Katherine Anstaett
For Katherine Anstaett, adaptability was as important as ambition to find success in her decades-long career in sales.
Growing up in College Station, Texas, Anstaett said her family and proximity to home played a significant role in her decision to attend Texas A&M University. Initially, Anstaett pursued a business degree with a focus on marketing, but during her senior year she began to consider law school instead.
“I decided I wanted to go to law school, so I met with a counselor, and he said I needed to have one of the liberal arts,” Anstaett said. “There are several liberal arts, but I chose psychology because it was interesting.”
Anstaett later graduated with a double degree in psychology and business with a concentration in marketing and took a year after college to earn money for her law school aspirations.
During this year, however, an unexpected opportunity redirected her path. Anstaett was asked to join two entrepreneurs from Mexico City who were launching an international sales consulting company in Dallas, Texas.
Although she had planned to continue with law school, Anstaett said her new job took on a life of its own and led her to sales instead.
“I was going to go to law school, and then at some point I decided, ‘I don't want to go back to school and be a poor college student,’” Anstaett said. “So, sales kind of just inevitably found me.”
The company quickly gained momentum, working with partners and clients from countries such as Mexico and Israel. Though the company eventually shut down, the experience opened up a path for Anstaett in sales.
As she planned her next career steps, Anstaett weighed what long-term professional field would work with her goals. After briefly considering medicine, she settled on technology and joined International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
At IBM, she managed a team of 33 people and worked across several major computing platforms. Anstaett said her role at IBM taught her valuable lessons about sales, and management.
“I learned that in sales, you can’t let the customer see you sweat,” Anstaett said. “Everyone has their own timeline, but if you rush them, you lose their trust. Your job is to guide the sale, not push it.”
Her eventual decision to leave IBM was difficult, but Anstaett was offered an opportunity that tripled her salary and chose to follow it to help support her growing family.
After facing struggles at a public software company, Anstaett learned of the volatility of corporate America when her company was suddenly delisted from the stock exchange, inducing mass layoffs.
“I learned that you have to go into it with your eyes wide open,” Anstaett said. “It's corporate America, and things can just change in a day.”
Today Anstaett works as a SaaS Executive Solutions Manager and Technology Sales Advisor at Zones Inc., a global technology solutions provider. In her role, she supports a team of 44 sales professionals as a subject matter expert, and develops technical solutions, pricing models and strategies for clients.
Reflecting on her career, Anstaett emphasized that success in sales requires patience, resilience and honesty.
“Ultimately, you’re supposed to be the customer’s trusted advisor,” Anstaett said. “If you let the sale evolve on their time and stay honest with them, you don’t just make a sale, you build a relationship that lasts.”
