PPC, SOLUTIONS 8
Solutions 8 Senior Client Manager Carmen Lee Talks about Being a National Champion
Carmen Lee
Senior Client Manager at Solutions 8
Carmen is a marketing professional with five years of experience in diverse industries. Her current responsibility involves managing Google Ads accounts with varying monthly budgets. Apart from her professional background, Carmen is a former Canadian table tennis player and is also a proud owner of a Husky named Kori. She currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a national champion? Picture the grueling schedules and demanding training sessions that take up every spare minute, not to mention the dedication and focus on becoming brilliant at something important to you. Ever found yourself wondering if you could be that sort of person? Carmen Lee opens up about her experience as a table tennis star of Team Canada.
Carmen started playing table tennis after her father encouraged her when she was young. He was her first coach at the beginning of her athletic career. The job entailed three-hour-long trips to practice, six days a week so that she and her brother could compete at a national level.
“From an early age, I learned to work hard, focus on my goals, and never give up, especially under pressure.”
This is something Carmen picked up from her parents. Carmen’s parents immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in the 1990s. Despite not understanding the language, her dad was the sole income earner to put food on the table. Neither parent complained about the willing sacrifice they made for their children.
“Though we didn’t have a lot growing up, my brother and I still had all of the extracurricular activities that my parents thought would shape who I am as a person. They wanted to provide all of the opportunities to us so that we could have a better life.”
And Carmen’s parents certainly succeeded in doing that. It was important to teach them to work hard so that they could all reach their goals. During competitions, when Carmen faced adversity, her parents were always there on the sidelines, cheering her on.
Traveling the world
“There are a lot of places I’ve traveled to while competing for Team Canada, including Russia, India, Serbia, Chile, and Germany.”
All of these hold a memorable place in Carmen’s heart, but it turns out that the most memorable trip she’s ever taken was a four-month backpacking trip where she quit her job and went to South East Asia, traveling to ten different countries.
There must be a favorite country you’ve visited, Carmen
“If I had to choose, maybe Thailand would be it because that’s where I got my first ever scuba diving lesson, ate scorpion, and lied about knowing how to ride a scooter so I could rent one.”
That’s half of a bucket list taken care of, right there!
The Professional life of a Client Manager
It so happens that our table tennis champion is also one of our amazing client managers, and her outgoing personality is a quality that makes her particularly well-suited to her role at Solutions 8. She’s a caring person and tries to build relationships with everyone.
“I wasn’t always outgoing until I got to university one day and decided that I didn’t want to be shy in class anymore, so I forced myself to join the debate team—I was a fish out of water. I also joined an international business case competition just so I could take myself out of my comfort zone.”
Being constantly out of her comfort zone and always pushing herself to the limits has made her thrive as a client manager. This brings us back to the lessons Carmen learned while focusing on her sport.
“My Dad taught me how to stay calm, forget about how the opponent is acting, and do our very best. That’s why no matter the pressure, I can focus on the goal and work towards success.”
Just what an advertising agency needs from their client managers—nerves of steel!
How did Carmen get started with Solutions 8?
Before Solutions 8 there was a non-profit career and a desire to change her job and test herself with Google Ads. And aren’t we glad you did, Carmen! Learning everything she could on the side, Carmen jumped at the chance when the opportunity to work for Solutions 8 came about. The possibility of working in a team environment where she could speed up the learning process was a huge advantage. It was also a bonus that the role was 100% remote.
“As a client manager, I do my best to share high-level Google Ads strategies in an easy-to-understand way for my clients. I communicate with my clients to make sure they know how their campaigns are doing and provide some level of education for them to understand what we are doing for them behind the scenes. Realistically, what I do is build relationships, communicate, and share knowledge. One of my biggest tasks is to also make sure that client projects are completed on time and correctly.”
Best Part?
When asked about the best part of her job, Carmen was clear about being able to constantly learn and be exposed to new things all of the time.
“As we get older, I feel the opportunity to learn shrinks, but with Solutions 8, every day is a new challenge and I never stop learning. I feel like I’m constantly on the edge of the newest ideas and concepts with everyone around me.”
In addition, meeting so many like-minded people with the drive to succeed has been unmatched in her past jobs.
“The drive and motivation are unlike any other I’ve witnessed. Everyone is so passionate!”
As with any workplace, it’s not always perfect. The most challenging part of Carmen’s job is anticipating the many questions clients ask, often without warning. A lot of prep work must be done before any call, so she must know the numbers, the current situation, last-minute campaign changes, and updates.
“I always feel like I’m on a game show where I have to press the buzzer and answer the question as best I can. With practice, it gets easier each time!”
Now for the fun stuff!
A hobby you’d like to try out that would surprise the people who know you?
“I want to learn to ride a motorcycle but I’m super klutzy so I’m not sure if I am the ideal candidate!”
If you could swap places with someone for just one day, who would it be and why?
“I would like to travel back in time and swap places with a Viking!”
Now that’s a cool answer.
“I love their free spirit and that there weren’t any rules back then. I think I just like the era that they lived in and would love to time travel, if possible. Traveling the world without any care sounds pretty cool, too.”
Maybe it’s time to become a digital nomad, Carmen … lol!
Best day with friends? Go snowboarding in the mountains!!
“OMG. I loved elementary school!”
We can just picture Carmen at school, taking part in all those extracurricular activities that children do, having the freedom that children have. There was soccer, and monkey bars—that was until the teacher started giving out homework from grade three and she had to do math quizzes and spelling bees and essays. Did that bother Carmen? Not in the least!
“I thought homework was completely normal at elementary school. It was the purest and happiest time of all my school years.”
Born and raised in Vancouver, Carmen still lives there and has close ties with her family.
“I have a tight-knit, chaotic family that is competitive except for my mom. Growing up, it was always me and my brother who would try to beat each other in school or table tennis. My dad loves challenging us in table tennis, even to this day, and although I don’t practice anymore, I will step up to the table and play my father.”
Who wins? Bet it’s Carmen!
This is Kori, the most loyal puppy ever and he follows Carmen around everywhere.
Author
Jani Kahukiwa
Jani is a copywriter at Solutions 8 with a passion for short stories, dancing under the stars, and 80s pop music. Her soul’s purpose is to turn herself into a masterpiece. Her future is filled with green fields, flowers, sunshine, and poetry.
