real talk
Podcast: Founder Real Talk
Date: April 19, 2018
Title: How to Build a Winning Sales Team, with Kelly Wright
Length: 37 Minutes
Episode: 11
description:

Kelly Wright tells the story of how selling books door-to-door shaped her approach to start-up sales and how she went from the first salesperson at Tableau to becoming the EVP and scaled the company to nearly $1B in revenue.

Kelly brings 20 years of experience in leadership and sales roles, including ten years at Tableau selling the company’s award-winning applications. She has previously held positions at a number of high-profile companies, including VP positions at At Hoc, a major venture-backed software company in Silicon Valley, and sales and management positions at Southwestern, Inc., Dale Carnegie and Bank of America. With an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, Kelly has also spent time at strategic consulting firms Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company, helping executives solve strategic questions about organizational structures, channel conflict, operations, pricing and international expansion.

Highlights:

3:47 Why did you choose a sales role? What attracts you to sales?

4:16 What was it like to be the first salesperson at Tableau and scale it to close to $1B in revenue and become EVP?

9:14 How do you decide between working with advisors vs. hiring experts?

10:23 What advice were you given on how to scale?

12:50 How do you build and maintain a positive culture?

16:06 As the company scaled, how did it change how you managed the team?

20:20 How did you coach the sales team?

26:51 How did you manage your time as a sales leader?

29:58 What were some of the best life lessons you’ve learned?

33:19 Hot Seat Questions

Recent Podcast

Elite Selling Podcast

How to Supercharge Your Sales Career with Kelly Breslin Wright

Sep 2024

Length: 52 Minutes

Takeaways: 

  • Personalize your outreach and make it about the recipient, not just your product or company
  • Take the time to research and understand the person you're reaching out to
  • Stand out from the crowd by doing things that don't scale, such as sending personalized notes or videos
  • When seeking promotion, focus on developing the necessary skills for the next role rather than rushing to climb the ladder. Understand the skills needed for the next level and proactively develop them 
  • Take on additional projects and demonstrate your value to the company 
  • Be intentional, focus on the team and the company, and not just yourself 
  • Exceptional founders effectively communicate the company's mission and vision

 

In this episode, Kelly Breslin Wright shares insights on the ingredients of being an elite seller and how to supercharge your sales career. The conversation covers topics such as effective outreach strategies, personalization, and the right approach to getting promoted. Kelly emphasizes the importance of personalizing outreach and standing out from the crowd. She also highlights the need for research and understanding the person you're reaching out to. When it comes to getting promoted, Kelly advises against rushing and emphasizes the importance of developing the necessary skills for the next role. In this conversation, Kelly Breslin Wright shares valuable insights on how to supercharge your career and find the right role. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the skills needed for the next level and proactively developing them. Kelly also highlights the significance of raising your hand and taking on additional projects to demonstrate your value to the company. She advises individuals to be intentional, focus on the team and the company, and not just think about themselves. Additionally, Kelly discusses the qualities of exceptional founders, including their ability to communicate the company's mission and vision effectively.

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