Take 5 With Dan Teller, Sales Engineering Manager

Interested in life at Ironclad? Get to know our Cladiators through our employee spotlight, Take 5. Meet Dan Teller, who manages Ironclad’s sales engineering team. Sales Engineers (SEs) are Ironclad pre-sale technical experts, collaborating closely with prospects and Ironclad’s Sales, Customer Success and Product teams, to form a critical technical overlay to the sales and solution evaluation process.

Tell us about yourself, Dan.

I’m originally from a small fishing village outside Boston. After studying Economics at Tufts University, I moved to New York to join IBM’s Watson division. After a few years, I wanted to have a more direct impact on my organization, so I left that 300,000-person company to focus on sales and customer success at a recently seeded, three-employee IoT startup. These were valuable experiences, providing opportunities to learn how tech companies can succeed and grow at both the ends of the spectrum.

Why Ironclad?

It was immediately apparent that Ironclad’s leaders were individuals that I could learn from — they have a strong focus on running the business with principle. I was presented with an incredible opportunity: build the NYC office as employee one, scale culture to the East Coast and expand our sales engineering capabilities. All this combined with a truly impactful product and teams built on empathy — I had to join.

Working out of the NYC office, how have you been building Ironclad culture remotely and what keeps you connected?

We treat our office as a startup within a startup. It’s a small, tight knit group — we rely on each other for a lot and share in the highs and lows of our progress. We’re connected by the drive to make the NYC office as large as San Francisco HQ is today.

Have you worked remotely? What was the transition like to an in-person office culture? And how do you stay focused during COVID-19, especially in your line of work?

I’m not sure why, but most of my roles have had a remote component. Through traveling 25 weeks in a year and spending two years on a completely remote team, I’ve learned how to accomplish a lot over video. The Ironclad team has made the transition to an in-person culture a rewarding one. While COVID-19 has changed how everyone operates, I stay motivated by focusing on how Ironclad’s Sales Engineering team can empower our partners to make the most of a difficult situation.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Up early, on the bike headed to meet my cycling team for Central Park laps, which inevitably turns into team breakfast on the way home. Head to the office via Citi Bike, dig into projects, client calls and demos — make progress. At the end of the day, I always try to walk home, slow down and see the city.

What’s your favorite win so far?

Definitely getting Peloton onto the Ironclad platform — it was our first true New York team win. We identified them as a key logo for us and put our all into closing that deal, losing was not an option. We were able to move quickly, understand their needs and position a successful partnership, all over the holidays. I’m excited to see how that partnership grows.

Where would we find you outside of work?

On my bike or tending to my little garden.

What career advice do you have for your younger self?

Listen, listen, and listen some more.

Name the last book you’ve read.

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe & Powerful by Patty McCord.

What’s something most people would be surprised to know about you?

As a child, I won a New Year’s Eve mop throwing competition over two individuals I found out later to have been Russian agents.

Want to work with Dan? We’re hiring!