Andrew Bass

	Manager of Strategic Business Development dwinQ
	Time at memoryBlue:	16 Months
	Prior to memoryBlue:	George Mason University

What type of background brought you to memoryBlue?

My family has always been in sales, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right career for me because I hadn’t yet found my niche within the industry. After college I was about to accept a position as a government contractor, then I got a call from Eddie Magalya, at memoryBlue (now a memoryBlue Alum). Although the position at memoryBlue carried more risk, it also carried more potential for reward, and hearing the excitement in Eddie’s voice made me feel confident about making the decision.

What appeals to you about IT sales?

I love that it’s so fast paced. Every company has IT needs, so there’s always a new company to work for or a new technology to learn about. There are also so many different career paths within IT sales, so there are endless possibilities.

In what ways did your memoryBlue experience set you up for a successful career in high tech sales?

memoryBlue was the place where I developed my professional selling style. They provide an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you’re constantly learning and improving. There were times when I felt like I blew a call, but then I could turn around and talk to my manager or one of my colleagues and dissect what went wrong and explore ways to be successful the next time around. There was constant practice and feedback; it was like getting a degree in sales in a year and a half.

How does your memoryBlue experience help you in your current position?

The biggest thing it taught me was confidence. memoryBlue really helped me develop my own style, which gives me the confidence I need to close deals. It also provided me with a huge network of contacts in the industry, many of whom I still interact with on a regular basis.

What are you doing now?

I’m the manager of strategic business development for dwinQ, which is a technology provider for live events. We’re the only Facebook partner in the world that is able to link up live events to social media. I do inside and outside sales, working with big-name brands to amplify their sponsor presence at live events.

What is the most creative inside sales tactic you have used to close a deal?

I’m a big fan of the call back. Sometimes a call wouldn’t go the way I wanted it to, but instead of giving up, I would call back the next day. I’d let them know that I’d lost sleep over it, and that we should talk again. I actually got several meetings that way, and I taught that method to some of the teammates that I mentored and they had a lot of success with it, too. I think people appreciated the direct approach and also the extra effort. A lot of people think you only have one shot to close a deal, but in reality you have lots of chances, you just have to know what to do.

How did you earn the nickname “Honey Badger”?

One early morning, Chris Corcoran came into the office and told me he was going to start calling me Honey Badger. I asked why, and he said “because you don’t care.” What he meant was that I don’t care who is on the other end of the phone when I’m making a call – it could be a CEO, a VP – I treat them the same, and I’ll approach anyone, ask them questions, and challenge people in order to close the deal.