Tech Sales is for Hustlers

It's hard being the new kid at school but when Ellen Hansen moved from Viva Las Vegas to the suburbs right outside of Richmond, Virginia, it taught her the life lesson of being comfortable being uncomfortable.

That valuable life lesson has allowed her to adapt quickly to any new situation she comes across. After being an SDR for memoryBlue for a short five months, Ellen's talent was swiftly recognized and was hired out by her client. Today, Ellen is continuing to excel as a Corporate Account Executive at Okta, Inc.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Ellen walks through how she was able to get hired out so quickly, her signature move the 1-2 punch, and her strategies to absolutely destroy a compensation plan.

"If you're good enough, you'll win." And if you're Percy Darkwah you're in it to win it.

Since the beginning of his tech sales career, Percy has always taken calculated risks and bet on himself to further his career. That undying will to succeed has led him to move from Virginia to Dallas, Texas, and now to Toronto, Canada. Today, Percy is crushing it as an Enterprise Account Executive at AppDynamics.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers,  Percy walks us through his non-linear sales career, how he was able to close a deal with a burger delivery, and questions to ask potential managers during the interview process.

Everyone has had a moment in school where a teacher will ask you a question, you know the answer but you just simply don’t raise your hand. If you sit idly by, who will hear what you have to say?

Ashley (Sprano) Lounsbury is a prime example of the benefits of raising your hand. She has always made it known what she wants and that she’s willing to hustle hard to get there. Today, Ashley is an Enterprise Account Executive at Tableau, a Salesforce company. 

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Ashley shares that having courage is a pivotal characteristic to have in sales, the importance of raising your hand to progress your career, and she explains what it’s like being a woman in sales.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Ever since a young age, Matt Bright has been making every deal just a little bit sweeter. Matt hails from Columbia, Maryland, and went to the University from Maryland. Shortly after graduation, Matt started his rewarding sales career at memoryBlue. He decided to stay on board and became the second salesperson ever to sell memoryBlue's services. Today, Matt is a Sales Director at Snyk. 

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Matt Bright shares the importance of listening to call recordings and learning from other reps, how he sizes up startups, and why his favorite and most valued deals are self-sourced.

Imagine working on behalf of a company for only 48 days and impressing the cofounders so much they make you a permanent job offer.

SDRs at memoryBlue often get hired by a client, but usually it’s after working on a campaign for several months or even a year. It generally takes time to prove your worth. But Brian Thompson was a rocket ship, getting hired out by his client (Capterra) in one of the quickest timeframes throughout the 18+ year history of memoryBlue. Those 48 days were filled with countless dials, a steep learning curve, and lots of laughs. Today, Brian is a successful Strategic Business Development Executive at Gartner.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Brian recounts his upbringing in the “Star City” (Roanoke, VA), his interesting experience with an acquisition, and why believing in the product you’re selling is of utmost importance to sales professionals.

Success isn't given, it's earned, and Mohamed "Mo" Hassan will do whatever it takes. Mo was born in Egypt before he and his family immigrated to the States. He learned from a young age to be successful meant hard work, tenacity, and above all family. Throughout his personal and professional life, Mo has faced adversity at almost every corner but has fought tooth and nail to overcome each obstacle. Despite the cards he's been dealt with, Mo has continued to have a positive outlook. Today Mo is an Account Executive at DH Technologies, and when he isn't closing deals he's co-hosting The Young and Muslim Podcast. The podcast sheds light on the lives of the young and Muslim.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Mo recounts his childhood as a young Muslim, how sales helped Mo come out of his shell, and the importance behind making a sales rep's job easier to excel in your career as an SDR.

In the small world of sales, it’s equal parts what you know and who you know. Over the past 14 years, Nelson Lawson built a vast and strong network of peers that he often leveraged on his path toward becoming Managing Partner of DC Consulting Service, LLC. His firm is a value-added reseller and leading provider of information security solutions and professional services. In fact, some of his vendor partners today were his former coworkers.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Nelson shares his experience with sales burn out, why it is vital to know your sales manager’s goals, and  how he embraced the entrepreneurial spirit to start his own value-added reseller.

If one good thing came out of the Great Recession, it was David Collins. David was a senior at JMU when mB Cofounder Chris Corcoran came to his class and spoke about memoryBlue. Once class was dismissed, David emailed Chris and the rest is history. If the economy and job market were better in 2008, it's possible Chris wouldn't have been able to nail down such talent in those early days of the company. David went on to get hired by his client and he is now a successful Client Principal at Contino. On this week's episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, David shares how he met his wife, Erica (Higginson) Collins, at a memoryBlue First Friday happy hour, how he created a professional network in Philly from scratch, and the key differences between selling products and services.

In order to have a successful career in the small tech sales world, you have to leave doors open. Philippe Ghattas had barely started his career in high tech sales when he was laid off from his new job, and he had just turned down another offer from his former memoryBlue client. Fortunately, Philippe was able to renegotiate a new job offer from that client and get things on a positive track. Since that very distinct moment in time, he has also always made it a point to never shut a door on the way out. Today, Philippe is living in London working as an Account Executive at Sisense.
 On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Philippe shares with us the pros and cons of working at both small and large tech companies, what it’s like working abroad, and how he’s able to maintain lasting relationships that allow him to keep all of his options open when opportunity comes knocking.

Sales isn't just a career, it's a lifestyle. And if you're living the life of Keith Hoffmann, that lifestyle means no days off...and you love every second of it. Keith Hoffmann - affectionately called "The Hoff" by his fellow mB alumni - eats, sleeps, and breathes sales. Born and raised in a blue collar, tough-as-nails part of Philly, Keith was never afraid of putting in hard work. That ironclad work ethic, along with a never-ending thirst to continuously grow his sales abilities, has helped him create a wildly successful enterprise sales career. Today, Keith is a Senior Director at ProcessMAP.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Keith pulls no punches as he walks listeners through his “sell or don’t eat” first door-to-door sales gig (where he rose quickly to become the number one rep across the country), how he made due living out of his car in order to take a chance on memoryBlue, and why he knows the most successful sales pros view sales as a lifestyle, not a career.