Jackie McKinley: From Project Manager to Sales Executive

 As a Project Manager, Jackie was afraid of sales. Jackie shared with me that “becoming a seller was the scariest thing in my life… but it built my career.” Jackie didn’t want to sell anything. However, once she understood that sales was about solving problems, her whole perspective changed. She realized she could do it.

The road to success is not linear. If anyone understands this, it’s Jackie McKinley – U.S. Area Enterprise Sales Leader at NetApp. While Jackie is a shining sales star and inspiration to countless women today, many are surprised to learn that her journey didn’t start in sales. In fact, she wasn’t even considering sales when she first got started.

Back in the day, Jackie got married, relocated to the Northeast, and took whatever job she could find to make ends meet. At the time, this happened to be Project Manager – which was far from Jackie’s passion to say the least. Still, as is in Jackie’s nature, she gave her all regardless of the circumstances.

It was only after her maternity leave forced her to abandon the project she was working on that a customer pulled her aside and asked her the question that changed her life forever: “Have you ever considered sales?”

In all honesty, the answer was no.

In fact, Jackie feared sales and saw it as something she wouldn’t be keen on touching with a 10-foot pole. But this particular customer helped Jackie view sales through a different lens as a catalyst of collaboration, communication, and togetherness.

Everything changed for Jackie, and – for the first time in her life – she considered giving sales a shot. And thank God for that.

The Turning Point

 Before long, Jackie rose the ranks of power. She earned authority. Companies chased her, they wanted her. Before she knew what hit her, Jackie found herself in the aerospace industry. But how did she do it? For someone who despised the very thought of sales, Jackie quickly learned that she was amazing at it.

That’s when Jackie realized that sales isn’t about selling at all. It’s about understanding people’s problems as deeply as they do and devising lasting solutions.

The more Jackie succeeded in sales, the more confidence she found to face new challenges and take new risks (calculated, of course).

The Adversity

However, things become challenging when Jackie found herself raising two kids as a single mom. Once again, her priorities shifted. Thankfully, she could still carve out her sales career with a unique position that allowed her to nurture both full-time jobs.

 While Jackie had come a long way in sales, she never considered herself a leader. But when a customer pulled her aside to ask her why she wasn’t interested in leadership, the bell rang all over again. 

Like so many women, Jackie refused to do something simply because she believed she was not ready. Then, just as she did all those years ago, she threw her hat in the ring and decided to become a leader. It wasn’t long before she found herself in the role of Global Director. Then Vice President of Sales . Then Vice- President to establish a Sales Center of Excellence.

The Call to Action

Soon enough, a NetApp Executive Recruiter came along and offered her the opportunity of a lifetime to work for a smaller company and make a bigger difference. And it was when she met the HR business leader that something clicked in Jackie.

 Never in her life had she encountered anyone who radiated such authenticity and genuine passion. This African American HR business leader was clearly not pretending to be anyone but herself. She wore her personality loud and proud, and she was a leader from the inside out. One glance told Jackie that. In her 25-year career, she’d never seen anything like it.

 Now that she’s been at NetApp for over a year, Jackie says that she’s never had conversations the likes of those she’s held during her time here. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are an integral part of her sales initiatives today, including working with the local underrepresented Latino community.

The Takeaway

If there’s one piece of advice Jackie could give other single moms, it’s that if their careers demand that they travel for work, do it when the kids are little so they won’t remember their mom not being there. For Jackie, by the time her kids were a little older, she’d built her sales career to the point where she never had to miss a soccer game. As a mom, she tells other moms to make sacrifices early.

For women in general, Jackie encourages authenticity and being yourself no matter what. This is how Jackie built such a successful sales career from nothing, and she believes every woman on Earth has the power to do the same. If you have the skills, the only limit is how far you’re willing to go. While being courageous is hard, it’s the only way to move forward.

—-

I believe every woman is one in a million. That’s why I give them the gentle nudge (well, shove) they need to take charge of their life and make a change for the better – forever. But to achieve this, these women need to know how to sell to the C-Suite. They need to feel confident addressing a room full of men, commanding authority and demanding respect using their God-given SUPERPOWERS.

The secret, really, is that EVERYONE is a salesperson – whether you’re convincing your toddler to put their shoes on in the morning or telling the pale, stale, male authority figures in power that you should be at their table.

To book a complimentary intro coaching session with me, click here.

I WILL help a million women do the same by 2030. I hope you’ll be one of ‘em.