Field Sales at CDW
From building key relationships with the customers they serve each day to believing in the products and services that shape the organizations they touch, our Field Account Executives make an enormous impact. Hear from Victor (V) and Maggie (M), CDW Account Executives, and learn why they love working at CDW.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
What I enjoy most about my role is not only the interaction I have with the entire CDW team and the client but also the constant opportunities to learn new things in the ever-changing IT world.
The part I like most about my role at CDW is the opportunity to collaborate with tenured account managers, solution architects as well as the partner community. I thrive on facilitating coordination amongst all parties involved to best serve the customer's need and desired outcomes. As Field Account Executive, my role is more than just selling solutions and services. With an army of dedicated solution architects, engineers, and tenured account managers behind me, I uncover our customers' true business objectives as well as the strategic technology initiatives involved to reach each desired organizational outcome. It's not about selling a solution, it's about actively listening to our customers and bringing together our internal resources to craft a customized solution to solve the unique business need.
What’s been your favorite moment in your career at CDW so far?
My favorite moment thus far at CDW was probably working through my first significantly large RFP process for an enterprise customer. The Account Manager I’m partnered with to serve this customer is an absolute rock star and I learned so much from her throughout the two-month process working to provide the absolute best proposal for our customer. Throughout this process, I learned so much about CDW’s internal resources and gained a true understanding of the support provided by different internal groups such as our configuration specialists, our project management teams and our professional services arm, just to name a few.
What has been the biggest challenge in your current role?
The ever-changing landscape of IT. So much has changed over the last 20 years that you need to be hungry and ready for the challenges. As they say, the only constant is change so you need to be able to adapt quickly or be left behind.
The biggest challenge thus far is the technical gap I have from being net new to the industry. However, because CDW generated over 18B in revenue last year, that means that we’re constantly dedicated to reinvesting that revenue back into our customers. For example, in the Carolinas alone, I have over eight solution architects specialized in each major technology stack, I’m armed with over 60 other coworkers (over half of those coworkers are pre-sales engineers), project managers, and best in breed partners. Although I’m new, I never feel alone due to CDW’s depth and breadth in the industry and the resources that we bring to the table for our customers. My motto from day 1 has been “we vs me,” about bringing solutions to our customers, and I am confident that my South Carolina customers feel that support from our internal resources.
How do you like working with CDW customers?
Working with CDW customers is one of the better perks of this job. My customers are fantastic to work with, and they trust that me and the CDW team will always do what is best for their organizations. A lot of my customers are like family and I take very seriously the trust they put in me to bring the right solution to fruition. I know that if you talked to any of my customers, they would echo what I have stated.
What advice do you have for those pursuing a career in Field Sales? Or Technology Sales?
You need to be well organized, open to challenges, like working in groups, great listener, open to any/all ideas and willing to take criticism…. I mean suggestions. In addition, there is a constant learning curve in technology sales, so you need to always be learning and open to new things. Plus, you must like to drive.
If you have a competitive spirit, are passionate about serving your customers, have a self-starter mentality, and thrive at cross-communication/collaboration and planning, I’d say go for it regardless of prior experience. I think a combination of drive, confidence, coachability and communication skills make for a great Field Account Executive, regardless of your background or area of expertise. The great thing about CDW is the culture of supportive coworkers and teammates that truly have your development at heart within the organization. I would also suggest looking at this opportunity as a minimum two to three-year commitment due to the complexity of the industry and the long-term earning potential that CDW offers. At the end of the day, we are in the business of building relationships with our customers. If you’re relational and have the qualities described above, go for IT!
– CDW Coworkers
From building key relationships with the customers they serve each day to believing in the products and services that shape the organizations they touch, our Field Account Executives make an enormous impact. Hear from Victor (V) and Maggie (M), CDW Account Executives, and learn why they love working at CDW.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
What I enjoy most about my role is not only the interaction I have with the entire CDW team and the client but also the constant opportunities to learn new things in the ever-changing IT world.
The part I like most about my role at CDW is the opportunity to collaborate with tenured account managers, solution architects as well as the partner community. I thrive on facilitating coordination amongst all parties involved to best serve the customer's need and desired outcomes. As Field Account Executive, my role is more than just selling solutions and services. With an army of dedicated solution architects, engineers, and tenured account managers behind me, I uncover our customers' true business objectives as well as the strategic technology initiatives involved to reach each desired organizational outcome. It's not about selling a solution, it's about actively listening to our customers and bringing together our internal resources to craft a customized solution to solve the unique business need.
What’s been your favorite moment in your career at CDW so far?
My favorite moment thus far at CDW was probably working through my first significantly large RFP process for an enterprise customer. The Account Manager I’m partnered with to serve this customer is an absolute rock star and I learned so much from her throughout the two-month process working to provide the absolute best proposal for our customer. Throughout this process, I learned so much about CDW’s internal resources and gained a true understanding of the support provided by different internal groups such as our configuration specialists, our project management teams and our professional services arm, just to name a few.
What has been the biggest challenge in your current role?
The ever-changing landscape of IT. So much has changed over the last 20 years that you need to be hungry and ready for the challenges. As they say, the only constant is change so you need to be able to adapt quickly or be left behind.
The biggest challenge thus far is the technical gap I have from being net new to the industry. However, because CDW generated over 18B in revenue last year, that means that we’re constantly dedicated to reinvesting that revenue back into our customers. For example, in the Carolinas alone, I have over eight solution architects specialized in each major technology stack, I’m armed with over 60 other coworkers (over half of those coworkers are pre-sales engineers), project managers, and best in breed partners. Although I’m new, I never feel alone due to CDW’s depth and breadth in the industry and the resources that we bring to the table for our customers. My motto from day 1 has been “we vs me,” about bringing solutions to our customers, and I am confident that my South Carolina customers feel that support from our internal resources.
How do you like working with CDW customers?
Working with CDW customers is one of the better perks of this job. My customers are fantastic to work with, and they trust that me and the CDW team will always do what is best for their organizations. A lot of my customers are like family and I take very seriously the trust they put in me to bring the right solution to fruition. I know that if you talked to any of my customers, they would echo what I have stated.
What advice do you have for those pursuing a career in Field Sales? Or Technology Sales?
You need to be well organized, open to challenges, like working in groups, great listener, open to any/all ideas and willing to take criticism…. I mean suggestions. In addition, there is a constant learning curve in technology sales, so you need to always be learning and open to new things. Plus, you must like to drive.
If you have a competitive spirit, are passionate about serving your customers, have a self-starter mentality, and thrive at cross-communication/collaboration and planning, I’d say go for it regardless of prior experience. I think a combination of drive, confidence, coachability and communication skills make for a great Field Account Executive, regardless of your background or area of expertise. The great thing about CDW is the culture of supportive coworkers and teammates that truly have your development at heart within the organization. I would also suggest looking at this opportunity as a minimum two to three-year commitment due to the complexity of the industry and the long-term earning potential that CDW offers. At the end of the day, we are in the business of building relationships with our customers. If you’re relational and have the qualities described above, go for IT!
– CDW Coworkers
