Written by Beverlyn Law
March 26, 2023
When I graduated from SCU in 2018, I never imagined myself becoming a salesperson. But fast forward five years later, and on paper, that’s exactly who I am, even though I don’t feel like one.
My title is actually an “Account Manager,” and I’m currently working at my dream company, Pinterest. The day-to-day of my role consists of analyzing my client’s campaign performance on Pinterest and sharing recommendations for improvement and growth. My recommendations can be as simple as having my client adopt a new ad format, like a Carousel ad, or as complex as running a measurement study to test if a certain targeting parameter actually drives incremental sales. The ultimate goal of my job is to achieve a revenue quota by persuading my client to adopt and invest into my recommendations, meaning I upsell to them. But, I never really feel like I am selling anything to my client, because I navigate our partnership with empathy.
To me, empathy means understanding that the people you work with are humans, too, that live complex lives outside work who deserve to be treated with kindness. What I mean by navigating the partnership with empathy, is that I want to try to understand everything about my client: their company goals, personal goals, career goals, and even their life outside of work. This helps both sides see each other as human, rather than as employees.
I start off every client meeting with a simple, “How are you doing?” and ask them a follow up question about something we talked about last time, like their vacation to Bali. It is vital for me to set time aside to chat casually because I want to show my client that I am interested in them as a person. I then gradually shift the conversation to focus on business goals. For example, I can ask the client how the campaign performance was based on their internal data. I listen to their thoughts and allow them to ask me any questions. After hearing their feedback or concerns, I then make a recommendation on how the campaign can improve or grow. This is where the upselling comes into play. But it never feels like selling because I believe in my recommendations and truly think that they will benefit my client, rather than benefit my own revenue quota. Through these open and authentic conversations, I am able to empathize and better support my client. As a result, my client doesn’t view me as a salesperson, but rather a partner for their own growth.
Oftentimes, when people think of salespeople, they think of adjectives like, pushy or competitive. But I truly think that in order to be a successful salesperson, you need to have empathy. Because without it, you’ll never understand what your client needs and how you can truly help them succeed.
Beverlyn Law '18 is currently an Account Manager at Pinterest strategizing and executing her client's, Kroger, marketing strategies on Pinterest. Her previous experience includes being a Strategic Account Manager for JD.com on Walmart's growing Marketplace. She graduated from Santa Clara University in three years with a degree in Business Marketing and a minor in Retail Studies. This decision to graduate early was driven by her desire to apply her academic training and measure tangible results into meaningful work. In her spare time, she enjoys propagating and caring for her plants, attempting to aquascape, and bullet journaling.