We’re currently hiring in our Strategic Accounts department, and wanted to give folks who’re interested in those roles a perspective of what’s it like working here.
Nicole Draa and Paul Chadwick are members of the Strategic Accounts team, which handles some of 6sense’s largest customers. Nicole — a Strategic Accounts Manager — is from San Francisco and has been with 6sense since 2022. Paul — a Strategic Account Executive — works from Scottsdale, Arizona. He joined 6sense last year.
Here’s what they wanted to share with you:
The Role
Q: What were you doing before 6sense?
Paul: The team I used to work for was an agency consultancy group that used the 6sense platform. I got to know the 6sense team well, and the platform was a big part of how we rolled out ABM (Account Based Marketing) for clients. I became incredibly familiar with the product and saw a lot of great success with the clients I worked with.
Nicole: I’ve been in the ABM space for about five years now. Before I came to 6sense, I was looking to make a change, and almost went into something completely different. But after two conversations, I was sold. 6sense has great leadership, a great story, and a great product.
What do your roles entail, and how do you work together? Also, how do you use the 6sense platform?
Paul: I’m on the net-new acquisition side of the sales process, which I wouldn’t say is easy or hard, it’s a challenge. But you’re working with people to solve their problems, so it’s extremely rewarding!
I work with prospects from the time they sign the contract to the end of their first 12 months with 6sense. My role is to foster growth in the relationship and build trust.
Part of building trust is establishing credibility, and with 6sense’s technology, you can do that quickly. I use 6sense to prioritize and understand what companies are in-market to buy, and I’m using our whole suite of technology, so I have the same perspective as our customers.
After that first year, I hand the customer off to Nicole or another account manager. I need to take on new customers, but we want to make sure we’re not just saying “good luck” and neglecting the customers we already have. We need to support their continued growth, especially for these incredibly large organizations.
Nicole: I manage Fortune 300 accounts that have 5,000 or more employees. The secret to my success is being proactive with my accounts and working closely with all the cross-functional teams to learn how my accounts operate, and uncovering how they could get more out of the products they already own.
I also use 6sense to look at intent and website signals to better understand our buying committees and use cases, which give us direction early on within an account. We also set up Conversational Email to help generate leads with accounts that are likely to buy. This helps ensure they get the “white glove service” they deserve without adding to our bandwidth, and we solve that problem the same way we aim to solve it for our customers.
We aren’t just selling technology, we’re helping our customers execute in their day-to-day jobs and deliver results.
That genuine support is so important because it turns customers into champions for 6sense. If I have a customer that moves on to a new company, that could be a new deal for 6sense and an opportunity for Paul to reach out. There’s a lot of networking that goes on between our teams.
Nicole, you mentioned that you love solving problems for your customers. What’s a common problem you find yourself solving?
Nicole: A lot of companies know they have a data problem: It’s not the best quality, it’s siloed in different systems, etc. So, the first step is to give customers access to clean data, and the right data, all in one platform. And then 6sense layers AI on top of that, so revenue teams can actually do something with that data.
The Culture
What’s the strategic account team like?
Nicole: It’s cliché to say we “work hard, play hard,” but it’s true. The people on my team are the type that you want to go out to dinner with, and not just talk shop, but to open up to about your personal life. We support each other, and people always show up to do the right thing and help when they can.
There’s a lot of understanding, too. For example, I have small kids at home, and sometimes I have to jump off and come back to work later. There has never been any pushback from my team against me working a schedule that’s best for me and my family.
Paul: We do have to work off-hours sometimes, and we do work a ton, but on the flipside, the team is very supportive in saying, “You’ve worked hard, go take a vacation.” There needs to be balance, and you have to be responsible for that. But leadership understands we all need to rest and take time when we need it.
Everyone is hungry to be successful, and it’s a great vibe. There’s a lot of knowledge, strategic conversations, and collaboration being shared within the internal teams. You also get to meet people outside the sales/revenue team, and that’s always exciting. The team is sharp and positive and has a passion for supporting our customers.
What’s it like to work with other teams, and how is it different from what you’ve experienced working elsewhere?
Nicole: The caliber of people has been the biggest differentiator. I partner closely with Strategic Services, and they have a vision that’s about more than just getting customers to implement our products. It’s about how 6sense complements our customers’ tech ecosystems, and coming up with game plans that work best for each customer.
We get to work on great projects together with great customers who go on to become champions for 6sense. Everyone wants the customer to win, and that approach to problem solving leads to us naturally moving the needle forward ahead of our competitors.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in getting into strategic selling at 6sense?
Nicole: I would encourage anybody who has a marketing technology background and is ready to work hard to apply. The opportunity to work at a company of this caliber during this time in its growth stage comes just once in a lifetime.
Paul: One of the biggest trends I see in strategic selling is the push to become digitally focused and data-driven. Think digital transformation meets sales and marketing. If you enjoy that type of problem solving, this is a great opportunity to do both.
If the opportunity is there, don’t wait. If you like working with a team who enjoys winning but more importantly helping their customers and prospects succeed within the sales and marketing realm, then reach out. We continue to invest in our platform, find innovative ways to help customers, and have a great team!
