10 Steps How to Get Into Tech Sales: Best Advice for New Salespeople

If you’re looking for a tech sales job, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I will take you?through 10 steps, that will up your chances at an interview for a sales tech role, if you are a complete rookie.

Let’s get started.

What Is Technology Sales And Why You Should Be Interested In It?

Technology sales is about the selling of software & hardware products and services to businesses and consumers.

Through the years, the tech industry is growing rapidly and it is in steady demand for sales professionals.

So, If you’re interested in a career in sales, technology sales is one of the best sales jobs you can score. It’s a high-paying, fast-paced, and exciting industry to be in. Plus, with the right skills and experience, you can land a tech sales job at one of the top tech companies in the world.

I hope I have kept you interested and let’s take a look at how you can get started and score a tech sales job or get some valuable information to advance your career.

10 Steps to Get Into Technology Sales

These are my 10 + 1 bonus steps to get to technology sales successfully.

Let′s dig in.

1. Learn Core Sales Principles

Anyone looking to start in tech sales should learn the core sales principles and I will cover the basics, such as prospecting, building relationships, closing deals, and maintaining clients in this article.

The first step in any sales process is prospecting, or finding new customers. This can be done through a variety of methods, including online research, networking, and cold calling.

Once you have identified a potential customer, it’s time to start building a relationship. This involves engaging with them regularly, providing useful information, and demonstrating your expertise.

Providing useful information and demonstrating your expertise to somebody else looks nice, but what is more important? The most crucial aspect of how to be successful in sales is to understand what are customers′ needs, pains, and business cases, react to them accordingly and provide the solution for these needs.

When you understand this, then you can start working towards the end of the deal, which is to close it.

This involves negotiating terms, preparing proposals, and getting commitment from the customer. Finally, once a deal has been closed, it’s important to maintain the relationship with the customer. This helps to encourage repeat business and referrals.

These are just a few of the core sales principles that you need to know to be successful in sales.

2. Take A Course In Sales

A sales course or sales training can be very beneficial if you want to improve your sales skills. The course will teach you how to identify potential customers, how to approach them, how to close a sale, and most importantly it will teach you better use of your communication skills and how to actively listen.

Believe me, listening is the most important thing in the arsenal of a successful salesperson.

You will also learn about the different sales techniques that are available and how to use them effectively. In addition, the course will allow you to practice your sales skills in a safe environment.

After completing the course, you will be able to put your new skills into practice and start seeing improvement in your new or ongoing career.

You can also check websites such as?AlwaysHired, which is an online training platform, which will also help you find a job, and train you for a job. It is solely focused on helping trainees and applicants to get a job in fast-growing start-ups and the largest tech companies in the world.

3. Learn The Tech Sales Lingo

If you’re in technology sales, you must have a firm understanding of the sales lingo. Knowing the terminology will help you better communicate with potential customers and close more deals.

There are many different terms used in technology sales, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with as many as possible.

Also, don′t overthink it, if you are applying for a tech sales job, you don′t need to know everything about every product. Try to understand, what the products do and be yourself. When you land the job, then you will also have many chances to train your technology sales lingo.

4. Be Ready To Learn A Lot

Any successful technology salesperson will tell you that self-improvement is essential to success in the industry. In a field where technology is constantly changing, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and products.

That’s why sales training that focuses on new technologies is so important. By staying ahead of the curve, you can be sure that you’re offering your clients the best possible solution for their needs.

It is not only about your technical skill and knowledge of all tech products or software products. You also need to hone your communication skills and learn how to solve problems efficiently.

Whether you’re new to sales or a seasoned veteran, make sure you’re investing in your education and training. It will pay off in the long run!

You might know the famous line by Alec Baldwin from the sales movie Glengarry Glen Ross: “Always be Closing!”, I will add a new line by Jan Amos Komensky (Czech 17th-century philosopher): “Always be Studying!”.

5. Do Research On The Company

When you are job hunting, it is important to do your research on any company you are considering working for.

This is especially true if you are looking for a sales job, as you will need to be confident in the products or services you will be selling. Technology sales is a fast-paced and competitive industry, so you need to make sure you are comfortable with the company’s products and sales process before applying.

Again, just get an insight into products and services. You don′t need to know everything by heart.

It is always a good sign for hiring managers, that a new potential tech salesperson can tell them their opinion on their product portfolio or pinpoint any emerging new technology.

You should also research their competitors to get a better understanding of the market. By doing your research, you can be sure that you are applying for the right sales job.

6. Leverage Your Experience

In technology sales, experience is everything. New and seasoned salespeople need to be able to introduce their sales experiences and any other experience, which will give them an advantage in the competitive technology sales market.

By leveraging their experience, technology salespeople can show potential employers that they have the skills and knowledge to be successful in the role. In addition, leveraging your technology sales experience can help you negotiate higher salaries and commissions.

You should also present your experience and past stories with your customers understandably to the person on the other side of the table.

For this, it is really good to use the S.T.A.R. structure for your story. You should describe the situation, task, action, and result and you should focus the story on your achievements and how you solved it.

7. Prepare a Professional CV

If you’re looking to break into technology sales, it’s important to have a professional-looking CV. Your CV is often the first impression you make on potential employers, so it’s crucial to put your best foot forward.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are many tools and websites, which can help you to score a new job.

Zety?is one such resource. With Zety, you can create a professional-looking CV in minutes. Plus, you can use the built-in analytics to see who’s viewing your CV and whether it’s making an impact.

8. Always Be On Time

It is important, that you manage your time effectively and you should be always on time. Don′t get me wrong, it is not 100% failure, if you manage to be sometimes late, we are just people, and mistakes can happen. But it should always be your motivation to be on time.

Time is an important variable in sales life, as you need to manage to do a lot of tasks with different deadlines, so you need to plan your schedule. Also, tasks might change on the go, so you need to prioritize your time ahead.

And you should in the end do your best to be on time. ??

9. Build Rapport

As a tech sales rep, it’s important to build rapport with your potential employer and also with your customers. A tech sales rep who can establish trust and understanding with their employer is more likely to be successful in selling the company’s products or services.

You will be also working with tech sales professionals within your sales team, so it is extremely important to build relationships with these colleagues as well as with software development teams.

It is not something, which should always be done without pressure. Just be yourself and be friendly to your colleagues and who knows, you might find also a few new friends within your team.

Just do not do this solely for your benefit and fake it, so you will get good connections and contacts. It will not bring anything good.

10. Work hard

As a tech sales manager, it is important to work hard to achieve profitable goals. Sales is not only about business lunches and marketing events. It is about a lot of work to find new customers and establish your portfolio.

Along with that, you need to always learn new things and understand the latest technology trends.

Additionally, tech sales managers should always be looking for ways to increase efficiency and productivity in their teams. By working hard and being proactive, tech sales managers can ensure that their team meets or exceeds its sales goals.

Bonus: Be Yourself

As a tech sales manager, it is always important to be yourself and stick to your values. This can help you in your sales career in many ways.

First, by being yourself, you will be more relatable to potential tech sales clients. They will see that you are a real person with real interests, and this can make it easier for them to trust you.

Second, sticking to your values can help you stay motivated and focused on your goals. If you believe in what you are selling, then it will be easier to convince others to buy it.

Finally, by being true to yourself, you will set an example for other tech salespeople. If they see that you are successful while staying true to your values, they may be more likely to do the same. In short, being yourself is one of the best things you can do as a tech sales manager.

What Is The Role Of A Tech Sales Rep?

Tech sales vary depending on your role in a company and your seniority but there will be a few basic duties for every sale role on the company side as well.

Sales jobs often involve discovering new sales opportunities, managing your company′s customer portfolio, and working on sales opportunities with the company′s partners via channel sales.

Some sales reps are also preparing marketing campaigns and senior sales reps quite often mentor junior sales reps.

What Are Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Sales Jobs

Sales jobs in the tech industry can be very lucrative, but they also have some disadvantages.

However, tech sales jobs can also be very stressful, and you may have to work long hours. In addition, tech sales jobs can be competitive, and you may have to travel frequently.

If you’re considering a career in tech sales, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons carefully before making a decision.

Conclusion

The world of technology sales requires a certain type of personality to succeed. The hours can be long and the travel often, but if you’re motivated by money then this job may just reward your efforts in ways other careers don’t!

Today a lot of AI tools are emerging. These tools might in the future change a lot of careers, as these tools will be able to do a lot of things by themselves, so some people might look for a new and more specialized job. But be sure, that demand for tech sales managers will remain the same or even grow in the future.

Also, software sales is most of the time fun and you can find many new friends in your sales team.

#sales #technology #HumanResources

This article originally comes from my blog www.jacobkubu.com