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Interview With Chelsea Strong
Chelsea Strong, Director of Strategic Accounts at Obsidian Security, talks to Ashleigh and Kasey about cultivating relationships and successfully selling a highly technical product.
SHOW NOTES
Working With the Engineering Team
-Chelsea has to work very closely with the engineering team because she’s selling a highly technical product. This relationship is incredibly valuable, but hard to cultivate especially as an organization grows and scales.
-To be successful selling in this type of environment, never say anything you’re not confident in. Check in with the SE’s to clarify what you’re planning to say and be sure that it’s correct. You don’t want to sell something that the product doesn’t actually do and let the customer down.
Selling a Highly Technical Product
-It can be incredibly intimidating to work with a deeply technical product if you don’t have an engineering background. Chelsea’s background with language has been a massive help because part of the tech industry is essentially learning a new language.
-When you’re dealing with a technical audience, prospects are often wary of salespeople. Put in the work to know what you’re talking about, especially if it isn’t your specialty. Far too many salespeople and tems don’t put in the hard and, oftentimes, monotonous work to learn the background and context in which they’re working.
Getting Into Sales
-She fell into both sales and the technical sales niche she’s currently in. Her first introduction was as a cashier selling candy at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and then began officially in outside sales with a job at Monterey Mushrooms.
-After leaving that position she began as an inside salesperson at SurfControl covering companies that had only 50 employees. It was here that Chelsea really learned to decipher who was serious about the product and who just wanted to talk on the phone.
Being a Mom
-There’s not much talk of personal lives in the sales world, but our personal lives have a massive impact on how we work and our career development. Before she became a mom Chelsea was very focused and becoming one has only increased this.
-She’s very selfish with her time and tries not to waste anyone else’s so that she can maximize her time outside of work with her daughter.
-Chelsea highlights planning in advance, ensuring you have a support system, and being transparent about your responsibility as a parent with your boss to successfully balance your work and personal life.
Connect with Chelsea
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/othersideofsales/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/othersideofsales/support
View all episodes
By Ashleigh EarlyChelsea Strong, Director of Strategic Accounts at Obsidian Security, talks to Ashleigh and Kasey about cultivating relationships and successfully selling a highly technical product.
SHOW NOTES
Working With the Engineering Team
-Chelsea has to work very closely with the engineering team because she’s selling a highly technical product. This relationship is incredibly valuable, but hard to cultivate especially as an organization grows and scales.
-To be successful selling in this type of environment, never say anything you’re not confident in. Check in with the SE’s to clarify what you’re planning to say and be sure that it’s correct. You don’t want to sell something that the product doesn’t actually do and let the customer down.
Selling a Highly Technical Product
-It can be incredibly intimidating to work with a deeply technical product if you don’t have an engineering background. Chelsea’s background with language has been a massive help because part of the tech industry is essentially learning a new language.
-When you’re dealing with a technical audience, prospects are often wary of salespeople. Put in the work to know what you’re talking about, especially if it isn’t your specialty. Far too many salespeople and tems don’t put in the hard and, oftentimes, monotonous work to learn the background and context in which they’re working.
Getting Into Sales
-She fell into both sales and the technical sales niche she’s currently in. Her first introduction was as a cashier selling candy at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and then began officially in outside sales with a job at Monterey Mushrooms.
-After leaving that position she began as an inside salesperson at SurfControl covering companies that had only 50 employees. It was here that Chelsea really learned to decipher who was serious about the product and who just wanted to talk on the phone.
Being a Mom
-There’s not much talk of personal lives in the sales world, but our personal lives have a massive impact on how we work and our career development. Before she became a mom Chelsea was very focused and becoming one has only increased this.
-She’s very selfish with her time and tries not to waste anyone else’s so that she can maximize her time outside of work with her daughter.
-Chelsea highlights planning in advance, ensuring you have a support system, and being transparent about your responsibility as a parent with your boss to successfully balance your work and personal life.
Connect with Chelsea
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/othersideofsales/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/othersideofsales/support