggles you face, and be vulnerable. Continue to ask for feedback on how you can be better for the team.
You’ve recently become the Vice Chair of the Cencora Emerging Professionals Network Employee Resource Group (ERG) — congrats! Could you tell us what this role entails, and what this ERG does? Why is this work important to you?
I’m incredibly excited to be the new Vice Chair of the Cencora Emerging Professionals Network. I’m surrounded by an amazing team of leaders on our ERG team, and together, our passion is extremely powerful.
The mission of the Cencora Emerging Professionals Network (EPN) is to empower and support the professional growth and career progression of all Cencora team members, regardless of experience level. Through a diverse range of enablement and development initiatives, we aim to cultivate a dynamic community that fosters learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement, ultimately driving individual success and collective excellence within our organization.
This mission is something I’m extremely passionate about. I’m incredibly grateful for the resources, support, and mentorship I’ve received on my career journey; I want to ensure all our team members get connected to the same resources to thrive on their unique journey. My ERG leadership role has also provided me with the ability to zoom out of the day-to-day and think about how we can have an even bigger impact on members of our ERG and the wider organizational culture.
I’m honored to be leading our Letter to My Younger Self monthly initiative, which asks leaders across our global organization to share what they would tell their younger selves and reflect on their life’s journey. The goal is to share their inspiration, challenges, triumphs, lessons learned, and more. Each unique letter allows us to connect as people as well as coworkers. I get a new perspective with each one I read. I also get to connect with every leader highlighted to host a coffee chat with them, ask questions, and dig deeper into what they’ve shared to provide insights to our members. This work gives even more meaning to my role at Triose and Cencora, and I’m truly excited to serve our members for the next two years in my EPN position.
How do you establish a work-life balance as a VP and ERG leader?
I wish I could give women all the answers on how to find work-life balance, but the truth is, I still haven’t cracked the code.
I think “balance” is not always achievable in all seasons of our lives or careers. As a VP of Sales, ERG leader, and working mom (to a “threenager”), I try to maximize every waking hour. Often, that means adjusting depending on my workload. As I balance the two roles at work and my leadership role at home, I try not to be too hard on myself when I have to adjust. I know that ultimately, I have to prioritize the most critical things for that day and account for my own mental health.
I’m usually awake by 5 a.m. every day. After I fit in a workout, I sit at my laptop for 30–40 minutes to get a head start on my day, whether that means catching up on emails or working on a key project.
“Focus Time” in Outlook is my friend. I try to block morning focus time when I’m at my most productive to get the big ticket items for the day done. I’m getting better at switching off by 5:30 p.m. and spending time with my daughter before her bedtime. On the odd occasion when I want to use some time in the evening to get ahead for the next day, it’s usually when she’s already in bed.
When I’m traveling, I’m firm in that I have to have my morning and evening Facetime with her — even if it’s while in a Lyft or at the airport. I’m so thankful to Grandma, who’s always sending me pictures so I don’t miss out on her activities.
“Mom guilt” is real and at times crippling, but I always remind myself — and I tell my daughter often — “Mummy is working hard so we get to have fun when mummy isn’t working.”
Before I became a mom, I was the epitome of a workaholic. It was a tough transition, but it changed my perspective and approach to my personal and working life.
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