One of the most rewarding aspects of raising a company from the ground up is building the team, and Dana has been a perfect addition to the team. Dana is on a mission to make an impact on people’s lives, and she exercises this through supporting customers in her customer success role, but also through her volunteer efforts serving a domestic violence shelter. RIVET’s customers and partners are in great hands with Dana as she builds out our processes for onboarding, training and support. Thank you, Dana!
– The RIVET Team
Tell us a little about yourself, Dana!
My name is Dana, and I’m from Metro Detroit. The only time I’ve lived out of state was for college (Ohio State University).
I went to school for English and Gender Studies and considered being a professor. After school, I moved home and ended up working in optical retail, and I really liked that. A customer stole me and brought me into the automotive industry, where I finessed my sales chops and became their lead sales person. From there, I took a position with 86 Repairs as the first account executive. That’s where I learned that I like things to be fast paced, and what it takes to work as a team. I know how to run experiments, throw some paint on the walls and see what sticks.
At 86 Repairs, I learned that I love cultivating relationships with customers, finding what makes them tick and understanding why they want to buy what they buy. I really like talking to people and being a support system for them. After that, I found RIVET on Purpose Jobs. I know how to identify a buyer persona and who is the ideal customer. Then using my sales experience I can look at what the customer needs and pain points are and come up with a solution. I’ve always been on the sales side; I’ve always been customer facing. My strengths are talking and engagement with people. Anything human related is my forté.
Why did you join RIVET, and what are you most excited about?
This is my dream position – being a part of a sales team, with open communication. Everyone here is so supportive. Feedback is taken seriously. The way we run and shape our product to be very customer-oriented is incredible. I’ve never been part of a company running its product directly off feedback from customers. We’re continuing to build our product that way, and it’s inspiring.
I’m learning new skillsets because it’s not just customer success. I’m wearing many hats. I like that we’re all learning together how to build out a repeatable, iterative sales cycle and how we’re going to scale this business. That’s really exciting to think about as we launch this year with a nationwide sales force.
What’s the importance of Customer Success?
Customer Success is the ‘keys to the castle’ for a business. If you’re a SAAS business and you don’t have a good customer success team or person in place, you’re not going to be in a good position to succeed, because you have to ensure value. Customer Success is about being proactive. It’s letting our user base know that we’re being honest about where we stand and building that trust with them, so they continue to be an active user month after month and year after year.
What are you passionate about?
Right now, I am on a path of continuing my education, so my volunteer time has been put on a temporary hold. But I’m passionate about volunteering for HAVEN, a domestic violence shelter in Pontiac, MI. Working there was a really eye opening experience as to the kind of abuse and stress people put up with on their day-to-day, and how hard it is to get yourself out of a bad situation. I worked on the crisis line and was doing prevention education. I’ve learned a lot about de-escalating a crisis quickly. I want to be in a position where I can help people. I’m definitely going to continue to volunteer in my spare time
Later down the road, I want to create a sex-ed program for young people, predominately focused on young boys who need the most support. I want to focus on consent and cover the different aspects of relationships and how “yes means yes” while covering everything that goes into sexual health and breaking that down. It’s important to really show young people it’s ok to feel however you’re feeling. Education on consent can start at a young age — start by asking a 5-year-old if it’s ok to give them a high five. Those are the basics of consent. Sexual violence is an epidemic that we don’t talk about. If you use a public health model, you can start to reduce it. Data and science show us that abstinence is not going to work. It’s like having a job — giving people the things they need to make informed decision.
What do you love about Detroit?
I love that Detroit is a place where there is always a glimmer of hope, even if it doesn’t seem like we’re in a great spot. I’ve watched the city transform over the last decade and it’s pretty much night and day. There is culture here, and that’s something that I love and that’s been instilled in me since I was a little kid. Having diversity, having the art and music scenes, you can’t compare them to any other city. There’s a grit to Detroit that’s always going to be there.
