Sage Ballard

As a Student Associate – Sales Development Rep, I supported Jack Henry’s Sales Development team by driving pipeline growth and strengthening client relationships. My role focused on:

• Pipeline Development: Partnering with Sales teams to identify opportunities for financial institutions (FIs) to optimize their use of Jack Henry solutions.

• Outbound Outreach: Conducting targeted outreach to key decision-makers at banks and credit unions to understand their workflow challenges and uncover consulting opportunities.

• Data-Driven Insights: Leveraging Salesforce and internal reporting tools to track outreach activity, log meaningful client interactions, and provide visibility into pipeline progress.

• Cross-Team Collaboration: Working closely with SDR leadership, Inside Sales, and Product Marketing to refine messaging, improve outreach strategies, and align with broader sales campaigns.

• Professional Development: Built on my previous internship experience by applying consultative sales techniques, deepening product knowledge, and contributing to the team’s business development efforts while managing a ~20 hour per week hybrid workload during the academic year (fall semester).

This role was a continuation of my summer internship as Sales & Business Development Intern, where I supported client research, competitive analysis, and strategic sales initiatives.

• Trained new team members on operational procedures and customer service protocols.
• Provided ongoing support to staff, ensuring mastery of Chick-fil-A's kitchen and service standards.
• Mentored employees to foster career growth and skill development at our store.

• Prepared high-quality food items following established recipes and safety standards.
• Operated kitchen equipment efficiently, ensuring compliance with health regulations.
• Collaborated with team members to maintain cleanliness and organization in food preparation areas.

Sales & Business Development Intern contributing to cross-functional initiatives across client strategy, product knowledge, and sales enablement.

• Participating in an immersive 10-week internship program involving team-based projects, executive mentorship, and professional development
• Supporting sales teams through onboarding activities, product research, client analysis, and strategic outreach
• Conducting a focused campaign to evaluate how financial institutions are using Enterprise Workflow and Synapsys, surfacing potential consulting opportunities
• Logging all activity in Salesforce to support transparency, pipeline visibility, and campaign reporting
• Engaging in client-focused calls to uncover operational pain points and gather feedback for internal teams
• Attending department meetings, demos, and NSMM sessions to understand Jack Henry’s go-to-market strategy
• Preparing a final presentation for leadership summarizing key insights, successes, and strategic recommendations

As a Cohorts Associate at Spurgeon College, I supported the Accelerate Office in organizing student engagement initiatives, coordinating events, and maintaining administrative records to enhance the student experience. My role involved:

• Event Coordination – Assisting in planning and executing Cohort Cup and Accelerate cohort events, ensuring smooth logistics, scheduling, and setup.
• Student Engagement – Communicating with students, tracking attendance, and fostering participation in Spurgeon College programs.
• Administrative Support – Maintaining records, managing budget reports, and assisting with academic and ministry placement initiatives.
• Recruitment & Logistics – Helping with travel arrangements, maintaining recruitment materials, and supporting admissions-related activities.

This role allowed me to develop leadership, organizational, and communication skills while contributing to the mission of training students for ministry better and faster.

• Enforced game rules and regulations to ensure fair play and player safety.
• Managed on-field disputes by effectively communicating with players and coaches.
• Conducted pre-game inspections of equipment and field conditions for safety compliance.
• Collaborated with coaching staff to provide feedback on player conduct and sportsmanship.

Maintained cleanliness and functionality of church facilities to support weekly services and events.

Efficiently managed cleaning schedules to ensure readiness for ministry activities.

Developed strong time-management and organizational skills while serving the church community.