Groupon Employee Spotlight:
Nick Saethre

🌟 Discover Nick's Inspiring Groupon Journey! 🌟

Meet Nick Saethre, our Senior Enterprise Business Development Director for North America, who has been with Groupon for over nine years. Nick's journey from a prospective law student to a consultative sales expert is inspiring. In this interview, he discusses his role, strategies for high performance, and personal insights, including his recent engagement and new puppy. Read more about Nick and his impactful contributions in our latest employee spotlight! 

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Groupon.

I have been with Groupon for over 9 years now and  am currently a Senior Enterprise Business Development Director for North America. My role is focused on partnering with new, national enterprise brands. On a personal note, I recently got engaged to my Fiancé (whom I met at Groupon) and am a new father to an 8-week old American Chocolate Lab (Moose). 

How did you get started in your career, and what brought you to  Groupon?

I graduated from the University of Dayton (go Flyers) with a plan of going to Law School back in Chicago. After graduation, a family friend introduced me to Groupon and I thought it would be a good idea to get a summer job before starting my journey into Law School.  In reality,  I ended up falling in love with consultative sales and the value I was providing to businesses and consumers (and have never looked back since). 

In your opinion, what are the key elements necessary for individuals and teams to excel and achieve high performance in a dynamic environment like Groupon?

• Celebrate the Wins: Progress and growth are not easy and often come with pain and road bumps. Celebrating the wins (small and large) is essential for making high performance a habit. For example, for small wins (like having a good meeting), I’ll often reward myself with a walk, or something small (like a cookie). For big wins, like exceeding my annual quota, I try to treat myself to a vacation, or a new experience (on Groupon of course)! 

• Keep a Good Attitude: When I first started working at Groupon, my Dad got me a plaque that reads ‘Attitude is Everything.’ In order to perform at your best, your attitude has to be there. Anytime I'm feeling discouraged, I look at the plaque and go for a 15 minute walk to recalibrate my thoughts and attitude. 

• Develop your Emotional Intelligence: being able to manage your own emotions, and the emotions of others is an extremely valuable skill in sales (and life). Focusing on my EQ has allowed me to develop strong relationships and connections that I value to this day. This has been the cornerstone of my success. 

• Goal Setting: A key pillar to my success. I have been setting SMART goals (short, medium, and long term) for 8+ years now, both personal, and professional.  Having goals will keep you on track and help you hold yourself accountable for your actions. 

• Eat the Frog: This is a strategy for those struggling with procrastination. Do the hardest / most important task first thing in the morning. This has helped me a lot! 

How do you balance the pursuit of high performance with maintaining a healthy work-life balance?

This is something I struggled with earlier in my career as my sole focus was on becoming the top new business sales rep at Groupon. In one year, I took only 1 day of PTO (paid time off) and realized I needed a more healthy work/life balance.  I then worked with my mentor to set personal goals, such as: working out 5x a week, reading 1 book a month, visiting one new country (or state) every year, etc. Once I started having a healthy work-life balance, my performance at work and overall happiness greatly improved. 

Can you describe a time when you faced a significant challenge or setback in achieving your goals, and how you overcame it to deliver successful outcomes? 

In 2017, I set a goal to be a president club winner (top 5% of sales). Even though I had my best year to date (at the time), I missed out of president clubs by 1 spot. This crushed me as I put so much effort and focus into achieving this goal. I used the pain from this failure as fuel and in 2018 and 2019, I achieved my goal of president's club. Looking back, that failure is what I needed to take the next jump in my professional development. 

As Groupon undergoes transformational changes, how do you adapt your approach to ensure continued success and contribute to the company's growth objectives? 

• Embrace the change:  I learned a long time ago that with change, comes opportunity. The key is to keep a good attitude and focus on what you can control. Jumping right into the change head on has allowed me to come out ahead of the pack. 

• Ask for Help: Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it and can apply it as a learning experience. 

How do you inspire and motivate your colleagues to embrace a mindset of continuous improvement and excellence in their work?

My first mentor (Jae), used to ask ‘what’s your why’? Simply put, why do you actually wake up every morning and come to work? Is it to give your family a better life? Is it to save up enough money so that you can retire early on a beach in the Caribbean? Everyone’s ‘why’ is different, but it should be your ‘North Star.’ There is no avoiding hard days, or weeks, but your ‘why’ will help get you through these. 

What strategies or approaches do you employ to consistently deliver exceptional results in your work? 

Being Consultative: what you're selling isn’t always going to be a fit for everyone. I always take the time to understand what my clients goals and needs are. I’ve learned that when you focus on providing value, instead of making a sale, success will follow. 

Continued Growth: while cliche, the phrase ‘If You’re Not Growing You’re Dying’ resonates deeply with me. Every week, I block off time to focus on further developmenting my craft and being an industry expert so I can provide more value to my clients and prospects. 

Work Ethic: there is no cheat code to success. A big part of my success has come from putting in the work. 

Building my Brand: Internally and with partners.  Becoming an expert in my field while conducting myself with integrity reflects on how my co-workers and partners view me, which ultimately drives my success. 

Mentoring Others: helping others achieve their goals is extremely fulfilling to me and teaching others has helped me become a better salesperson 

What was the first Groupon that you even bought, or experienced?

A $5 for $10 Starbucks e-gift card!

What is one non-work activity or hobby that you're into?

Golf. A few years ago, I played my first round. During this round, I holed out from 100+ yards and instantly became hooked (hasn’t happened since by the way…beginners luck). I am also a big Bears fan!

What’s one thing about you that surprises people?

I love fish, but never tried Tuna.

Rapid and Fire Questions

If you could swap lives with any fictional character for a day, who would you choose and why?

Tony Stark. Who wouldn’t want to be a genius superhero who saves the world many times over? 

What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done, and would you do it again? 

After graduating from University, my friends and I went on a road trip across the US and took on some of the most challenging white water rafting on the Colorado River.

If you could have a dinner party with any historical figure, dead or alive, who would you invite and what would you all talk about?

This is a hard one as I am a history/philosophy nerd…I have to say Leonardo da Vinci. I’d start by asking ‘what inspired you most as an artist, scientist and inventor? 

If you could instantly master any skill or talent, what would it be and why?

Instantly picking up a language. Both my parents' first language was not English (Greek & Norwegian) and since a young age,  I have loved experiencing new cultures.  

What's the most embarrassing song on your playlist that you secretly love?

I have an affinity for Classical music (Chopin, Bach, Einaudi, etc). Long story short, I am not allowed to be in charge of music in the car anymore.

And finally, what was the last Groupon you bought?

I just launched a partnership with Monro Inc and purchased an Oil Change for my Mom!