The Value of Early-Career Programs at WWT: Personal Development and Business Advancement
My journey
Prior to joining WWT, I spent five years at a B2B marketing firm, where I enjoyed the pursuit work that came with my sales role. Eager to further my career, I utilized my network and connected with the person building a team around Client Development at WWT. Excited by the opportunity to be part of an emerging team, I made the switch.
In early 2020, I joined the Client Development Team, which at the time consisted of only three people. Initially, I worked on ad hoc projects and supported sales teams in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Over time, I progressed to a Team Lead managing four Client Development Associates (CDAs) in the Central region, and now, as the Senior Manager for Central & West, I manage an organization of 20 people, overseeing operations and program health.
CDA Program overview
The Client Development Team at WWT is committed to advancing towards a more consultative, value-driven global technology leadership. The CDA Program focuses on nurturing the next generation of client-facing sales and client services professionals. We achieve this by actively engaging and managing CDAs as they transition from program to production.
Support and objectives
The Client Development Team achieves our goal of program to production by leveraging our partnerships with other teams in the organization. We lean on our partners in Sales Leadership to assist us in providing on-the-job training to the CDAs while we support the account teams in achieving their goals. We work with our Enablement teams to leverage tools to facilitate CDA progression and continued development and training programs. Our partnership with the Marketing Team helps us to support inbound requests and allows our team to vet and funnel those requests to our sales teams.
Client development: The early days
In the beginning, our team worked on research briefs for target accounts, various leadership projects, and handled inbound requests from our website. One region signed on for our support through outbound prospecting, list building, and account research. By mid-2020, we were laying the groundwork for future CDAs.
As regions continued to seek our support, our team grew. By 2021, we had expanded to having a Team Lead in the East, Central, and West regions. The work became more defined, with CDAs engaging in outbound prospecting, promoting regional events, participating in customer and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) meetings, and impacting GP (Gross Profit) closed in the region.
Introduction of Associate Academy
To ensure the success of CDAs, formalized sales training was necessary. Enter the Associate Academy! Cohort 1 of the Associate Academy began in April 2021, and the partnership between the Academy and the Client Development Team flourished. The Associate Academy is an immersive, 12-month development program for early-career, career-change, and career-advancement talent aspiring to become the next generation of WWT's consulting professionals. It provides structured training in technology and business fundamentals, preparing participants to become successful technical consultants.
The Associate Academy partnership is incredibly valuable to our team's success. The Academy has prepared several cohorts of new CDAs to become force multipliers.
From Academy to CDA
Before joining the Associate Academy, participants in the sales-focused program undergo interviews to determine which region they will support upon graduation. The Client Development Team relies on the Academy to provide in-depth training, ensuring participants are ready to hit the ground running when they transition to supporting their regional account teams.
Evolution & expansion of the CDA Program
In our early years, we grew quickly and navigated through challenges. Now, we are building repeatable processes, outlining standards for success, and growing steadily while looking to the future. Our team has expanded from supporting Global Enterprise Sales across the USA to building a team in the UK and supporting Global Financial and Public Sector teams.
We continue to leverage partnerships for ongoing education and training opportunities for CDAs. We encourage CDAs to work with mentors outside their Team Lead and account team. Over the years, we learned that having a CDA live in the region they support yields the best results, as they can attend customer and team meetings in person and build their network locally.
Support I received from the program
The Client Development Team has provided me with immense support. I have learned, and continue to learn, about new technologies, leadership, and personal and professional growth. Our team rallies around each other, supporting one another in our personal and professional lives. Our leadership places full trust in us to excel in our roles. Gino Andreozzi, our director, continues to instill in his leadership team that we are authoring this program and making an impact.
This team has also contributed to my growth as a leader and mentor. Before joining WWT, I had not led a team. The Client Development Team helped me grow by giving me the chance to lead a team and expand my skillset. I enjoy working with the Team Leads and CDAs in my organization, helping them achieve their goals and grow in their careers.
Outside of this team, I owe a lot of my growth to my mentor, Tom Johnson, and his unwavering support. Paired with Tom during the Associate Academy, our mentorship turned into a friendship; Tom even attended my wedding! The emphasis on mentorship and leadership development is one of the program's greatest strengths.
Conclusion
Early-career programs like the Associate Academy and the Client Development Team are invaluable for career development and exposure to technology sales. These programs demonstrate WWT's commitment to investing in future generations of sales professionals, reflecting the company's great culture.
Being part of this team and helping shape it into what it is today has been truly special. From 2 CDAs then to 36 CDAs now, it has been incredible to help develop this program and shape the sales professionals of tomorrow. I am forever grateful for the continued opportunities to influence where this program goes next. As the program continues to grow into new regions and teams, the sky is truly the limit.
Onward and upward from here!