Laura Smith, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Partnerships, Hertz Interviewed by Dorothy Dowling

Laura Smith’s career began far from a traditional sales path. After studying languages and starting as a teacher, she joined an airline, where early experience in a lost baggage call center shaped her belief in leading with empathy. She explains that empathy shapes trust and culture, and those two things shape performance. When asked in 2020 to lead the global sales organization at Hertz, she relied on people skills, reliability, and a strong team foundation to step into commercial leadership during extraordinary change, including bankruptcy and a complete reset of the business.

Smith defines exceptional sales leadership as building an engine that hits the numbers every time, focused on daily behaviors, consistency, and culture as the performance multiplier. She emphasizes preparation, listening more than speaking, understanding the human in the room, knowing the decision maker, and conducting the meeting before and after the meeting. Through uncertainty, she believes in over communication, short-term priorities, celebrating wins, and reminding teams that they can do hard things. Moving from Ireland to the United States reinforced resilience, trust in opportunity, and the power of team.

Notable Quotes

•        “Leading with empathy shapes trust, it shapes culture.”

•        “Sales at the end of the day is really solving problems.”

•        “An exceptional sales leader builds an engine that hits the numbers every time.”

•        “You cannot over communicate in scenarios of deep change and grave     uncertainty.”

•        “Change is the most incredible mechanism for real growth.”

Transcript

Dorothy Dowling 0:05

Laura, welcome to its Personal Stories. I'm so glad to have you here at its personal stories. We focus on the human side of leadership, the experiences, the inflection points and personal disciplines that shape how leader show up over time, especially as roles evolve and careers unfold across moments of growth and change your career at the. Sits at the intersection of sales, leadership, global responsibility and resilience through disruption. As executive Vice president of Sales at Hertz, you've led teams through extraordinary change, including bankruptcy, ownership, transitions, and a complete reset of the business, all while maintaining strong client relationships. And keeping teams focused and motivated. What we're most interested in today isn't just the role itself, but how you've navigated that journey, how you've honed your sales craft, how you prepare and show up for clients, how you've led through uncertainty, and how personal decisions, including global mobility, have shaped the leader you are today. So with that as our backdrop, let's start at the beginning. So I hope you'll take us back to the beginning, Laura. And how did your career in sales and commercial leadership first take shape?

Laura Smith 1:13

Thank you so much, Dorothy. And first of all, may I just say how wonderful it is to be here with you today, and thanks for taking the time, going all the way back. Gosh, the path for me has not been a traditional one into sales. I started my career really as a teacher. I went to university to study languages, and I did that for a couple of years and realized very quickly, thankfully, that was not for me. And I joined an airline about 26 years ago, and that was really the start of a long journey. That was more than anything, a love of travel, a love of people and customers. And that was really the path. And I joined Hertz 20, this is my 24th year. And, truly the first 15 years of my career with Hertz was very customer focused. So I really didn't have a strong and traditional sales background. But I was very fortunate that someone took a chance on me. Our CEO in 2020 asked me to lead the sales organization globally, and that was really the start into my career.

Dorothy Dowling 2:18

Wow. Okay. So was that the early inflection point that really shaped how you lead today? Or maybe you could. Tell us a little bit more about that.

Laura Smith 2:28

The inflection point for me in terms of how I lead, went all the way back to my airline days, and it really is around leading with empathy. One of the roles that I held was in the lost baggage call center, and I will tell you there's no good news coming in on the lines of a lost baggage call center. So those early lessons around empathy for customers and empathy for the people that have to deal with really tough situations day in, day out. Was the one that stayed with me. And today leading a large global sales organization leading with emp empathy is around intentional understanding and valuing of people's experience and their situation and their emotions, and really making sure to take that on board before. Overly reacting or making decisions and leading with empathy for me really shapes three things. It shapes trust, it shapes culture, and it's ultimately those two things that shape the performance of your org.

Dorothy Dowling 3:32

Yeah, no, that's really brilliant. I can't imagine starting a career in baggage claim. I think in terms of dealing with all the things you have to overcome there would really set you up well for a career in sales. So I'm wondering, we can talk a little bit about sales'cause I do think it's an art and a discipline. I just have great admiration for people that really lead in, in that function. Given that you started in a teaching discipline, I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about how did you really hone your skills, sales skills over time and grow into the role that you have today?

Laura Smith 4:02

I mentioned, the CEO that took a chance on me, and whilst I didn't have a sales background apparently I was told I had a boatload of people skills and a reputation for being reliable in delivering whatever was needed. And it was those two things that got me in the door. But I will say what's kept me there and what's really helped me be successful was inheriting a very talented team. And so those early days of really understanding who was doing what, who was great at what I'm very process oriented. So all the questions around why and how, and digging in and sitting side by side and spending time understanding how we were going to market. And what we were selling and why we were selling it, and where we were making a difference and what our share was and what the performance metrics all looked like. And that really was foundational in helping me, and ultimately the teams really develop that over time. And I think bringing that into. The foundation of people and relationship management and really understanding who we're working to sell to and what exactly we're trying to solve for, because sales, at the end of the day is really solving problems.

Dorothy Dowling 5:18

Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. Laura and I do think that element of leaning into your team and actually having that mentorship of them and you also extending mentorship, I think that re reciprocity of learning is. Really an amazing skill from a leader. I'm wondering if you can identify for us about what you really believe separates somebody that's really strong in terms of sales leadership to those that are really exceptional.

Laura Smith 5:44

For me a strong sales leader can hit numbers. An exceptional sales leader builds an engine that hits the numbers. Every time an exceptional leader is one that focuses on the daily behaviors, on the consistency of that. And again, really culture. You're gonna hear me talk a lot about culture. It's culture. That's the performance multiplier. And so for me, that's where the exceptional comes in.

Dorothy Dowling 6:09

Yeah. No, I agree. I'm just wondering if you can talk a little bit about your journey to selling. As this business environment has. Been incredibly evolving. I don't know if I could come up with a better word than that at this point. So I'm just wondering as the business environment has shifted, as has your approach to sales leadership shifted over that time?

Laura Smith 6:30

It absolutely has. I would say it's required. Much more listening than it has speaking over that duration because there have been evolutions and changes. And across the various different portfolios I lead and across the different regions that we deal with, there are nuances and that we have really tried to pay attention to. And it is about spending time. Virtual time is great. In-person time is even better, and we've really tried to lean into that and be with the customers that we have today, spending time with the prospects that we would really like to forge relationships and partnerships with going forward, to understand, again not from our standpoint, from their standpoint, what do they need? Where are the pinch points? Where could we help? Where could we extend some value? Where could we get to a situation where there's, some mutual win-win but a lot of listening and really paying attention to those details so that we can pivot and make sure that we're offering something up in, in that context.

Dorothy Dowling 7:33

So I'm just wondering, as you talk about that ability to learn the client's business and then look for. Sort of the opportunities of where you create some of that value for them. I'd like to understand how you prepare for those meetings before you go in and see that client. How do you really get best informed to deliver the right kind of conversation?

Laura Smith 7:53

Well, a lot of preparation and my team will tell you the preparation is twofold. There's the meeting before the meeting, and then there's the meeting after the meeting. And certainly in the meeting before the meeting and I mentioned sales really being a team sport, it's understanding the role that everyone is going to play, such that we're really well buttoned up and we know who's, who's speaking, who's keeping time, who's doing all making notes and all the things. But the preparation really focuses on who we're engaging with to understand who they are understanding the company and the organization that they're part of. So a lot of detail in that regard. And certainly the other thing, which is a, another kind of constant focus of mine is the, the debrief after round. What went well, what could have been better. How do we really make sure that we're folding that into then the next step? And that's part of course, the preparation for really the next meeting or whatever the disciplined follow-up will be.

Dorothy Dowling 8:52

So I'd like to unpack that even further, Laura.'Cause I totally agree. When you get an appointment, with the kind of magnitude of the clients that you would be engaging with that preparation in terms of really making sure the meeting goes as effectively as you possibly can. I'm wondering if you can help our audience just really dig in a little bit about what is it that you wanna understand the client before you walk into that room so that you can really deliver on that conversation.

Laura Smith 9:19

Yeah. I think there's, there's probably three things really. The first one is very human. So it's who is the person and the human side of the person? What do we know about them? What are their triggers? Anything else that would be helpful to really make a connection. In the first couple of minutes of that appointment. The second one then is really around their company. Again, what their pain points may be, what we know of them and specifically what we're trying to sell into and making sure that's really well positioned. I have a pet peeve about wasting people's time, so that efficacy of the time we have together is really important. And the third thing, and it's something that over time I consistently ask my team, do we have the decision maker in the room? And are the individuals we're meeting with, are they the decision makers? And if they're not, they may still be incredibly helpful, but it's like, how are we getting to the decision maker and ultimately kind of making progress, which is really the most important. So there, there are three of the key things that I really doubled down on in the prep.

Dorothy Dowling 10:24

I think, so as I think about our audience I think those are really three salient points because knowing about the human I think is really important, and I think you're extraordinarily good at that. Laura, I've just seen you in so many different environments, so that personal connection, establishing rapport. And then really doing the due diligence on the company. And we just have so much more information available to us today to go in and be best informed. And then I think that last question that you talked about, is this person a decision maker? Are they an influencer, but really understanding their role so that you can actually shape the conversation and. Also really understand how to map to, what the future state might need to be. So those are really helpful. So I wanna ask you one more question. As you really balance all of that preparation to go in and really drive that best outcome for the meeting, how do you stay present so that you can adapt as the meeting evolves and different things might occur in the conversation? How do you remain present and make sure that you're listening, learning, and, evolving the conversation.

Laura Smith 11:27

Yeah, it's definitely the listening with an ability to be able to pivot. I continue to be reminded that curve balls can and will happen. And if we're not listening, if I'm not listening, and as again I've mentioned the different roles that that, my team and I will play. But if we're really just focused on our own agenda and what we're trying to push or what we wanna say next, or. A slide deck or an order of things, then we really, run the risk of missing something big. And having that ability to be able to say, let's just have a conversation. We have content. We don't need to focus on that. Okay. It's not that it's this and really being adaptable, being agile. We need to be masters of our own craft. So really deeply knowing. Our own solutions across our organization and being able to be creative and innovative and think on the spot.

Dorothy Dowling 12:22

Okay. That's extremely helpful. So I'd like to change topics a little bit because I remember my first conversation with you, Laura, several years ago when it was around GBTA and you were meeting with all kinds of different financial players because you were going through. Bankruptcy. And I just, I was just so impressed with one, the way you were navigating all those meetings, the poise that you were delivering.'cause you were still balancing the client side of the business, but you were also working through all of these things. So I'm just wondering if you can share with our audience,'cause that was quite a difficult time, I'm sure for you. What was really hardest about leading through that period with your teams and others,

Laura Smith 13:08

It's funny, leadership is supposed to be hard. That's a core belief that I have. This, the notion of leading courageously, making the difficult decisions, tackling things head on, facing the brutal facts and really putting yourself out there irrespective of how difficult that might be and how deep you may have to go, emotionally. Or mentally and really making sure that there's a safety net for you, whether that's with team, whether that's with a mentor one's own boss, like whatever that is. But that notion of really, leading through what, whatever turmoil is going on, being graceful and calm in it, and having. Mechanisms to reset. And that's a pattern that I use time and time over and still do

Dorothy Dowling 14:01

well. I I had great admiration for how you balanced all of that. You still, as I said, kept all the business pieces in such great cadence and commitment. I'm just wondering if you can share with the audience about how you manage the team through that, because I'm just certain that. The uncertainty was very difficult for a lot of them, and you had to keep them all focused and prioritizing the right thing. So how did you keep your team focused?

Laura Smith 14:29

I think you, you hit the nail on the head. There it is around prioritizing the right things, but obsession over communication. You cannot over communicate in those kind of scenarios through, deep change and grave uncertainty. Communicate, and getting my arms, figuratively around the team globally and sharing. Just enough around what they need to know to to be successful themselves as leaders and for them to, have their arms around their organizations and teams equally. But really making sure that we are in lockstep front facing, all aligned on what needs to happen next. And those, time horizons in those situations can become a little bit shorter. You're less. And these arcs might be what needs to happen next week or next month. Instead of, a one year or three year plan. And then really having mechanism to communicate, to check in, to measure, allowing that space for really good and healthy discussion. This notion of a trustful to me is integral to that. And that's one I've been so fortunate to be blessed with the most exceptional world class sales leaders and individuals around the globe. And this notion of. Just being tight with your team and very lucky to have had that. And we've each needed each other at various different points and we're never too proud to ask for that help and to take advantage of that safe space.

Dorothy Dowling 16:07

I do think that's some amazing advice and I really liked the way you framed up that short-termism in terms of really understanding sort of some of the immediate needs on the deliverability.'cause I'm certain through those times that you had to put some revenue on the board and really protect and defend in terms of clients potentially wondering the future health of your business too. So I just think the way you framed that up was impactful for all of us. What did you learn yourself in terms of how you show up? It was there any change that came as a result of some of these more challenging situations in your leadership?

Laura Smith 16:43

I think for me, the deep learning was, I can do hard things and I have an enormous capacity to be resilient and very gritty and that as well, in, impacting the team in the same way. And reminding them that they too have that capacity. And you don't sometimes need to know, and you'll never know, perhaps, what's coming in that more medium or longer term. But again, just having, a little bit of faith around that. Teamwork and tightness of it and having shared vision for near end goals and celebrating those wins as you go on those narrower time horizons really helped with that kind of circular wheel, if you will, around saying, reminding us we can do hard things. We have great resilience, and we can still put points on the board.

Dorothy Dowling 17:35

Yeah. I agree with you Laura. I do think adversity teaches a lot about ourselves, about how strong we can be. And I do love the word that you used in terms of grit because I do think that is a really important leadership skill in terms of powering through some of the more challenging times. So I'd like to move on a little bit because you've made a global move and I'm always very, I admire people that make those leaps like you did. So you moved from Ireland to the us you moved your family. It was all about, a major ca career transition. I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about what that transition taught you.

Laura Smith 18:12

There, there probably could be a good joke that starts out by saying an Irish woman and a French man walk into a bar in Oklahoma. But more seriously, it was such a big change, such a leap for me and the family. I had a 14 week old baby, a 3-year-old. And to move from our very cosmopolitan life in Dublin with lots of European city breaks that used to happen, every other weekend to take this massive move to another continent and to set up home in Oklahoma where we really didn't know anyone. So that was brave.

Dorothy Dowling 18:49

Definitely brave. And I would love to unpack that a little bit more because I'd like to know on the business side what surprised you most about leading, in a market like the United States. And then I'd really like to get your thoughts in terms of whether you would recommend people pursue those kinds of global opportunities from a career perspective.

Laura Smith 19:11

Yeah truly it couldn't have been more different. And I will be very candid and share that, those early months were quite lonely and tough to be operating in an environment as a young Irish woman where I probably wasn't the pick from the team that were in existence and on the ground. And in the spirit of powering through and, really taking control and making the most out of the hand that you're dealt in those early kind of days and weeks, it became a transformative story pretty quickly. And actually, the thing that I found is that irrespective of the geography that you're operating in, people are people. And it is people that power and it's the team that matters. And taking the time and spending the time to really know who's on your team, what's important to them, where are they at, how can I bring them with me? And I just think that's universally. The same. And it, for me came back to relying on the things that worked for me so successfully leading large teams in Europe and just applying that irrespective of the geography. And I think to, to the second part of the question, would I recommend it? That's a hell yes. And that, and Recomme recommend moves, recommend global moves. One of the things that I say to people that I mentor is. When you're saying no to something, you really have to think through what you're saying no to because the chances of someone coming back to ask you, to, be considered for something else is probably very slim if you've said no the first time. And so the other, and the other piece of that is if someone else. Really believes that you are the right person and you are the pick and you can do something. I think leaning into that belief for yourself is really important and. As I mentioned earlier or inferred earlier you don't always need to know what it's gonna look like or how it's going to end, but that trust that this could be a really great experience. This could be a pivotal experience, both in terms of professional opportunity as well as personal growth oath.

Dorothy Dowling 21:22

I, I think that's amazing advice, Laura And I have to say, I made a move at a very similar stage in life from Canada to the us. I had a 2-year-old. And the way that you talked about some of the personal challenges,'cause the first three months for me, it was a lot of really challenging myself as to whether I made the right decision. However, I. I do think the strength that you develop through powering through some of those things,'cause once you've made an international move, it's very difficult,

Laura Smith 21:50

right?

Dorothy Dowling 21:50

To then reverse course. So you have to figure it out and make it work. But to me, I think that really speaks to your. Resilience and the grit that you referenced and the learning and the way that you were able to navigate all those things I know have made you into the leader you are today. I also think the advice that you offer to everyone when an opportunity is presented to be very thoughtful about the no, because if you do choose that it may actually limit a lot of opportunities for the future. So I do think that's really, extraordinary wisdom to offer the audience, so thank you. So I'd like to move on because part of the way that we developed our relationship was really through GBT and Winnet. And you you took the call when I asked you to join and then you took the call in terms of really taking on a much bigger role. That took a lot of time and energy. So I'd love for you to just talk a little bit about GBTA and win it and why this was important to you and why it, why you believe leaders have to get engaged with the industry in the way that you did.

Laura Smith 22:56

Yeah. Thanks Dorothy. I, huge bias for action. I have a lot of passion as you do too. And we've had many conversations, around the importance and the extraordinary privilege that we have to be able to help power organizations and non-for-profits forward. And I really believed in the win it mission. And so with you and Mick and Beth and the whole crew, just the board was, just phenomenal. A powerhouse of exceptional female leaders had, together with male advocates who were really coming together with a shared belief that we could make a difference and really help elevate and power. The progress of females through the business travel sector. So it was passion and a belief that action, really matters. And I so enjoyed the work. I so enjoyed, the networking opportunities as well. But that brought, but more than anything, when it came down to. The mentorship program, the coaching programs, and really seeing, different like tangible examples of the difference that the organization was making. Like that was the magic.

Dorothy Dowling 24:04

Yeah, no, I agree with you and I do think paving the way for others is really important part of becoming a senior leader because I, and I think particularly someone like you, Laura, that. Has had so many life-changing experiences, the kind of mentorship and connection that you offer women leaders is, it's extraordinary. So I really thank you for taking the call. I thank you for taking on that leadership role and the way that you did and being such an amazing contributor to the industry.'cause you really did represent amazing role model. You were an amazing role model to so many of us, so thank you.

Laura Smith 24:40

I had a lot of help along the way, so I have had wonderful help, wonderful mentors, myself, great people who have been incredible sounding boards, people who have taken big chances on me. And you all know who you are if any of you are listening in. But and that notion as well of just deep appreciation for that and then paying it forward is important to me.

Dorothy Dowling 25:03

Yeah, no, I absolutely agree. I think for many of us, there were others that saw things in ourselves that we couldn't necessarily see, and that is something that I think we continue to pay it forward. So I'm wondering, we're coming up near the end of the interview, Laura, and one of the things we always ask everyone who's engaging with this storytelling with us, is really looking back on your life and saying, if you were sitting on that shoulder of that early. 20 something self. What advice would you give to that young Laura?

Laura Smith 25:35

Oh gosh. And there's so many advice. There's so many pieces of advice. I think just that reassurance that like things will work out. I really, don't. Think I would've done anything differently. But it's that confidence boost of not overly second guessing and spending so much time maybe considering things just that, everything will work out. And the notion that just opportunity and change. Change in particular. Provide, and most people don't love change. But change is the most incredible mechanism for real growth. And not being afraid of that, actually embracing it with both hands. And I think for my 20, 30, 40 and 50-year-old self that's that's, that still rings true.

Dorothy Dowling 26:25

Yeah, no, I totally agree with you. And there's lots of change in our future, Laura. So I think as we embrace it, it continues to strengthen us and drive that learning journey. So I'd like to hone back one more time on the sales career part because I do know a lot of our audience if it's not a dedicated part of their role, it's certainly part of their role in terms of how they position themselves. So if you could then be on that 20 something self shoulder again and say. What do you wish you had learned sooner about building that long resilient sales career?

Laura Smith 27:01

For me it just comes back to team. It's team is everything. Having the right talent, having them in the right seats, and then really spending that time. I mentioned this kind of notion of proficiency, but like deep proficiency in the org, in the product, in the gaps. Perhaps it's around creating a new product and opportunity. The details matter, words matter, relationships matter. And it's not one of those things on its own. It's all of it, all of the time, every day, every week, doing the prep, grinding it out in the quiet moments, in the dark moments on airplanes, on trains, in cars, whatever that looks like. And it, it is. It is a cycle that persists and repeats and really taking control of that and driving as much energy into that to really make sure that everyone can be energized by it including, my team, myself and the wonderful customers and partners that we get to engage with. On an ongoing basis.

Dorothy Dowling 28:10

I think the thought process about leaning into your team and that unity of prepping and working together to win. I think about a recruiter that I spoke with several years ago that talked about. How athletes really make tremendous leaders because of the discipline of sport and the requirements of leaning into your team in a powerful way. And I think you've represented that in an amazing way. Laura and I do think just the level of professionalism and. The way you approach the preparation and the discipline for me is something that I think has always distinguished you. And I think it's something from our audience point of view to really learn from you as to how you go to market, because it's how you go to market as an individual. It's how you go to market as a professional, and it's also how you represent yourself to your team. So I thank you for. Sharing so much in terms of the journey for you and just all the learnings that you've had in terms of imparting those to our audience. So thank you.

Laura Smith 29:12

Thanks so much, Dorothy. It's really been a pleasure to spend time with you today.

Dorothy Dowling 29:16

Yeah, I appreciate So

Laura Smith 29:18

tell the story.

Dorothy Dowling 29:19

Yeah. Yeah. No, thank you. And so if I may, I just would like to, again, thank Laura. I really do think she's offered us a lot in terms of. How she has invested in her teams, her journey and really the industry and through very challenging times and has done it with grace and poise and. You've been at Hertz for a very long time, Laura, so that's a real credit to the kind of value that you bring to your organization. So I really appreciate everything that you have shared with us today and to our audience. I just wanna thank you for spending time with us, and if today's conversation resonated with you, I invite you to explore more stories@itspersonalstories.com, where you'll find conversations like the one we've had with Laura today. People who are charting bold paths, building meaningful careers. Reminding us all that leadership is at its core, deeply personal. So we hope you'll enjoy, join us again soon. So thank you and thank you again, Laura.

Laura Smith 30:11

Thanks Dorothy.