Women of Qualified: Meet Blake

Meet Blake Hamblett, one of Qualified’s OG Qualified Sales Representative and now a highly successful Qualified Account Executive. Blake has been at the company for over 2 years and is an integral part of our growing sales team. We sat down with Blake to talk about women in sales, her journey to the technology industry, and the types of teammates she wants to bring into Qualified. Check out our conversation with Blake ⬇️

What drew you to the technology industry?

Blake: This is a pretty nerdy response, but I took a course during my junior year of college called the Political Economy in the Age of Google. It was all about the history and the inner play of big business and the technology sphere and how they work together. It piqued my interest. It's topical right now with everything going on with antitrust and this government support and innovation. Ever since that class, I made a concerted effort to be part of the tech world. It was really timely in that it was before my first internship. I worked for a company called StreetEasy, which is a Zillow subsidiary in New York. It kicked off my career in tech.

What are the most important characteristics to have in a selling role?

Blake: Trust. I think trust is absolutely the overarching, most important quality you can have as a good seller. People want to buy and partner with people they trust. It's a difficult challenge to earn your buyer's trust. But once you do, it benefits both sides of the equation. You can have candid conversations about what they need and if your product or service is a good fit or not.

What motivates you?

Blake: My teammates. Qualified has built this incredible, transparent, caring, loving organization. We're very eager to celebrate all of our successes, small and large. Our Slack channels are always lighting up with an implementation or new customer, or even something small like a birthday. We are constantly celebrating each other's successes. The small accolades are the things that keep me going, they keep me excited to come in to work each and every day.

What attributes do you look for while hiring a new teammate?

Blake: An open mind and a go-getter mentality. In our phase of organization, you've got to be able to wear a lot of hats and be open-minded to try new things. You have to want to take on new challenges and step up with little direction. I say that because that's who we work with. Those are the types of people we have hired. It's the type of person that I want to continue to hire.

Lastly, hit me with one humble brag 😏

Blake: I'm really proud that I was one of the original QSR at Qualified in completely uncharted territory. What did that mean? What was my jurisdiction? What was my role? What did that look like?  I took it and ran with it and created out a best practice deck that we still present to all of our new customers today. I'm involved in some of the training, and I'm proud that I built out what it looks like to be a QSR. I humbly pat myself on the back for that.

Important to note, not only is Blake a killer sales rep, but she’s also a Dartmouth alumnae and former D1 lacrosse star. It’s no wonder her competitive spirit shines in a sales role. Go Big Green and Go Blake! Check out our homepage and see why Blake is excited about all things Qualified.