Women in technology – Nancy Sperry

This year, we’ve kicked off a Women in Technology blog series focusing on some fantastic women in leadership roles here at Sage. These women come from all walks of life, and are mentors, moms, bosses, and even beekeepers. Their stories and wisdom inspired me, and I trust you’ll find the same.

This latest profile is on Nancy Sperry, the Regional Vice President at Sage Intacct. Here’s what she had to share…

Brittany Benson: Nancy, to start, can you tell me more about your role here at Sage Intacct?

Nancy Sperry: I am the Regional Vice President in the eastern region for Sage Intacct. My team is a group of channel executives that build partner relationships, support the partners and their sales processes, as well channel marketing support that helps partners refine and build their marketing story. All of this is focused on and helping Partners grow their businesses.

My team is located throughout the eastern United States and every one of us works remotely. We’re always out in the field with partners, working with them and their businesses. We want to be able to be close to the partner, prospects, and customers and to be able to go onsite and be of assistance whenever needed.

Having an entire team that works remotely comes with a lot of responsibility and trust. Internally, we have weekly team calls to dig in on our partners organization’s pipeline and partner development.

We also offer a lot of mentoring on our team and have channels where you can always go for answers. There are many resources that we offer to our team.

What’s super fun about my job is that we get to build partner relationships and even long-term relationships with people and see their progress on a month over month or year over year basis. You really get to help people grow their business and hear so many great success stories within our region. We get to work with partners like Cargas and LBMC, which is particularly exciting, since they’ve had such an explosion in terms of growth.

In addition to working closely with the team, we get to work with partners and really take them through a journey of a phenomenal business growth.

Brittany: Next, let’s talk about your path into this role and the world of technology.

Nancy:  I worked in human services before I was in this industry. And there was just a point where I knew I wanted to do something in finance or technology, as I perceived l would be in control of my own destiny.

I started applying to local organizations in Boston and got hired by Harper and Shuman  as a support analyst where they sold project-based accounting software, which was a great fit for my career aspirations. I’ve done everything from support, implementation, managing pre-sales and sales teams, and multinational sales, all for many years.

I particularly remember that my first few weeks at Sage was an incredible experience. Learning about what a multi-tenant cloud was and being able to lead discussions about technology and how it could change businesses is all incredibly enjoyable to me.

I joined Sage Intacct six years ago as a Channel Executive. Through the evolution and growth of our team and partners, I’ve been able to work my way up and manage this team in the Eastern Region.

I get really inspired watching Aaron Harris present because when he talks about technology and the future of it, he does it in a way that makes technology and its advancements easy to access and understand. He empowers people through his ability to communicate what the future looks like in a way that each person is engaged. To be able to work around people like that is wonderful.

Brittany: Can you tell me about a woman who inspired you?

Nancy: My mother is my inspiration. Looking back at how she raised my five brothers, my sister, and me, while working, especially in the generation she was in, is incredible. Since we had a big family, she even worked longer hours.

Brittany: Is there any advice you’d give to your younger self?

Nancy: One thing I always tell myself even to this day is to try to have a little more patience with myself and with others. It’s a critical characteristic to have because sometimes I move too quickly and should just take a step back, and reflect a bit more.

Brittany: What advice would you share with women that are interested in pursuing a career in technology or a role like yours?

Nancy: It’s very interesting that you ask that because I have a niece that just started a job at a technology company here in Boston. The first thing I told her was that it’s hard work. The biggest thing when working in tech is to be confident in the job that you do, and work at it. Don’t go into the job with fear and anxiety, but rather with confidence, because you’re going to learn as you go. Be open to learning everything that you can.

My niece is going to be an SDR, and I am excited for her as she begins her career in the technology field. I suggested that she read The Challenger Sale and it’s funny because in her first week, they told her to read that same book, so she felt ahead of the game. It’s been wonderful coaching her without overwhelming her with a vague, “You can do this.” I’m enjoying providing her with guidance and tangible tips.

Have the confidence that you can get this done and be prepared to do your work well. If you work just a little bit harder than everyone else, you’re going to succeed tenfold.

Brittany: What do you think is the best part of your job?

Nancy: I’m very competitive, so I enjoy winning. Being able to work with partners and my team is exciting because every day offers a new challenge that we must overcome. It’s not the same every day. I get to see progression and growth in myself, within a partner organization and on my team.

One of my partners that I’ve been working with for six years had promoted someone to a sales manager. I was able to see that progression and growth for an individual which is really great from a personal standpoint. It’s fun to witness these kinds of things because you realize that it’s driven by the competitive spirit; you grow when you engage in deals and winning is fun. You get to see customers succeed when you do a good job with implementations.

The growth of the channel organizations is the best part of my daily work life.

Brittany: Do you have a vision for the future?

Nancy: Before coming to Sage Intacct, my goals were focused on a career path. I was fixated on the motive of moving up titles and reaching management. But things really changed once I started working with Sage Intacct. I wanted to have a good experience and wanted the people that work with me to have a good experience daily as well. Now my objectives have shifted to not only doing a great job, but always doing the right thing. I strive for success and always ask myself how I can be more successful or better at what I’m doing.

Brittany: Transitioning the conversation away from work, do you have any hobbies?

Nancy: I love spending summer with my family. I have a large set of siblings I grew up with, so we spend a lot of time together. My kids are getting a bit older, so the most important thing is having quality time with them and extended family. Making experiences with the people I love most is my number one priority.

Brittany: Lastly, can you share a little bit about your experience of being a woman and having a successful career in the technology space?

Nancy: I’ve had really great experiences working in technology. There have been many times in my career that I would look around the table and notice that I’m either the only woman present, or one of a small handful. But I’ve been fortunate enough to work with and for people that totally respect women and have helped empower me as a leader. There are many reasons that I remain here at Sage Intacct, and one of the reasons is that Taylor Macdonald is such a great leader. He’s empowering and it’s fantastic.

I’m thankful for those opportunities and the people that I work with because they empower me, and I try and spread that empowerment to the other women around me.

If you’d like to connect with Nancy directly, you can reach out to her on LinkedIn. To learn more about careers with the Sage Intacct team at Sage, please visit here.

To check out the other blogs in Sage’s Women in Tech blog series, view:

• Women in Technology — Carmen Cooper
• Women in Technology — Stefanie Maragna
• Women in Technology — Amy Platt
• Women in Technology — Aravinda Gollapudi
• Women in Technology — Meg Deering
• Women in Technology – Wanda Pansky
• Women in Technology — Kathy Lord
• Women in Technology — Tina Wang
• Women in Technology — Susan Vincent
• Women in Technology — Eileen Wiens