Her Story
About Annie
I've been in B2B IT software sales for 16 years, and I'm currently at BambooHR, which I joined in April. In my role, I own the full sales cycle - everything from outreach through email campaigns and door-knocking to wining and dining clients. I work with C-suite executives to understand their infrastructures, demo our products at a high level, and problem-solve with them and their teams to figure out what their company's goals are, whether that's growth, compliance, efficiency, or productivity. What's unique about my path is that I didn't start in tech at all. My background is in healthcare - I was a CNA, phlebotomist, and EMT, and I had the privilege of taking care of all four of my grandparents before they passed. After that, I needed a mental break, and a good friend named Anna convinced me to try sales. I was skeptical at first, but I realized that everything I learned in healthcare - the compassion, active listening, problem-solving, working under pressure with different teams who all have their own agendas - translated perfectly into sales. When you're trying to save someone's life in high-tension situations, everyone has to stay in their lane to keep the patient alive, and that's exactly what I brought into sales. That's really what made me successful today. Before BambooHR, I worked at Adobe where I ran a team, and I also spent time at Red Pepper, though they weren't able to handle the bandwidth of what I was bringing in internally.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Annie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think my accomplishments have been about helping other people be successful, whether that's peer-to-peer training or in a manager position helping others achieve their dreams and goals. There's nothing better than when they excel and move to a different team. When it comes to deals, it's about overcoming those hard deals, problem-solving, and sticking with it - letting clients know that they are confident in you, having confidence in what you have to bring, and being an advocate for them. But really, what made me successful today is my healthcare background. When you're trying to save someone's life and working in high-tension situations with different teams who all have their own agendas and fields they practice in, it's important that everyone stays in their own lane to keep the patient alive. That's what I brought into sales, and it has made a huge difference. I converted everything from my compassion, serving, loving, listening, problem-solving, and being fast-witted to working as a team and really actively listening.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Have grit. Don't be afraid of the word no - in fact, encourage it. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because if you're comfortable, you're not growing. So always make sure that you're always uncomfortable. The best compliment I ever got was when someone told me, 'Annie, you're really persistent,' and I said, 'Thank you.'
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Have grit. Don't be afraid of the word no - in fact, encourage it. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because if you're comfortable, you're not growing. So always make sure that you're always uncomfortable.
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