Susan Hickert
St. Louis
Summary
Sales training and enablement professional with a strong track record in developing and executing global training programs that enhance product knowledge and drive revenue growth. Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to align training initiatives with strategic goals, resulting in measurable increases in sales confidence and effectiveness.
Overview
33
33
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Manager, Global Value-Added Services (VAS) Sales Training
Visa
01.2021 - Current
- Manage the development and execution of global sales enablement/training programs and activities.
- Launched 10 Level 2 sales trainings for 450+ specialist sellers worldwide, developing a standardized template to address identified gaps in product knowledge and support scalable global rollout.
- Managed development of sales training content and aligned activities for VAS global initiatives, supporting managed services, implementation, and seller tools/processes to drive VAS revenue.
- Key driver for sales training supporting newly launched Seller Toolkits for 25+ priority products.
- Collaborated with NA VAS GTM team, sales and product leaders to plan and execute Bootcamp and build dedicated Compass page, enhancing support for priority products and driving revenue.
- Led development for global training frameworks for Bootcamps and AI Roleplay/Certifications to build scalable and repeatable processes, designed for regionalization.
- Led development and execution of sales engineers’ technical workshops (SEIW) for TMS and In-Person Accept, attended by 100+ global sales engineers and driving post-confidence score increases of 46% (TMS) and 83% (IPA).
- Manage sales training activities aligned to the product lifecycle management (PLM) process supporting the launch and enhancements of priority products.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams, helped shape the narrative and key contributor for Sales 2.0 courses supporting Visa Generalists.
- Key contributor for the global rollout and training of the Visa Value Calculator.
- Collaborated with sales leaders to build a six-week onboarding program. Initially launched with sales associate role and sales engineers, expanding to all sales roles and onboarding efforts.
- Collaborated with key stakeholders to launch sales methodology accreditation program, overseeing enrollment, assessments, artifact scoring, and dashboard development, achieving 100% accreditation for global specialist sellers.
- Worked collaboratively with Business Intelligence team to create Global Sales Enablement program dashboard to measure success, adherence and completions of sales enablement required programs (New Hire, Essentials, Role-Based and Products/Solutions Badging).
Training Manager / Sales Enablement
CardinalCommerce, A Visa Company
Cleveland
01.2014 - 01.2021
- Promoted to manage the development and roll-out of Cardinal Centinel online training certification; customized and launched the LMS (training portal).
- Manage a new product launch and go-to-market team for 3D Secure – a global update to support authentication for online transactions for all card networks.
- Work cross-functionally on Visa Direct team to lead and support global product optimization priorities and projects.
- Evaluated authoring tools and LMS options to determine appropriate software to develop and deliver online training modules.
- Develop product training modules for both merchant and issuer authentication products.
- Developed a demo for internal issuer and merchant products and trained sales team how to present.
- Work cross-functionally with Visa and CYBS teams to develop 3DS training for sales teams and partners.
Senior Manager, Sales Support
CardinalCommerce, A Visa Company
Cleveland
01.2011 - 01.2014
- Managed daily sales support activities including alternative payment brands, analytics, RFIs, internal and external sales training, process creation/enforcement, pricing, partner presentations/sales support, and technical implementation & documentation.
- Developed, implemented, and monitored sales campaigns with current payment brands to drive new leads and transactional volume in support of year-over-year growth.
- Managed process boarding new payment brands (business relationship, pricing, contract, technical, sales campaigns).
- Managed the development and execution of sales operating procedures, sales training materials, proposals and sales collateral for Cardinal Partners; coordinate the development and implementation of sales training (new hire and maintenance).
Associate Product Manager
Ther-RX Corporation
St. Louis
01.2005 - 01.2006
- Promoted to lead product team for two core product lines, successfully launching two products.
- Drove product management for two core women’s health product lines, including two successful product launches. Led strategic marketing initiatives, sales enablement, agency coordination, market research, promotional material development, and digital execution across six websites.
- Collaborated with sales teams on field training, sales-call support, and advisory board leadership to support product growth and meet sales goals.
- Evaluated women’s healthcare market needs to shape product development strategies at KV Pharmaceutical Co.
Director of Marketing / Sales Operations
Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital
Wichita
01.2002 - 01.2004
- Recruited to manage marketing and communications initiatives with internal and external constituents.
- A 65-bed acute medical rehabilitation hospital that provides comprehensive inpatient & outpatient services.
Account Executive
KWCH (CBS) | KWCV (WB)
Wichita
01.2001 - 01.2002
- Hired to sell television advertising programs to local businesses to achieve revenue goals.
- Two sister television stations serving the Wichita, Kansas market area.
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Wesley Medical Center
Wichita
01.2000 - 01.2001
- Developed and managed marketing and public relations plans to support hospital volume-driving strategic business goals.
- A leading acute-care hospital which includes the largest Emergency Room Dept. in Kansas and designation as a Level One Trauma Center.
Senior Communications and Marketing Coordinator
BJC Health System
St. Louis
01.1993 - 01.1999
- Developed and implemented marketing activities to enhance strategic core product lines.
- Supported operations at major nonprofit health care organization serving metro St. Louis, mid-Missouri, and Southern Illinois.
Education
Master of Health Science -
Washington University
St. Louis, MissouriBachelor of Science - Education
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TennesseeSkills
- Sales training methodologies
- Sales management
- Business development
- Strategic planning
- Partnership development
- Contract negotiation skills
- Process improvement
- Product innovation
- Project methodologies
- E-learning development
- Learning management systems
- Salesforce CRM expertise
- Digital content creation
- Video training tools
- Virtual training platforms
- AI training solutions
- Payments processing systems
- Authentication solutions
- Customer excellence
- Research methodologies
- Team collaboration
- Salesforce CRM expertise
Websites
Expatriate Experience
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 01/01/06 to 12/31/11, Relocated family to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for several years to support spouse’s career opportunity., Served as Board Member of American Women’s Club of Oakville, a social and philanthropic organization., As Lead Volunteer, trained and scheduled school library volunteers, coordinated book fairs, and led an accelerated reading group.
Timeline
Senior Manager, Global Value-Added Services (VAS) Sales Training
Visa
01.2021 - Current
Training Manager / Sales Enablement
CardinalCommerce, A Visa Company
01.2014 - 01.2021
Senior Manager, Sales Support
CardinalCommerce, A Visa Company
01.2011 - 01.2014
Associate Product Manager
Ther-RX Corporation
01.2005 - 01.2006
Director of Marketing / Sales Operations
Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital
01.2002 - 01.2004
Account Executive
KWCH (CBS) | KWCV (WB)
01.2001 - 01.2002
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Wesley Medical Center
01.2000 - 01.2001
Senior Communications and Marketing Coordinator
BJC Health System
01.1993 - 01.1999
Master of Health Science -
Washington University
Bachelor of Science - Education
University of Tennessee