Michael Clifford
About Michael Clifford
Michael Clifford is a Strategic Account Executive with extensive experience in sales and account management, currently working at Handshake. He has a strong background in building relationships with C-Level executives and a proven track record of closing significant deals with Fortune 500 companies.
Current Role at Handshake
Michael Clifford currently serves as a Strategic Account Executive at Handshake, a position he has held since 2023. He operates in a hybrid work environment based in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this role, he focuses on developing relationships with clients and understanding their business needs to provide tailored solutions.
Previous Experience at Salesforce
Michael Clifford worked at Salesforce for 16 years, from 2003 to 2019, in various roles including Strategic Account Executive and Senior Account Executive. His tenure included positions focused on Financial Services and Media & Communications. He developed a strong understanding of client needs and was instrumental in closing significant deals during his time there.
Experience at Other Companies
In addition to his time at Salesforce, Michael has held positions at several other companies. He worked as a Strategic Account Manager at Okta, Inc. from 2019 to 2021 and as a Senior Account Executive at Slack from 2022 to 2023. He also spent time at Qualified as a Strategic Account Manager and at Personify as an Account Executive, contributing to his extensive experience in account management and sales.
Education and Academic Background
Michael Clifford studied at San Francisco State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Speech Communication from 1992 to 1996. His academic background has equipped him with strong communication skills, which he applies in his professional roles.
Sales Expertise and Approach
Michael has a proven track record in sales, particularly in closing six and seven-figure deals with Fortune 500 companies. He employs a solution-based, consultative selling approach, focusing on understanding business and technical challenges faced by clients. This strategy enables him to build deep, trusted advisor relationships with C-Level decision makers.