The First 3 Steps to Start Your Technology Sales Career

Embarking on a career in technology sales can be both exciting and challenging. Here are the first three critical steps to set you on the path to success, incorporating practical examples, strategies for efficiency, and a balanced approach to prospecting.

1. Define and Know Your Value

Understanding your value is crucial. Start by reverse-engineering why customers buy from you. Identify the top three things they appreciate about your service. If you're new to sales and lack this history, think about the qualities you admire in a salesperson. These might include reliability, product knowledge, and excellent communication skills. Use these insights to define your unique value proposition.

Example: When I speak to a new customer, I give about 8 seconds of company description to paint a broad picture as a national technology VAR, and then immediately say,

"The main area that IT Directors in your exact position have appreciated working with me over the last 18 years is that I understand the importance of speed and communication. Here is what I mean by that."

I then share a story to illustrate my point.

A few years ago, one of my customers emailed me at 5 in the morning. I have everyone set up as a VIP on my phone, so I get a notification when I get a customer email. I replied back and said, "Got it" (check out the full story here).

He replied back and said, "Jon, you do not need to reply to my email faster than an out of office message at 5 in the morning."

But I do. That's why customers love me, because I am committed to doing my best to be reliable and avoid them having to follow up or chase me down to spend money. I am blessed to have the opportunity that sales has given me. I am so obsessed with response time that if I walk to the kitchen, I have my phone in my hand, so customers will not have to wait 2 minutes for me to sit down again.

2. Forget About Metrics

Metrics are created as a way to monitor underperformers, but they shouldn't define your approach if you're committed to success. Focus instead on maximizing your effective efficiency. Remember, even small increments of productive time add up. For instance, just five minutes of extra effort daily can accumulate to 30.42 hours annually. This focused productivity is more valuable than chasing arbitrary metrics.

Time Efficiency: Time efficiency is critical. Start your day with a plan and stay organized. I have tried many routes and tools over the years, and the one that works best for me is a combination of flagging emails in Outlook and a paper to-do list that I rewrite each day. Do not work first-in, first-out. Work best-in, best-out, and value your time in blocks of 5-minute increments.

3. Massive Volume of Action

The key to breaking through the noise in technology sales is sheer volume. Whether you're cold calling, emailing, or engaging on social media, do more than seems humanly possible.

Starting off in my technology career in 2006, I made 36,000 cold calls in six months, and closed 36 accounts. While the close rate was terribly low, the sheer volume prevented failure. Compare this to my results if I had been making 50 calls a day, which would have resulted in only 6,000 calls and just six new accounts. Massive action ensures you stay in the game and increases your chances of success.

Balancing Volume with Quality: Know your ideal customer base and avoid the saturated customers and targets. I've seen many people fail because they go whale hunting or target government and school bids because they justify it by telling themselves

"It only takes a few minutes, and I only need to win one once in a while for it to be worth it."

It's a distraction!

You are building a business, and every minute counts, every action counts, and finding the best customers counts. When worked together, these actions create an unstoppable career.

By defining your value, focusing on efficiency over metrics, and committing to massive action while balancing volume with quality, you begin to build a strong foundation for an unstoppable career in technology sales.