David Collins

	Senior Account Executive Apptix
	Time at memoryBlue:	6 Months
	Prior to memoryBlue:	James Madison University

Why did you choose to launch your sales career with memoryBlue?

In 2008, as a senior majoring in International Business at James Madison University, I had the good fortune to hear Chris Corcoran, the cofounder of memoryBlue, speak at one of my classes. I was intrigued by what Chris had to say about the philosophy and success of memoryBlue. Shortly thereafter I contacted him to set up an in-person interview at their headquarters. My original goal was to get placed in a sales position with one of the firm’s many high tech clients. Fortunately, even though I lacked real-world experience, Chris and his cofounder Marc believed I had the right drive and competitiveness to succeed in inside sales, and hired me directly at memoryBlue.

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

The training that memoryBlue provided has been critical to my success as I had little, if any, experience with prospecting, using tools such as Outlook and Salesforce, and establishing and maintaining a daily sales routine. I initially took on two accounts, and my primary objective was to target C-level players in mid-sized organizations, uncover their pain, and set up follow up demos and conference calls for my reps.

We were so successful with one of those first two accounts that my client ended up hiring me to lead its inside sales team. If not for Chris and Marc believing in me as a hungry kid right out of college, I could not have put myself in a position to have as much success as I have had thus far.

What are you doing now?

After six months with memoryBlue, Apptix, the industry-leading provider of hosted email, voice, and collaboration services for small and medium-sized businesses, offered me a position as their Inside Sales Team Lead. As the Team Lead, I had many of the same responsibilities as an Inside Sales Rep (ISR) – I managed six ISRs and also developed the training materials and process for the team.

Nine months after I was hired as Inside Sales Team Lead, I was promoted to Account Executive, tasked with selling to mid-market and enterprise size companies primarily based in the Midwest and the West Coast. My current position is Senior Account Executive, where I am responsible for building effective relationships with enterprise accounts in the healthcare industry.

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

I can’t say enough about how much the training and mentoring received at memoryBlue has helped me develop the skill set to succeed in sales. This included establishing a daily schedule, mastering Salesforce, thinking quickly on my feet and understanding how to effectively overcome objections.  In addition, I learned how to establish rapport with clients in a short period of time, allowing for smooth and productive relationships and transactions.

What is the highlight of your career to date?

Last year I closed a record-setting healthcare deal for Apptix. I am also extremely proud that I paved a path at Apptix for two other memoryBlue alums.