Technical Account Executive

As a Technical Account Executive at Lightdash, you will engage directly with customers by conducting product demos and managing customer relationships throughout the sales cycle. Your role involves bringing leads from our open-source community into the sales funnel, running technical demos independently, and documenting successful sales strategies to create a scalable process. You'll also provide vital voice-of-customer feedback to the product team and help develop sales collateral for future opportunities.

To be successful as a Technical Account Executive at Lightdash, you should have a minimum of 3 years of technical B2B sales experience, ideally in a startup setting. Strong analytical and documentation skills are essential alongside excellent communication abilities, allowing you to understand and relay information effectively across technical and business stakeholders. Previous experience managing customer relationships and selling high-value deals ranging from $20k-$100k will be beneficial.

At Lightdash, the Technical Account Executive role is unique as you’ll be one of the first dedicated sales hires, allowing you to shape the sales process from the ground up. Unlike more established teams, you will have the flexibility to experiment with sales approaches, run demos without needing a team, and directly influence the product through your feedback. This builder-seller hybrid role offers a chance to fully immerse yourself in a dynamic startup environment.

Your daily tasks as a Technical Account Executive at Lightdash will include engaging with prospective customers through product demos, building and nurturing client relationships, and managing your own sales pipeline. You will document successful sales processes, gather customer feedback to share with the product team, and contribute to the creation of sales materials. Additionally, you may also engage in outbound prospecting to identify new opportunities.

While having data analytics experience isn't mandatory, it’s a definite advantage for a Technical Account Executive at Lightdash. Your role revolves around effectively communicating complex data-driven solutions, and a genuine curiosity for data can enhance your ability to engage with customers. Understanding analytics tools and concepts will allow you to connect better with technical stakeholders and articulate the value of our BI platform.

When answering this question, focus on specific examples from your past roles that demonstrate your success in managing sales cycles, engaging technical stakeholders, and closing deals. Highlight your ability to communicate technical concepts in an accessible way, which is crucial for a position like the Technical Account Executive at Lightdash.

Your response should illustrate your preparation phase, including understanding the customer's needs and tailoring your demo accordingly. Emphasize the importance of showcasing the features that align with those needs and encouraging audience interaction during the demo to keep them engaged.

Discuss your methods for identifying and targeting potential clients, which might include leveraging social media, attending industry events, or utilizing CRM tools. Explain how you personalize outreach to resonate with prospects and increase engagement.

Provide an example where you've successfully addressed objections in the past. Highlight your technique for listening to the customer's concerns, empathizing with their situation, and providing relevant solutions or reassurances based on your product's strengths.

Your answer should reflect a genuine interest in Lightdash's mission and products. Mention your passion for data analytics and how Lightdash's focus on open-source solutions resonates with your career goals. Show enthusiasm for being part of a growing team and contributing to their success.

Explain your approach to documentation, emphasizing the importance of clarity and detail. Discuss how you keep track of what works in sales processes, share findings with your team, and adapt strategies based on documented successes.

Use the STAR method to frame your response—describe the Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Focus on a specific challenge, your strategic actions to address it, and the positive outcome that followed.

Talk about key performance indicators like conversion rates, average deal size, sales cycle length, and customer retention rates. Explain how you use these metrics to assess your performance and strategize your sales efforts.

Share your strategy for ongoing communication with customers, whether through regular check-ins, newsletters, or feedback sessions. Emphasize the importance of nurturing these relationships and being proactive in addressing potential issues.

Discuss qualities like strong communication skills, technical expertise, and a customer-centric approach. Emphasize adaptability and the ability to understand both technical and business perspectives, which is crucial for excelling in this role at Lightdash.