Fairfield, New Jersey, Aug 15, 2023 - We've recently welcomed Linda McGuigan as Director of Business Development! We took the time to interview Linda and discuss the various achievements, inspirations, and motivations she has had throughout her career in the tech industry.
Read more to find out about her background, influential figures, and what she believes is key to a successful enterprise sales strategy.
What is your background and work history?
I have 25 years of frontline senior management experience building and equipping teams to deliver solutions to global enterprise clients for iconic technology players. I am a high-energy servant leader who has built successful organizations within sales, sales engineering, sales operations, marketing, and customer advocacy—such a privilege to be on that journey with so many talented people. The past five years have been devoted to working with SaaS startups to define their GTM strategy for the Enterprise and ensure that the right talent is in place to execute.
I love people. I love connecting with people and figuring out how to add value. Authentic connections open avenues to add value, discover individual strengths, and leverage those strengths into results. My ability to assess challenges and bring solutions from multiple routes provides opportunities for the greater good that many people would miss. Inspiring teams to produce above previous levels and live into their potential motivates me.
Who are your role models in life?
My parents were and continue to be my role models for different reasons. They were depression babies, cut from a cloth that no longer exists. They were devout, caring, and dedicated to each other and their four children. I had a wonderful childhood because I knew I was loved, and they wanted the best for me. So the foundation was set; faith, family, work ethic. My father was self-made and rose to the top of the Corporate ladder, and my mom was the picture of one of those beautiful housewives in old-time ads. She was my rock. Dad worked in his own consulting business until he was 80. Yes, I was blessed.
Today, if I feel that if someone is a “role model” for me, it is because they passionately stand for one of the three pillars that I was raised by: faith, family, and work ethic. And they are people that want to make this world a better place. Some would say that every generation says we live in very stressful times. However, I would argue that the advancements in technology that are driving dramatic transformation in education, culture, traditional media, social media, business, healthcare, communications, etc., have changed the world in unprecedented ways.
Who was the biggest influence on your career?
Early on in my career, I had a senior manager who taught me the ropes of selling to Big Corporate entities and instilled in me the desire for excellence in relationships and results. The company had a very disciplined and robust training program on all the facets of selling to the Enterprise, both the science and the art. I immediately fell in love with the big hunt; high risk-high reward; the complexity of solutions selling; the importance of relationships, and having a detailed positioning strategy.
I quickly realized that if I stayed in this genre, I would likely be around people who were smart, fun, and dedicated to winning. And I thrived on that! There was no looking back once I tasted success. Because of that person’s impact on me, I built my career around the people I met whom I wanted to create success with.
Thankfully, I am still in touch with that senior manager, one of the most successful CEOs/Investors on the planet!
What is the key to a successful enterprise sales strategy?
Oh, there are many essential keys to a successful enterprise sales strategy. But if I had to put one above the rest, it would be to listen intently at every step in the process. You have to solve a pain point that must be addressed. The entire strategy revolves around the customer and their pressing or strategic needs. And you have to nail what that need is.