There is nothing quite like the world of sales. It’s a high-risk, high-reward profession where the sharpest rise to the top. Yet, while a certain grit is required to succeed anywhere in the world of sales, anyone in the field will tell you that no two teams are alike.
Built In Austin spoke to four of the city’s best tech sales teams to learn about the range of skills, backgrounds and quirks that comprise your average sales squadron. The result: a portrait of a field in which individual talents are recognized, and collective teams honored for their successes.
MVF helps drive the right customers to new businesses at the right time. Their multifaceted strategy combines cross-channel marketing, data management and analytics to paint a workable, scalable picture of potential customers. Team Lead Sam Lastovich explained how diversity on the sales team is a key factor in serving such a range of clients.
What three words would you use to describe the sales team?
Smart, tenacious, fun.
What are some unique backgrounds or skills different individuals bring to the team?
We have backgrounds ranging from recent grads to people with decades of experience; from a Japanese major to former ad agency execs. The diversity of skills and personality types is genuinely one of the strongest elements of the team as a whole, as we are able to work highly collaboratively to best serve our clients.
Sales can often be an individual pursuit. How does the team come together to bond?
At work, we bond over the common challenges we face as well as the nature of our product. As salespeople, we need to work quite closely to ensure our campaigns align with the needs of all of our clients. Outside of work, we are a very tight-knit group. In addition to happy hours and going to local shows together, we have taken trips to London, Ibiza and Disney World. It might be cliche, but we definitely have a “work hard, play hard” mentality. The team element of our group is really what makes MVF such a great place to come to work every day.
ActiveProspect helps businesses around the world perfect their lead generation and acquisition processes. ActiveProspect builds a suite of user-friendly tools that, combined with their in-house expertise, helps companies across industries solve their toughest lead generation challenges. Vice President of Client Success and Sales Marykathryn Briggs explained how a sense of collaboration and celebration keeps the sales team thriving.
What three words would you use to describe the sales team?
Inquisitive, inspired, fearless.
What are some unique backgrounds or skills different individuals bring to the team?
The team is comprised of folks with a host of unique backgrounds that come together to form a lively and productive working unit. We have an entrepreneur who knows how to run a pipeline like a small business and the sense of urgency to prove it, a collegiate athlete constantly injecting the team with a collective spirit of collaboration and success, an editor with a keen sense of his audience and a compelling pitch regardless, and a client success enthusiast who brings a level of empathy for client-first problem-solving.
Sales can often be an individual pursuit. How does the team come together to bond?
While the team is largely distributed, our in-person gatherings are always celebratory, with light-hearted ribbing nestled in a firm culture of support and trust. Since each individual focuses on a different industry vertical, members of the team don’t step on each others’ toes or debate ownership of opportunities. We work hard to share our successes and failures, trying to avoid anyone reinventing the wheel when they encounter similar problems and opportunities we all share. And of course, we never miss an opportunity to brag about each other in as many public forums as the company will tolerate.
Signpost’s products help companies leverage product reviews to build strong local roots and a repeat client base. The Signpost customer relationship management software not only captures customers, but intelligently keeps them engaged in order to maximize interest. Conor Bettendorf, a sales executive on the Signpost team, revealed that the success of the company can be traced back to the collaborative spirit behind the scenes.
What three words would you use to describe the sales team?
Energetic, entertaining, enigmatic.
What are some unique backgrounds or skills different individuals bring to the team?
We have a team full of incredible individuals and I learn from the people around me every day. I came from the production world, my buddy across from me sold at Best Buy and another friend here owned his own painting business. It’s truly a melting pot of different worldviews and styles that create an extremely unique work environment where everyone works and builds together on their skills every day.
Sales can often be an individual pursuit. How does the team come together to bond?
There’s almost nothing about this job that feels individual. Beyond work, though, we’re sharing funny videos back and forth, and all-around just having fun making each other laugh throughout the day. Sales can wear on you, especially when making more than 100 calls in eight hours. Having a team that just wants to see each other succeed and have fun makes the days not only bearable but enjoyable.
ThousandEyes is helping businesses not only adapt to, but understand, the 21st century technologies that power their enterprises. To that end, it builds visualization and analysis tools so companies like MasterCard and Geico can understand and problem solve their networks. Vice President of Sales, Central U.S., David Stokey broke down the qualities that make the sales team a driving force of ThousandEyes’ success.
What three words would you use to describe the sales team?
Grit, empathy, expertise.
What are some unique backgrounds or skills different individuals bring to the team?
Members of our team have experience working in the network space in large financial, educational and legislative organizations. Members of our organization have supported or worked with various enterprises and driven successful endeavors with various buyer profiles within those organizations. Having walked a mile in our customers’ shoes establishes credibility when we say that we understand what our customers care about, what will drive their unique desired outcomes, and how.
Sales can often be an individual pursuit. How does the team come together to bond?
We have removed “individual contributor” from our vocabulary. We are a tribe, grounded in our collective DNA principles and values. We look beyond the numbers. We expect success across our sales organization, but we also expect each member of our team to promote and lead in giving back to our customers, company culture and local communities.
Finally, we promote wellness. We drive optimal performance through balance of mind and body. We make it known that family and significant others come first. We make it a priority for each team member to be healthy. If my team knows how much we care about their health and families, it helps drive what they truly work for.
