From Music Dreams to Tech Sales Executive: Chelsea Murray’s Industry Insights

Chelsea Murray is a senior national partner executive at ID.me, a digital identity network. Here, she shares her journey to sales, what characteristics she considers critical for sales professionals, and some of her most impactful career lessons.

Did you start your career journey thinking you would be in sales?

No. Post college, I was open to a lot of different paths (including becoming a singer-songwriter—hello American Idol auditions!), but didn’t necessarily have my heart set on sales. Although looking back at my childhood, it’s no surprise I ended up in sales, because my favorite job was being a server at Red Robin and making tips (a.k.a. commission). You get back what you put in, and that is sales to a T.

Did you end up auditioning for American Idol? If so, what was that like?

Yes! The summer after I graduated from college I flew to New Orleans to audition. My cousin/best friend came with me for support, and we made a vacation out of it. The first day, we showed up at the Superdome at 5 a.m., and there were already thousands of people waiting.

We were shuffled into the stadium and onto the field, where we were split up into lines that led to different judges (no celebrity judges this early.) Right before it was my turn to sing for my judge, she gave someone a golden ticket! I thought, “Oh no, that’s not good—she’s not going to want to give out two in a row!”

Then it was my turn. I stepped up to the judge along with three others, and we each sang for 30 seconds. None of us got a golden ticket to proceed to the next round. I was super disappointed, and the others in my group were so kind and went out of their way to tell me I should have received one. Then, my cousin and I like to tell the story of how we ventured out into the city at 10 a.m. and made the best of it! 

In college, my a cappella group was scouted to audition for America’s Got Talent, which was a wild experience. They flew us to Miami, where we made it all the way to the celebrity judges, and we performed in front of a live audience. One of our songs on Spotify where I sing the lead (Shark in the Water by The Cocktails) has 4 million listens on Spotify.

How did you start your journey in sales?

My first job out of college was at Under Armour headquarters. I was trying to pivot into a sales position there, but nothing was available. I stumbled upon underarmour.com’s military discount using ID.me’s digital verification technology and thought, “Hm, what a great idea.”

Turns out Under Armour was ID.me’s very first partner. ID.me was located in the DC area, and they had an open sales position. This was the start of my sales journey, and 10 years later, I’m still here today. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I was given, as it has enhanced my life in numerous ways.

Describe your hardest sales experience to date.

My hardest sales experience to date was when we built a product for a prospect prior to the contract being signed, and they ended up backing out on the one-yard line and chose a competitor. Talk about embarrassing and a waste of time and company resources.

Was that a decision you made? If so, would you say that you would never again build out a product without having a signed contract? Any other details you can share about this experience?

I pushed for our company and product team to build the new product because it was necessary to win the deal. It’s always a chicken or egg situation: do you build the product so they will come? 

Yes, instead of building a product prior to signing a contract, I would only ask for a commitment from our product team that the product can and will eventually be built.

Describe your best sales experience to date.

My best sales experience to date was relatively early in my sales career when I closed a deal with the world’s leading consumer electronics company. I had a true champion who believed in the mission, which was key, and an incredible team to support me. I’ll never forget the excitement felt by the whole company the day our partnership launched. 

What do you think are the character traits of a true sales professional?

Optimistic, determined, patient, detail-oriented, prompt, curious, and clear.

How did you first start working with Will or Maestro Group?

The company I work for now [ID.me] hired Will to lead a sales training many years ago.

What were your initial thoughts and impressions of Maestro and Will? (Yes, Will has sanctioned this question!)

Will and his training were a giant wake-up call I didn’t know I needed, nor did I want at the time! My initial thoughts were, “Why is this training at 7 a.m. every week!?” However, in all seriousness, my first impression of Will was that he was a ball of energy, very passionate about sales, and eager to help with his endearing “my pleasure” response. My initial thoughts on the training were that roleplaying demo calls, a key part of our training, were very challenging, awkward, and painful at times, but the only way to grow is to go through uncomfortable change.

What Maestro teaching has had the most impact?

The element of training that had the most impact on me was the importance of preparation. Roleplaying with the whole team was a key part of that, along with creating a script which included must-have points to discuss and questions to ask.

If you were mentoring someone today and you could only teach them one thing you learned from Maestro, what would it be?

You have to make the conversation about the prospect, not yourself. This requires a lot of advance preparation.

In what ways do you look different as a sales professional now than when you started?

I talk less, listen a lot more by asking more thoughtful questions, and rarely “wing it.”

What would you do if you weren’t in sales?

I would invent a product and be an entrepreneur. Maybe someday!

What is the biggest misconception about sales?

I think the biggest misconception these days is that sales is easy, which it is definitely not!

What advice do you have for someone going into sales?

Sales is a personal journey—be open to change, as it leads to growth. Be sure to learn about the different sales methodologies and incorporate your learnings into your sales process while keeping your own authentic style.

You can learn more about Chelsea here. Be sure to congratulate her while you’re there!