Her Story
About Stacy
Stacy Ann Zoeller is a Senior Sales Manager at Gartner with seven years of experience in technology sales and a specialization in serving the education sector, including higher education and K–12 organizations. In her current leadership role, she manages a $4.5 million book of business and leads a team of six, focusing on sales performance, coaching, professional development, and helping individuals reach their full potential. Her career at Gartner has progressed from Account Executive to Sales Manager and, most recently, Senior Sales Manager, reflecting her strong performance and leadership capabilities.
Before joining Gartner, Zoeller built her sales foundation through progressive roles at Intuit, including Sales Consultant, QuickBooks Enterprise Sales Consultant, and Intern Sales Manager. Her earlier experience also includes sales recruiting at Quicken Loans and inventory operations at Imperial Beverage. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Sales and Business Marketing from Western Michigan University, where she was active in the Sales and Business Marketing Association and Order of Omega. She also earned an InsideOut Coaching Certification from InsideOut Development in 2021.
Zoeller's professional achievements include back-to-back Global Top Achiever recognition, multiple high-level sales competition placements, and recognition as the #1 All-Star in a sales management course. She has also coached a sales competition team to first- and fifth-place finishes. Her leadership philosophy centers on confidence, relentless positivity, resilience, and learning from challenges. She emphasizes adapting coaching to individual learning styles and perspectives while encouraging others—particularly young women—to enter professional spaces with confidence and view setbacks as opportunities for growth. In the education sector, she is particularly focused on helping organizations navigate the financial pressures created by declining college enrollment and changing institutional budgets.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Stacy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having a very high level of confidence and maintaining relentless positivity. I approach challenges with the belief that everything can be a learning opportunity. I believe in setting ambitious goals and shooting for the moon because, even when you do not achieve the exact outcome you hoped for, you can still land among the stars. This mindset allows me to remain optimistic, learn from setbacks, and continue moving forward.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received came from Professor Kelly O’Reilly, who coached me during my very first sales competition. She taught me to reframe nervousness as excitement. Her advice was that when I feel butterflies, I should remember to “fly them in formation.” Nervousness and excitement can feel very similar, and changing the way I interpret those feelings can change how I perform.
That advice also reminded me that I am in my role for a reason. Rather than allowing nerves to undermine my confidence, I can recognize them as energy and excitement for the opportunity in front of me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My favorite quote, which I also share with my team, is: “Whether you believe you can or you believe you can’t, you’re right.” I encourage young women entering the industry to walk into every room with confidence and believe in their ability to contribute.
I also encourage the next generation not to be afraid of failure. An experience is not necessarily a failure if you learn something from it. Every challenge can provide an opportunity to grow, develop new skills, and become more capable. Confidence, resilience, and a willingness to learn are essential throughout a career.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The industry I specifically work in is education, and one of the major challenges facing the sector is the enrollment cliff. With fewer people entering colleges, many educational organizations are dealing with smaller budgets and significant budget pressures.
At the same time, this creates an important opportunity for organizations like ours to help education institutions navigate those challenges. Understanding their changing needs and helping them adapt to budget constraints allows us to provide meaningful solutions during a period of significant change.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One of the most important values in my work is understanding that people are individuals. When I am coaching someone, I often have to help them get out of their own way, but I also recognize that everyone receives information differently, learns differently, and perceives what I am saying differently.
I have learned that just because I process something in a particular way does not mean another person will process it the same way. Effective coaching requires me to consider the other person's perspective, learning style, and thought process rather than assuming that my approach will work for everyone.
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