Mirakl Leadership & Management

Tell us about your journey into sales management. What specific roles, networking opportunities and/or projects helped you get to where you are in your career today?

Every experience contributes to where you end up, and for me, that pivotal moment came from seizing the chance to join a startup initiative within Wayfair, which was a new program. During my five-year tenure, I worked closely with my manager and built bridges across sales, marketing, product, category management and other departments to leave a lasting impact on the business’ expansive growth. This experience truly honed my sales leadership skills and core values — being tenacious, collaborative and ambitious.

Now, at Mirakl, my journey in sales management continues, building on a solid foundation of past experiences. The company’s focus on innovation and marketplace solutions provides an ideal platform for embodying and enhancing my leadership values. Engaging with our diverse client base and witnessing the transformative impact of Mirakl’s technology not only reinforces my approach to leadership but also continuously ignites my passion for contributing to our company’s growth and making a significant impact in the market.

What advice, skills or best practices do you find most valuable in sales? How do those skills translate into sales management?

There are so many important skills, but two have been a focus during my career: communication and prioritization. In communication, I learned the “inverted pyramid” concept early in my career. It is a methodology used by journalists to “lead with the headline” and later bring in the supporting pieces of information. To this day, I remind myself of it when prepping for client meetings or expressing my ideas to executives. It’s hardly novel, but it has helped me improve my directness and consciousness. 

Prioritization. A friend and former sales leader shared a personal mantra with me: The rule of 1,000. “There are 1,000 things to do, 100 things that matter and only 10 that make a difference.” It’s simple, but I ask myself this question at least once a week. I did the same as an account executive when assessing my pipeline, territory and activities for the quarter. Distractions abound these days more than ever. Grounding exercises like this one are key to maximizing the returns on our efforts.

What is your top advice for sales professionals interested in breaking into sales management?

Being a sales leader is a two-sided coin. It requires leading and fostering a group of people to reach their potential while finding ways to impact the advancement of the business beyond the immediate scope of your team. You’ll want to demonstrate abilities in both areas. Both areas require a lot of effort, energy and attention. In my experience, it’s clear that younger leaders often excel in and enjoy the coaching and mentorship aspects of leadership. Yet, they might find themselves at a crossroads when it comes to making a tangible impact on the business’ broader objectives, sometimes feeling as though they’re spinning their wheels.

My advice here: Don’t force the issue. Be communicative with your manager and leaders about your intentions, but be mindful as you look for ways to make a difference. Seek out projects that are genuinely interesting to you. That passion will show through. You’ll be eager to give updates and seek feedback on your proposed next steps.