Paola Johnson, the Director of Community and Customer Advocacy at ThoughtSpot, shares her journey from a sales background to her current role leading community and advocacy. Paola discusses the benefits of social selling, the importance of customer engagement through community programs, her approach to matching motivations and rewards, and her personal experience as a Latina in the tech industry. She provides insights into the significance of community management, the challenges and successes associated with building an online community, and the nuances of customer advocacy. Paola emphasizes the role of authenticity, hard work, and networking in career advancement, along with her philosophy towards overcoming fear and imposter syndrome. The conversation also touches upon the role of employee resource communities in fostering a sense of belonging and promoting cultural awareness within companies.

• (00:51) Paola's Journey into Sales and Marketing
• (02:56) The Impact of ThoughtSpot and Social Selling
• (05:12) Transitioning to Marketing and Embracing Community Management
• (09:21) Building a Thriving Community at ThoughtSpot
• (13:51) The Art of Selling as a Marketer
• (16:54) Overcoming Fear and Imposter Syndrome
• (19:41) Expanding into Customer Advocacy and Identifying Customer Motivations
• (24:05) The Importance of Cultural Identity and Community

Stay tuned through the end of the show (27:11) to learn: 

• Where Paola gets her streaming content.
• Who Paola thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Paola Johnson (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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