Southern Californian-native, Ian Harriman is a rockstar salesperson. He started as a sales development representative until he rose up to the ranks of being a mid-market account executive at Checkr, a background check community that utilizes software (instead of people) to complete a majority of the parts to the process.
Ian also talks about his leadership role in the Bounce Back to Work Program at Checkr, where they help both applicants and companies through their background screening process.
We talk about how most companies fail, his experience at a failing company, and how he actually bounced back to where he is now.
About:
| Years in Tech | 1 |
| Lives In: | Bay Area, CA |
| Current Job | Account Executive |
| Date Recorded | 8/12/2017 |
Show Notes:
[03:22] Ian talks about his experience at a startup that was failing. Ian leaves a takeaway that you have to be ready to be in a place of struggle.
[05:56] Why Ian thinks culture plagues Silicon Valley and tech companies and other factors that need to be considered in your job search
[08:05] Two pieces of advice he should have given his younger self while searching for a job and how he got into Checkr through the power of referral
[11:40] Ian talks about his family background, having had his own share of troubles. He also talks about Bounce Back to Work and the impact of background checks in the job space and their partnerships with different organizations
[16:56] An overview of Checkr’s internship program, welcoming people from nontraditional backgrounds, and the support they give to help interns become full-time employees
[20:20] From transportation to the tech space, Ian took a step back and accepted an SDR role. He explains the difference between inbound vs. outbound sales and marketing vs. sales, as well as SDR vs. AE roles and compensation.
[26:35] Ian describes the culture at Checkr and how he helped develop their sales model for the team.
[30:22] Characteristics of a strong account executive candidate, a typical day for an account executive, and their current initiatives at Bounce Back to Work.
[38:00] Strategies for a qualifying process, their process for “unsticking” deals, and the qualities they look for when hiring people in their team
[43:35] Check out this unique thing Ian would do to begin networking in a crowd and the one lesson he learned in sports applicable to breaking into startups.
[48:25] Ian’s words of advice to others who are thinking about breaking into startups
Contact Info:
Ian Harriman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianharriman/
Twitter: @monetaryslang
Email address: ian@checkr.com
Articles & Mentioned Resources:
Learning Resources
Breaking Into Startups Facebook Page
Personal Projects/Partnerships:
