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Tech Sales is for Hustlers Podcast – Archives

Tech Sales is for Hustlers Podcast – Archives (Episodes #1-25)

Tech Sales is for Hustlers Podcast Cover ArtTech Sales is for Hustlers is a memoryBlue podcast that features company cofounders Chris Corcoran and Marc Gonyea sitting down with former employees – appropriately termed our alumni – to unearth the untold stories, secrets of success and winding pathways that have led to big-time tech sales careers.

The podcast is available on all major platforms, subscribe and listen right now at:

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Or find it anywhere you get your podcasts.

You can listen to the first 30 episodes right here, as well as find links to review show notes and episode transcripts.

Episode 01: Matt Crush – The Value of a $20K Pay Cut

Original Air Date: 3.19.20

Would you have the courage to take a $20,000 pay cut to change careers and chart a course for a brighter professional future? That’s precisely what Matt Crush did in order to launch his tech sales career back in 2016. Today he serves as a highly successful Director of Business Development at Resonate and he’s never looking back.

In this inaugural Tech Sales is for Hustlers podcast episode, you’ll hear how (and why) Matt bet on himself, what transpired when he went a whole year without closing a sale, and glean insight from a range of valuable lessons he learned from working with two clients during his tenure at memoryBlue.

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Episode 02: Abigail Lacy – The Selfless Seller

Original Air Date: 3.26.20

It can be easy to dismiss sales as a “selfish” profession, it’s a problem that Abigail Lacy personally wrestled with when she started her career at memoryBlue in 2013. But after a few months in her initial SDR role, she discovered that a selfless attitude was the very best way to unlock sales success.

In this week’s episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, you’ll hear why waiting tables is a great transition into professional sales, how Abigail keeps the notion of serving others front and center in her sales career, and what to look out for in an early-stage technology company.

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Episode 03: Richard Reece – A Student of the Game

Original Air Date: 4.2.20

Sales is a game designed to separate the quota-busting hustlers from the bare-minimum stragglers. Richard Reece has been hustling since he started at memoryBlue in 2011. Today he’s a highly successful Platform Account Executive at Informatica, an enterprise data management and integration company.

In this episode, Reece will let the audience in on the wild hustle he pulled off to even land his SDR job at memoryBlue, how the student became the master when he closed a deal with memoryBlue during his first job after leaving the company, and what important lesson he learned from his biggest deal loss.

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Episode 04: Toby Haertl – A Burning Desire to Succeed

Original Air Date: 4.9.20

Toby Haertl falls in that rare category of an individual who will never be satisfied with average. Toby grew up in a small town outside of Nuremberg, Germany, and wanted a life that his hometown couldn’t provide. He passed up free higher education in his country at a young age, instead opting to personally pay to start college earlier in the U.S. He ultimately found his way to memoryBlue in 2013 and he took to professional sales quickly. Toby has an unmatched work ethic and his success today as a Global Business Development Manager at CyrusOne is a by-product of the fact that he will never be outhustled.

In this week’s episode, Toby walks us through what it was like growing up in Germany and his transition to the States, why he continued to bartend on nights and weekends deep into a successful professional sales career, and how the skills he honed at memoryBlue now allow him the opportunity to weather any marketplace headwinds he encounters.

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Episode 05: Eric Doerr – Support Our Salespeople

Original Air Date: 4.16.20

Semper Fidelis – Always Faithful. Prior to Eric Doerr’s successful high-tech sales career, he served in the United States Marine Corps for four faithful years. After serving, Eric graduated from the University of Central Florida and made his way to memoryBlue in 2010. While many people try to avoid hard work, Eric embraces what the Marine Corps instilled in him as a professional differentiator. And that will to go the distance is a major reason for his outstanding performance now as an Account Executive at QTS Data Centers.

In this episode, Eric recounts his time in the military including his transition to professional sales, why he recommended his younger sister work at memoryBlue, and his advice to SDRs looking for their next role.

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Episode 06: Brandon Eyring – For the Love of Sales

Original Air Date: 4.23.20

Not many people think an entry-level job will change their lives, but Brandon Eyring’s story may change your mind. Along with the invaluable skills he learned as an SDR, Brandon met his future wife, Austin Leybourne Eyring, right here at memoryBlue in 2014. They’ve been inseparable ever since then, tying the knot in October of 2019. Today Brandon is a successful Sales Development Manager at ZeroNorth, which is home to an array of multiple memoryBlue alums. (Editor’s Note: memoryBlue was fortunate to welcome Brandon BACK to the firm as a Manager in the Fall of 2020!)

In this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Brandon walks listeners through his amazing “memoryBlue match” with Austin, why he makes personal development a priority (including his methodology of consuming information), and offers detailed insight on a highly memorable win.

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Episode 08: Brendan Andrews – Skin in the Game

Original Air Date: 5.7.20

To have “skin in the game” is to have incurred personal risk (monetary or otherwise) in the pursuit of achieving a goal. Brendan Andrews defines having skin in the game. This former college athlete invested his own money on coaching, to the tune of thousands of dollars, in order to become a better salesperson. That rare perspective around the importance of personal sacrifice for future gain has led Brendan to his current success in his role as Account Executive at Thycotic.

In this episode, you’ll hear why Brendan decided to spend his hard-earned dollars on one-on-one sales coaching, why he values his well-planned morning routine, and how he maintains a continuous “just do it” attitude.

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Episode 09: Nelson Imade – The Comeback Kid

Original Air Date: 5.14.20

When faced with a challenge, some people make peace with defeat. Finding the courage to conquer immense hurdles and come back stronger takes an ocean of inner strength. Nelson Imade, Sales Executive at Babel Street, is one of those rare hustlers. Early on, when launching his tech sales career at memoryBlue, Nelson was put on a Performance Improvement Plan twice. Those distant moments proved to be mere speed bumps. Tough times are the crucible in which high performers are born. Nelson smashed those barriers and ultimately came back to become the top SDR in the entire company.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear the story of how Nelson, a UVA grad who hails from the Bronx, took a bus from New York just to interview at memoryBlue. You’ll learn about his unwavering perseverance during the challenging moments at the start of his career, and you’ll discover how he manages to have a work-life balance despite the rigors and demands of high-tech sales.

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Episode 10: Daniel Clark – Question Everything

Original Air Date: 5.21.20

Ever have a friendly sales prospect in the car with you when, out of the blue, they insist you pull over and let them out miles from the destination? Daniel Clark got to experience this and much more during his wild ride through the world of timeshare sales after college.

Clark, now a successful Senior Consultant at Neustar, traces his roots in high-tech sales way back to the 100% commission-only start and lets listeners in on the wealth of lessons he’s picked up along way in this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers.

Among it all, you’ll hear why he believes analytical curiosity is mandatory in high-tech sales, what the word “compellevant” means (and why it matters), and why he won’t hesitate to hurl tough questions at sales trainers.

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Episode 11: Christian Mory – The Trifecta

Original Air Date: 5.28.20

Athlete, Eagle Scout, sales professional. Many are lucky to be successful in just one of those areas, but Christian Mory is the trifecta. Mory pulled off the arduous journey to earn Eagle Scout before moving on to graduate from West Virginia University as a D1 college wrestler. Today he puts his single-minded hard work approach in practice as a seasoned sales professional operating as an Enterprise Account Executive at QOMPLX.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Christian walks Chris and Marc through what it was like to move into his first closing role, how he made the tricky transition from closing $3,000 deals to enterprise-level agreements more than 10x that size, and the key lesson he learned letting “happy ears” get the best of him as a potential strong deal turned into his most painful loss.

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Episode 12: Frank Taylor – Raising the Bar

Original Air Date: 6.4.20

Frank Taylor has continually raised the bar and we’re not just talking about his love for CrossFit. Throughout his life and successful sales career, Frank has raised the bar of excellence. A natural born leader, Frank unveils the secret nobody will tell you: learning to lead takes time, patience, failure and persistence. Today Frank is living in Ontario, Canada, and is a Senior Account Executive at Questica.

In this episode, you’ll learn from Frank the four stages of starting a new job, why the transition from an SDR role to Delivery Manager (SDR Manager) was the hardest thing he’s ever done, how he settled on an incredibly meaningful parting gift for Chris and Marc as he left memoryBlue, and what to look for in your next job as you advance in your sales career.

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Episode 13: Evan Thomas – Coast to Coast Sales

Original Air Date: 6.11.20

Maryland native Evan Thomas heard the calls of the West Coast and he gladly answered. Evan picked up his things, moved across the country in 2015 and hasn’t looked back. Today, he resides in San Diego, California, and is an Inside Channel Sales Advisor at SiteLock. Evan studied English at Georgetown University prior to working at memoryBlue. He was quickly hired out by his client, Group Logic, after booking multiple high-quality leads. In fact, memoryBlue left such an impression on Evan that he went on to refer in his older brother, Ian Thomas, as well.

In this episode, you’ll hear Evan’s philosophy on how sales is one great way to help people, how he managed to book a meeting with a C-level executive at Coca-Cola while working at memoryBlue, and the strategy he used to convince his manager to let him move across country.

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Episode 14: Arash Almasi – The Sales Grandmaster

Original Air Date: 6.18.20

In your sales career, much like a game of chess, you should be looking three steps ahead. When Arash Almasi first started his career at memoryBlue, he knew he wanted to become a closing rep as soon as possible. He mapped out the stepping stones necessary to get to that coveted position and created opportunities for himself, instead of waiting for opportunities to come to him. Today, Arash is an outstanding National Account Manager at Glassdoor.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Arash recounts his signature “fireman” move to get past gatekeepers, how he was able to cold call his way through Silicon Valley to find a job at a tech company, and the fundamental principles he employs to keep his clients happy.

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Episode 15: Keith Hoffmann – No Days Off

Original Air Date: 6.25.20

Sales isn’t just a career, it’s a lifestyle. And if you’re living the life of Keith Hoffmann, that lifestyle means no days off…and you love every second of it. Keith Hoffmann – affectionately called “The Hoff” by his fellow mB alumni – eats, sleeps, and breathes sales. Born and raised in a blue collar, tough-as-nails part of Philly, Keith was never afraid of putting in hard work. That ironclad work ethic, along with a never-ending thirst to continuously grow his sales abilities, has helped him create a wildly successful enterprise sales career. Today, Keith is a Senior Director at ProcessMAP.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Keith pulls no punches as he walks listeners through his “sell or don’t eat” first door-to-door sales gig (where he rose quickly to become the number one rep across the country), how he made due living out of his car in order to take a chance on memoryBlue, and why he knows the most successful sales pros view sales as a lifestyle, not a career.

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Episode 16: Philippe Ghattas – When One Door Closes Another Door Opens

Original Air Date: 7.9.20

In order to have a successful career in the small tech sales world, you have to leave doors open. Philippe Ghattas had barely started his career in high tech sales when he was laid off from his new job, and he had just turned down another offer from his former memoryBlue client. Fortunately, Philippe was able to renegotiate a new job offer from that client and get things on a positive track. Since that very distinct moment in time, he has also always made it a point to never shut a door on the way out. Today, Philippe is living in London working as an Account Executive at Sisense.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Philippe shares with us the pros and cons of working at both small and large tech companies, what it’s like working abroad, and how he’s able to maintain lasting relationships that allow him to keep all of his options open when opportunity comes knocking.

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Episode 17: David Collins – A Gift of the Recession

Original Air Date: 7.16.20

If one good thing came out of the mid-2000s economic recession, it was David Collins. David was a senior at JMU when mB Cofounder Chris Corcoran came to his class and spoke about memoryBlue. Once class was dismissed, David emailed Chris and the rest is history. If the economy and job market were better in 2008, it’s possible Chris wouldn’t have been able to nail down such talent in those early days of the company. David went on to get hired by his client and he is now a successful Client Principal at Contino.

On this week’s episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, David shares how he met his wife, Erica (Higginson) Collins, at a memoryBlue First Friday happy hour, how he created a professional network in Philly from scratch, and the key differences between selling products and services.

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Episode 18: Nelson Lawson – Network Makes the Dream Work

Original Air Date: 7.23.20

“Your network is your net worth.” – Porter Gale

In the small world of sales, it’s equal parts what you know and who you know. Over the past 14 years, Nelson Lawson built a vast and strong network of peers that he often leveraged on his path toward becoming Managing Partner of DC Consulting Service, LLC. His firm is a value-added reseller and leading provider of information security solutions and professional services. In fact, some of his vendor partners today were his former coworkers.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Nelson shares his experience with sales burn out, why it is vital to know your sales manager’s goals, and how he embraced the entrepreneurial spirit to start his own value-added reseller.

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Episode 19: Mo Hassan – Whatever It Takes

Original Air Date: 7.30.20

Success isn’t given, it’s earned, and Mohamed “Mo” Hassan will do whatever it takes. Mo was born in Egypt before he and his family immigrated to the States. He learned that from a young age to be successful meant hard work, tenacity, and above all family. Throughout his personal and professional life, Mo has faced adversity at almost every corner but has fought tooth and nail to overcome each obstacle. Despite the cards he’s been dealt with, Mo has continued to have a positive outlook. Today Mo is an Account Executive at DH Technologies, and when he isn’t closing deals he’s co-hosting The Young and Muslim Podcast.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Mo recounts his childhood as a young Muslim, how sales helped Mo come out of his shell, and the importance behind making a sales rep’s job easier to excel your own career as an SDR.

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Episode 20: Brian Thompson – 48 Days

Original Air Date: 8.6.20

How quickly will a company pounce to bring onboard a strong SDR? Before you can say “hired out” if you’re really good.

Brian Thompson was really good. In fact, he only worked at memoryBlue for 48 days before getting a job offer from his client (Capterra). But his relatively short time was filled with countless dials, a steep learning curve, and lots of laughs. Brian was one of the quickest hired out stories in the 18+ year history of memoryBlue. Today, he is a successful Strategic Business Development Executive at Gartner.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Brian shares his valuable experience growing up in Roanoke, VA, the important lessons he learned going through a growth acquisition, and why believing in the product you’re selling is of utmost importance to sales pros.

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Episode 21: Matt Bright – Making Lemonade

Original Air Date: 8.13.20

Everyone has heard that old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Ever since a young age, Matt Bright has been making every deal just a little bit sweeter. Matt hails from Columbia, MD, and he attended the University of Maryland. Following his tenure as an SDR at memoryBlue, he ultimately became the second person to ever close new client deals for the business. Today, Matt is a successful Sales Director at Snyk and maintains close ties to memoryBlue. (In fact, his company recently completed a campaign with memoryBlue that closed with two SDRs getting hired out.)

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Matt Bright shares the critical importance of listening to call recordings and learning from other sales pros, details just how he sizes up startups, and why his favorite and most valued deals are self-sourced.

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Episode 22: Ashley Lounsbury – The Hand-Raiser

Original Air Date: 8.20.20

Everyone has that moment in school where the teacher will ask a question, you know the answer, but you just simply don’t raise your hand. If you sit idly by, who will hear what you have to say?

Ashley (Sprano) Lounsbury is a prime example of the benefits of raising your hand. She has always made it known what she wants and that she’s willing to hustle hard to get there. Today, Ashley is an outstanding Enterprise Account Executive at Tableau, a Salesforce company.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Ashley shares the reason why courage is a pivotal characteristic for sales pros, the importance of raising your hand to progress your career, and what it’s like being a woman in professional high-tech sales.

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Episode 23: Percy Darkwah – In It to Win It

Original Air Date: 8.27.20

“If you’re good enough, you’ll win.” And if you’re Percy Darkwah, you’re in it to win it.

Since the beginning of his tech sales career, Percy has always taken calculated risks and bet on himself to further his career. That undying will to succeed has led him to move from Virginia to Dallas, Texas, and now to Toronto, Canada. Today, Percy is crushing it as an Enterprise Account Executive at AppDynamics.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers,  Percy walks us through his non-linear sales career, how he was able to close a deal with a burger delivery, and questions to ask potential managers during the interview process.

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Episode 24: Ellen Hansen – The New Kid

Original Air Date: 9.10.20

No matter what challenges she has faced, from being the new kid in school to starting a new job, Ellen Hansen has learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Her “figure-it-out” style and fearless approach has molded her into a very successful sales pro and a Corporate Account Executive for a leading identity management company.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustlers, Ellen walks listeners through how she was able to get hired from memoryBlue in five short months, what her signature sales move – the “1-2 punch” – entails, and the secret strategies she employs to destroy a compensation plan.

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Episode 25: Aaron Bravo – Mr. Phenom

Original Air Date: 9.17.20

On Aaron Bravo’s first day at memoryBlue, he knew he had to start fast and help turn around an uncertain campaign. Nobody said sales was easy.

How did he do? Aaron was ultimately hired out by that client, Motorola Solutions, and he’s climbing fast there, too. His rapid success also helped him beat out 50+ applicants and win the inaugural memoryBlue Phenom Award in 2019. Today, Aaron is a Field Sales Executive at Motorola Solutions.

On this episode of Tech Sales is for Hustler, Aaron shares why listening is the key foundation in sales, the moves that allowed him to book multiple prospects on a single call, and the break down behind his quick climb up the corporate ladder.

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