The Road to Professional Growth: Advancing Your Career as an Account Executive

The Key Things I’ve Learned about Being Successful in Tech Sales

My name is Zina and I am an Account Executive (AE) for Workday based in Germany. I joined Workday approx. 4 years ago; time really flies! My friends say it doesn’t surprise them that I’ve ended up in a career where I talk to people all day long! As someone who is open-minded, always loves communicating and building connections with others, being an Account Executive at Workday is the perfect job for me. My job largely revolves around speaking to customers and colleagues, going to meetings (both virtual and on-site) and building relationships. My success at work reflects my ability to create good, trustworthy connections.

I’ve always been the kind of person who gets their energy from spending time with others. I love being with my friends and family and getting out into the fresh air with my dog, Bruna. On the weekend you can find me on the tennis court, getting coffee in the local market, or planning my next great meal — I’m a bit of a foodie. My passion for people, food and having a great time with interesting characters is a big part of who I am; and are the core of my personal brand.

The Importance of a Personal Brand

I believe that whatever career path you choose, having a personal brand is really important. It allows you to recognise your strengths, which in turn helps you to detach from external influences. Know your worth, where you need to grow, and what makes people want to work with you (and in my case, also buy from me). In my experience, people who have a strong personal brand are more successful in the field because they stand out to customers and employers.

Finding your personal brand begins with self-reflection. If you’re unsure what makes you unique — what makes you, YOU — ask your friends and family these three things;

● What do you really appreciate about my personality?

● What are the first three characteristics that come to mind when thinking of me?

● Where do you feel I have room for personal growth?

Once you start hearing who you are in other peoples’ minds, you can focus on the characteristics that people appreciate about you, and build out your identity in the marketplace. You won’t be simply “yet another salesperson” — you’ll be someone customers and employers feel that they know and understand, and that’s often the key to creating trusting and productive professional relationships.

Embracing a Growth Mindset

Some days can be demanding at Workday because we’re ‘always on’ for our customers. At the end of the day however, our solutions at Workday are fantastic, so even though the negotiations are challenging at times, it’s very rewarding when we get it over the line. We go the extra mile to prove our solutions are worth the price, and I’m never worried my customers won’t be satisfied once they’ve made the decision to go with us. We are, of course, here as a business to make a profit but do it with integrity and purpose, all of which are core values!

The top skills I’ve learned in this role are reading people and being able to deal with ups and downs of a deal cycle. Being open-minded and embracing a continuous learning mindset are skills that will take someone a long way here. Staying up to date in these fast-moving times is essential, so you need to have an intrinsic motivation to keep growing and learning daily because that knowledge could be the difference between closing a deal or not.

Would I recommend a career in tech sales? Absolutely! It’s an agile industry and you’ll never stop developing. If you love the excitement and challenge of being busy and working hard, love being in the driver’s seat for the good and bad, and you’re willing to go the extra mile to get the results you want you’ll grow, you’ll find happiness in sales at Workday and you’ll have fun along the way.

Fasten your seatbelt and take the first step to accelerating your career today. Learn more about a career in sales.

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