Moments of impact from Paul Shaw's career
When I joined IANS as an Account Manager, the company was navigating a critical transition to a new pricing and packaging model at a time when client budgets were particularly tight. This combination created a challenging environment where simply meeting quota would have been an accomplishment—yet I saw an opportunity to turn these constraints into a strategic advantage. Rather than taking a scattershot approach, I prioritized accounts with clear expansion potential and invested time in deeply understanding each client's specific pain points. I positioned our new bundled products not as an upsell, but as a cost-saving solution that addressed more of their problems while actually reducing their total expenditure. This consultative approach required shifting the conversation from features to financial impact, demonstrating how the new packaging model aligned with their budget realities. The results exceeded expectations: I closed the period at 124% of quota while increasing average contract size by 20%. More importantly, my top five clients provided direct feedback that the bundled approach had saved them budget while expanding their coverage—validation that I'd created genuine value rather than just hitting a number. My manager, Katie Malkin, observed this performance throughout the full year and saw how the strategic account prioritization and client-first positioning translated into sustainable growth during a complex business transition.
