What do the career path and day-in-the-life look like for the VP, Inside Sales at BlueConic?

We connected with Kevin Elliot to find out!

Interested in working at BlueConic? Check out all of the company’s job openings on the list to the right.

Where did you grow up?  What did your parents do for work?  

I grew up south of Boston in Scituate, Massachusetts. My father spent the majority of his career in tech and about 15 years as the CEO of a few software organizations. My mother started and ran a pre-school in Scituate for about 20 years.

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?

UMass Amherst. I studied managerial economics and finance. My first job out of UMass was as a Fund Accountant at State Street. They acquired Investors Bank & Trust in 2007 and I worked on the conversion team moving them over to State Street accounting systems. Looking back at those days there were a lot of long hours, problem-solving and implementing new processes. I kid around about it today, but other than the 40,000 employees. It was a lot like working at a growth stage software company!

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?

There are a number of things at different points in time; however, the one constant has been the people that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. They challenge me to be better every day, but you can learn a lot from your colleagues if you pay close attention and have an open mind.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as VP, Inside Sales at BlueConic?

• Helping marketers realize that individualized marketing is a reality and helping them put plans in place to help them achieve a unified and actionable single view of their customer.
   
• Coaching, hiring, and retaining exceptional members of our Business Development, Sales, and Sales Engineering teams.
   
• Collaborating across departments to create and implement strategies for both inbound and outbound pipeline generation.
   
• Analyze historical data and trends to build models for scaling our sales organization as efficiently as possible.

Any tips for someone considering a career in Sales?

Be incredibly curious and always focus on how you can improve. Regardless of how great the training program is at your current company, always look outside of your company to learn as well. I’d say the same to someone who has been in sales for 10+ years. New ideas and new approaches create good habits and prevent laziness or bad habits from forming.

Jim Collins speaks about “the window and the mirror” in his book Good to Great. The concept is perfect for people starting out in sales. If things are going well, look through the window and give everyone around you credit. If things aren’t going well, look in the mirror, take ownership of finding how to fix things. Far too often sales reps do the exact opposite.  

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee, one in the morning and another around 2:30 PM every day.

What time do you get into the office?

Usually between 7:30 and 8 AM.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

1. The people I work with. Their passion and work ethic are absolutely relentless.

2. Knowing that we’re doing something different. No one has built this company, in this category, with these people. There are new challenges and new achievements every single day.

3. The opportunity to help define the Customer Data Platform (CDP) category and helping change the way marketers think about individualized marketing.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

• Before Work: I like to work out in the morning before commuting. During the commute, I run through my calendar to make sure I’m prepped for the day and then will run through the pipeline to make sure we have plans in place each day to move things forward.

• Morning: Before 9 AM, I’m doing deeper analysis and tasks that require more focus. I try to most of my coaching in the morning so we can focus on statistics and I can focus on my team before too many distractions come up.

• Lunch: I’m a creature of habit, most of my lunches are spent working at my desk and 9 times out of 10 it’s a salad from UDG or sweetgreen.

• Afternoon: I’m almost always on sales calls with my team or collaborating with other departments in internal initiatives.

• After Work: While commuting home I’m making sure any materials or information that I’ll need for the following day are prepped and ready or I’m making sure all of my action items for the day are taken care of.

What time do you head out of the office?

It really depends on what is in my calendar but usually between 5:30-6:30 PM.

Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?  

I try really hard not to log back in every night, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. I probably log back on 50% of the time. I’m always available if one of my colleagues needs me via Slack or email.

Any productivity hacks?

• Figure out what the best way is to organize your to-do list and commit to it. Some use tools like Trello and some use a notebook. Figure out what works for you. I’ve tried a number of apps, but always come back to my pen and pad.

• Try to organize your day by when you focus best. I tend to be more analytical in the mornings and more creative in the afternoons. In knowing that I try my best to organize my tasks to optimize my day.

• Music! Create a playlist that you listen to when you need to really concentrate and only listen to it while you’re focusing.

What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?

• Slack

• Spotify

• Food/Coffee Loyalty Apps: Starbucks, Dunkin’, sweetgreen

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

Watching people that I’ve coached and trained get promoted and excel in their new role is incredibly rewarding. I think my most proud accomplishment is still being developed. We’re writing an amazing story here at BlueConic. That story won’t be my individual accomplishment, but I’m extremely proud to be an element of what we’re building.

Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?

There’s a long list of people that I have admiration for and who have helped me in various situations. A number of my good friends hold similar roles at relatable companies and often act as a sounding board. My father loves to share stories from his career and tie them back to what I’m working on. Lastly, my colleagues and team members at BlueConic have been an incredible resource.

Colin Barry is the Content Manager on VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter @ColinKrash

Images courtesy of Kevin Elliot

For the 104th episode of our podcast, I interviewed Chris Lynch, CEO and Executive Chairman of AtScale.

Chris is a serial entrepreneur and operator who has a tremendous track record at building successful tech companies like Vertica, Acopia Networks, Arrowpoint Communications, and others. He also co-founded and was a General Partner at Accomplice, a VC firm where he led investments in early-stage companies.

He’s back into an operating role with AtScale, the global leader in data warehouse virtualization. The company has raised $120M in funding, including a $50M Series D round which was announced this past December and led by Morgan Stanley.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like:

• Chris’ background and what his paper route taught him about entrepreneurship.
• A walk through the different companies and his experience as an investor.
• All about his current company AtScale, including what the company does, the story of how he got involved, and what the plans are for the Boston office.
• How he learned to manage and build sales teams.
• Advice for founders trying to build out their go-to-market sales strategy.
• His charitable work with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and why it means so much to him.
• Plus, a lot more.

Is your company hiring? If the answer is yes, then you might want to consider adding a BIZZpage for your company. It is our employment branding and hiring solution that helps keep you company top of mind with our targeted audience of professionals in the tech industry. A subscription includes a BIZZpage for employment branding, unlimited postings to our Job Board, access to our exclusive content series, and more. If you are interested in additional details, please send an email to [email protected].

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. To make sure you receive future episodes, please subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. If you enjoyed our show, please consider writing us a 5-star review—it will definitely help us get the word out there! 

At this point in my career, I estimate I’ve interviewed thousands of candidates over the years.  Different companies, different levels, different roles - and yet how I start the conversation has remained consistent. I typically begin with a simple request to “Tell me your story.” I will literally flip their resume over and look them in the eye, letting them know I believe the sum of their career is likely far more interesting when told rather what made it onto one sheet of paper.

I use this as a launching pad because it has the opportunity to take the conversation in a variety of different directions. Often, people will look for clarification.  

“Do you want me to focus on work, or personal, or what?!” My standard response is, “However you think I can best get to know you, and help you decide if this is a good fit for you or not." Where people take that direction is fascinating. How they proceed is often just as insightful to me about them as what they actually choose to share next.

More often than not, people will dive straight into a colorful retelling of their resume. Of course, they want me to know how qualified for the job they are, and they want to ensure they hit the parts they believe are most important for me to know.  This is valuable, but I know my colleagues will be the ones digging into deeper skills and experience, so candidly, I don’t care about this part too much. The people who stand out to me are those who can truly tell their story. Of course, they primarily weave in their work experiences as part of that career gestalt. When someone has the courage - especially in an interview - to share more of themselves, however, I take serious note.

Today we live in a world that is clouded by image and brand. So many people take to social media to share their lives: staged, filtered and faux-wonderful. And yet, when you follow someone for more than a few days, you are often able to weed out the BS from their reality.  I am drawn to those people are able to communicate and dare to share their real selves, in whatever way feels authentic to them.

Whether you are ever interviewed by me or not, the ability to tell your own story is a critical skill for us all. Understanding how to hit the salient points, not babble on, and exclude the superfluous details takes time, practice and effort.  This epic scene from Reservoir Dogs highlights a made up personal story, but it focuses on the importance of the details. By the time Tim Roth’s character needs to actually tell it, he nails it.  No, I’m not suggesting you should make up your own story; just that learning how to tell it well is important.

How to start? Think about any amazing story you’ve heard. Start with the most basic piece:  What’s the point? Then add in why you choosing to share these particular things and why are they important to you. Then consider the critical elements that make it into any fantastic story:  conflict, a hero, suspense, and resolution. Why is the ability to do this so important? Simple:

1. Your resume is just a piece of paper. I would hate for someone to think that they had major insights into who I am or what I am capable of simply by reading a single sheet of paper with carefully crafted bullet points heralding how great I am. Unless someone asks you to walk through the chronological history of your career and asks very probing questions, think about what your actual experience says about you. For example, does your experience show you have been a risk taker?  Does it highlight how your life and work experiences have shaped how you lead? Not only should you understand the answers to these types of questions, but your ability to articulate them well is vital.

2. Realize self-awareness is key.  There is a side benefit to being able to tell your story.  By doing so, you’ll also gain a deeper understanding of what led you to this place in your life, and why certain experiences played out the way they did.  In other words, it allows you to dig deeper to explore what you’ve lived and worked through, and ultimately how you got to the place you are today. By crafting your story, you aren’t just showing an interviewer a more intimate version of how great you are beyond your resume; this ability may also lead to a deeper self-confidence and understanding of yourself.  Who doesn’t want that?!

3. Get help if needed. We’ve all been taught to be humble, but being able to balance humility with being able to articulate what makes you special takes skill and practice.  Don’t know where to start? Ask friends or co-workers whose opinions you trust for what they think makes you compelling. Then begin to structure it into your own unique tale, and practice telling it to this group.  Sounds silly, but feedback and practice will help you nail it. Organizations that can craft a compelling vision reap the benefits of brand loyalty and a devoted following (think Patagonia or Tom's).  You want to do the same for yourself, so people cannot help but to want to work with you.

4. Go try it. I promise you’ll benefit from the exercise. Feel uncomfortable? Lean into it. Pretend you are sitting on my couch, and I’ve just asked you “What’s your story?”

I can’t wait to hear it. :)

Christina Luconi is Chief People Officer for Rapid7. Follow her on Twitter: @peopleinnovator. 

For the 102nd episode of our podcast, I interviewed David Delmar Sentíes, Founder of Resilient Coders.

Some people wish for change, while others take action. David is in the “take action” category. He calls himself a Workforce Equity Activist, which means he is passionate about both economic opportunity and economic equity.

Resilient Coders is a coding bootcamp that trains people of color for careers as software engineers and connects them with jobs. One might think that he has a passion for coding, but that is not the case. Coding is actually the megaphone, as it provides the window of opportunity for his students to pursue a high-growth career building software.

Students participate in a 14-week program which teaches them coding skills in various languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. Lots of companies are employing graduates of Resilient Coders like Wayfair, Wistia, R Studio, Digitas, and many others.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like:

• David’s background and how he got involved in the tech industry.
• What it means to be a “Workforce Equity Activist.”
• What led David down the path of starting his own coding bootcamp.
• All about Resilient Coders, including its mission to use coding to make social change.
• Advice on Implementing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Plus, a lot more.

If you have been enjoying The VentureFizz Podcast, then please leave us a 5-star review on iTunes. The more reviews we have, the more that people will discover these amazing stories about entrepreneurs across the Boston and New York entrepreneurial ecosystems. Thanks in advance—we appreciate it!

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. To make sure you receive future episodes, please subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. If you enjoyed our show, please consider writing us a 5-star review—it will definitely help us get the word out there! 

What do the career path and day-in-the-life look like for a Director of National Hospital Growth at PatientPing?

We connected with Nolan Kelly to find out!

Also, PatientPing is hiring! Click here for all of the company’s job openings!

Where did you go to college?  What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?  

Boston College, Carroll School of Management with a Marketing concentration.  My initial job out of undergrad was at a consumer marketing agency in Boston. I was fortunate to align myself with one of the SVPs who was starting a healthcare practice within the agency.  Both my parents and my older brother are clinicians, so there was this innate interest in joining this emerging healthcare marketing group. I quickly got plugged into client assignments across health systems, pharma, payer, policy work, and medical devices.  I’d say that diversity of work was the catalyst for my desire to learn more about how these disparate areas all worked together to deliver positive patient experiences.

What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?  

In the first few years of my career, I had the opportunity to work for incredibly smart, committed, and hands-on leaders. I was young and impressionable, and they were willing to help me learn, bring me into many c-suite and senior executive meetings and strategic planning initiatives.  It forced me to mature professionally very quickly, exposed me to higher-level thinking, and definitely shaped how I approach business. It also had a lasting impression on my management style.

Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as Director of National Hospital Growth at PatientPing?  

At its most basic level, I am responsible for building and managing the team that sells PatientPing’s solution to hospitals and health systems across the country.  We have growth goals to hit and I need to make sure the team is organized, aligned, and ready to achieve the goals. More broadly, I have the responsibility of helping inform our cross-functional teams about market trends, customer needs, product opportunities, where we should prioritize/invest, and more.  

Any tips for someone considering a career in sales for a high-growth organization?  

Step outside the concept of a comfort zone - you can’t have one if you want to be successful in sales for a high-growth organization.  Ask questions and be studious. Absorb as much as you can. Be flexible, courteous, respectful, and live up to your word. Every customer is different, every opportunity is different, and it’s your job to assess those dynamics quickly, pivot where needed, take punches, and solve problems.  Always take full accountability. On our Growth team, everyone has a specific job to do. If you can’t get it done, no one is there to do it for you. Lastly, find your own motivations and stay true to them. Success is binary - you either got it done or you didn’t - so you need to find wins and celebrate them along the way, it’s the only way to keep energy and optimism while moving forward.

Day in the Life

Coffee, tea, or nothing?

Coffee, splash of milk. I generally stick to 1 cup a day.

What are three things that motivate you in your role?

1. Building the team that’s going to win deals and build our customer network.  

2. Helping the team win deals and build our customer network.

3. Feeling the incremental progress each day that is contributing a much bigger mission.

Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?

• I have 3 little boys, so everyday starts by 6 AM with someone jumping on me in bed.

• Once I’m awake, I’m on email and slack. I’m not really proud of that, it’s a bad habit. I prob do 10-15 min of work before getting out of bed.

• When I can, I try to sneak in a few miles on the treadmill.

• I live south of Boston, so I take the Commuter Boat up from Hingham. It’s some of the most productive time of my day.

• Once in the office, it’s a race, my calendar is filled with meetings that support the growth of our team and business. I consider my commute time my “blocked” time where I get an hour at the beginning of the day and an hour later in the day to catch up on any open items.  

• I try to sneak out of the office early so I can get home for dinner with my wife and kids.  This is one of the only non-negotiables for me. I’m going to get home to spend some time with my family and, at the very least, be a part of dinner and bedtime.  

• Read books to kids and get them in bed

• Hang with my wife - catch up - might be over a show, a drink, or a sports game on TV.  

• Emails and unfinished work before calling it a day.

Any productivity hacks?

There are no hacks to hard work.

What are the two apps that you can’t live without?

1. LinkedIn

2. Spotify

What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?

I’m most proud of what we’re building at PatientPing. This is no small feat - engaging and connecting the largest and most respected health systems and the community of providers who help them care for shared patients. What we are doing is transforming healthcare and I’m so proud of that endeavor.

Colin Barry is the Content Manager on VentureFizz. Follow him on Twitter @ColinKrash

Images courtesy of Nolan Kelly

Welcome to Episode 100 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry.

Today, we are hitting a major milestone: Episode 100!!! There’s no doubt, The VentureFizz Podcast is the top podcast focused on entrepreneurship and tech across Boston & New York.

Before I introduce today’s guests, I do want to take a moment to say some “thank yous” to:

• Christina Luconi, Chief People Officer at Rapid7, for being my very first guest and being willing to experiment. 
• All of our guests, for taking the time to share your background and all the amazing advice for others (including myself) to learn from.
• Alex Culafi. Alex does lots of different things here at VentureFizz, but it was his knowledge in this world of podcasting that allowed us to start creating this amazing content.
• And, of course, you, our audience, for listening to all of these great stories. I hope each interview has maybe provided you with a little bit of inspiration and some helpful tips that you can apply to your own business.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

For this milestone episode, I was excited to interview Wombi Rose and John Wise, the Founders of Lovepop. I first learned about Lovepop through TJ Mahony, who made an investment in the company, and it was one of those companies that immediately made sense. The greeting card industry was in need of disruption and Wombi & John’s background in naval architecture made them uniquely qualified to tackle this market.

Lovepop creates beautiful laser-cut pop-up cards, and the company is on a mission to create one billion magical moments. You might have seen Lovepop on ABC’s Shark Tank, when they landed an investment from Kevin O’Leary, who is still very involved in the company today. Since then, Lovepop has done an amazing job of building a successful consumer brand and scaling the company.

In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like:

• Wombi and John’s backgrounds, including how they met in college and reunited at Harvard Business School.
• The inspiration behind their product and a deep dive into the history of the company.
• How Lovepop’s business was built from the ground up, and lessons learned along the way.
• The whole Shark Tank experience and what it has meant for the company.
• Advice for founders looking to build a consumer brand.
• How the company determines whether a potential hire will be a good fit.
• Plus, a lot more.

Brex, the corporate credit card for startups, is the sponsor for this week’s podcast. Brex founders Henrique and Pedro built a payments business in Brazil but kept getting rejected for a corporate credit card when they were in Y Combinator. So they decided to build Brex, with instant online sign-up, no founder liability required and limits 10 to 20 times higher than standard cards; it is a must-have for entrepreneurs. Sign up for Brex at brex.com and get card fees waived by entering the code “fizz” during signup.

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. To make sure you receive future episodes, please subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Soundcloud. If you enjoyed our show, please consider writing us a 5-star review—it will definitely help us get the word out there!