A Conversation with Ashley Gagliano, VP of Sales & Member Services for the AA-ISP

As a longtime member of the AA-ISP leadership team, Ashley is in the know when it comes to the state of sales.

In answer to my questions, Ashley shares her thoughts on:

• How Sales has changed over the last five years
• The skills which are more important now than in the past
• The benefits of getting involved in the larger Sales Community

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How do you think the life of the average seller has changed over the last five years?

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“It’s become a lot more complex… there’s just so much noise out there right now… reps now have to use their digital skills - social - all of that, they need to be listening to how buyers are wanting to interact…they have to understand process, their buyer, the technology…. and then they have to have that creative side to really take it to the next level… reps need to be open to change, and if you’re not open to change it’s going to set you up for failure because sales, as we all know, changes daily. What worked five years ago doesn’t work today.”

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🔊🔊 Watch/listen to Ashley's full response to the above question here 🔊🔊

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What advice do you have for up-and-coming AEs?

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“When you get to the demo… you need to make sure you are asking the smartest questions. Not just for the leader and what they are looking for, but who is that end-user and what are things that they are challenged with and what are they looking for…. And my last thing… never stop learning…. If this is your career, you should be spending at least 15 minutes a day learning something in your world of sales.”

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🔊🔊 Watch/listen to Ashley's full response to the above question here 🔊🔊

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What are some of the best ways for sales reps to get involved in the larger sales community?

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“Being part of the conversation. Just don’t sign up, right, and then just expect things to come to you. You have to really integrate yourself in. So, being part of virtual sessions and chiming in… being part of your local chapter or maybe even stepping up and volunteering and things like that… you can be a mentor and a protege… my big thing is just get involved.”

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🔊🔊 Watch/listen to Ashley's full response to the above question here 🔊🔊

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You can watch/listen to the entire conversation here.

You can follow Ashley on LinkedIn here.

You can learn more about the AA-ISP here.