Name: Daniel Kranabetter
Role: Global Enterprises Sales Manager at Gartner
Years at Gartner: 11
CEMS experience: Graduated in 2012 from WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
An Unexpected Beginning
Daniel Kranabetter’s route into Gartner was almost accidental. He was five years into a sales career at a small German software company when the advert appeared on his screen during a train ride. “I clicked on this little button,” he recalls, “then the recruiter called me up and they did such a good job at making me interested.”
So interested, in fact, that he wanted to meet practically everyone before committing. “I think I was the worst candidate ever, it took me 14 conversations!” He laughs. “I wanted to get to know everyone in order to make a decision.”
He moved to Gartner and he agrees that the decision was a very good one.
No two days alike
Eleven years later, what keeps his role fresh is its unpredictability. Daniel leads a team of eight client directors who work with senior IT decision-makers at some of the world’s largest enterprises, helping them navigate their most critical IT and business initiatives.
“No day is like another,” he says. “You’re constantly exposed to new industries, problems and new perspectives, which keeps the role intellectually stimulating and very human.”
He describes life at Gartner as a “bouquet of colourful flowers,” adding “you never know in the morning which flower is going to be picked.”
A career built around “life balance”
Daniel’s career at Gartner has not been linear. He began looking after a handful of clients in Austria, before a manager generously gave him the chance to lead.
He ran half of the Austrian team for five years until his second son was born. “My wife and I decided that it was time to scale back a bit,” he says. Daniel stepped back into an individual contributor role and moved to part-time hours for three years.
“Work-life balance is nice,” he reflects, “but with two young kids we prioritised life balance over work.” What stayed with him was that the company moved with him. “Gartner went with me, which was quite cool.”
When Daniel returned full time, he was asked to apply for his role in the Global Enterprises team – which looks after Gartner’s largest clients in the world.
The Gartner mindset
“What Gartner does really well is hire smart people,” he says, revealing that teams support rather than compete with one another.
“When I say I need something, someone else is incentivised by my success. So they say, ‘let’s talk, I’ll help you’ rather than getting their elbows out.” This creates a positive momentum that isn’t always seen elsewhere.
Learning to sit with mistakes also matters at Gartner. “You take a breath, reflect and say, ‘okay, that went horribly so I’m not going to do that again.’ Accepting failure isn’t for everybody.”
The people who thrive, he believes, are the ones with “those who do their research, go into self-development and ask, ‘what can I do better?’”
What CEMS gave him
Daniel struggles to reduce his CEMS experience to one thing. “CEMS is so much more than that,” he laughs.
Crucially CEMS taught him to work with people from different backgrounds and cultures, often under pressure, which has also served him well at Gartner.
Daniel fondly remembers team deadlines that ended “in the middle of a McDonald’s in Vienna, until they kicked us out!” Late nights that, he notes, also taught him to plan better the next time.
The friendships also endured: “I made a handful of close friends who I’m still grateful for and still spend time with.”
“Ultimately, the broad spectrum of knowledge, from finance to marketing and back, stuck with me and helped me to develop a successful career.”
INSIGHT BOX
Daniel’s advice for CEMS graduates considering a career in sales at Gartner:
CEMS already comes with a strong level of quality. You’re most likely interested in business, leadership and global communities, and you have your heart in the right place. Leverage that, then ask yourself three honest questions:
- Do you enjoy getting out of your comfort zone on a regular basis to see how much you can grow? As soon as you’re clear on what you want, go for it and don’t give up.
- Do you like really getting out there to understand people and help them solve their problems? Gartner values genuine problem solvers who want to see one another succeed.
- Can you overcome failures while celebrating wins? Sales is a rollercoaster. It’s no, no, no, no and then suddenly comes a yes. That’s exactly why you have to take time to celebrate the wins.
