How One Account Executive Navigates the Silicon Docks

Move over, Silicon Valley; Aileen Beyer is all in on the Silicon Docks.

With a career spanning three countries — Germany, Spain, and Ireland — discover how this Account Executive found her way dancing through Dublin, closing deals and growing her career every step of the way.

Interested in a career journey in Dublin? Learn more about our local team.

A Three-Country Career

Back home in Germany, Aileen was, well, bored. After completing her studies, an apprenticeship, and securing a full-time opportunity, she had the itch to find something new — and not just in her career.

“I was looking into companies where I would stay in field sales and explore other industries,” shared Aileen. “But I also wanted to go to another country. I wanted to learn the language.”

Her first job in Spain was a sales development role, focused on sourcing new clients for translations within the manufacturing sector. From there, she pivoted to a similar role in a new industry — where she first started working with Salesforce technology. Then, when an opportunity at Salesforce as a Business Development Representative presented itself, she jumped at it.

That role, though? Well, that required a move across the Irish Sea.

The Move to Ireland

For Aileen, the decision to move to Dublin made sense for her career. “I thought pretty early that the epicenter of software was in Dublin. So I was like, ‘Okay, let’s move — because I want that progress. I want to be right next to these professionals that I can learn from. I want exposure to all these software companies. I want to go to Dublin.”

The relocation process was fully supported by Salesforce, from flight logistics to finding an apartment that was near two of Aileen’s hobbies: dance and, well, brunch.

“It was clear from the very beginning that Salesforce would support you in anything in the movement process,” said Aileen. “They’re like, ‘Do you like brunch places? Do you like being close to the water?’ I could really see what my future would look like there.”

While she’s still exploring her local dance studios, she was able to seamlessly build community through her local Salesforce colleagues, most of whom also relocated to the Dublin area.

“In my case, someone reached out to me before joining the team and asked, ‘Hey, do you have any questions? Is everything clear? Do you need support?’” said Aileen. “It’s just been such a welcome and open culture. It felt immediately like I was speaking to friends.”

Now, she’s welcoming other newcomers on her team to Dublin. “We want to make their lives great here — it’s a new city and a new country usually for everyone, and that builds community.”

From Business Development Representative to Account Executive

Since arriving in Dublin in April 2021, Aileen has quickly grown her career — moving from Business Development Representative (BDR) to Senior BDR to Account Executive within a few short years.

“The biggest switch from coming from the BDR world to AE is that you’re suddenly responsible for everything that comes after a lead or a prospect has been qualified,” said Aileen. “That’s the magic that everybody wants to understand and experience for themselves.”

In her role today, she specialises in start-up customers, a role that brings with it a wide array of problems, product needs, Salesforce knowledge, and, yes, personalities.

“I love it. You’re connected to so many different people, and business ideas, and backgrounds,” said Aileen. “They’re coming to the meeting with the baby, the dog, their father. I just had a meeting with three people joining from a sofa.” (She’s hopeful that deal will be closed before the end of the quarter.)

Setting Up for Sales Success

She hasn’t achieved this level of career success, though, without support — from her colleagues, her learning resources, and Salesforce’s technology innovations.

With AI being built in to the majority of Salesforce systems, Aileen is able to quickly prioritise her most important leads. Within Slack, she also uses an app integration to get insights on her existing customers, like their licenses and usages, so she has a better understanding of her next best product pitch.

She also leverages the knowledge from others’ experiences — both successes and failures — to help shape her own approach. From “Deal Clinics” where her team discusses deals’ ups and downs to formal product knowledge sessions, she’s found support at every stage of the Sales process.

As for what keeps her here? Well, it’s as simple as Salesforce’s reputation. “In every call and every conversation and every meeting, it’s obvious that I’m really working for a company who’s a pioneer in technology — in CRM, but also AI,” said Aileen. “We’re there before the customer even thinks about these things. It really makes me feel that I’m working for a company that’s number one. And I’m so proud to be here.”



Interested in starting your own Dublin adventure? Or in joining our world-class Sales team? Check out our open roles, and stay in touch by joining the Salesforce Talent Community.