Vinaya Valloppillil

Energizer
DISC Type : I

VP North America Sales Operations at Palo Alto Networks

San Francisco, California, United States

Overview

Vinaya Valloppillil is the VP of North America Sales Operations at Palo Alto Networks, with a background that includes serving as COO for Sales Cloud at Salesforce. An alumna of Harvard Business School and the University of Pennsylvania, her expertise spans high-tech product marketing, corporate strategy, and competitive analysis.

She is a strong advocate for women in business, having founded a platform to connect elite female talent with flexible work opportunities. She has also spoken publicly about the importance of navigating non-linear career paths, taking professional risks, and prioritizing family alongside a demanding career.

She founded an online platform to help highly skilled women find part-time executive roles.

Personality Overview

Full Of Energy

Relationship Oriented

Believer

Unlike C or D types, they are vocal with their opinions but not so much with their questions.  They excel at seeing the bigger picture, and the long-term impact of their decisions. They are not always early adopters but can be pursuaded by leveraging strong relationships.

Topics They Care About

Sales Operations
Currently leads North America Sales Operations at Palo Alto Networks and previously held senior sales strategy and operations roles at Salesforce.
Women in Business
Founded One Western Avenue, a platform created to provide elite female business professionals with access to part-time opportunities.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Her experience includes roles as VP of Sales Strategy for Prisma Cloud and Global Head of CSG Business Value and Strategy at Salesforce.

Media Appearances

Vinaya has no verified media appearances

Work History

5-2023
VP North America Sales Operations at Palo Alto Networks
7-2021 - 5-2023
VP Sales Strategy, Prisma Cloud at Palo Alto Networks
1-2020 - 6-2021
Chief Operating Officer, Sales Cloud at Salesforce
10-2016 - 12-2019
Global Head, CSG Business Value and Strategy at Salesforce
10-2015 - 6-2021
Founder and CEO at One Western Avenue

Education

8-2003 - 6-2005
MBA from Harvard Business School
8-1994 - 6-1998
BSE from University of Pennsylvania

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 15 Location : San Francisco, California, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : VP North America Sales Operations at Palo Alto Networks
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Insights For Selling To Vinaya

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use phrases like ‘people will love’, ‘massive impact’ etc.
  • Do some small talk, ask them how things are going on their side
  • Use adjectives like ‘amazing’, ‘coolest’, ‘unbelievable’ etc.

DONT's

  • Don’t be too formal, focus on building comfort and trust
  • Don’t be excessively objective, be a storyteller
  • Don’t assume a yes just because they have not said no

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Vinaya is

  • Relationship and trust can be vital with them, sometimes more than anything else.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Vinaya

  • They are unlikely to say no directly, you have to make that decision yourself.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Vinaya move?

  • They are not the fastest decision makers, their friendly approach can give false positive signals.
  • Can Vinaya take some risk or not?

  • They can accept limited risks, ones that they think will not impact them personally.

You And Vinaya

Personality Compatibility


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