Her Story
About Danielle
I work for The Knot Worldwide, a big tech advertisement company for the wedding industry. As a Regional Account Manager, I manage about 175 different vendors - hairstylists, venues, photographers - who post on The Knot to get leads and convert those into booked gigs. I specialize in retention and growth, making sure my clients are satisfied and using the platform to the fullest extent, while also helping on the marketing side to make sure their storefront looks great and they're utilizing all the tools to be successful. I've been in sales for a while, but I actually came from the oil and gas industry where I spent 4 years. I originally went to college for the business side of fashion because I always wanted to be in a fun, girly type of environment. I started off in HR in oil and gas, but they told me I needed to get into sales because I was very approachable and talkable. The money was great for a while and I got really interested in it, but with the economy and everything going on in the world, it became very depressing and mentally draining with not much of a positive side anymore. I decided I wanted to get back into doing something I love, so I applied for The Knot and a million other jobs. When they reached out to me for an interview, I couldn't believe it - after 4 years in oil and gas, I'm finally in an industry where I can be myself and talk to the ladies. What really drives me is working with small businesses - I'm not working with big corporate accounts, but with small hairstylists just starting up, photographers, and family-owned venues. I feel like the work I do with them really makes a difference, and I love watching them grow over time.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Danielle
01What do you attribute your success to?
In this industry, I really attribute my success to working with small businesses and having that connection with them, watching them grow over time and being successful together by utilizing our platform. I'm not working with big corporate accounts - we have a team that does that - so I'm working with small hairstylists that might just be starting up, or photographers, or just family-owned venues. That's the part that really drives me. You can always help out a big enterprise company and they're going to be fine no matter what, so I feel like my work that I do with them really does make a difference. And yeah, that's my biggest thing. Also, being in sales, being financially stable and getting a good commission check is always fun as well. But really, it's working with those small businesses and watching them grow over time.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think transparency is key, and always just being true to yourself and being honest. If there's ever an issue, to speak up on it with confidence and not to hide behind a curtain for anything. I think that's where I kind of got to where I was - having my opinion be valued, being honest, being true to myself kind of paved the way to where I am now. Lying never gets you anywhere, and you always want to have those hard conversations even though they're uncomfortable. There's so many times people tell fibs or they get lies and it always comes back around to bite them. Being in sales and educating our vendors or our clients, lying is not going to get you anywhere in this field. So yeah, just staying true to yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think transparency is key, and always just being true to yourself and being honest. If there's ever an issue, to speak up on it with confidence and not to hide behind a curtain for anything. I think that's where I kind of got to where I was - having my opinion be valued, being honest, being true to myself kind of paved the way to where I am now. So I'd say that's probably my biggest piece of advice. Lying never gets you anywhere, and you always want to have those hard conversations even though they're uncomfortable. There's so many times people tell fibs or get caught in lies and it always comes back around to bite them. Being in sales and educating our vendors or our clients, lying is not going to get you anywhere in this field. So yeah, just staying true to yourself and being transparent.
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