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At MicroAge, our employees are our smartest investment. And as our client base continues to grow we are constantly hiring more services and sales professionals to keep up with powerful demand levels. Being a client-first organization, (with an award-winning people-first culture), all of our departments and company leaders are dedicated to empowering the success of our account executives.
Rob Downs, a Seattle-based MicroAge Account Executive sat down with us to share what’s made the experience so unique.
1. What makes the sales organization at MicroAge different for you from previous employers?
Working in Technology Sales at MicroAge, the executive leadership is just as invested in my success as I am. That commitment comes across immediately, I saw the contrast with other organizations during my interview. In previous roles, there was a lot of hype and training promises during the recruiting and onboarding process, without much follow-through. Organizations that don’t focus on investing in their employees and building a meaningful culture have more turnover.
As I’ve seen in the past when organizations only focus on the bottom line and not on developing their talent the business quickly gets caught in an in-and-out model with the experienced account executives and sales managers frequently on their way out. Refreshingly enough, that isn’t the case at MicroAge. Instead, there’s a great deal of focus on how to make us successful that spans company-wide initiatives.
2. How do you feel about the level of autonomy you have to build your own sales approach and book of business at MicroAge?
That feeling is best captured in two words: confidence and motivation. Because I hold myself accountable for my professional success, I am continually motivated by the trust MicroAge has in me to be successful, but also, to learn and grow. My peers, our sales coach managers, and directors are there to help you grow, including a national community of experienced Account Executives ready to offer support. All you have to do is ask.
3. How would you describe the work-life balance at MicroAge?
To be honest, I didn’t know what work-life balance was before coming to MicroAge. My entire professional history was work-first, then family, then yourself. Work-life balance is a key component of the MicroAge model, and it was something I had to get used to at the beginning. I only knew one way to do things, and that was prioritizing work above all else. With MicroAge I’ve been able to better balance my home and family life and my professional growth and success, instead of compromising one for the other.
4. What stands out to you about the level of support Sales receives from leadership, subject matter experts, and other departments at MicroAge compared to previous sales roles?
At MicroAge, leadership is interactive on a first-name basis. You don’t feel like a number or just another cog in the wheel that can be replaced at any time. Instead, I speak to leadership daily across one medium or another, and we don’t just talk about work either. The MicroAge leadership team here takes a real interest in you as a person, they focus on your personal and professional success. I can feel that every day, and it makes a huge difference.
The subject matter experts here at MicroAge are incredibly knowledgeable and always available to discuss ideas for different projects. They make themselves accessible to answer any questions. However, their best skill is the way they conduct themselves during customer meetings. MicroAge technical SMEs are articulate, informative, and knowledgeable. Whenever a call with them ends, you know the client is well-informed to make the best possible decision for their business.
Finally, the marketing department is top-notch. At my previous employers, I realized we had a marketing department, but I had no clue who they were or what they were doing to actively promote the business. At MicroAge, not only do you know who the members of the Marketing department are, you know exactly what they’re doing to market MicroAge and help you promote services and solutions. You interact with them often and can make suggestions for new materials. To me, that’s how a marketing department should function.
Discover a better approach to Technology Sales at MicroAge.
At MicroAge, we’re proud to have been recognized as a Phoenix Business Journal Best Place to Work 8x thanks to our associates regularly sharing their feedback; associates like Rob Downs. We are continually growing to meet client demand across our expanding services and solutions portfolio. Explore our open positions.
