Elastic’s Federal Sales Director Kathy Hsu thinks authenticity is important in sales. Hear why.

My passion is to work with the federal government and see how I can be a part of the mission. That’s why I wanted to work at Elastic. 

I first discovered my passion for tech sales as a college graduate working in Silicon Valley. I worked at Apple as a Technical Consultant and got my start in channel sales and the network IP space at a large company that provided solutions for semiconductor and infrastructure software. Then I moved to a startup that gave me the opportunity to support Civilian agencies, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Intelligence Community. In this role, I spent a lot of time flying between California and Washington D.C. and quickly realized that I had a great sense of fire and purpose when serving the federal government. 

These early experiences helped me find my strength working in sales and providing customers with the solutions they needed, while developing a strong foundation in the business of tech.

As a Federal Sales Director at Elastic, I’ve taken on delivering mission support within the federal space with a deeply rooted obligation to being in my customers’ corner, no matter what, and understanding their challenges to help them find the solutions they need for their Elastic journey. Most importantly, I continue to stay authentic with my customers, something which I’ve learned from past experiences is important, but also because it is a crucial part of the Elastic Source Code.

Through authenticity I discovered my own way of connecting with others, remaining curious with a desire to learn and become better. Using the strengths, skills, and my fostered relationships, I have developed a selling style that feels natural to me, and earns the trust of my customers — something that’s incredibly important in any client relationship, but especially so in the federal business. The intricacies of working in the federal space is highly focused on relationships, understanding how to navigate contracts, how to enable your partner community, and most importantly, understanding the critical mission of the customer at the agency level and how it all connects back to us as individuals and citizens.

I realized over time that what makes you different shouldn’t be something that prevents you from moving forward. I use that as a way to stand out. As a woman and an Asian American, two groups that are often underrepresented in the tech sales industry, I have learned over the last 15 years to not let this lack of representation influence my narrative. Instead, I focused on being myself and learned how to develop a compelling personal brand. 

As a recent new mother of two, I continue to evolve and learn and feel fully supported at Elastic. The generous parental leave allowed me to cherish the special time to bond and feel eager to return to my team and customers. I am humbled and honored to serve our DoD user community, helping them achieve what they set out to do — and I’m so proud to be an Elastician.

Want to learn more about Kathy and her career path? Watch the video to hear more of her story, how authenticity plays an important role in sales, and how women in the tech industry can support each other professionally.

Interested in joining Elastic’s sales team? Check out open sales roles here.