Appian’s Sales Culture: How Strategic Culture Wins Over Clients

At Appian, we are defining success by the depth of the problems we solve for our customers.

Mike Mayer, SVP of Sales Excellence and Chief of Staff, explains, “Sales at Appian is fundamentally different because of the challenges we can help our customers solve. We connect to mission-critical opportunities for our customers, and this elevates the Appian seller within the customer organization,” he says. This focus on high-value solutions is what accelerates strategic skills and sets Appian apart from a transactional sales approach.

Alyssa Ashworth, Area VP in Solutions Consulting, reinforces this by saying, “Culture is what makes strategy work. If we’re not focused on our customers, we’re focused on the wrong thing.”

Jonathan Barron, SVP of North America Sales, recalled an early experience that exemplifies Appian’s culture of commitment to our customers. 

"When I first joined Appian, we were closing a Q4 deal when the CEO requested an in-person Monday meeting. The team, both sales and services leaders, spent much of the day on Saturday strategizing and planning. Not once did anyone complain about the time investment. It was an outstanding example of teamwork, and of course, we got the deal!”

Appian’s sales culture successfully balances personal ownership with a strong collaborative environment. Mike emphasizes, “We live by the old adage that there are no lone wolves in sales.” Building on this idea, Jonathan adds, “I would say a sales rep’s success is 80% individual performance, 20% team collaboration.” This 20% collaboration is crucial, as the “no lone wolves” philosophy ensures team members are able to learn and grow from one another. 

To help foster this dynamic of ownership, Alyssa explains her team operates in a “franchise mindset.” Each team member is given a piece of the business to run and own. This means treating your territory or accounts as if you are the owner: driving growth, enhancing the brand reputation, and delivering exceptional outcomes for customers. It’s more than accountability; it’s pride in building something of value while knowing that your success fuels the team’s success. “When everyone shows up like an owner, the whole organization wins,” Alyssa concludes.

A high-performing culture doesn’t just happen; it is actively shaped and maintained by leadership. Mike Mayer believes it is a leader’s job to “ensure that we hire the best, and manage to high expectations.” He reinforces this commitment with his daily practice of asking “Why,” which helps put the team in the customer’s shoes. “Why does this customer need to buy Appian? Why hasn’t our team connected with a customer executive yet, and can I help?” he explains. 

Jonathan sees his role as one of active support, "I try hard to remove any obstacles... sometimes that’s a system or tech challenge, a product question, or an internal process bottleneck," he said, noting that supporting his team is essential to Appian's core value of excellence.

Alyssa promotes these values by consistently tying them to key attributes: urgency, ownership, and resilience. "If we can move fast, if we can show ownership of the business we’ve given them, then if we encounter something that didn’t go in our favor, we’re able to take that in a positive way and bounce back and start moving forward urgently." At Appian, these attributes are the foundation for long-term success.

Appian’s sales culture is built on a foundation of trust that empowers the team to be adaptable and innovative. Alyssa explains,“Our team is encouraged to make mistakes,” she says. “Mistakes happen, and sometimes it’s incredibly awesome, and what you get out of it is something you could have never imagined.” The key is to always try, even if it means getting outside of your comfort zone. “We’re never going to know what we can achieve until we test the limits of what we can go out and do. Appian owes its customers that level of innovative thinking.”

At Appian, our sales team isn’t there to just push a product; we solve unique and challenging business issues. Mike notes that the Appian platform is “purpose-built” for these comprehensive problems, and the sales team is designed to leverage one another’s expertise.

Alyssa adds that, “value selling is a way of life.” Every interaction is about charting the path to the customer’s ideal state - accelerating outcomes, removing roadblocks, and delivering measurable impact. “Our role is to get them to success, sometimes even faster than they imagined,” she says.

Success at Appian is measured beyond just numbers. Jonathan concludes that while revenue is a primary metric, Appian will increasingly focus on high impact, value metrics that show that the team is focused on high-value, strategic work.

Appian also celebrates its achievements in other ways because we have fun when we are winning. Mike highlights the world-class President’s Club trips for top performers. “It’s absolutely incredible,” he shares, noting that past trips have taken the team to Mykonos, Greece, and Morocco. "We constantly hear that these are places folks might not have gone on their own." This approach to rewarding excellence upholds the idea that the team’s hard work is truly valued.

Ready to launch your sales career? Explore open sales roles here. 

President’s Club trip photo from Greece!