This month’s Industry Innovator is Elyse Daoust, a Business Development Director out of the Phoenix area. Elyse is an open-minded, pragmatic problem-solver whose passion for our customers is unmatched.
We sat down with Elyse to learn more about how she does it. Here’s what she had to say:
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How do you think COVID-19 will shape the work you are doing in the next 6-12 months?
Remote work environments are growing at a very rapid pace and now more than ever companies need to implement and own their digital transformation strategies. The companies that proactively take charge in promoting a healthy work-from-home philosophy will have the highest chance for success.
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What is a common misconception about the technology industry?
You do not need to spend millions of dollars to see real, progressive results. Don’t try and swallow the elephant, create a 3-5 year plan, and pick the lowest hanging fruit first.
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What is your favorite aspect of your job?
Collaborating with my customers in order to solve their complex business challenges. I am always striving to be accepted as a true business partner. At the end of the day, I am simply a problem solver and strive to be considered an extension of their team.
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What is something you have recently learned from a customer?
I learn from my customers on a daily basis. However, the one thing I keep in mind is not to assume my close contacts have the support they need inside their organizations. I deal with some really brave souls that are on the front lines every day trying to make a difference. I always try to provide support, listen, and seek to understand.
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What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their career in the technology space?
The old saying “fake it till you make it” doesn’t work in our industry. You need to buckle down and self-educate with online training, certifications, and study trends. Find a mentor and ask to observe meetings to simply listen and learn. If you don’t know the answer to a customer question- tell them you will find out and then follow through. Confidence is EVERYTHING and when you are dealing with high-level IT professionals and C-level contacts- they are going to decide in the first few minutes if you know what you are talking about or not. That is all you get- so take the time to learn, expand, and practice your skill sets.
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What are the most common challenges you are helping to solve?
The sheer amount of data available today can be completely overwhelming. I strive to remove barriers and bottlenecks so employees can efficiently find what they need when they need it to make the best possible business outcome decisions. By automating as much as possible and creating workflows for important, time-sensitive tasks I strive to simplify the day-to-day grind.
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How would you explain your job to someone who knows nothing about it?
I design, create, and manage digital content so that people can work efficiently and have seamless, secure access to exactly what you need in order to do your job and make informed decisions.
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What is something you thought you knew and later realized you were wrong?
Too many to count! I respect the fact that every single industry and company has its own nuances and I learned a long time ago not to form preconceived opinions. I really try to keep an open mind and I encourage my customers to share their perspectives on their particular industry, company, and job. In the end, it doesn’t matter what I think, but it is critical to understand what your customer is struggling with and then figure out how to help.
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What do you do to stay on top of industry trends?
Every day I make it a priority to read at least one or two current industry articles. I have several delivered to my inbox each morning. I also join Gartner free conference calls on topics that particularly interest me. I also follow my customers on LinkedIn and read all of their posts to stay current on everything going on with them and their industry. It is amazing what you can learn!
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What book are you currently reading?
I just finished The Top Sales Leader Playbook – How to Win 5x Deals Repeatedly by Lisa D. Magnuson. I know a few of the contributors to the book and really enjoyed it. The book focuses on identifying your top potential accounts, activating supportive sales teams to chart a highly focused success strategy.
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In your opinion, what makes DataBank different than other players in the space
Our people. We take the responsibility of working for our customers personally. Our team is customer-centric in absolutely everything we do, from the capture specialists on the front lines to the CEO. We also have a deep bench and a wide variety of subject matter experts on staff, all of them ready to lend a hand and help us to empower our customers.
To learn more from Elyse, connect with her on LinkedIn.
