Elena Hutchison has over 15 years of B2B SaaS experience, including a 10-year run at Customer Experience leader Medallia where she supported the company’s growth from Series B through IPO.As Medallia’s Chief Strategy Officer, Elena led Product Marketing, Analyst Relations, and PreSales functions, and contributed significantly to the company’s M&A and product strategy.Elena has particular expertise in scaling global PreSales functions – she joined Medallia as one of its first Sales Engineers and eventually led the 150-person org.She has also built a reputation as an elite Analyst Relations practitioner, with multiple leading Forrester Waves and Gartner MQs under her belt.Prior to Medallia, Elena spent 5 years in Professional Services and Customer Success roles. (She also earned some phenomenal stories from her days as a political pollster and focus group moderator).
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What you will learn
- How to stay motivated and stick with a company for 10+ years
- Defining the role of Analyst Relations
- Learning to step into an era of “yes” and an era of “no” equally in business
- The importance of a peer group that gives you strength
- Distinguishing which companies need Sales Engineers and which don’t
Highlights
(3:48) How Elena built her way up from Sales engineer to C-Suite at Medallia
(7:22) How to fill the gaps when starting a new role
(13:10) Elena’s transition from engineering to analyst relations at Medallia
(18:24) Defining analyst relations
(25:16) Analyzing the concept of “Pay to Play”
(30:00) The metrics that matter for analyst relations
(31:41) Elena’s biggest mistake sitting at the executive table
(35:00) The power of outside mentorship
(37:20) The importance of bringing on Sales Engineers early on
Quotes
If you’re continuing to learn in a place and the companies investing in you, you’re so much better off staying 90% of the time than you are hopping to another place for a better title.
Having things that force you to do the things that you need to do, always helps you get through them.
The real goal is building an early stage champion.
Links and Resources
Elena’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenahutchison/
Elena’s Consulting: uprightar.com
The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The .GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world.
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