|
I've been in technology sales for about 9 years. I stumbled into it on accident due to my interest in technology, and ended up working my way up to an Account Executive position. I would be happy to answer any questions about sales and sales engineers on the technology side if there are questions.
|
#
¿
Mar 11, 2014 19:46
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 17:04 |
|
|
usernamen_01 posted:I'll bite. I didn't take any formal training beyond what was provided by my company. It is a fortune 50 company, so there is a large amount of training, but most of what you learn will be on the job. Leveraging the knowledge of your peers is always a good idea. They can often give you ideas or strategies you might be able to try out in a territory. Being at a smaller company can be difficult, because if customers haven't heard of you, it's hard to get engaged or to get sales leads. The biggest thing I always ask when interviewing is "What is the value proposition". If the interviewer doesn't have a good answer and I don't feel like it's a product I can get behind, it's not the job for me. When looking at a sales job, the product and company are one of the most important deciding factors. I have to feel like it's a product that people will want and it legitimately solves a problem in the IT space. Going up against a competing product will depend on a ton of factors, things like price, features, niche role, brand, buying options, etc. It really varies in each situation, and as you learn the space of the product(s) you are covering, you'll have a good understand of where your weaknesses and strengths are. mobby_6kl posted:I'm also interested in a B2B account executive role, specifically in enterprise software. I'm already working for the company in an marketing analysis/BI/data science type of position and was considering jumping on the sales training program that they've opened since I think I've hit a brick wall in terms of advancement here. It sounds like you are already passed one of the biggest hurdles, which is learning the products. Depending on the sales program, they might completely skip product knowledge (I hate this) and focus only on sales skills, or vice versa. There are a lot of different types of sales roles, and with the come a variety of job titles. Each company does things a bit differently, but the typical structure is having an Account Manager who does almost all of the phone based work, and handles things like quoting, administrative tasks like shipping, address updating, etc. Then you would typically have an Account Executive who is responsible for traveling to visit customers face to face, running with the opportunity and closing it down, essentially doing all of the face to face coordination. Typically the two work together very closely as a team. As far as money goes, if you are working in a phone based position in the tech world, you should be making between $40k-100k. If you are field based, you should be making $75k-the sky is the limit. I know some field people who make $500k a year, but the norm is probably closer to $150k-$200k. Typically you should avoid roles that are commission only as most reputable companies give a healthy salary in addition to commission (although there are exceptions to this). Sales is an interesting world to be in. Sometimes it's the most stressful thing I've ever encountered, other days I'm laughing that they actually pay me to do this job. Let me know if I missed anything or you want more details.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 12, 2014 16:41
|
|
|
Death of Innocence posted:My roots are in the Bay Area, if there's an industry I'm well located for, it's tech. I would definitely be interested in hearing more about this. How do I get in? There are a number of tech resellers that hire field sales people just out of college and provide training as you go. It sounds like you have some field sales experience, so you definitely need to leverage that when going for a role like this. You can also find resellers that will hire just about anyone for an inside sales role. The catch with those companies is that they generally offer a lower salary ($35k-ish on the west coast) and you are responsible for building your own customer base. This means your commission will be nearly zero for the first year as you build up an account set, but after the first year you will start to make some money. These jobs are super tough to get started with, but can certainly get you the experience you need to move up or switch companies. I'm not sure what the tech reseller climate looks like in the Bay Area, but I'm guessing there are a million to choose from. There are also well known national resellers like SHI who are always hiring field and inside sales people.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2014 16:35
|
|
|
Death of Innocence posted:Thanks, I'm going to go check this out. PM me if you have any questions.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2014 20:54
|
|
|
Man I would take that job if I were you. This is exactly how you get started out in sales, taking a job that might be risky and tough, but getting that experience to jump ship later on for something better. It sounds like the money is better than what you make now, your attitude is good, and the company has significant growth.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 12, 2015 16:22
|
|
|
What is your potential for advancement in your current role? How does that compare to a career in sales?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 12, 2015 21:15
|
|
|
Yeah dude, go work there. It's going to be a good experience and you'll be making six figures in a few years if you want.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 13, 2015 04:15
|
|
|
Kraftwerk posted:So far you guys have told me how great it is, but you're all successful proven sales people. I have no sales experience. If I was unemployed and had nothing to lose this decision would be a no brainer. But taking this job, means losing my old one and putting myself in their hands. I find the risk extremely frightening. This is how pretty much all of us got started. Starting out at a big well known company is probably the best way to dive into it. Like Lyon mentioned, everyone knows SF and that makes your life exponentially easier. There is nothing worse than cold calling for some unknown company or product.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 13, 2015 16:48
|
|
|
Kraftwerk posted:I've had enough of sitting here in my hidey hole. If I get an offer I'm taking it. The consequences be damned. I have three years banked on my resume with this company. I think enough is enough. I'm sure I can get a new job if I lose this one. At least I'll know for sure if sales is for me. Sweet man, I think it's a great move. Let us know how it turns out.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 13, 2015 23:01
|
|
|
What region of the US are you in? There are tons of tech sales jobs in most cities.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 17, 2015 22:39
|
|
|
Technology - servers, networking, security, etc.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 29, 2015 02:44
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 17:04 |
|
|
I think we've all been there before, it can be really tough to deal with the vicious cycle of needing to work long hours and getting burnt out from working long hours. Depending on where you live you might be able to find something as lucrative with a more reasonable time commitment. Personally I don't think most people can handle a long term sales career. I'm going on 13 years in sales and my plan is to make as much money as I can in the next few years, then transition to something else outside of sales. Definitely don't fall into the trap of spending all your income otherwise you will compound the issue of feeling stuck like you are feeling now.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 7, 2016 15:55
|
|