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Apps have fundamentally changed the way we live and work. From choosing a restaurant for dinner to hailing a ride to dinner to sharing photos of our meal with our friends across social media – and the list goes on! – we now use a variety of apps for nearly everything we do in our personal lives.
Now, think about this: what if we were as connected in our work lives as we are in our personal lives?
To help answer this question, we thought we'd sit down with Marco Magnano, Vice President of Sales for the Salesforce Platform team – responsible for helping businesses create secure and easy-to-use apps without any code whatsoever – to learn more about why he joined the team as its first Account Executive (AE) as well as how his journey at Salesforce has evolved over the last eight years.
I heard about Salesforce from a friend who was an AE here at the time. Salesforce already had an incredible reputation, even as far back as eight years ago. I was particularly drawn to the company's culture of innovation. This is incredibly important for anyone working in sales because you must have an authentic passion and excitement for what you're selling.
I started as a Core AE in our General Business sector in January 2010. Since then, I've held five different roles within the company and have led three teams in our Commercial and Enterprise business units. I feel fortunate – and humbled – to work for a company that has given me so many opportunities to grow my own career as well as to help grow the careers of the brilliant people on my team.
I spent a few years watching our customers build amazing apps on the Salesforce Platform. I saw first-hand how those apps transformed their businesses before my eyes. Here's a great example: One of my customers in property management used the Salesforce Platform to build multiple apps to manage tasks associated with property acquisition, rebuilding, leasing, and ongoing building maintenance. By 2015, all of their employees – we're talking in the thousands – relied on Salesforce-built apps to run their business and collaborate with each other.
I wanted to be a part of that kind of business transformation, so I raised my hand to become the first Platform AE in our Commercial Business Unit. I haven't looked back since.
The Salesforce Platform team is a specialized team within the Sales organization that focuses on three core business pillars:
There's a lot that happens on any given day. My top priority is to ensure that both my AE's and my leadership team have the support they need to be successful in their roles. To make this happen, I have built close cross-functional relationships with several teams across the business that help my team – and the entire company – reach their goals.
I strategize with our Product Marketing team on campaigns and events to support pipeline generation. I assist our Platform General Manager and Strategy team to monitor the growth of our Platform Product portfolio. I also partner with our Recruiting team to hire the best sales talent in the market.
The part of my job I love most is working with our customers. I'm truly inspired by their business goals and the incredible things they do to achieve them. Every time I walk out of a customer meeting, I'm re-energized and ready to re-invent myself. This part of my job hasn't changed in eight years. Every day is an exciting, new adventure. It's what has me looking forward to the next eight years.
I look for people with a successful track record of getting their job done – and doing it well. They must have a strong technical background with experience in selling cloud-based technology. They also need to be able to show not only how they delivered on their quotas, but also how they exceeded them time and time again.
Most importantly, however, I'm most interested in hiring people who are excited about being a part of a team-selling environment. We regularly partner with the Core Sales team to get our deals over the finish line. The process is 100 percent collaborative. The people on my team must be energized and motivated by collaborating with others. It's how they succeed at their jobs.
I'm originally from Seattle but now live in the Bay Area with my wife and three kids. I love spending time with my family. I also enjoy staying active. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!) where I was the captain of the tennis team. You could say I have an affinity for all sports. In my spare time, it's not rare to find me on the tennis court, golf course, or basketball court.
