Succeeding as a Woman in Sales

Charting a successful sales career demands more than just hunger, persistence and grit. So, what sets exceptional salespeople apart? And what is the key to a challenging and rewarding professional sales career? 

We spoke with Shana Anolik, Enterprise Account Manager at Nutanix, to find out. Shana is a key member of our sales team where she focuses on landing and expanding our enterprise customers in the Eastern United States. 

She discusses how she got her start in sales, ways to build meaningful customer relationships, and why it’s critical to align your work and purpose with a company that values and invests in you.

Tell us about your role. 

“My role is to be an effective listener. I listen to my customers and want to understand their business objective, which is normally increasing revenue or reducing cost. I help them draw correlations to solutions and build out those strategies, whether it be operational simplicity, a specific automation effort, or zero downtime.

I tend to wear many hats — from project manager, to educator, to being a customer advocate. Because I get to work so closely with my customers and create that intimacy, another wonderful byproduct is that I usually get to be their friend too!”

Can you walk us through your path to Nutanix?

“I’m from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and I studied at Ohio University. Upon graduation, I went into sales. My first IT sales job was with a traditional staffing company specific to IT. I then moved into a different sales role when the company started a services organization deliverable-based business. I helped them grow globally which involved traveling all over the place–more than I liked!

I first heard of Nutanix as part of one of the solutions that I had sold to a customer. I also had many customers and friends who had transitioned over to Nutanix. So, I was very interested to hop onboard in April 2019.”

What uniqueness do you bring to your role?

“I’m infinitely curious. I’m genuinely interested in learning and want to learn something new every day. Whether it be my coworkers or my customers, I like to learn about people, and in doing so I can invest in them which is very rewarding!

Some may also say tenacity; however, I define it a little differently. I keep going because I believe in what I’m doing. It’s about doing the right thing. It’s easy to be tenacious and not take no for an answer when you truly believe that it’s helping someone. 

I also work hard. That’s not unique, but it’s an important piece to the puzzle.”

Outside of work, Shana loves traveling, being outside and enjoying time with her daughter

Any advice for others looking to launch or advance their career in sales?

“There’s a lot of information to absorb and it can be overwhelming. I know I felt that way. The advice I received from my mentor was to take a deep breath because you are going to learn and grow. 

Don’t get hung up on what you don’t know. Ask questions and lean on the experts. 

Use all the resources that you have and have some fun in the process!”

What makes Nutanix unique?

It’s apparent that curiosity, listening and relationship building, and aligning your work with your values and purpose, have played a key role in Shana’s success in sales. What did you take away from Shana’s story that you can use to propel your career forward?

If you're looking for your next career move, check out job openings at Nutanix.

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