Meet Evelien van Creij, an account executive at HubSpot Dublin, who works in the Benelux sales market. Before joining HubSpot, Evelien worked in a law firm but quickly noticed that her passion lies in sales. So after gaining sales experience at a recruitment agency, she decided to kick off her career in tech at HubSpot and relocated to Dublin in 2021. In this Q&A, Evelien talks about HubSpot’s Team Lead program, what advice she would give to a candidate looking to start a career in Sales at HubSpot, and HubSpot's expansion into the Netherlands. Here’s what she had to say...

Can you tell us a little about your background and journey to HubSpot?

I finished my masters in law with the idea of becoming a lawyer. Once I started working at a law firm, I realized this was not the right job for me. From a young age, I was always very competitive and I did professional horse riding so I know how to deal with, and perform under pressure. This is one of the reasons I decided to switch my career to sales and started at a recruitment agency as a consultant. There I learned a lot of sales skills. After some time, I knew I wanted to work with more in-depth and complex sales cycles. I began looking into the tech industry and that’s how I ended up at HubSpot as an account executive for the Benelux market. 

What attracted you to a career in sales at HubSpot?

I wanted to kick off my sales career within tech and started looking for the best place to work. HubSpot came out as the number one as it has a great culture, beliefs and values which aligned with my own personal beliefs and values. Also, HubSpot has an amazing product that can make a real difference in a business and add significant value for our customers. 

I would say my daily routine is very diverse. It starts with searching for new opportunities and reaching out to new potential customers. I regularly have meetings with my existing customers to help them grow and address their wants and needs which involves both cross-selling and up-selling. Part of my day is also having internal meetings with my team, sharing best practices, and keeping each other motivated. 

The team lead program is a fantastic opportunity to get to know what it is like to lead a team within HubSpot. In addition to my duties as an account executive, this role allows me to develop myself further and enhance my leadership skills. HubSpot has created a unique program for team leads where you have valuable training and sessions to develop your leadership skills. The program will set you up for success and prepares you for a managerial role within HubSpot.  

HubSpot just announced that from September 2022, we are opening a new entity in the Netherlands which really shows how much we are growing in the Benelux region. I am incredibly excited about the fact that I can continue to grow my sales career at HubSpot from my home country. Also, by having an entity in the Netherlands, HubSpot will naturally be able to improve brand awareness in the Netherlands which sets the Benelux market up for success. I cannot wait to see this team grow and create many opportunities together to help businesses across Benelux grow. 

A simple sentence: Don’t doubt, just do it! 

Everyone is so open and helpful, which made me feel at home from the start. Also, I am part of the diversity, inclusion and belonging team, which is an amazing experience, and I am very proud to work towards making HubSpot a great place to work for everyone. Inclusion in the workplace is very important for me, and HubSpot prioritizes this in all that we do. Furthermore, HubSpot gives every employee the possibility to make use of our temporary mobility policy. This means that you can work abroad for up to 90 days a year, which offers expats like me the opportunity to visit their families more often. 

For me the number one piece of advice is - preparation is key. Prepare yourself well for every single interview, and don’t think one interview will be easier than another. Besides that, connect and talk to people within the organization to better understand HubSpot and the role. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your recruiter for tips & tricks to help you prepare. 

To be honest that is a tough question because I really found my passion in sales. I love working in a fast-paced environment where I need to move quickly and manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Besides that, I thrive the most in a competitive environment since that gives me energy. However, if I weren’t in sales, I would probably go for a management position. A role where I can coach other people and help them be the best version of themselves. 

HubSpot is now hiring for our Benelux sales team in the Netherlands. If you're interested in learning more about a career in Sales at HubSpot, visit our careers page.