iManage Career Growth & Development

Tell us about the recent promotion or role change on your team. 

Victor recently transitioned into product management, continuing his career progression within iManage. Having started his iManage journey in customer support in 2017 and making his first internal transfer 2.5 years later into a technical consultant role within our professional services team, Victor has been able to mix his customer-facing experience with his extensive iManage product knowledge to prop himself up for his next interest in product management. 

Although feeling accomplished as a manager of a technical consulting team, the support he received from his manager and the department’s leadership and the affirmation that this mobility remained focused on his development eased his concern about exploring a new role within the company. In his new role as a product manager, Victor has learned more deeply about the art of negotiation. 

His skills within support and professional services were focused on enabling our customers. As a product manager, Victor is responsible for fulfilling iManage’s strategy while balancing out the expectations from many external and internal stakeholders: customers and users, engineering, sales, support and more.

What will this new role or skill let Victor do? 

Victor’s new role as a product manager will allow him to drive his vision for the iManage desktop and mobile experience. He will better foster internal relationships and master their dynamics in order to create better products. His work will allow him to develop his negotiation skills to represent company strategy, customer needs and internal teams’ bandwidth to achieve compromised solutions.

How would you describe the culture of internal mobility and upskilling?  

Victor described iManage as having a strong and healthy culture of supporting internal mobility and upskilling. A prime example is his own career progression, starting in customer support eight years ago where he quickly recognized the development opportunities available. 

As he moved from support to professional services, the focus was on building transferable skills and he was able to rise from a technical consultant to manager in just three years. When an internal product manager opportunity arose, he wasn’t actively looking to move but his current manager fully supported the transition, recognizing it aligned with his development and career goals. The PM role was posted internally as a rotation program, so the temporary nature of this role made it an appealing way to explore a new career path. 

Throughout this process, his former manager provided invaluable guidance and encouraged him to keep some managerial responsibilities, allowing him to maintain connections while gaining experience in product management. This level of support and openness from leadership demonstrates the company’s commitment to employee growth and fostering a culture where internal mobility is encouraged and facilitated.

Which skills do you leverage most often in your day-to-day work?

To me, success in sales starts with a mindset — showing up every day with a plan to be productive, not just busy. I follow the “Rule of Three,” and the three skills that have consistently helped me are: effective time management, active listening and building meaningful relationships.

How have these skills enabled you to heighten your impact on iManage or grow your career?

Quickly building rapport — with customers, prospects or teammates — is key. I’ve found that positive energy and self-awareness go a long way. Strong relationships have opened doors to larger accounts, more responsibility and cross-functional collaboration. Being based in Chicago, where we’re headquartered, has allowed me to foster deep internal connections and create added value for our customers, as there’s no substitute for in-person engagement.

Listening is a cornerstone. I keep “LISTEN” and “SLOW DOWN” written on my whiteboard to remind myself to be intentional. When you listen well and respond thoughtfully, you build trust and unlock better conversations. Over time, becoming known as someone who gets things done builds credibility. Show up, do the job well and stay consistent — leadership and customers will notice.

What are some resources and/or sources of inspiration you’d recommend for reps eager to refine their sales skills? Are there resources iManage has provided to support this growth? 

In terms of learning, I recommend Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink. People like Ian Koniak, Jamal Reimer and Josh Braun also offer great insights online. These resources reinforce that the best sales skills — storytelling, active listening and mirroring — apply far beyond work.

Goal-setting keeps me grounded. I set five-year and yearly goals, then break them down into short-term targets. Sales is a grind, and having a roadmap helps keep you focused and motivated. At the end of the day, nothing replaces real-world reps. Just get at-bats. At iManage, we’re building a world-class SaaS sales org, and scaling our revenue operations team is key to that. We’re investing in the people, processes and tools to help sellers stay focused on what matters most — our customers.