Episode 105: Janae Dandridge – Succeeding in Government Sales at Tableau

Janae Dandridge is the top federal Account Executive at Tableau out of Detroit, Michigan. Tableau offers a revolutionary new approach to business intelligence, allowing its customers to quickly connect, visualize, and share data with a seamless experience from the PC to the iPad. Janae is a committed sales professional who helps Federal agencies improve mission outcomes using data analytics. In her unique role, Janae focuses on federal civilian government agencies (think Department of the Treasury or the IRS). Janae is responsible for driving sales across her specified accounts and has consistently outperformed her number, achieving up to 300% of her annual number. She is even on track to hit 150%, despite an economy that has been rocked by a global pandemic.

In this episode, Janae shares her favorite sales stories. To some, these may seem like small victories; however, it is in the little wins that Janae finds the most joy. For example, back in 2015, Janae brought a client of hers to tears of joy after performing a demonstration that showcased how her client could make her job easier. Janae speaks to her sales and life philosophy, one that is centered on the concept of doing the right thing at all times.

Janae continues to expound on her success by breaking down a typical day in the life. Janae starts her morning off with news articles that help her to stay informed on local, national and global current events. Following that, Janae preps for her daily conference calls and client meetings and knocks out various training. Janae concludes her day with client follow-ups, preparing for the day ahead, and unwinding with her fiancé by cooking and enjoying a glass of wine. Finally, Janae issues two actionable challenges to the audience. She urges listeners to put the script away, find your ‘Why,’ and discover your own sales philosophy.

What We Covered:

00:01 – Scott takes a moment to thank the sponsors of this episode, Vidyard, Alyce and Terryberry
00:40 – Scott welcomes today’s guest, Janae Dandridge
01:00 – The top three attributes that Janae attributes to her success
01:08 – Number 1: Understanding and speaking the customer’s language
01:39 – Number 2: Planning and prioritizing her time
02:11 – Number 3: Asking for help
02:40 – Janae explains her role at Tableau
03:40 – Janae quantifies her sales results
04:23 – How Janae got into government sales
05:37 – How government sales differ from traditional commercial sales
07:20 – Janae speaks to how she stays ahead of the government business cycle which plans two to three years in advance
09:57 – Janae’s sales origin story
11:49 – What Janae would do differently if given the chance
12:42 – Janae’s favorite sales story
14:25 – Scott takes a moment to thank one of today’s sponsors, Vidyard
14:59 – Janae’s proudest accomplishment
16:27 – How Janae managed early success in sales
18:12 – Obstacles and challenges Janae overcame throughout her career
20:15 – Janae describes a typical day in the life
22:55 – Scott thanks another sponsor of today’s episode, Alyce
23:27 – Janae’s approach to her annual planning and prioritizing process
25:53 – Janae speaks to her prospecting process
27:11 – Other habits and routines that are core to Janae’s success and the importance of work-life balance
28:22 – The books, news, podcasts, and trade information that Ian consumes
30:12 – Tools and apps that are critical to Janae’s success
31:15 – The specific sales philosophy that Janae subscribes to
32:30 – Janae’s sales style
34:10 – What motivates and drives Janae
36:09 – Scott thanks the final sponsor of today’s episode, Terryberry
36:50 – Janae speaks to the importance of mentorship
39:34 – How Janae balances leveraging her team, delegating and asking for help
42:27 – One of Janae’s beliefs that the average sales professional would think is crazy
44:46 – An average sales professional’s belief that Janae thinks is crazy
47:20 – Advice Janae would give to an upstart salesperson
48:13 – Advice Janae would give to a struggling salesperson looking for a breakthrough
49:33 – What’s next for Janae
50:21 – What Janae would like to learn about top sellers in other industries
52:20 – Janae’s actionable challenges to the audience

Tweetables:

“It’s a bit of a long game which is a bit different from what a lot of my peers see in private industry, and you have to plan accordingly. You have to plan two, three years ahead because that’s how the government plans. And, if you’re not thinking along those lines, you’ll be missing out on opportunities.” (07:05)

“I just really got hooked on the idea of sales being a place where you can be the CEO of your own segment of a larger corporation.” (11:08)

“I think it’s important for you to stay humble and stay grounded, and I think I’ve done that pretty well and paid it forward wherever possible. I’m proud of getting to this point in my life, working hard, and enabling others to see the same success and inspiring other people.” (15:42)

“It’s really important to me to value my time, value my personal space. And when I can unwind, I take the time to do that.” (27:38)

“At the end of the day, my philosophy is just doing the right thing. My outset when I was younger was if you know it’s wrong, don’t do it. And I’ve applied that to all aspects of my life.” (31:47)

Links Mentioned:

[email protected]
Sales Success Stories Podcast
Janae Dandridge on LinkedIn

What We Covered:

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