Brian LaMannaAE @ Gong | Closed Won 🦙 | 7x President’s Club

You Shouldn't Always Take The "Promotion"

22 May 2025 · 1 min

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0:36

Brian LaManna turned down a promotion to sales manager at 24 to take an individual contributor role at Gong instead. He wanted to become an excellent seller first, before managing people. Colleagues warned him against it, but he calls it the best decision he ever made.

Questions this video answers

July 2021.

Commercial Account Executive (commercial AE) at Gong.

24 years old.

Chapters

I was set to get promoted and become a sales manager of a team of four AES. It was July 2021 and it was my third and final month in training. No one at the time was expecting for me to leave, and then I jumped ship and accepted a role as a commercial AE over at gong. Colleagues they called me crazy family asked if I knew what I was really doing, and leaders I looked up to told me it was a beeping mistake. Don't get caught chasing the title and lose sight of your vision. My vision was becoming the best possible seller before managing, and at age 24 I knew I had more to Lear careers. They don't need to move in a straight line, and it was the best decision I ever made.