Sales culture is toxic and micromanaged - Account Executive Appian Employee Review

2.0
3 Jul 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It's an up and coming company, possibly on the cusp of really explosive growth. Direct teammates are helpful and fun. Direct management tries to run interference because they can see how the culture change is killing the staff. It's a cool product that does a really neat thing.

Cons

Since the update of sales management at the beginning of the year, the culture has changed significantly. There is a high degree of micro management that is clearly more concerned with AE's checking the box on process instead of AE's focusing on radiation. It appears counterintuitive to new management that forcing AE's to do power dialing hours, do multiple types of QBRs in various levels across the quarter, and sending lots of daily email updates actually doesn't help AE's focus on doing what they were hired to do. Instead, it slows AEs down and has everyone feeling burnt out at the best and in constant fear for their jobs at the worst. They also don't give pay raises, so negotiate well. It appears there is anywhere from a $10-$15K gap in pay between AEs. You will either knock your target out of the park, or you will be scraping by for 1.5-2 years to bring in a new logo. Sales operations will tell you the average sale s cycle is 6-9 months, but they don't separate that out into industries or new vs existing logos. 6-9 months seems to be right for established logos in established industries.

Explore other reviews about Appian

5.0
11 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Supportive team that cares about your growth

Cons

Can be a bit bureaucratic

avatar
Appian Response
1w
We are glad to hear you felt supported by your team and that they contributed positively to your growth at Appian. We value your perspective and recognize the importance of balancing growth with agility. We remain focused on refining processes and reducing friction so our teams can continue to innovate and operate effectively.
4.0
22 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great team, great office, employees are all high intelligence

Cons

Slow to promote or pay raise

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All