Transforming Obstacles into Opportunities

The pandemic has changed the way we navigate everything in our daily lives, from working to parenting to connecting with our loved ones. In addition to requiring resilience and patience, 2020 has also given us opportunities to be creative. Sometimes when we least expect it, moments of significant change and upheaval can create occasions to try new things that lead to great success. With that in mind, I’d like to share Whitney Henry’s story with you. She is a Trailblazer who took a professional leap of faith that paid off. Whitney Henry is an Associate Solution Engineer at Salesforce, but tech sales is Whitney’s second career. Majoring in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a concentration in Sport Management at Howard University, Whitney began her career in professional sports sales. After graduation, Whitney’s work focused on creating ways to engage fans in large groups and drive ticket sales for professional sport teams. She was in the business of entertainment and she enjoyed the games, the competitive environment, and the opportunities the professional sports industry provided. However, after ten years her career and salary became stagnant. “I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t growing in my career, so I decided it was time for a change.” Whitney shifted her focus to the tech industry. After some research, she moved from Florida to Colorado because her research indicated that Denver was quickly developing a reputation as a city with an up-and-coming tech scene. Moving from Sports and Entertainment Group Sales to Tech Sales When Whitney arrived in Colorado, she began working as a Sales Development Representative (SDR) for a popular reservation management platform as a way to diversify her skillset. This new position was a hybrid mix of Sales Development and Business Development. While working in this role, Whitney learned that Salesforce was coming to Denver. “As an advocate of Salesforce’s CRM tools from my time in sports sales, I was intrigued [that Salesforce was opening an office in Denver] and when I saw that Salesforce was hiring, I knew I had to apply. I started by doing research into other sales careers, and I kept coming across tech. Salesforce seemed like it would be a great company to work for.” Q&A with Whitney: Making the Shift to Tech Sales After learning about her career trajectory, I asked Whitney to tell me more about her shift into SaaS sales and what advice she would have for other saleswomen looking to do the same. Cherilynn: Once you decided to make a career shift, how did you decide that tech was the right place for you? Whitney: I thought tech would be a new challenge for me. It’s a growing industry, but it’s also fruitful – with all the investment that comes into tech, I knew there would be more growth opportunities for me. In tech there’s a delineated career path that I didn’t have previously. When I was in sales in the sports industry, I had no idea what would be next for me. I didn’t know if I would ever get promoted. In tech you’re given your outline or your requirements, or you know what’s expected from you. You know if you meet your goals, then you’ll be rewarded. If it doesn’t work out the way you planned, there’s another way for you. One of the things I value is that at Salesforce there is a clear career path to reaching the next step in your career. Cherilynn: What would you say to someone who’s thinking about making a career shift into tech sales? Whitney: I would recommend that anybody interested in getting into tech should make a serious effort to do so. If you want to do it, then you should be here. I have done the work and deserve to be at Salesforce. Don’t give up. Some of my former sports sales colleagues really want to get out of what they’re doing, but they’re scared, or they feel like they don’t have the skills. I tell them to just go for it. I had to start over, but it was worth it. I know that there’s a lot more for me to [accomplish before] there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep going. Starting over is difficult, but it can bring large rewards. I think being a salesperson, although challenging at times, is rewarding, not just professionally, but personally. I feel like I can talk to anybody, at any time, about anything. Working in sales has developed my confidence, improved my communication skills, and taught me how to negotiate. Because sales can be a challenging career path, it’s important to work for a company that provides growth opportunities. Salesforce has not only prepared me to succeed in my current role but has also prepared me to take on future opportunities as well. Cherilynn: What’s the best career advice you’ve received? Whitney: Trust the process. When I heard that in the past, I never really understood it, but when I started at Salesforce as an SDR there was definitely a learning curve. It was challenging at first, but I trusted the process. I took things step by step, started improving, and I saw the fruits of the process. Trusting the process is just staying patient, doing what you’re supposed to do, and waiting to see the results. As an experienced SDR, Whitney was strategic in her approach to her career development and took advantage of one of the many Salesforce career paths. Through networking and leveraging her product knowledge and strong sales foundation, Whitney was able to pivot to a new sales role. By taking advantage of the career development opportunities available to her at Salesforce and putting her previous experience to good use, Whitney was able to take the next step in her professional career by starting a new role as an Associate Solution Engineer in the Essentials Small Business Unit in October 2020. Cherilynn: What’s it like to be part of Salesforce’s new Denver team? Whitney: One of the driving forces

#StrongerTogether: Never Stop Innovating – Creativity and Empathy

As we continue to navigate our new normal, it’s important to find success in the little wins. I recently had the opportunity to chat with another Salesforce Trailblazer, Monique Zill, and learn about her career journey. Monique, a general commercial account executive, shared how she recently achieved a successful client outcome. She leveraged her empathy and insights to help a manufacturing client pivot to support its first remote sales team. To better understand Monique’s success, I wanted to learn about her career path and how her past experiences have enabled her to be successful, even during COVID-19. Early Career  A lifelong style enthusiast, Monique started her career as an assistant in fashion advertising sales for a major U.S.-based magazine. Her manager’s departure resulted in an opening, so Monique approached the publisher and applied for the position. Clients vouched for her knowledge and value, and as a result she was offered her first sales role as a fashion and beauty manager. From her first sales role, Monique transitioned into a new position at a different magazine but found that she didn’t have the tools she needed to reach her full potential. “My success in my first sales role was the result of mastering our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system,” Monique said. “When I left my second role, it was really important that I worked for a company that had a CRM system in place because it made my job—especially a transition from a new role— much easier. My new position didn’t  include a CRM tool, so over the course of my year there, it was challenging to manage client relationships, tasks, and notes with simple spreadsheets.” Early in her career, Monique realized the importance of innovating and creating systems to maximize efficiency. End User to Sales Professional After her role was impacted by layoffs at the magazine’s parent company, Monique began to consider sales roles outside of the fashion industry. “It never occurred to me to work for a technology company, but the layoff created an opportunity I wasn’t expecting,” Monique said. “At the time, I was always rooted heavily in marketing and advertising, especially in the fashion and beauty realm, and I was nervous to leave my comfort zone.” Although a career shift into Software as a Service (SaaS) sales wasn’t originally in her plan, Monique realized she could leverage her experience as an end user and use her story to inspire clients. I found being an end user was really useful through my storytelling, so that’s how I landed at Salesforce.” Interested in exploring a role in SaaS sales? Learn more about sales careers at Salesforce. COVID-19 Client Success Even in these challenging times, Monique has found ways to help her clients be successful. One of her clients manufactures golf cart batteries and, like so many other companies during this pandemic, they experienced a drop in demand. Monique’s client was so accustomed to having its sales team in the office that the idea of a remote workforce came as a brand-new concept. “Especially now when you’re in a sales role,” Monique shared, “it’s about listening to our clients more than ever and being empathetic in how you respond to them.” By leveraging her empathic listening, she learned three things: (1) that her client had to rethink their approach to prospecting to keep the sales team moving; (2) that it was necessary to reevaluate the spend, and that reevaluation determined that supporting the sales team was a critical spend for fiscal year 2020; and (3) that forecast transparency and management were critical to success. As a result, Monique was able to help her client pivot. She found a solution to invest in technology to help prepare for future global expansion by using historical data to predict future sales. As a part of her approach, Monique suggested bringing the chief information officer (CIO) to the table because Salesforce’s Manufacturing Cloud resonated with his focus on global transformations. The Salesforce Manufacturing cloud keeps account and operation teams on the same page for manufacturers and speaks to the kind of forecasting and needs of clients who live and breathe the manufacturing space. Q&A with Monique: Making the Shift to Tech Sales After learning about her career trajectory and success selling in the current climate, I asked Monique to tell me more about her shift into SaaS sales. Cherilynn:What advice would you give to other women looking to make the shift into tech sales? Monique: It sounds cliché, but you definitely need to believe you can do it, and nine times out of ten, you absolutely can. In those moments when you feel like you can’t, reach out to your network.  Lean on others who are your mentors, your cheerleaders, because we all need a little pep talk now and again. Especially now during these times, you don’t need to  do it  alone, and no one expects you to be doing it alone. For example, my manager Seanté Baker, RVP Commercial Sales and Manufacturing at Salesforce, is one  of my biggest career advocates. She frequently asks, “What do you need from me? How can I help you? How can I coach you? What’s the best way for us to work together moving forward?” Recently I responded, “I think I need to get out of my Salesforce bubble,” meaning I need to network with other women and other companies. I need to be a part of a larger conversation. Seanté connected me with Sistas In Sales. If you’re looking to change industries, just believe in yourself and definitely ask for help because it’s there, and people really want to help you because they’ve all been there too. Cherilynn:In your experience, what does it take to succeed in this space? Monique: Salesforce has a learning environment. It doesn’t encourage you to fail. But if you do fail, do it quickly. You’re always going to learn something from it. Be persistent. It’s grit that gets you through day to day.” Cherilynn:Any final advice or words of wisdom? Monique:  Be your own advocate but don’t do it

#StrongerTogether: Using Your Skills to Put Customers First

As our nation reckons with the legacy of systemic racism in the U.S., Sistas In Sales remains dedicated to supporting and amplifying the voices of Black women. We are proud to continue advocating for change and cultivating safe spaces for Black women to advance their careers and grow in community with each other. Even in the most challenging times, our sisterhood is a powerful resource to support one another and learn from each other as we continue developing our careers as professional saleswomen.  With that in mind, I’d like to share the story of Frednise Shields. As a former Account Executive, Frednise knows how to build relationships and puts her customers first in order to succeed in the world of sales. Meet Frednise Shields, Associate Solution Engineer – Healthcare Life Sciences at Salesforce  Frednise, a Salesforce trailblazer, took time out of her busy day as a new mom to share her career journey. Immediately after graduating from Georgia State University in 2012, Frednise started in a leadership program at AT&T in Atlanta. She then relocated to New York City, where she earned several promotions over the course of four years with AT&T and managed progressively larger teams. Frednise shared, “I learned so much about leadership, managing a company, and business acumen.” Ever curious about technology and innovation, Frednise began broadening her technical skills by utilizing Trailhead, Salesforce’s training platform, to become a certified Salesforce Administrator. She reported being “really, really fascinated with Salesforce,” and its innovative solutions to give customers a competitive advantage. Understanding the power of networking, Frednise attended a Salesforce World Tour, where she connected with several Salesforce professionals including Stephanie Glenn, who told her to stay in touch. Stephanie was one of the many people who served as a resource for Frednise throughout the Salesforce account executive interview, offer, hire, and onboarding process, providing insight and support along the way. “Stephanie helped me find clarity on my career pursuits and encouraged me to seek opportunities that would be most beneficial to my career long-term,” Frednise shared.  Today, as an Associate Solution Engineer in the Healthcare Life Sciences (HLS) vertical at Salesforce, Frednise combines her technical sales expertise with her interest in STEM. “I’ve always been fascinated by science and technology,” she shared. “I completed the pre-medical track in college along with my business degree and it was during that period that I realized the important role technology plays in the healthcare industry. I’m happy that in my current role I’m able to help healthcare professionals come up with solutions by leveraging Salesforce’s technology.”   Frednise believes Salesforce is an excellent fit for her for three reasons:  Sense of Belonging: When Frednise arrived at Salesforce, she soon learned about BOLDforce, the Black Organization for Leadership and Development. BOLDforce is one of 12 Employee Resource Groups, or Equality Groups as the company calls them. Employee-led and employee-organized, the groups build community, educate allies, and drive equality. Through BOLDforce, Frednise has made lasting and meaningful connections with leaders and peers across different business units. “The connections helped me open doors to new opportunities.” Inclusive Benefits: As Frednise’s career advanced, she wanted to join a company where she could bring her true self to work. “I felt that [Salesforce] integrated with my life.” As a new mom, Frednise raved about Salesforce’s generous parental leave policy. “It helped me perform at a higher level at my job because at the end of the six months I knew I’d be ready to go back to work and give it my all.” Frednise was impressed with the thoughtful benefits available to new parents. “Salesforce offers guides and support for things like sleep training that helped ease my transition back to work and connected me with other new moms every single step of the way. It’s incredible that we have these options.” Volunteering in the Community: At Salesforce, all employees receive 56 paid volunteer hours per year, which Frednise uses to give back to her community and create positive social change. “I enjoy volunteering with America Needs You (ANY), an organization that provides intensive career development and mentorship to low-income high school students who are the first in their families to pursue college,” Frednise shared. “I was the first in my immediate family to attend college in the U.S. because my parents immigrated from Haiti when they were in their 30s. Consequently, I was able to relate to my former ANY mentees on a personal level.” This is part of the company’s  1-1-1 Philanthropic Model: Salesforce donates 1 percent of its time, 1 percent of its product, and 1 percent of its financial resources to the community.  Best Career Advice Ever Received “The best advice I received, and also realized early on, is that sometimes in your career, you’re not going to be going up a ladder. There are so many different turns that your career can take, but that doesn’t mean that you’re failing or not succeeding. I think any step that you’re taking in your career, whether a step back from a title perspective or pay, is a success if it’s helping you get to the end goal that you have for yourself. Even if you’re taking a step back right now, it enables you to take multiple steps forward in your future.” Initially, Frednise made a lateral move to join Salesforce, but she looks back now and sees that it was the best decision she could have made Learning From Frednise’s Success What can you learn from Frednise’s story? No matter what’s going on in the world, there are valuable lessons you can apply to your own sales career right now. 1.Focus on Customer Success and Your Own Success Will Follow “A lot of my success as an AE was listening to the client, building a relationship with them, and showing them that I have their best interests in mind. The solutions I can provide address the real challenges they’re facing,” Frednise said. 2.Build Relationships  “One thing I’ve done to connect with clients is getting to know them personally.

Rise to the Occasion: Partnering Through Challenging Times

As any sales professional can tell you, our industry is constantly in flux. There are good and better quarters, moments when new accounts are coming in hand over fist and others when we have to roll up our sleeves and get creative in order to make an impact. In the sales world, we are familiar with fluctuation and change. We know how to innovate in response to what’s happening and now is the time to put those adaptive skills to good use. While the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the pace and pattern of daily life, as professional saleswomen we have the skills and expertise needed to navigate this challenging time.  I want to share with you the story of another trailblazer, Tamara Scarlett, an Account Executive at Salesforce. Tamara was recognized by Salesforce sales leadership as Rookie of the Year. Tamara began her professional life as a recruiter, a position she credits with teaching her to understand how large organizations work and to pinpoint their needs. In her previous roles at AOL and Oracle Data Cloud, she learned the value of understanding and using data to drive growth, and made the transition from recruitment to sales.  “I wanted to have a better understanding of data overall,” Tamara recalls. “I wanted to understand how consumers interact, how they respond, what excites them, how to motivate them and how to use this information to make strategic buying decisions for the brands.” With Tamara, data is the key to her success in sales — it transforms her work to show her clients evidence of how she can help them succeed. Smart data drives successful partnerships.  Today, Tamara works at Salesforce, where she leverages her deep understanding of media as a unique area of expertise for the company. In her first year, she was named Salesforce Rookie of the Year, a major achievement in a company with so many different technologies to learn while working with customers. Tamara consistently networks and builds relationships both with peers and mentors who have supported her growth in sales, including Seanté Baker, the Regional VP of Commercial Sales at Salesforce, and a trailblazer in her own right. For Tamara, this mentorship relationship with another Black woman was key. “She really helped me sit down with the customer and take time with them to assess their needs, and create a really great relationship,” Tamara says. “I think that it’s really important to identify a couple of key mentors to help guide you through the inevitably challenging times in your career. As much as there are positive things inside of your sales career, you need someone who encourages you to be vulnerable.” Tamara also works with Seanté on the Executive Leadership Council, a handpicked group of women and men of color designed to further open channels of opportunity for the development of Black executives. The importance of mentorship in Tamara’s journey is clear, and it’s valuable for all women of color as they progress in their careers. In the Diversity Best Practices (DBP) 2017 Inclusion Index, 76% of companies offer formal mentoring opportunities, however, only 15% of employees who participated were women. With such an incredible start to her career at Salesforce, it’s clear the Tamara Scarlett is poised for success in sales and beyond. Connect with the team at Salesforce to learn more about sales positions and the Salesforce vision. Learning from Tamara’s Success What can you learn from Tamara’s story? No matter what’s going on in the world, there are important lessons you can apply to your own sales career right now: It’s All About Creating Partnerships! The best sales professionals know that this work is all about people. In challenging times like these, it’s important to reach out to each other with understanding and lead with compassion. With uncertainty on the horizon, the best way to weather this storm professionally is to be there for your customers, anticipating their needs and finding creative solutions to their current problems. 3 Tips to Partner With Clients Right Now 1. Hustle—With Empathy Yes, you’re going to have to hustle to keep going in this economy. Everyone is. But that doesn’t mean choosing opportunism over empathy. As you reach out to current and potential customers, be a problem-solver working in their best interests. Take the time to do your research, diving deep into their current problems so you can demonstrate your alignment with their needs. That extra effort will build your credibility in this crisis—and that won’t soon be forgotten. 2. Acknowledge Time and Place You can’t get anywhere with your clients without starting with their financial situation. Are they in the hard-hit travel industry, or are they in tech and possibly seeing growth? Whether you’re working to soften a blow or speed growth, use your insight into your clients’ current finances to position your value story and build trust. 3. Brush Up on Financial Fluency If you’re unsure of the economic impact of coronavirus on your client’s needs, you have homework to do! Study up on 10-K reports to see where you can provide solutions and drive strategic decision-making. You’ll also want to immerse yourself in your customer’s industry as it stands right now so you can speak their language when you reach out. Want to dive deeper on how financial insights can improve your sales outcomes? Sign up for our Financial Fluency Masterclass here! Your job won’t be easy in the coming months, but there is an opportunity to make a real difference for your clients during this time. Seize this moment to learn about their new needs and find timely solutions, and you’ll build partnerships that will last long after this crisis has passed. Here’s to selling Mastery, -Cherilynn Head of Education and Growth Cherilynn Castleman, Sales Trainer/Executive Coach, has been a sales executive for 20+ years. With a natural talent for teaching and a drive to sell, Cherilynn uses her skills to coach and train other sales professionals. Sistas in Sales, LLC (SIS) is a community for women of color sales professionals to network, advance their careers and most importantly, find sisterhood – offering events, thriving Slack community with companies hiring now,

Network of Trailblazing Women in Sales

When I think about trailblazers, I think about women of color who have forged new paths in fields that have previously been off-limits to them. Trailblazing women are among the first in their fields to try something new or take risks to pave the way for those coming behind them. This Women’s History Month, I want to share with you the story of a changemaker. I hope her story will inspire you to continue building your network and breaking new ground as a trailblazing woman in sales. A Salesforce trailblazer, Seanté began her career as a clinical researcher before discovering her passion for sales. After completing her undergraduate coursework with a pre-med focus, she started working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the UCSF Headache Center in San Francisco. When asked to tackle the clinic’s lack of research trials, Seanté’s interest in sales was piqued. The leadership team was impressed with Seanté’s ambition and innovative approach to the project. Although she hadn’t taken any business classes, Seanté led her career with a growth mindset and a fearless spirit. A Fearless and Agile Force A quick learner and self-taught, she leveraged internet research, networked with clinical trial scientists and doctors, and built a team that executed on her vision and business plan. When she started at the UCSF Headache Center, there were no clinical trials. By the time she left, they were running six industry-sponsored studies (pharma and  med device companies) and five investigator initiated studies. She hired a team and pitched contract research organizations and pharmaceutical companies on her team’s ability to find and enroll qualified patients. Seanté’s efforts generated ~$700,000 in revenue with a 95% patient retention rate and 100% patient enrollment. Seanté was so engaged with her new project, she realized that studying for the MCATs was the last thing on her mind. The clinical trial project unveiled her passion for helping others, not through medicine, but through providing solutions. From the headache clinic, Seanté transitioned to pharmaceutical sales and then to medical device sales. Although this new career path allowed her to combine both of her passions, patient care and solutions, she struggled with an ethical decision. Building her sales pipeline meant finding people for the operating table, and this was a hard reality to face. Living in San Francisco, Seanté saw the Salesforce logo everywhere. She looked up at a Salesforce sign one day and said to herself, “I’m going to work there someday!” Four months later, Seanté joined Salesforce as a Small Business Account Executive. With her curious spirit and can-do attitude, she sought out numerous opportunities to blaze trails. Seanté recalls spending her first month at Salesforce in October 2014 sitting with a solutions engineer because she had no idea what an API was. Application Programming Interface (API) is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. If you use an app to send an instant message, order a meal, or check the weather on your phone, you’re using an API. Despite having no technical background, no personal brand in NYC, and no established network on the east coast, she did not let this stop her career growth. How to Succeed in a Leadership role Here’s Seanté’s advice on how to succeed in a leadership role in a new market, for a new technology company: Seanté started with no technical background, but after two years as a Core Account Executive, she moved to the Heroku team in New York City. Now, this is no small feat. Heroku is one of the most technical products Salesforce has to offer. It’s a cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) for developers to integrate their applications in several programming languages. After five and one half years of demonstrating leadership and bringing innovative solutions to the table, she is now the Sales Regional Vice President for Commercial Sales, Manufacturing. “I am proud of what I have accomplished”, Seanté shares. “I’ve worked and continue to work hard. I’ve always been ambitious and will always have goals. But that being said, I also had some guilt that came with the ‘success’. I was given adequate access and resources throughout my life that many women of color are not provided. I was well prepared for life in the corporate world. That’s why I am so passionate about helping the generations behind me – I feel that it’s my duty to give back and to show other women of color that it is possible to not only reach these positions but also to excel in them.” Seanté’s final piece of advice for starting a new role is, “Don’t overthink it…People are people –  we have feelings, wants, and needs, and we all bring something of value to the table. If you come to work with empathy and you can see the perspective of others, you will be successful. If you can step outside of your comfort zone you will go far in life. That’s what gets deals done, that’s what makes the big sales happen.” To learn more about Seanté’s impactful work and what it takes to become a trailblazing saleswoman at Salesforce click here. In the spirit of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, here are five ideas to keep us successfully blazing trails: Five Ideas to Keep us Successfully Blazing Trails You have what it takes to be a trailblazer, to succeed as a professional saleswoman in your company both on your team and as an individual. Words to remember: build a community and network to ensure that you’re not the last. Lift as you rise. You have the power to create lasting change. Here’s to selling Mastery, Cherilynn Head of Education and Growth Cherilynn Castleman, Sales Trainer/Executive Coach, has been a sales executive for 20+ years, a natural talent for teaching and a drive to sell, Cherilynn uses her skills to coach and train other sales professionals. Sistas in Sales, LLC (SIS) is a community for women of color sales professionals to network, advance their careers and most importantly, find sisterhood – offering events, thriving Slack community with