Are you interested in joining Gartner’s growing sales team? Wondering if our growing team will be the right fit for you? Below, we’ve outlined three of the most common questions our hiring managers get asked by candidates during an interview. Get to know more about Gartner’s sales team and growth opportunities before sending in your application.
1. What three things make Account Executives (AEs) successful?
The list of things an AE can do to be successful is longer than we could ever cover in a blog post, but these are the three things that are most consistent among top achievers:
Mindset: Top achievers never need to be coached on ways to think bigger and explore deeper. They come to the table with big ambitions and clear goals on what they want to accomplish. Crossing the line of quota is never the destination, but instead a milestone toward something great and for something deeper. When a top achiever looks at their territory, they are searching for ways to accomplish their goals despite any challenges they may face.
Building a plan and executing on it: Once a top achiever has clearly defined and internalized what they want to accomplish in their year, they are very specific on how they believe they can achieve their objectives. Top achievers cut down the big goals into small weekly (and daily) activities to which they hold themselves accountable. Top achievers don’t have to be asked about the activities they need to focus on to be successful — they already bring that to the table.
Curiosity and a genuine desire to help: You cannot coach someone to be curious or to care. It’s as simple as that. Sales performance is a result of helping clients uncover new ways to solve the challenges they face. Top achievers are naturally curious and work with clients to help them, not to sell them a product or service. Yes, services are sold in the end, but those are an outcome of working side by side with a client to understand their needs and introduce new and interesting ways to help them resolve their challenges effectively. When you care about helping a client and are genuinely invested in learning everything you can to help that client, the sky is the limit.
2. What is the greatest challenge Account Executives face when selling Gartner?
Arguably, all sales professionals face similar challenges of budget, power, and urgency. These are just parts of the sales process that must be uncovered and understood in order to sell any product or service.
At Gartner, the most common challenge we face is when clients or prospects believe they know everything that Gartner can do to help them, but really only know a small portion. Many clients and prospects view Gartner as the “Magic Quadrant company,” but have little knowledge of the level of advisory service we provide. Gartner has been in the industry for more than 30 years! Over the past 10 years, we have grown immensely and evolved as an organization. We provide a massive suite of services to our clients and work with business leaders across the organization more than ever before.
As a sales professional, it would be your responsibility to understand the needs of the client’s organization and help educate these individuals on the ways we can help. It is not an easy job to “re-educate” someone on the thing they believe they already understand. It is a job worth doing, and in the end, our clients thank us for the diligence, perseverance, and relevance we strive to bring to every interaction.
3. What are the career progression opportunities at Gartner?
There are so many ways to grow your career at Gartner. Sales professionals can get promoted into larger account teams, leadership, product teams, marketing, and specialist organizations. The experience you build while working on the front lines with clients is value to our organization, and leadership seeks out insight from those who have the insight to give.
Gartner is a unique organization that invests time and resources into developing its employees. As we continue to grow, there are more and more opportunities to expand your skills and grow your career. We reward people who perform well and bring value to their peers and clients. If you are looking for a career opportunity with limitless growth potential then Gartner is the right fit for you.
Are you interested in joining Gartner’s growing sales team? Search for an available opportunity here.