Establishing Upwork as a Best In Class Organization in B2B Tech
HQ Santa Clara, CA
STAGE Public
FOUNDED 2015
SIZE OF REVENUE ORG. 200+ team members
INDUSTRY B2B Marketplace
Jess Ellis
Director of Sales Training
“To say that the Sales Assembly Community has been a value add (and at times a life-line), would be an understatement. Through all of the different programs and benefits, SA has helped the senior sales leadership team at Upwork execute and scale our business and training objectives over the last 2 years, as well as supplement and accelerate our team’s performance. One of the most notable and valuable benefits has been the peer to peer network, making it possible for us to plug into a pool of curious, intelligent and brilliant people to unlock new ideas and solve current challenges. That to me is the true super-power!”
The Biggest Challenge
We were at a point where we were getting ready to rapidly grow and scale our Sales organization and were facing several problems that needed to be tackled, such as how to appropriately onboard and track training for all roles and measure as well as establish a system for continuous education & rep readiness.
As a sales organization at heart, we had always incorporated these elements into our business, but what we lacked most was a process that all teams, departments and geographies could be on board with, and a cohesive system that tied it all in together.
The Game Changer
Honestly where to start? Myself and the leadership team have needed the strategic partnership with Sales Assembly in order to not only succeed in our roles and growing the business, but we’ve leaned on SA to serve as a critical extension of the team to deliver results. We simply couldn’t do it alone.
Participation in the Certification Programs and allowing our reps to build new skills and take pride in their certification and continued learning has been amazing. We’ve been able to certify dozens of people/year, and it’s a huge relief knowing that not only is the curriculum great, but that our teams love participating. They actually look forward to the opportunity!
That, combined with being able to better strategize on how to build in teach-backs and pull through processes for the sessions have been key. This way, we’re able to leverage the knowledge being learned in the virtual classroom and make it so the entire sales organization benefits.
What Else Should People Know?
Sales Assembly rocks!! It is so well known and infiltrated within Upwork. You would be shocked and amazed at the number of Slack messages and emails throughout the days and weeks focused around our team wanting to participate in the SA events, trainings & programs. This is only because of the incredible value add and outstanding work you all do!
