One of the things you can do to start connecting with others is to comment below with your intro post so others will be able to see what you're about! I recommend that you copy and paste the template below (Pro-tip: Copy before clicking the link above). Say hey in the comments and start posting, next!

Name: Joe Huber

Title: Head of Community

Industry: B2C Community

Goals I want to achieve: Deliver the world's best community for Salespeople.

Hobbies: Spending time with my wife & daughter, camping, fishing, kayaking, golf, and voiceover work!

One thing you want to get out of being an Ascender: I want to see the people in this community be happier about their career trajectory.

Copy and paste to use this template

Name:

Title:

Industry:

Goals I want to achieve:

Hobbies:

One thing you want to get out of being an Ascender:

My name is Felicia Barbera. As a Senior Customer Success Manager (CSM), my focus for this training is mostly post-sales on NRR, and Cross-sell/Up-sell. I'm excited to join ascender and look forward to working with my account teams to excel in the way we consistently prove that we understand our customer's business and articulate the value and differentiation of our solutions in a way that rings true with our customers.

There is a lot to check out, so take your time and click around to find the things that are most interesting to you. This post about Navigating Ascender is a great starting point to see what's available to you in the community.

We'd love to hear from you about what you're loving and what you think could be improved, so be sure to join the Beta group and share your feedback there! We'll be having a celebration event on Tuesday, August 9th at 2 pm Eastern time. Join if you can to share live and win prizes!

The expectations for you during this Beta period is to help us out. You can best do that by:

• Log into the platform 3x a week for four weeks
• Take at least 1 course
• Engage in the community by posting content and/or responding to posts
• Participate in feedback surveys

If anything else pops up or you want to schedule some 1:1 time, please ping me and I'll be happy to set up some time to chat. Thank you again!

Next week on Tuesday, August 9th at 2 pm Eastern time, we'll be hosting a little celebration for our Beta testers. We'll talk about early findings, what you're up to, and even have a prize or two to raffle off! Click here to learn more about the event.

The event is being hosted in our Beta Testers Group, which you're also invited to join! Make sure you join the group, even if you're not able to make it to the event. It's a great place to share feedback and stay connected with others once the beta ends.

This post is all about helping you get set up in Ascender so you can best leverage the community, content, and curriculum that you're here for. Joining a new community can feel overwhelming. There are forums, groups, people, and lots of content to dig into. There's also a video at the bottom of this post that you saw during onboarding for a quick, less detailed overview.

We're here to tell you to take a deep breath and join discussions at your own pace. If something feels overwhelming, take a breather. We'll be here for you when you're ready!

Explore

The Explore tab is all about content. We're creating new content that's relevant to you and you can comment on how it's helping you there. We also have a discussions page around the Explore tab for you where you can highlight your takeaways and share things you're finding helpful.

Enroll

The Enroll tab is where you'll find courses and curriculum to help you advance your skills. Available here are all of our courses, certifications, and lessons. We also have a discussions page around the Enroll tab for you where you can highlight how you're using the curriculum in your day-to-day and what you're finding most helpful.

Engage

The Engage tab is where you are right now. This is the Ascender community and it's where you'll be able to learn, connect, and grow with other salespeople looking to level up. Even if you're already elite, this is a space for you to find tips and tricks while also sharing your knowledge and networking with other top salespeople.

Defining the community for you

To help you get around, we'll share some definitions and things for you to dive right into.

Discussions

Discussions are any post made in a forum or a group. These should fit with the theme of the area where you're posting. Be sure to follow our guidelines when creating or joining in a discussion.

Forums

Forums are categories for discussions and will allow us to keep things on topic. The forums are:

Networking & Connection

This forum is the place for members to introduce themselves and meet one another. Introduce yourself by sharing your name, title, industry, goals we can help you achieve, what your hobbies are, and one thing you want to get out of being an Ascender. Comment on other introductions and meet up with one another! This community is as strong as we make it!

Pro tip: Create a discussion and make an introduction post so other people can see what you're all about (Example and template here). Comment on 1-3 other posts and search for other people with similar interests!

Discussions for Explore

This is where we'll discuss the content we share on Ascender that's designed to help take you to the next level. You can share articles or videos here that you find interesting, as well. You can find more content in the Explore tab, above.

Discussions for Enroll

We offer a deep library of learning, education, and certification. This is a place for you to share how you're using that with others that might be going through the same courses. Tell us how you've implemented and used your learning in real life. You can find more courses available in the Enroll tab, above.

Peer Assist

Ascenders know better than anyone else what other Ascenders are going through. This space is designed for you to ask others on specific sales deals with any issues or breakthroughs you might have. Share your wins as often as your struggles. Elite is earned, but nobody said you have to do it alone.

Ascender Support

This is the place for you to ask Team Ascender questions about the platform. If you want to learn about a course, troubleshoot, get support, or learn how to use anything Ascender related, you're in the right spot.

Ascender Announcements

This category is for Team Ascender to share announcements with you about community happenings, new things happening in Ascender, how to use the space to your advantage, and more!

Groups

Groups are a collection of people that are looking to network together or meet others with similar interests. Ascender will create groups based on activities we're seeing. Some groups are private, but don't worry! You can apply or you'll be invited to those. The public groups are:

Ascender Book Club

This group will have a monthly book shared to the group that we all agree to read and share our take on it. We will host a live Zoom hangout for discussion and also a post designated for feedback in case anyone can't make the hangout.

Roleplay Center

This group is for anyone looking for a sales roleplay partner. You will be able to have open conversations about the specifics of the scenarios in this group and will be responsible for setting up your own roleplay conversations.

Groups Pro tip: Want a group that doesn't exist? Tell us about it in Ascender Support! Let us know what you're looking for, why you think others would be interested, and what kind of events or content you'd like if we did create it!

Profiles

Your profile is where you can upload a picture and adjust your notifications settings. We suggest that you make it so that you're only notified when you want to be, otherwise it can feel overwhelming or "spammy".

You'll also see Badges in your profile. As you participate in Ascender, you'll start to see badges awarded and can showcase your hard work!

Tags

On every Discussion, you'll be able to add tags that we've created throughout Ascender to help you find relevant content, regardless of Forum or Groups.

Badges

Badges are awards that you earn through activity. Commenting, creating discussions, completing courses, and more can lead to earning badges!

Search

If at any time you're stuck and looking for something, you can always click the magnifying glass icon above (or click here) to search!

A Brief Video Walkthrough of Ascender

Be yourself 

Use your real name and share information and experiences that are true to you.  

Don’t be afraid to ask 

You can start by searching for content, curriculum, or community discussions to see if others have already asked a question or started a discussion. If you don’t find what you were looking for easily, don’t be afraid to ask. Our community team is here to answer your questions and help you come up with solutions. 

Immerse Yourself 

Get the most out of your Ascender experience by committing your focus and attention to virtual instructor-led training sessions. You will have access to senior sales executives who will be leading discussions and sharing techniques that will help you level up your career. By immersing yourself in the training sessions, you’re giving yourself a huge step toward achieving your dreams. 

Be constructive 

Having a different opinion and being critical is great but only if it’s used to foster healthy discussions. Help others grow by giving them constructive and respectful feedback. Keep away from personal accusations or name calling. 

Be open to new ideas 

Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor, and staying in your comfort zone will never help you take those next steps. If someone is saying something that you disagree with, try to understand where they’re coming from. Attacking them isn't going to change their mind, nor will it result in a positive discussion. If you’re able to be open to new ideas and ways of doing things, you might find yourself growing in ways you’d never thought possible. 

Make the community your own 

The Ascender community was built for you to help you become the best sales professional you can be. It’s for you to connect with other community professionals, share your success stories, crowdsource ideas, strategies and best practices, talk shop, and build connections. Maybe most important, we built Ascender to find help when you need it in the way you want to get it. Help us shape this community into your growth platform. 

This is not the place for racism, hate speech, politics, or religion 

This is a place to talk about sales. While we want you to be yourself, we ask that you also don’t bring up ideology into the community where the focus is on becoming a better sales professional. Anything that someone else finds offensive and reports will be reviewed. You could lose privileges and access if you’re found to have made a comment with a bad pretense. 

Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in consequences - you may have access or privileges revoked or you may get a warning. This is decided by the Ascender community team on a case-by-case basis. If you notice behavior from other users that doesn’t align with these guidelines, report it at community@ascender.co.