Biggest Challenges For An Account Executive At A Leading B2B SaaS Company
Sam's biggest challenge as an account executive is effective communication, requiring adaptation to different communication styles and paces, a "blessing and a curse." Successfully navigating the high failure rate inherent in sales, maintaining mental and physical well-being during "drought" periods, is equally crucial for career success.
Communication, Sales, Resilience, Mental Health, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sam Leahy
Account Executive
Leading B2B SaaS Company
University of Colorado at Boulder
N/A
Business Management & Admin
Technology
Sales and Client Management
None Applicable, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Effective communication is crucial in this role, requiring adaptability to different communication styles and paces.
2. Sales involves frequent failures; resilience and maintaining mental well-being are essential for success.
3. The ability to persevere through periods of low sales (droughts) is a key skill for account executives.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge as an account executive?
For me, I would say communication is big. It's definitely the biggest skill that you can have.
But it is a little bit trying sometimes because you want to operate at one pace, but you have to be at the will of a lot of other people. That's kind of a blessing and a curse, so that's a big challenge.
Dealing with failure is big. There's no two ways around it. Sales is pretty difficult and it can be very confidence-shaking at times.
Going back to a sports reference, in baseball, if you succeed three out of 10 times, you're considered a hall of famer, but there are still seven failures. There's a lot of failure in sales.
So it's about keeping your mind right and keeping your mental and physical health and clarity correct in periods of drought. That can be a challenge sometimes.