AMA: Adobe Director, Adobe Sales Academy, Jessica Holmes on Developing Your Sales Career

The most important skills for account executives are also the most important skills for many roles. I believe a successful AE needs to be great at the following: Active listening: first rule of sales is to listen to your buyer and truly comprehend what they are saying and what they need Problem solving: handling the many challenges, distractions and roadblocks that come up in the sales process Storytelling: relaying information in an engaging, authentic manner that drives the point across Mental ...Read More

One of the biggest frustrations in sales is handling all the requests and tasks you have, which compete for your time and attention: You need to do what your prospects/customers require so you can move the deal forward. You need to do what your manager has asked of you (all those CRM updates, KPI measures you need to hit, etc.) You need to do the things to progress your career or continue your personal development. When making decisions on how to prioritize my time, I have found that if I can ta ...Read More

According to all the websites and experts, a typical career path for a sales professional is to move from BDR to AE to Sales Manager, or a variation of this, and that can absolutely be your path. What you'll most likely find, is that there is NO typical path - especially as you discover who you are as a sales professional and your sales style. Each of us have unique strengths and interests, and instead of focusing on a career ladder, where you only have one option in moving up/down in roles, you ...Read More

Moving from a Manager to a Director means that you have the skillset to not only take action on tasks or initiatives given to you, but to be the one that provides the strategy and vision that creates the initiatives and tasks. Being proactive in identifying risk or future problems, thinking through possible solutions and what is best for your business, employees and customers, is key to moving from managing to directing. As a Director, you become more concerned with the broader business outcomes ...Read More

When I'm assessing a new opportunity at a different company, I focus on 3 key items: Does the company align with me and my values? Does the company offer me opportunities for growth today and in the future? Does the role and company align with what I need to be fulfilled? Through conversations with the hiring team, current employees, and research online, I believe the first two are fairly easy to check. The third is a bit more complicated and takes more planning by you before you can dig for ans ...Read More