College Experiences That Helped A Sales Onboarding Manager At Salesforce Succeed
A business administration degree provided a broad understanding of "how the entire business works," proving beneficial in a sales career. While a lack of early internships is regretted, the interviewee emphasizes the value of networking, maintaining connections with professors, and the hands-on learning gained from sales roles involving diverse customer interactions – working with "every type of business, from restaurants to doctors."
Business Acumen, Sales & Marketing, Internships & Networking, Career Planning, Communication Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ryan Avolese
Sales Onboarding Trainer - Manager
Salesforce
University of Colorado
n/a
Business Management & Admin
Technology
Sales and Client Management
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. A business administration degree provides a broad understanding of various business functions (sales, marketing, accounting, operations), offering a comprehensive view of how businesses operate.
2. Seek out internships, particularly in sales, to gain practical experience and clarify career goals. Early exploration of potential roles and career paths can lead to more targeted internships and better preparation for post-graduation opportunities.
3. Actively engage in college coursework, presentations, and seek feedback from professors to build skills and network. Maintaining connections with professors can provide valuable mentorship and career guidance later on.
Transcript
What did you do in your undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
I would say just a business degree and a curious mind. Business school really set me up for success. I took a business administration degree, which gave me insight into sales, marketing, accounting, and operations.
This was super helpful. Having a good understanding of how the entire business works, versus pigeonholing yourself into just marketing or just accounting, provided a full picture of how a business is run successfully.
During college, I wish I had done more internships, especially sales-specific ones. At the time, that just wasn't something I knew I wanted to do. Coming out of college, I was unsure of my next steps, so it's hard to prepare when you're not sure what those look like.
Thinking more about the type of roles I wanted, what my day-to-day should look like, and what I wanted my pay to be, perhaps earlier in college, could have helped me get more specific internships and think more critically about where I wanted to be.
That being said, starting in a sales role is one of the best things you can do. You get so many opportunities to talk to customers and learn about businesses. For example, at Yelp, we worked with every type of business, from restaurants to doctors, lawyers, and plumbers. Talking to people who owned businesses in all those different sectors really helped me learn a ton.
Inside of college, paying attention, doing presentations, taking things seriously, getting practice, and receiving feedback from your teachers are really helpful. I still connect with one of my marketing teachers on LinkedIn, and we talk a couple of times a year. That has also been valuable.