The Unique, Collaborative Approach of Navan Sales & Account Management Teams
The Navan Sales and Account Management (AM) teams have a unique relationship, working closely together to create the best possible experience for team members, customers, and end users. Leaders from these two departments recently shared insights into their working relationship and how this close collaboration empowers them to best serve customers.
The Sales and AM teams share the same goals when it comes to selling and implementing Navan: To make the customer as successful as possible and drive full adoption. Individuals across the organizations meet weekly to strategize and optimize the Navan experience.
“A close partnership between sales and account management benefits everyone involved and–most importantly–sets the customer up for success,” explains Steph Duckham, Senior Manager of Account Management.
Steph has been with Navan for more than three years and today helps lead and develop a team of commercial account management leaders. She also builds strategic projects that make the AM organization more effective.
“Our success is their success and vice versa. There are endless examples of how the AM team has helped us on the sales side,” explains Cory Ventura, Senior Manager of Commercial Sales.
“We were recently working with a very complex customer and were able to bring on one of our veteran account managers to speak to all the various components of what was possible within our product. The customer felt completely supported from the pre- and post-sale side of their relationship with Navan.”
Cory has been on the sales team at Navan for five and a half years. He joined as a sales development representative when there were only 30 employees at Navan and climbed the ranks to now manage the Commercial Account Executive organization.
While the sales team leads the conversation around contracts and sign-ups, the account management team works to understand the customers’ goals to ensure smooth and efficient implementation.
“Prospective customers see that the AE is not going just to hand over the account to someone completely new as soon as they sign up. We’re all a part of the same process, and customers feel supported throughout the experience,” explains Cory.
This collaborative approach has benefits inside and outside the organization.
“It gives customers peace of mind when they see a strong feedback cycle between the sales and account management teams,” says Matt Mogle, Director of Enterprise Customer Success.
“The account management team members will even pop onto sales calls with the potential clients to address what exactly that implementation process looks like, as we ensure long-term success with Navan. There is lots of transparency within the process."
Matt joined the company in 2019 as an Enterprise Customer Success Manager and has since received three promotions to his current leadership role. His team is responsible for managing half of the enterprise customers.
Steph echoes his sentiment: “We are a cohesive team that speaks to each other and develops strategies that we know our customers need. We are aligned on the first call with a customer; they feel that on the other end. It truly creates a partnership with our customers.”
This approach also empowers Navan employees to do their best work. The sales and account management teams are under the revenue organization at Navan–a critical distinction that aligns all team members around shared goals.
“Other companies might push goals or metrics that cause these teams to go against one another; this becomes a conflict between teams or dissonance between what is being sold and what can be implemented. This is not the case at Navan; our shared goals strongly benefit the customer,” says Matt.
“I really honestly believe that Navan can have the best sales/AM relationship and partnership in the SaaS world. It helps us be a better place to work, achieve overall company growth, and attract strong talent.”
“The culture is super collaborative, one team, one goal, and we continue to push each other forward. Navan is unique in the way that we are challenging the industry in so many different areas while still having a team that is so close and supportive,” echoes Cory.
The collaboration of our Sales and Account Management teams ensures that every customer makes use of the full potential of the Navan all-in-one platform.
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