It’s usually the hiring manager asking the questions — but not in this case. We turned the tables and asked sales executives why a salesperson would want to work at their company. Each of them spelled out exactly what a normal day looks like for their sales team, what employees can expect to learn on the job and more. Here’s why they think you should join their team.
Riskified is a solution that provides fraud prevention for enterprise online retail. We caught up with Head of Sales Andrew Kashin, who joined the team in 2015 in their Tel Aviv office before opening their NYC office the following year.
What does a day in the life of a salesperson at your company look like?
The average day for a salesperson at Riskified centers on discovering the best way he or she can add value for a prospective client and then making that case. This can include calls with prospects, face-to-face meetings, or more administrative work (internal weekly syncs, training programs, and strategy sessions). No two days are the same, but the objective always is: continue to show the value of Riskified and grow the business.
Why would someone want to join your sales team?
We’re a well-funded, rapidly growing startup with the best technology in a really exciting space, and we give our sales people everything they need to be successful. For a certain type of candidate, that’s very compelling. We value talent and dedication, and our salespeople are rewarded well for their performance.
What three things can a salesperson expect to learn at your company?
- Opportunity.
- Autonomy.
- Global e-commerce enterprise expertise.
Bettercloud is a SaaS product that allows businesses to manage all of their applications from one place. We caught up with CRO Russell Sachs, who joined the leadership team in February 2016.
What does a day in the life of a salesperson at your company look like?
What’s amazing about Bettercloud is no two days look alike. Because we are forging new grounds, sales is constantly evolving. That said, we are currently focused on prospecting, taking inbound meetings, managing a pipeline of high value accounts, collaborating with a strong group of AEs on new ideas and having a great time while we do it!
Why would someone want to join your sales team?
SaaS adoption is going to continue to grow for the enterprise and as that grows it drives home the importance of a single platform for IT to centralize, orchestrate and govern their day-to-day administration. Sales professionals can benefit from being a part of this growing demand.
What three things can a salesperson expect to learn at your company?
- How to better qualify opportunities and manage enterprise sales through the funnel.
- How to position a product to an enterprise buyer.
- Proficient public speaking and negotiation skills.
CB Insights uses predictive intelligence to gather important data points for companies. Senior sales manager Michael Hoffman has been with CB Insights for six months and oversees eight account executives. He gave us the inside scoop on his team and what makes it such an inspiring department.
What does a day in the life of a salesperson at your company look like?
Every day, they work with prospects on finding emerging trends and technology that will help their business. They spend time pitching the product, following up on accounts and collaborating with other people in the organization.
Why would someone want to join your sales team?
Our solution is identifying what's on the cutting edge of technology. We're growing like crazy and have been cash flow positive since the beginning. This is the golden age to be an account executive at CB Insights — everyone is crushing it, and there are no big egos. We’re very collaborative and help rather than compete with each other. You can truly build your sales career here.
What three things can a salesperson expect to learn at your company?
- Sell a very exciting product that challenges you.
- Love the people you work with.
- Grow your sales skills and quickly elevate your career.
With its Big Data platform and business intelligence solutions, Looker helps companies gain insight into data across all departments. Account Executive Dan Goldstein has been with the company since October 2015 and told us what it’s like to be a part of the sales team.
What does a day in the life of a salesperson at your company look like?
Everyone’s schedule differs slightly, but a salesperson will normally have his or her first block of calls with new or existing customers in the morning. Most of the team eats lunch in our communal eating area, where you can sit down and mingle with the customer success team, product marketing and our leaders in the NY office. Then it’s off to the next block of meetings, which are typically in-person and are scattered throughout the city. The rest of the evening is spent following up on conversations before I shutdown my computer and make my way to the beer fridge!
Why would someone want to join your sales team?
Looker is a data analytics tool that gives companies a platform to answer any question they have about their own data. It's the fastest-growing need in business, and we're growing like crazy to meet the market demand. It’s easy to sell a product that’s the best offering on the market and is backed by an amazing technical team. We really have a culture around helping our customers win with data, and customers appreciate our enthusiasm.
What three things can a salesperson expect to learn at your company?
- Manage a complex sales cycle from some of the best leaders around.
- Work with a team of experienced, intelligent people who will teach you something new every day.
- Understand how to help a company with their own data needs in the future.
Justworks is an all-in-one solution that manages HR requirements like payroll, tax filings and access to benefits. VP of Sales Rob Lopez started in 2014 and was the first salesperson on the team. He helped grow the department to an organization of about 100 people. Here’s how he describes his team today.
What does a day in the life of a salesperson at your company look like?
I like to think about that question by referring to the rule of thirds. About a third of the day should be spent talking to potential customers, another third prospecting and trying to find new potential customers for Justworks and another third managing current pipeline (meaning putting together competitor comparisons, etc.).
Why would someone want to join your sales team?
Justworks is a consultative sale. If you’re a company looking to switch your payroll and benefits provider, it is not a decision one makes quickly. It is important to build trust and confidence in the sales process, and therefore I believe it’s more about being a trusted advisor and educating during the sales process than “selling.” If you want to learn how to sell a complex product in a consultative sell and learn how to advise SMBs, then Justworks is the place for you.
What three things can a salesperson expect to learn at your company?
- Understand what goes into starting, running and operating a business.
- Learn how to engage and converse with C-Level decision makers.
- Understand how to navigate and manage a consultative sales process.
PubMatic provides automation solutions for publishers in digital media. Jeffrey Hirsch, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of U.S. Publisher Development, just recently celebrated his one-year anniversary with the startup. He gave us the inside scoop on how the sales team operates.
What does a day in the life of a salesperson at your company look like?
A salesperson at PubMatic is an integral part of a high-paced, hardworking, global team where every day is fun but also challenging. You’ll be tasked with growing our platform spend to meet and exceed goals while continuously prospecting new business as well as identifying additional revenue opportunities within existing clients.
Why would someone want to join your sales team?
We recently were nominated by Fortune as one of the best places to work. We like to think that award speaks volumes. We earned the award because of our work/life balance and career growth and diversity. We’re a learning company so we provide knowledge-sharing programs, career planning and enablement, performance management (where you also get to evaluate your manager) and collaboration, wellness and a great culture. Plus, free food doesn’t hurt either.
What three things can a salesperson expect to learn at your company?
- Be a part of a company that is driving the industry forward.
- Work in partnership with key executives and internal stakeholders to better understand the challenges and opportunities for PubMatic from both the supply and demand side of the market.
- Create your own solutions as you grow.
Movable Ink is a content marketing platform that uses technology to change an email’s contents the moment it’s opened. Jeremy Seltzer started in April 2014 as a strategic account executive and was promoted several times since. He is now VP of Worldwide Sales, overseeing a growing team of 50 sales professionals. We caught up with him and asked him all about the team he manages.
What does a day in the life of a salesperson at your company look like?
We have invented an incredible product that’s really fun to pitch. I joke with my team that in 100 percent of our pitch meetings, our prospects are absolutely blown away by the power of the technology. Every day our salespeople are paid to take all of that energy and excitement and turn it into three to five immediately actionable, high ROI opportunities for the prospect.
Why would someone want to join your sales team?
Movable Ink invented a technology that allows the content of an email to change at the time an email is opened by the recipient. By understanding the context of the consumer in that moment that they open an email (things like their current location, time of day, weather or device), and combining that with CRM and behavioral data, Movable Ink can power hyper personalized 1:1 communications in email. It’s an exciting opportunity to be a part of a company that’s created its own category — a category we call “intelligent content.”
What three things can a salesperson expect to learn at your company?
- How to bring a new product to market.
- Winning as a team.
- Outstanding performance gets rewarded in big ways.
Images via featured companies, Facebook and Shutterstock.
