Kara Sheftel

Process · Data · Sales · People

I replace the Sunday Night Ick with purpose.

I lead data and digital transformation from the field up: mapping every field and hand-off, building one trusted record of each customer, and turning it into revenue, profitability, and experiences people feel.

  • DegreeM.A., Strategic Communication and Leadership
  • PatentInventor, U.S. Patent No. 12,370,128, Baby Bottle System (2025)
  • NowDirector of Sales and Solutions Engineering, Boston Document Systems. Founded its first Sales Engineering function.
  • Range25 years across sports media, live events, financial services, and enterprise technology

Follow one field

Every piece of data has a journey. I map all of them.

Take a single answer a customer gives on day one. I trace where it's captured, who touches it, which systems depend on it, and what decision it should eventually drive. Then I do that for every field in the organization, until each customer has one record that sales, operations, service, and finance all trust.

At BDS that meant connecting on-site data capture to assessment, quoting, and deal approval, so the numbers gathered in a client's building flow straight into the proposal and back to the client as their own story.

story.back_to_client → "here's what your own numbers say" Site capture site.devices site.volume Assessment needs.workflow deal.strategy Quote price.config lease.terms Deal desk approval.stage proposal.rank sync trigger roll-up CAPTURED ONCE USED EVERYWHERE
Data moving through systemsInsight returning to people

What I do

Three disciplines that usually live in separate departments.

Most organizations hire one person to fix process, another to train people on new systems, and a third to sell. I connect them, because each one is stronger when it's fed by the other two.

Process

End-to-end process reengineering

I map who does what, when, and in which system, then build the structure that ends an organization's dependence on memory and individual heroics.

  • Assessment, quoting, and deal-approval workflow design
  • Ranking logic and standard outputs for proposals
  • Scalability risks spotted before growth hits them
Enablement

Platforms people actually use

I turn scattered knowledge into searchable, governed systems and training, and I lead the change that makes a new platform stick.

  • Enablement platform rollout, taxonomy, and governance
  • Digital Sales Rooms and Conversation Intelligence
  • Training videos, job aids, quizzes, and AI role-play
Sales

Selling with the client's own story

I capture a client's data on site with a mobile app, then show their leadership their own operation in clear visualizations, with savings they can see.

  • Site assessments and fleet analysis
  • Business cases and proof-of-concept strategy
  • C-suite presentations that close above 90%

How an engagement runs

From a phone in the field to a changed business.

The same sequence works inside my own organization and in front of a client.

01 · Capture

Gather it at the source

Collect the real data where the work happens, on a phone, in minutes, with no spreadsheets to chase.

02 · Map

Follow every field

Trace where each piece of information travels, who depends on it, and where it breaks down.

03 · Mirror

Tell their story back

Show people their own numbers in plain language. This is the moment the emotion behind the data shows up.

04 · Transform

Recommend and rebuild

Turn what we found into specific savings, a cleaner process, and a plan the team actually believes in.

What I deliver

What I deliver, and the proof behind it.

Each line pairs a responsibility of an executive data and transformation leader with work I have already done.

Unified data ecosystem

One record, captured once, used everywhere

At BDS I mapped who does what, when, and in which system across the company. I connected on-site data capture in FastFields to Agent Dealer, designed the assessment and deal-strategy tools that feed CPQ, and set the ranking logic that standardizes device, lease, configuration, and proposal data for Sales Engineering and Deal Desk. Next on my roadmap: Power BI and Smartsheet automation for consistent output at scale.

Systems architecture

Building data systems since ESPN

As Systems Architect and Music Coordinator at ESPN, I designed the Music Usage Tracking Database for the Network Control System, supporting audit-ready licensing compliance and broadcast operations across six networks. At HB Live I produced investor meetings, product launches, and executive events for Medtronic, Gartner, Swiss Re, and Dartmouth.

Revenue and pricing

Profitability, pricing, scale

I build pricing strategies and recurring-revenue models. I used deal-approval math to show leadership that acquisitions would overload pricing and approval workflows, and flagged the bottleneck before it hit. Earlier, I grew a store's revenue 24% in six months without raising prices.

Customer journey

Experiences built from the customer's own data

I capture a client's data on site and turn it into their own story, with savings and efficiency recommendations, a method that closes above 90% with midmarket and enterprise clients. I also piloted Digital Sales Room templates that give each client one organized place for resources and proposals, with engagement visibility and follow-up triggers. The same approach works for any customer journey, from first contact to renewal.

Digital and AI

Responsible AI, built to scale

I integrate AI responsibly: simple automation before continual prompting, security and compliance before scale, and proprietary and personal data protected throughout. I evaluated Conversation Intelligence and AI simulator use cases for an enterprise enablement platform, built AI role-play into sales training, and run daily work through Copilot. I was selected to present Everyday AI to the National Criminal Justice Association, covering hallucination, how models are trained, OCR and ICR, and practical prompting.

Digital marketing

Content that wins the zero moment of truth

I produce BDS's YouTube tutorials and social content and built its internal communication channels. I co-founded a nonprofit community of 1,000 members, where I ran a multi-layered social media plan, published a monthly magazine, and built the website, using Google Analytics and SEO tracking to plan monetization.

Executive communication

Technical ideas in plain business terms

I present data visualizations to C-suite teams deciding on digital transformation, own executive reporting on major initiatives, and advise BDS leadership on go-to-market strategy and emerging technology. I've coached C-suite presenters and taught public speaking at the college level since 2014.

KPIs and ROI

Measuring what changed

I develop business cases from site assessments and print analytics, including consolidation math that shows a client exactly what changes in cost and contract. I designed standardized solution frameworks and dashboards to improve sales execution and proposal consistency.

Change leadership

New systems people actually adopt

I founded BDS's first Sales Engineering function. On the enterprise enablement platform rollout, I owned the content taxonomy, governance, approval flows, and super-user testing, and diagnosed where adoption stalled across urgency, coalition, shared vision, and ownership. At HB Live I directed cross-functional teams of more than 50.

Systems I work in
  • Salesforce
  • CPQ
  • Agent Dealer
  • FastFields
  • Allego
  • Power BI
  • Smartsheet
  • SharePoint
  • Excel
  • PowerPoint
  • Copilot
  • Teams
  • MyQ
  • PaperCut
  • Vyond

Results

What changed when the data started flowing.

Three results, each with one number.

90%+

Close ratio with midmarket and enterprise clients

My data-driven sales method captures each client's data on site, then presents it back to their C-suite as visualizations that make the case for digital transformation.

Up to 60%

Client efficiency gains

I redesigned client processes, automated their workflows, and aligned their technology to how the work actually gets done.

+24%

Revenue in six months, with no price increase

As a store manager, I redesigned the floor plan to create more sales opportunities and took over pricing and selection across product lines.

Career

Twenty-five years of turning information into experiences.

Sports media, live events, financial services, and enterprise technology, with teaching running through all of it.

  1. 2025 – now

    Director of Sales and Solutions Engineering · BDS

    Founded and scaled the company's first Sales Engineering function. Advise the executive team on go-to-market strategy, emerging technology, and enablement.

  2. 2021 – 2025

    Sales Engineer · BDS

    Designed workflow automation, print management, and software solutions for major accounts, improving client efficiency by up to 60%.

  3. 2017 – 2021

    Senior Sales Executive · ACT Group, a BDS company

    Grew client relationships with customized proposals, pricing strategies, and recurring-revenue recommendations.

  4. 2014 – now

    Adjunct Professor of Communication · Connecticut community colleges

    Public Speaking, Introduction to Communication, and American Film.

  5. 2014 – 2017

    Co-Founder, Arthritis Rebuild · Business Development, Taylor Rental

    Led a nonprofit community of 1,000 members with 16 volunteers. Designed corporate and private events.

  6. 2012 – 2013

    Account Manager · HB Live

    Produced executive events for Medtronic, Gartner, Swiss Re, and Dartmouth, directing teams of 50+.

  7. 2006 – 2011

    401(k) Plan Manager · The Hartford

    Turned around partner relationships, strengthened financial integrity of acquired plans, and led a compliance data project.

  8. 2001 – 2005

    Systems Architect and Music Coordinator · ESPN

    Designed the Music Usage Tracking Database for the Network Control System across six networks.

Education
  • M.A., Strategic Communication and Leadership, Seton Hall University
  • B.A., Liberal Studies, Western New England University
  • A.S., Communication, Manchester Community College
Leadership and speaking
  • Chair, Community Impact Team, Health and Wellness, Middlesex United Way
  • Presidential Advisory Council, Middlesex Community College
  • Innovation and Technology Advisory Board, Hebron Public Schools
  • Speaker: National Criminal Justice Association, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, Middlesex United Way

What I believe

Every number was a person's Tuesday afternoon before it was a data point.

On data

Dashboards don't change organizations. People do, once they can see themselves in the numbers and trust what they're looking at.

On culture

Transformation sticks when people understand it. I build cultures with clear ownership, fast decisions, and teams that do their best work.

On AI

AI is powerful, and it has to be integrated responsibly. Where a simple automation does the job, it beats a prompt someone has to run every day. Proprietary information and personally identifiable information stay protected, and compliance requirements are met first. Once the security parameters are in place, dream big, and let thoughtful AI take you there.

Now exploring

Ready to lead your transformation.

Next, I'm taking on an executive role leading data and digital transformation, where one connected view of the customer drives revenue, operations, and the experience people have, in the building and online.

Email
karasheftel@gmail.com
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/karasheftel
Location
Greater Hartford, CT · open to Boston