#AwesomeAdmin Utility Belt: Account Executives / Thank you for Being a Friend

I'm very passionate about being an #AwesomeAdmin, so I've decided to start another series - the #AwesomeAdmin Utility Belt! As Admins, we use our Superpowers everyday to help our users, and we rely on our various tools from our Utility Belts, as we're superheros afterall!

I've met many different people in my Salesforce journey thus far, from all different parts of the ecosystem, but definitely one of the most important, has been my Account Executive, Brandon Jimenez. 

We first connected by way of an introductory call when he took over our account just after we'd finished our implementation. We exchanged emails a few times, including when I had ask for some prudent advice on how to make the case to my employers to send me to TrailheaDX bootcamp. His advice helped, and when I returned, all fired up and excited, we had coffee and chatted through what I'd learned, and how he could help me going forward.

We caught up at Toronto World Tour when I was manning the Trailblazer Community booth, and he stopped by with some of his other clients, I'm assuming to introduce them to his favourite client... haha!

Since then, we've kept in touch. He's helped me with the usual stuff like case escalation and product demos, as well some more out of the ordinary requests, but he's gone above and beyond to make sure I'm well taken care of, and we've developed a strong working relationship.

We're fortunate enough to be based in the same city, let a lone timezone and country, so we caught up for a lunch a few weeks ago and talked through why it's mutually beneficial for #AwesomeAdmins to "make friends" with Account Executives. This was the list we came up with:

• Case Escalation
• Product Demos
• Getting you access to special pilot programs for new product releases
• Talking through and roadblocks, and brainstorm
• Making sure you're getting the most out of your Salesforce instance
• Recommending training and pointing you in the right direction for learning opportunities
• Recommending implementation partners
• Keeping you up to date with all the various Salesforce events
• Making sure you're invited to all the best parties
• Potential new employment opportunities
• Stickers!

I've gone to him with more than a few of the above, and he's definitely become a great resource to add to my #AwesomeAdmin toolbelt.

To add to all of this, as I'm an active member of the Salesforce Community, Brandon has helped put me in touch with various people at the Toronto office who have also become great resources for my Trailblazer Community group (Toronto Women in Tech), and the Community event I'm working on (True North Dreamin). 

I asked him for the one piece of advice he would give to a new Admin, and it was right on point  - "start learning and get training as soon as you get your login credentials", something I certainly wish I was told when we first started our Salesforce journey.

When it comes down to it, Admins, your Account Executives want you to succeed, and not just because it's their job. Trust is one of Salesforce's core values, so they want you to be able to feel comfortable to come to them for advice & recommendations, and then trust that the suggestions they give you are the best solution for your business, and not just for their bottom line. 

So Admins out there, if you don't already know who they are, find out who your Account Executive is, and get to know them. Set up an introductory call, ask them to let you know if they're going to be in town, or maybe see if you can meet up at a World Tour or similar event. After all, they really do want to help you be the most #AwesomeAdmin that you can be!

Did I miss anything? Let me know the ways in which your Account Executive has helped you!

Soundtrack: Thank you for Being a Friend - Golden Girls theme (Super Golden Friends version)
I'm a big Golden Girls fan, and there aren't really any songs specifically about the nuances of the client/Account Exec relationship, so this seemed to fit the ticket!