“Why I’m So Interested In Selling,” John Nardella

Preface: When I met John Nardella years ago, he was an eager but relatively new AE for a company selling DevOps tools. Within a couple of years, he grew to be the top performer, globally. Today, he is responsible for some of SAPs largest enterprise accounts. John is viciously focused–he deeply understands the customer and their drivers. He will always do the right thing for the customer. At the same time, he considers his quota as something he passes on the way to achieving his personal goals. Like others who’ve offered their stories, John has a clear purpose: “Each sale represents not just a key performance indicator but also an opportunity to enhance someone’s life.”

Why I’m so interested in Selling
John Nardella

When I was in business school, I never thought about selling; instead, I considered various roles such as finance, accounting, marketing, real estate, and economics. Unsure of what path to pursue, I followed the family tradition of accounting.

I spent three long years in accounting, during which I found myself increasingly curious about improving business processes and the technology supporting our daily work. Every day presented challenges, and I often pondered how I would endure until retirement. I felt trapped.

My brother was studying industrial engineering at USC and conducted his senior project on the company for his ERP class. His project, titled “Shifting from Manual to Automatic,” marked the beginning of my fascination with process improvement. As I delved into the project, I found myself immersed in a state of flow, uncovering insights into how our operations affected each individual at the company. After this project, I took several assessments on my personality and strengths, confirming my inclination toward
problem-solving and people alignment. It became evident that accounting wasn’t the right fit for me and I would not follow in my fathers footsteps.

After thinking about my family’s heritage, I realized there was actually a rich heritage in sales. On my mother’s side, my great grandfather served as president of US Steel and my grandfather successfully sold various products from heart monitors to construction
equipment. On my father’s side, my grandfather’s success in running a small grocery store stemmed from his strong relationships and exceptional customer service. I see these traits reflected in my father, who, despite being an accountant, excels in sales through his innate curiosity and affinity for people.

Realizing my calling lay in sales, I applied for my first software sales job. From the moment I started, I felt an unlimited surge of energy and interest in finding customers who could benefit from our solutions. I relished the opportunity to listen to customers’ aspirations and challenges, conducting detective work to determine how we could address their needs. Eager for more challenges, I applied to open the Singapore office and was subsequently offered a role in the UK office, focusing on driving a new type of enterprise selling motions.

In 2016, seeking advice from Dave Brock, I decided to pursue an opportunity with SAP. SAP’s leadership interviewed me and did not take the approach I saw with other software companies. They were not counting years of experience or asking how many multi-million dollar deals I did. I strongly believe they were looking at what my brand was and what it could be with the right mentoring and my desire to hit the road to learn how to solve customer’s problems. Recognizing the significance of this opportunity, I accepted a position as an Industry Account Executive where I’m responsible for owning the account and strategy across our industry and line of business portfolios. I truly enjoy this type of selling because it allows me to work with experts to solve unique challenges and opportunities to change the way business is done at our customers.

While I constantly assess my current path and how I spend my time, I currently find fulfillment in the challenges I face. Building relationships, fostering trust with partners, and witnessing their success are deeply gratifying aspects of my role. Each sale represents not just a key performance indicator but also an opportunity to enhance someone’s life. Reflecting on my experiences as an accountant in pain from the experience I had to go through to get my job done, I am energized by the prospect of making others’ careers more enjoyable, leading to their happiness and success. An unhappy job experience ripples through one’s daily life and infects the important time that is spent on earth. Wasting time is the worst thing one can do and the opportunity to effect change for individuals and companies alike is what makes my job in sales truly rewarding.