Champion’s Spotlight

Get to Know Jim Foster

Commercial Account Executive, StreamSets

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photo of Jim Foster

Born in Venezuela and raised in Brazil, Jim Foster speaks three languages, loves to scuba dive, and values curiosity and empathy as leadership qualities. At StreamSets, Jim swiftly advanced from SDR to Senior SDR to Commercial Account Executive, with a zeal for understanding the technologies that power ABM. In his role as an Commercial Account Executive, Jim sees himself as a “servant leader” who strives every day to help others learn and grow.

For Jim, Demandbase provides value to StreamSets in three areas: Increased Engagement, Strategic Account Alignment, and Sales Productivity Gains. Across the board, Jim has discovered a broad array of use cases for Demandbase One™:

  • Increase pipeline and revenue from target accounts
  • Drive awareness for target accounts through account-based advertising
  • Find hot accounts that are in-market to buy now
  • Increase onsite engagement from target accounts through personalization
  • Increase alignment between Sales and Marketing via unified account-based insights
  • Help salespeople prospect and close business faster
  • Clean and enrich CRM data

Jim believes that as a Demandbase Champion, he will realize incredible outcomes for StreamSets’ customers by bringing more team members up to speed on using Demandbase and how to make it go to work for them quickly.

Want to know more about Champion Jim Foster? Check out the full interview below.

Demandbase: Would you tell us about StreamSets and highlight any unique challenges you have running an ABM program there?

Jim: StreamSets is a data ingestion and transformation platform (ETL). Our parent company, SoftwareAG, is one of the oldest technology companies in the world. StreamSets launched in 2014 and are fortunate to serve some of the world’s largest companies across industries. ABM has allowed us to narrow our outreach and align our marketing and sales teams.

Demandbase: When did you first hear about Demandbase? Was StreamSets already using ABM technology when you came on board, or did you help to introduce the technology?

Jim: Unfortunately, I cannot take any credit for bringing in Demandbase. I became aware of the platform when we began the onboarding process, and we were excited to begin adopting a team-wide ABM approach.

Demandbase: Why did you apply to be a Demandbase Champion?

Jim: I applied to be a Champion because my curiosity led me to appreciate Demandbase as a platform, a team, and a community. I’m passionate about helping others, and by becoming a Champion, I can more effectively benefit others through Demandbase while furthering my understanding of the tool and ABM as a whole.

Demandbase: What have been the highlights of your career?

Jim: Some of the highlights of my career in tech include climbing the ranks from SDR to Senior SDR to Commercial Account Executive in less than a year; leading our team as a top performer immediately after training; and, of course, being selected to be part of the Demandbase Champions Class of 2023.

Demandbase: What do you like most about your current role?

Jim: I absolutely love helping others. I genuinely believe in our platform, and if it can help make other people’s lives easier, then I want them to have it—and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Demandbase: Where do you want to grow from here?

Jim: I would like to become a top performer within the Account Executive role and then transition into a leadership position, where I have an even greater capacity to help others find success for themselves.

Demandbase: Any advice for others who aspire to be an ABM superstar?

Jim: Be curious. Curiosity is an elite trait. Learn the ins and outs of ABM, so you know how to apply the strategy and understand how it works from A to Z. The capacity to be curious and empathize alongside a holistic understanding of the tools and technology is critically important, both internally and externally.

Demandbase: What interests do you have outside of work? What do you do to reduce stress?

Jim: Outside of work, I like to spend time at the gym, produce music, and play both indoor and outdoor soccer.

Demandbase: What is something unique and unexpected about you?

Jim: I was born in Venezuela and raised in Brazil, so I am fluent in 3 languages (Portuguese, Spanish, and English), and I am currently attempting to learn French! I’m also an avid scuba diver, and sharks fascinate me.

Demandbase: What is your superpower? What aspect of your personality helps you be most successful in your job?

Jim: My superpower is my drive to be the best servant leader I can be. Looking at those I consider heroes, they share the same purpose: helping or, in certain cases, saving others. I want to think that I was put in this world to help others, and that conviction goes hand-in-hand with what I try to do every day.

Demandbase: Is there anything you want to add or highlight about your ABM program, your success, and how Demandbase is helping you?

Jim: I am truly thankful for the opportunity to be recognized as a Demandbase Champion. I have learned so much working with the Demandbase team and community; both have brought me much joy. Demandbase will continue to provide our sales and marketing teams with a clear picture of the steps necessary to raise awareness and pursue opportunities through Demandbase One, and for this I’m grateful!

Interested in becoming a Demandbase Champion?

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