Her Story
About Allison
I've been in the IT field for about 5 years, and I'm currently a Territory Account Executive at Everpure, formerly Pure Storage, where we provide physical data storage solutions. I've been in this role for 6 months now, and it's been a great transition. I work specifically in the SLED sector, which means I'm working with public businesses, local governments, police departments, cities, counties, and schools, so I get to be very hands-on with the community. My day-to-day is never the same - working in sales keeps things fresh. I meet with customers and prospects, and when I'm lucky, I get to go out into the field to meet them in person. I also attend on-site installs when the hardware arrives and collaborate closely with our internal resources and the partners we work with. Before this role, I was an account manager at the same company, where I focused on our install-based customers, managing those relationships and looking for expansion opportunities within existing accounts. Now I'm focused on bringing new business to the company while still maintaining a good base of customer accounts. My first IT role was at Netscope, a cybersecurity company that recently went public, which was a great place to start my career. Before getting into IT, I worked in the food and service industry for about 10 years, which taught me how much I love being around people, meeting new people, having conversations, and picking their brains. That's what drew me to sales - I could take that passion for connecting with people into my career.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Allison
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would have to say I attribute my success to my parents. They are both entrepreneurs, so everything that my brothers and I ever had growing up was off the business that they built together from the ground up. I got to see firsthand what hard work and belief in yourself can do and what it can achieve. We had business conversations at the dinner table, right? So I got to witness that entrepreneurial spirit and dedication up close, and it really shaped how I approach my own career. Seeing them build something from nothing taught me the value of perseverance and self-belief.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to make yourself as visible as possible. Reach out to other team members, introduce yourself, and ask them for their advice, whether they're more senior or maybe they're even newer than you. I think just getting an array of introductions out there is so important. You never know who's going to have the answers for you, or be able to help you out, or who you might help them out later on. So definitely focus on connections and visibility. In this business, we're in the business of people, so building those relationships goes a long way.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think it can be fear of the unknown, right? The hardware market right now is fluctuating a lot - I mean, the market in general right now is fluctuating a lot for America. So just trying to ease customers' minds when you're unsure of the future yourself has definitely been a bit challenging. Everything is just up in the air right now - gas prices, you name it. It's a challenging environment to navigate when you're trying to provide stability and solutions to customers while dealing with so much uncertainty yourself.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.