Unconventional Pathways to Pre-Sales Success: A Glimpse into Two Remarkable Journeys
So many skills can spell success in sales, no matter where you’re from.
There’s nothing like the rush of a sale you’ve nurtured from the start, and if you’re a good communicator, love a challenge, and have a knack for connecting with people and businesses, you can build an exciting career at any stage of the sales cycle.
We love meeting candidates from all backgrounds and exploring their potential here. With the right attitude and some transferable skills, the future is bright at Workday-regardless of whether your role is one you’ve had direct experience in previously. What’s more, we thrive as an organization by broadening our pool of candidates. It drives diversity of thought and equally helps your unique brilliance shine through.
Jil Simon, a London-based Presales Manager who initially began her career in post-sales, sees this every day. “Combining individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, industries and companies continually improves our business. We’ve created an environment where people with different perspectives challenge each other to drive forward improvements.”
Rather than only looking at candidates with pre-sales experience in the HR or financial space, Jil looks at anyone with either pre-sales, industry, or practitioner experience who displays the skills needed to succeed in the job. “The truth is,” says Jil, pre-sales skills and industry knowledge can be developed on the job.” Moreover, it’s just as important to us to find people who feel aligned with our ways of working. We’re a friendly, collaborative, and passionate team — and we want everyone here to be a part of that.
“While I do keep my eyes open for a few base skills throughout the interview process — presentation, teamwork, organisational and interpersonal skills, as well as a proven track record of being able to learn new content quickly — I also hope to find individuals that will be a culture add to the company.”
An Unexpected Landing in Pre-sales
Jil’s first role was in post-sales at a well-known, enterprise tech company. After a few years, she wanted to try something new, with more variety and a faster pace, and jumped at the chance to join a small company as a Solution Consultant.
“I really loved it. Over time I progressed into pre-sales management and after five years, I was again keen to learn something new — even though I loved my role.”
Jil decided to move to a tech company in a different industry, before eventually making the move over to Workday. “The decision to move into HR/finance tech was primarily driven by the fit I saw between Workday and myself. I was also attracted to the sheer opportunity and growth potential I saw here.”
There were, however, a few challenges — going from an industry and product expert in one field to essentially starting from scratch in the HR and finance space was “humbling”.
“It is always a humbling experience to challenge yourself in this way and it can feel like you need to absorb a mountain of information before you can be truly productive. What helped me was relying on my transferrable sales and leadership skills to offer a new perspective from the beginning. That way, I was able to contribute from early on and felt comfortable giving myself time and space to continuously learn about the product and the industry on the side.”
Let Us See Your Value
For Mari Wong, making the leap from Human Resources to HCM Solutions Consultant happened quite organically. Based in London (via her home country of Brazil and some time at Michigan State University completing her Masters in HR), she is very happy that her ambitions in global HR ultimately brought her to the UK six years ago. Despite what she calls a “questionable sense of judgment in swapping Rio’s beaches for sub-zero winters in Michigan!”
Mari was introduced to a Workmate at a dog show, where they discussed the future of work and how ‘career-changers’ could play a pivotal part in the fast-changing demand for skills. “As an HR professional, working with different point solutions and legacy ERP systems, I knew Workday could solve the challenges I faced daily. Little did I know then that that would be the moment that led me to be part of the solution itself.”
She agrees with Jil that it’s a misconception that you must have an industry-specific or pre-sales background to succeed in her role. Career paths are not always linear. It’s about understanding the skill sets important in Pre-Sales and leveraging your previous experiences to highlight your transferable skills and the value you can bring.
“Changing industries and/or function takes a lot of due diligence. I did a lot of research to understand current news in the tech industry, trends, and innovations in the HR tech space. This knowledge reassured me that I was making the right investment in my future.”
“I think it’s about being prepared to bring out the true value that you can deliver with your transferable skills. Just ensure to tailor your examples and bring them to life in a relevant and relatable manner. In HR, despite not working with external customers, I had to manage hundreds of internal customers — the employees. Understanding their challenges, finding solutions, and navigating them along the employee lifecycle journey requires similar skills to engaging with prospects and customers.”
As Jil continues to explain, you should never underestimate the power of your previous experience — whatever it is. “I learned from my very first demo and engagement that my experience in HR was invaluable in my new role. By being purposeful about bringing to life examples of challenges I’d faced in HR, I reflected on how Workday could have made my life easier and that went a long way. Having ‘worn the shoes’, I’m still always really excited about the Workday technology and the impact we can have on organisations, industries, markets, and beyond.”
Inspired to Embark on a New Career in Sales?
Jil suggests beginning with reflection on what your current skills are, based on past experience, feedback you’ve had, and past projects.
“Create a list of your key skills and then, importantly, think about which skills you enjoy using. Then you can start thinking about which roles look for the skills you have, especially the ones you get a sense of fulfillment from using.”
She also advises researching companies that resonate with your values so that you can target employers who offer alignment with both your values and skills. “Ensure that you highlight these all the way from your CV through to your interviews. This will bring across that you’ve been thoughtful and selective about where you’ve applied, and are confident that this will be a good fit mutually.”
“And do your research!”, adds Mari. “Demonstrating knowledge about the company and your role shows eagerness, and will communicate clearly how you can deliver value. By bringing your value forth, the focus will be on what you have done and can do, rather than what you lack.”
There’s no doubt that making a career change can be tough. Building up your confidence in a new space can take time. However, if you are purposeful about your development, and give yourself the time you need to learn, you can open up a whole new world of exciting opportunities. Mari and Jil both arrived at Workday enthusiastic to learn and determined to succeed in their new roles, and discovered a community of Workmates keen to share their expertise. As they continue to inspire their customers and colleagues, and add continued value to the business, they are fantastic examples of how the right people can become perfect for any sales job. There are many routes to a successful career in sales and we’re always happy to help people discover theirs!
Your next career move in Pre-Sales is on the horizon. Learn more about the team.
A brighter work day is just around the corner ☀️. Explore career opportunities here. For more #WDAYLife content, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
