Love School of Business graduates recently spoke on a Sales Alumni Panel
By Erin Manchuso ’19
The Chandler Family Professional Sales Center hosted a Sales Alumni Panel on Nov. 7 in Richard W. Sankey Hall.
Marketing graduates shared their career path in sales since graduation as well as insights on the different service lines within the sales field. Love School of Business executive-in-residence Mike Gannaway moderated the discussion.
The panel comprised of:
Jenny Adams ‘12, senior solutions consultant at Marketo
Laura Beckstead ’14, senior solution engineer-marketing cloud at Salesforce
Lindsay Richardson ‘12, director of business development at Growth Geeks & Workify
The panel’s advice included:
- Take advantage of any opportunities to gain exposure to sales. Whether it be joining Elon’s sales team or seeking out internships in sales, amounting various sales experiences early on is essential in developing one’s skills and ultimately finding one’s niche within sales. Though that specific type of sales may not be where you think your interests lie, having those experiences gives you a unique insight into the sales cycle that is invaluable to other roles.
- Change is good, but don’t switch jobs the moment you’re not happy. Sales is a challenging, fast-paced field, and entry-level sales positions generally involves a fair amount of prospecting for clients. While it may be easy to call it quits when work grows challenging or is not what you expected, consider your long-term goals and try to ride out temporary frustrations.
- Consider more than just the job description and starting salary when deciding on a position. Where do you want to live? How do you feel about regularly traveling? What kind of company culture are you looking for? These are all factors that greatly impact one’s job and work environment, so it’s important to make time to consider these when undergoing the recruitment process.
- Figure out what works for you when managing a work life balance. Often times sales roles offer the ability to work remotely, which has its benefits and drawbacks. When offered the option to work from home, it is essential to set boundaries in order to maintain a life inside and outside of the workplace.