Ally Witherspoon Johnston’s Post

Cheers to another week of building lasting client relationships! 🥂 Fridays as an account manager means celebrating wins, solving challenges, and setting the stage for even greater successes ahead. Let's finish strong and toast to the weekend! 🌟 #AccountManagement #FridaySuccess #Slack #Salesforce

🎉 Celebrating 5 Incredible Years at Salesforce! 🎉 As I reflect on the past five years of my journey here at Salesforce, my heart is filled with overwhelming gratitude and joy. It's been an incredible ride, one filled with growth, learning, and unforgettable experiences. First and foremost, I want to express my deepest appreciation to every single person who has been a part of this journey with me. From the brilliant minds in the meeting rooms to the dedicated teams on the front lines, each of you has left an indelible mark on my life and career. I must extend a special thank you to some remarkable individuals who have been my guiding lights along this path. Brent Healy, Star Thomas, Thomas Jenket, Brandon L. Douglas, Julianne Tajuba, MBA, MSPH, Chase Sitten, Matt Smith, Matt Chin 💙, Julie Bordato, Connie Dea, Lauren Howard, Peter Doolan, Deanna Nguyen, Chloe LeBaron, Shannon Smoot, Max Thrasher, Max Comparetto, Michelle Collins, Jim Pawlika, Olivia Cassidy and countless others – your wisdom, support, and camaraderie have made every challenge surmountable and every victory sweeter. It's truly been an honor to collaborate with such talented and passionate individuals. My journey at Salesforce has been nothing short of transformative. Beginning in SMB and now thriving in a Lead Strategic Solution Engineering role in Mid-Market, I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the profound impact our solutions have on our customers' success. It's more than just a job; it's a mission to empower businesses to achieve their loftiest goals, and I am immensely proud to be a part of it. But above all, it's the relationships forged and the shared moments of triumph that I cherish the most. The laughter, the late-night brainstorming sessions, and the unwavering support – these are the threads that have woven the fabric of my Salesforce journey. As I raise a toast to the best five years I could have ever asked for, I'm filled with excitement for the adventures that lie ahead. Together, let's continue to innovate, inspire, and make a difference in the lives of our customers and communities. Here's to the next five years and beyond, filled with even more growth, success, and memories to treasure. Thank you, Salesforce family, for making this journey so extraordinary. Let's make every moment count! AI+DATA+CRM

Theme of the day: KNOW YOUR CLIENT! Here are 5 tips on how to make a long term relationship with your clients from our Engagement Manager Robyn Duffy: 1️⃣ Clients are people first 2️⃣ Always be authentic  3️⃣ Own your mistakes and be honest 4️⃣ Build trust by calling out issues quickly 5️⃣ Success is created together - it’s a joint win Clients are people first and while you can do all of the research possible on someone, getting to know them organically is how you’ll truly learn to work with them effectively. Owning your mistakes and addressing issues right away helps establish trust. Always be authentic, be yourself. When you approach your relationships in this manner, people will know what to expect from you regarding communication and support, which creates valuable connections during the project and long after. While we are hired to do a job, and part of the success is getting the work done, it's a strong client relationships that will set you apart from others. When work and life intersect at the start of the holiday season and it turns out your favorite client comes from the same town as you.  This is Robyn Duffy and Brett Konopaske in the right time with one of our clients in their hometown over Thanksgiving.  #teamVFP #CustomerSuccess #CustomerSatisfaction #Salesforce #Certinia https://lnkd.in/dBDQkdwR

I've experienced a lot of benefit from LinkedIN, for me, the post is a catalyst for a conversation. When you post, it stimulates a discussion - from those in violent agreement to the trolls that are trying to get a rise out of you. It's an opportunity to engage, to learn, and to grow. If you leave it there, then that's a tonne of benefit. If you're promoting to your Ohana (Salesforce or any other community), then LinkedIN is full of engaged and open professionals to hear your messages, give you advice or just support for what you're doing in the form of a thumbs up. So as Jodi advises below don't be shy. And as I advise buy her book, it's a good and valuable read if like me you're new to the #Salesforce ecosystem https://amzn.to/3r2Thfc

That time I got fired by a client... 💼🚪 ...was one of the best things that could have happened for me! Early on in my consulting days, I was brought onto a #salesforce project where I'd be working with a very prominent client. I was over the moon excited to have this opportunity and I thought to myself, this is going to make my career! 🏆 When going over roles with my team, I was assigned to be the "notetaker" I was instructed not to say anything during our discovery sessions. 🤐 This felt a little odd to me, but being new and a Jr. Consultant, I didn't want to rock the boat with the Seniors on my team. 🤷🏻♀️ So, I flew all the way to New York City (several times), to sit in a meeting room and do what I was told to do: just. take. notes. 📓 No surprise, a couple of weeks later, the client fired me from the project for not bringing any value to the team. ❌ In the moment, I was devasted. Confused. Embarrassed. I "should've" known better, right? 🤦🏻♀️ But that experience was such a great lesson for me to learn - a couple of them actually: ✨ Trust your gut ✨ Ask the questions ✨ Speak up/speak your truth It made me realize to be successful, I had to let go of the belief that my voice did not matter, and it is vital for me to speak up because what I have to say does matter... I matter! 📣 🦸🏻♀️ As I reflect back on this past year, I'm grateful to have received that lesson early on in my career, which continues to gift me with opportunities to use my voice for the greater good. 🙏🏻 ❣ As you reflect back on your own moments, what will you leave behind in 2023? 👉 Drop it in the comments below and let your voice be heard, too. 📣 --- If this was helpful, share it with others and follow me Christina McLoughlin for more empowering Salesforce career content in the future. #letitgo #yourvoicematters #growthjourney #success #mindset #salesforcecommunity #trailblazercommunity #salesforceohana

My honeymoon is slowly coming to an end at Salesforce as I touch the 60 day mark today 🤪 Time flies! I started my journey as a blank slate deliberately. I didn’t want to make things more complicated than what it is. So, I didn’t care about 30-60-90 plan. I wanted to go with the flow and stick to first principles. Looking backwards, that was not a bad idea at all. I am loving it more day by day. I started the journey with know the company and then slowly ventured into know your team. Then I spent a good amount of time in knowing my partners and stakeholders followed by knowing my product. Spending time in discovering and understanding the principles, people, product and processes helped me formulate a few simple rules for the complex world of matrix organizations. Here are a few learnings and reflections that helped me. Steal them if you are in a similar situation. 1/ Stay prioritised at all times. It gets overwhelming very quickly. 2/ Index on agency more than urgency. 3/ Set systems and sub systems for yourself, your teams and your partners. 4/ Write narratives. Even though the world is losing its ability to focus and read, write it. Writing helps the writer with clarity. 5/ Do audits. Share your findings and observations. It helps you pick the right signals. 6/ The newbie tag helps in asking simple and thoughtful questions. Use it wisely. 7/ Set boundaries. Display good habits. Without boundaries and habits it can quickly spiral south. 8/ Set expectations and guiding principles. It helps with hard decisions. 9/ Relationships are the lifeline. Build them. 10/ Index on performance. Everything else seem to fall in place. You don’t have to be great to start but you need to start somewhere to be great. First principles have always helped me to get started and keep going. #mynotes #workdesign #onboarding

Yesterday, I was presented an award for my sales performance in Q2. There's no denying it, the first half of this year has been tough... Actually, it's been EXTREMELY TURBULENT and damn right PAINFUL, what with Salesforce reducing its global headcount by 10% (resulting in me losing some good friends and colleagues. Then let's not forget about the rising economic crisis and clients scrutinising every single penny spent - technology sales has been tough and we've had to get creative and find new ways to adapt. .. but what really got me as I reflected the past few months is how I managed to achieve what I did, during one of the most challenging times of my life, personally. You see, at the beginning of this year my mother passed away, and I took several weeks off work to not only grieve myself, but stand strong beside my siblings and poorly father. Typically, I do not give myself any credit for the effort I put in, but today I will. To achieve what I achieved professionally, under such circumstances, is a testiment to my strength and character. Yes I stood tall, but it was supplimented by my colleagues, clients and partners who kept me upright and for that I am thankful!!! To conclude, if there's anything I've learned from this year so far is discovering the truth in my former CEO Ginni Rometty words "Growth & Comfort Does Not Co-Exist" and be kind, always. #teamwork #celebration #selfrecognition #salesforce #award

🌟 Celebrating Team Success! 🌟 Hello LinkedIn Fam, I am thrilled to take a moment to appreciate the outstanding efforts and commitment of our incredible team. August has been an exceptional month for us as we not only met but exceeded our monthly sales target. 🚀 This achievement wouldn't have been possible without the collective dedication, hard work, and resilience of each team member. Your unwavering commitment to excellence, even in the face of challenges, is truly commendable. 🌠 The journey doesn't end here; it's only the beginning. I encourage each one of you to carry forward this momentum and dedication into the coming months. Let's continue to set high standards, raise the bar, and strive for excellence in everything we do. Remember, success is not a one-time event; it's a journey of continuous growth and improvement. With our collective efforts and unwavering commitment, there's no limit to what we can achieve. 🚀 Together, we are unstoppable! 🚀 Thank you for being the driving force behind our success. Let's keep pushing boundaries, setting new records, and making our mark in the industry. #TeamDinner #TeamSuccess #AcheivementsUnlocked #Motivation #Commitment #Salesforce #SalesTarget #Teamwork #LinkedInFamily

I'm filled with gratitude for the incredible experiences that shaped my career. Joining Salesforce when it was just a <$100M revenue company turned out to be one of the best decisions of my professional life. Under the guidance of industry leaders like Jim Steele, David Rudnitsky, and the visionary Marc Benioff, I learned invaluable lessons in building exceptional SaaS businesses.   Fast forward to today, and I have had the pleasure to lead extremely high performant GTM teams at companies like DocuSign, FinancialForce, Reputation, Latch, and now at Zilliant.   I stepped into the role of Chief Revenue Officer at Zilliant a few months ago, and I can't help but marvel at how the lessons from Marc Benioff's playbook continue to be my guiding light.   At Zilliant we're on a mission to elevate the importance of the entire pricing process, helping businesses adapt to all the extreme market changes that are now becoming normal. With the amazing customers we have and their incredible ROI, I can’t help but draw parallels back to those fun early days at Salesforce.   Marc taught me the essentials of creating a remarkable company and navigating its growth. He instilled the importance of putting the customer first, fostering a confidence that stems from driving their success every single day.   It's an honor to share these four key lessons Marc imparted to me -- lessons I'm thrilled to apply at Zilliant. If you’re a growing CRO or Sales leader, I highly recommend that you read this.   #LeadershipLessons #Zilliant #Gratitude #BusinessGrowth #Salesforce #MarcBenioff #SalesLeadership #CRO   https://lnkd.in/ed_Pt7c5