The Top 20 Sales Mentors To Learn From And Work For - 2024
Overview
The way we acquire job knowledge has changed. We learn more from each other than we do at school. The Sales Mentor List shows you the top 20 sales practitioners to learn from to develop your career. All of these leaders have contributed content that Sharebird users find helpful.
Methodology
Sharebird's algorithm ranks contributors based on how helpful our users perceive their sales - related content to be. We do not handpick people. To be considered for this list, mentors need to be current sales practitioners and in a leadership role. We look at the following factors with Sharebird content: views, saves, and followers. We then apply a proprietary algorithm to calculate content credibility and helpfulness. Views show us content relevancy, saves show us content quality, and followers show us content credibility.
Sharebird does not accept payment to be included on this list, which allows us to maintain objectivity and independence. We update this list every year. For any questions about this list, please contact [email protected].
About Sharebird
Sharebird is where leading executives answer your questions. Get easily digestible tips and insights from leaders at the fastest-growing companies, so that you can solve your hardest work challenges and reach your career potential.
In Alphabetical Order by Company:
Jessica Holmes
Adobe Director, Adobe Sales Academy
Career Path Tip: In my career, I've come to realize that sales is really about problem solving and storytelling. You need to get really good at identifying problems and finding solutions to those problems. Then, get GREAT at communicating how you can help solve those problems. Finally, be authentic, consistent, and resilient. You'll find a career in sales is much easier, and much more fulfilling, than you'd have expected.
Brian Tino
AlphaSense Director of Strategic Sales, EMEA
Career Path Tip: Never stop asking questions. That advice was given to me by my primary school teacher, Miss Parker, on the last day of school in the 4th grade. What 8 year old me would later come to realize is leading with curiosity, seeking to understand, and finding the "why" behind the motivation of others is one of the greatest tools at your disposal as a salesperson and as a leader. Wielded correctly, authentic questioning can enable you to more effectively build trust, develop empathy, and set the foundation for complex problem-solving.
Marleyna Mohler
Attentive Sr. Director of Inside Sales
Career Path Tip: Make yourself easy to help. If it is easier (and faster) for someone to say yes than no, they will often say yes. Find mutual benefit, make your requests clear, and don't forget to say thank you :).
Shahid Nizami
Braze APAC Vice President of Sales
Career Path Tip: My biggest learning is to build more on your Emotional Quotient and leadership skills as you strive for Director+ roles. Having said that, never move away from the customers. Always try to stay connected to the customers to understand the pulse of the market even if you are at a VP or above level. This way you will always stay relevant to the business and also able to make better GTM decisions
Adam Wainwright
Cacheflow GTM Team
Career Path Tip: Develop a really strong personal philosophy that you stand by - this will give the hiring manager ammo to make a strong case to open up head count.
Maria White
Cornerstone OnDemand Vice President Sales Enablement and Education
Career Path Tip: Now more than ever it has become important to future proof your career, there are a few ways to achieve this and some are easier than you think. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting a sponsor not a mentor, a mentor is great to have they will help you learn how to do your job better, but a sponsor will talk to others about how great you are at your job and help sponsor your career not only within your current organization but externally as well. I am confident that if you are always learning and absorbing opportunities will present themselves, and when we find ourselves focusing hard on the job at hard we rarely reserve quality time for self-development, reading or networking – and all three can help propel you forward toward your next career goal. What are some strategies to keep up to date with skills and trends? If you prefer learning through reading stay read about current trends in your area of expertise, alternatively if your time is limited use ChatGPT to build a sequenced learning plan with micro courses then set aside 15 minutes a day to build any skill in an area you want to develop. Take control of your career and what, when and how you will get to your next career destination.
Alicia Lewis
Culture Amp Senior Sales Director
Career Path Tip: Some of the hardest challenges you experience as a sales leader are the ones that propel you further than the successes. When things go wrong, always find the learnings and honestly and authentically share those with your team. It builds trust, relationships, drives performance and the impact of the turnaround is longer lasting than any win.
Andrew Zinger
Fastly Senior Director, Global Sales Enablement
Career Path Tip: A couple of simple phrases I wish that my younger self would have heard more often & believed - both I find applicable in or outside of a boardroom; 'Never lose the desire to learn, develop & grow - education doesn't carry an expiration date' & 'In life, you can't always control the outcome, but you can control the effort'.
Tim Britt
Freshworks Senior Director of Channels Europe
Career Path Tip: The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.
Sarah Mercedes (Osborne)
HubSpot Head of Corporate Sales, West Coast
Career Path Tip: Be very clear on "what winning means to you." It can be very easy, especially in negotiations, to lose sight of what your ideal outcome is and let ego get in the way. Be intentional about the gives and concessions you are willing to make and the floor offer you are willing to propose. So long as you are staying in those bounds, get comfortable with your prospects and customers feeling as though they are winning the negotiation. The goal of negotiation isn't to stroke your own ego- it's to get out of the deal what you set out to.
George Cerny
Iterable VP, Growth Sales, B2B2C Sales & LATAM
Career Path Tip: Clarity, focused action, and mentorship are the 3 biggest contributors I've seen to career growth. You need some kind of clarity about where you want to go in order to get there - the clearer the better, but don't let a lack of clarity stop you from getting started; you'll be adjusting along the way after you learn from your experiences. Then look at the skills of the people you respect who have gotten to that place (title, W2, or doing great work that you admire). Take focused action to acquire those skills as fast as possible. While this can sometimes lead to needing a new role - there is almost always ample opportunity to work on next level skills in your current position. Lastly, having a mentor who has been there before and can help accelerate your growth, hold you accountable, and provide guidance along the way can save you years on your journey.
Nick Feeney
Loom VP, Revenue
Career Path Tip: Some of the biggest mistakes you'll make in your career are: (1) hiring too quickly and sacrificing talent density - hire learn it alls, not know it alls (2) putting calories into hypotheticals - focus on what's in front of you, (3) allowing unconscious bias to dictate your decision making - you should give power to things that serve you and (4) letting perfect be the enemy of good - master the ability to move with velocity and meticulousness.
Brandon Love
Salesforce Regional Sales Director
Career Path Tip: What sets our approach apart is its emphasis on discovery. Rather than leading with a product pitch, we invest time in understanding the company's priorities. This makes our interactions much more aligned with the client's needs, creating a more genuine and less "sales-y" experience. This method ensures that our solutions aren't just one-size-fits-all, but tailored to fit the precise needs of each client we engage with.
Grant Glaser
Salesforce Director, Sales Leader Excellence Coach
Career Path Tip: Endeavour to be genuinely curious and authentically interested. 'What are we trying to solve? What's the impact of our work? Who is best equipped to help us?' When you ask the right questions and listen deeply, people tend to reveal what it is they truly want and need.
Lucy Ye
Square Head of Sales, Services & General Business
Career Path Tip: Be sure to take time to reflect and learn at all times — success is not in the destination but the incremental progress you make along the way. Consistency is key.
Roee Zelcer
TikTok Head of Sales, Products & Services
Career Path Tip: Be bold in taking risks and venturing beyond your comfort zone, and remember, failures are valuable lessons that pave the way for professional growth and achievement.
Katie Harkins
UserTesting VP of Sales
Career Path Tip: Figure out a way to love interviewing and hiring! By getting good at interviewing and hiring, you hook up your future self with a team dynamic of collaboration and a team dynamic of over achievers that prioritize revenue.
Eric Martin
Vanta Head Of Sales
Career Path Tip: As the CRO of Snowflake once told me, "Sales leadership is a single elimination tournament, if you miss your number, you should expect to be replaced." It's a bit extreme, but it's also not wrong.
Fabio Maglieri
Yext Director Enterprise Sales
Career Path Tip: Be useful. Be curious. Be hungry. Be humble. Do whatever you do intentionally. If you follow your ethical principles you will always learn but never fail.
Jon Boyer
Zapier Director of Sales
Career Path Tip: As a Sales professional we are often under a lot of pressure to close deals and meet our targets. If you're not careful you can quickly burnout especially when quotas reset each month or quarter. Over the years I’ve had to become more intentional in creating boundaries and finding new ways to recharge.