Influential Woman · Marketing Advertising Sales

Elle Hough

Pet Sitter, Meowtel

Phoenix, AZ

5Years experience

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree ASU

Her Story

About Elle

I started my career right out of college at ASU, where I was interning in 2021 with the USA Today Network. When an account executive position opened up, I stepped into that role and have been there ever since - almost 5 years in marketing and advertising sales now. I work completely remote, which is great, and my day basically involves reaching out to businesses across the country, whether small, medium, or large, to set up what we call an EN, or Evaluate Needs Meeting. I get to know what their needs and goals are in terms of growth for that year or in the future, and then a couple weeks later, we set a second meeting where I go through recommendations or a proposal I've put together for them to see if it's a good fit for partnering. We're the USA Today Network, owning all of the newspaper publications across the country, so we're able to scale locally and nationally. The biggest challenge is definitely getting through the door and building that trust right off the bat, but once you get through the door, it's pretty straightforward from there.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Elle

01What do you attribute your success to?

I definitely attribute my success to my sales manager, Sonia Bradley. She's been with the USA Today Network for 25 years - she likes to say 300-plus years - and she's been my sales manager for a while now. She's definitely the reason I am where I am today, and how successful I am. Having someone like her who has that much experience and expertise has made all the difference in my career.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I've been given is just to be yourself and really get to know your client or the prospect that you're talking to. Try to keep it less salesy as possible - that's one of the main things we focus on, because who wants to ever be on a sales call? I think it's about really trying to get to know the client and letting them see who you really are, staying as calm as possible and being straightforward. It's about building genuine connections rather than just making a pitch.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

It's nerve-wracking to come into a role right after college - I remember my first times interning and then being thrown into a higher role, and I was definitely nervous. That's a very common thing to feel for younger people coming straight out of college. My advice is to take the role day by day and ask as many questions as possible. Really get to know the people that you're working with, and make sure you like the people you're working with. I think whoever your team is makes a huge difference in your daily life at your job. The biggest thing is really getting to know everybody, allowing them to really get to know you, and just putting yourself out there.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I think the biggest challenge is getting that initial meeting. Once you get through the door, it's pretty straightforward from there, but the biggest challenge is definitely getting people to understand the value that we bring as the USA Today Network, owning all of the newspaper publications across the country. We're able to scale locally and nationally, but getting through the door and building that trust right off the bat is definitely the biggest challenge. We are a trusted media source across the country, and we've been in the space for over 20 years, working with multiple clients in multiple different industries with a lot of case studies showing our expertise.

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