SalesTechStar Interview with Abigail Salvador, Sr. Growth Account Executive at Gong

Abigail Salvador, Sr. Growth Account Executive at Gong shares more on how new age salestech and AI tools are enabling more streamlined B2B sales cycles:

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Welcome to this SalesTechStar chat, Abigail, take us through your sales journey and tell us about your role at Gong.

Going into college, the last thing on my mind was pursuing a sales career. I initially thought I was going to be a nurse, and not long after my first year in college, I decided to change my major to focus on communications and marketing. Looking back, I realize the valuable skill sets I learned throughout my marketing and communications focus that are implemented into my sales process today.

Toward the end of college, I started working as a marketing manager for a company that ended up relocating to a different state, and I needed a job, but I was still in school; I couldn’t move. My friend recommended me for a local sales development representative (SDR) position, which was my first dip into the sales industry.

I held that position while completing undergrad for around six months before transitioning to Gong. At the beginning of my career with Gong, I hid that I was still in school and would often show up to work at 5:30 a.m., leave around 4:00 p.m., and take weekend night classes to be successful both in and out of work. Because of COVID, I had to come clean about my dual lifestyle earlier than expected – and the response was much more positive than anticipated. Gong was supportive – and frankly relieved that I didn’t go to work at 5:30 a.m. for fun, but because I was finishing school.

I’m now four years in as a Senior Customer Account Executive for Gong’s Commercial Team.

What do you feel sales executives at the mid to junior level seek most in sales leadership today?

I feel that when you become more tenured in your role, reps may not always seek ‘coaching’ but rather the opportunity to be human and feel like their leadership team has their back. A space to not only receive feedback from leadership, but also have the space to share feedback when a process or challenge persists and be taken seriously.

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What thoughts do you have about the prospecting and outreach processes that are overtaking sales cycles in B2B?

It’s no secret that AI heavily influences how sales executives approach prospecting and outreach across the industry. The technology can be very beneficial in streamlining the sales process and often acts as a bridge that helps to identify the disconnect between the salesperson and a potential customer.

AI can suggest what to do or highlight areas you must focus on in a deal. But where my thought process lies is that, ultimately, it’s up to human intuition to act on the automated recommendations and provide a layer of personalization, drive, and humor to the sales process that makes all the difference between closing a deal or a prospect throwing your email directly into the trash.

It only makes my job easier that Gong has the same outlook when it comes to implementing AI into the sales process – and when prospecting, I often tell potential customers that the products we offer act as a co-pilot to success for your revenue teams rather than replace them.

How do you use salestech and modern AI-powered features to power your sales processes and experience?

Salestech and modern AI-powered features revolutionize how I handle administrative tasks. The days of worrying about time-consuming activities like manually entering call feedback and notes into my CRM are behind me. Gong transcribes all my calls and interactions, making it easy for me to reference the status of a deal before meetings. What’s even more remarkable is that the quality of these notes remains consistently high, thanks to automation that eliminates the potential for human error and biases often encountered with manual CRM inputs.

AI also plays a pivotal role in enhancing my sales strategy. Instead of spending hours on market research, AI-powered platforms like Gong delve into market trends, prospect interaction history, and competitor mentions. This data analysis provides invaluable insights, ensuring that my strategy remains finely tuned from the initial outreach to sealing the deal.

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Share a few thoughts on what you feel sales executives need to do today to boost output and scale sales ROI within shorter timeframes.

Don’t be afraid to tap into AI to streamline your daily responsibilities. There will always be a need for human strategy behind the machines. However, there are a variety of AI-backed offerings solely meant to expedite workflows and alleviate the capacity of sales reps, which just means we can spend more time doing meaningful work.

I also say people don’t take demo calls just for fun. Time is precious; if you can get someone to hear you out, take advantage of that opportunity. Ask the right questions to find out what part of their business needs support while tapping into AI to streamline time-consuming tasks that slow the process from intake calls to package recommendations to deal close.

Lastly, I’d recommend not correlating the value of your work solely to the revenue results. In the end, the time you put in will likely reflect the output – whether that’s in your quota or relationship building that can turn into tangible opportunities in the future.