A Software technical certificate for a Salesman

Back in 2019, I started working as a business developer for a SaaS company providing software testing services, and that was a shift from being a sales account manager for a software-house (selling and marketing mobile and web applications) to a SaaS provider (providing a unique service as software testing).

The shift was the change in the sales mindset from selling and marketing products to selling and marketing of services and the different approaches and techniques to be used and applied.

The Struggle

I struggled to make the first one Million in a single deal back in 2019, selling SaaS. The problem I was facing - from my point of view - was facing some technical difficulties while dealing with or while discussing our services with the tech and tech C-level of our prospects. These difficulties are technical topics and questions, but still, as a salesperson, it was an uncomfortable thing to be in this situation or to get a question in a meeting that you know you don't have THE ANSWER for, Of course, I always refer to the company’s COO or CTO to answer the question or in some cases go with me to meet. 

So I thought about the answer for this situation, and it was so simple, gaining more technical knowledge, some technical background, or technical know-how is the answer.

This - for me - can be achieved through study and a certificate, and this will level up my sales approaches and techniques and will for sure make me more comfortable in meetings with the technical guys. So I searched the career paths of the testing careers and found the first step to the start will be the CTFL - Certified Tester Foundation Level - from ISTQB - International Software Testing Qualifications Board -, and that was my first step.

“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to -music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don't just stick there scowling at the problem. But don't make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do, other people's words will pour in where your lost words should be. Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient." ― Hilary Mantel

My employer was not keen on developing my technical abilities or skills - later in 2020 my employer provided me with a technical essentials course - and that was - as explained - not the perfect fit for the job of mine - and a marketing training was provided early in 2020 to enhance our marketing practices and reach, and that has great benefits to be fair as our marketing and reach went high after this training. 

 The decision 

The decision was a critical one for me, as I was not good at managing my time or balancing Life-Work time. Spending too much time at work or at the office will leave you with little or no time to do anything else, study or even doing a freelance gig, which will be a very far dream to catch. So, I needed to organize my time schedule and start to fix my unbalanced time schedule to balance between work and study, and I really enjoyed the process of allocating the time and effort needed to study as it started to organize my time schedule and enhanced the output of my work.

The other option was to drop that technical knowledge approach and just rely on the technical team in my company to answer all the technical questions I will get, and of course, keeping in mind the wasted time through this process from scheduling new calls to answer the technical aspects with three - or more - people, each with his/her time schedule and calendar.

The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision. ― Maimonides

knowing that gaining sufficient knowledge and getting certified will take effort and time, and that will affect the unbalanced schedule and might affect the outcomes of as a salesman like me -that was my initial thought anyway- did not stop me as I tended to assign just 2 hours daily for the study and searching process.

I signed up for the exam - just 24 hours after searching the web and reading more about the impact of knowing more from the technical point of view of any subject - at ITIDA - Information Technology Industry Development Agency - SECC - Software Engineering Competence Center -as they are national organizations in Egypt that provide the exams from ISTQB, and by signing up the work started and the countdown for the exam and my study schedule.

Resources and help 

I turned to a technical friend who was working as a software quality engineer with years of experience and asked her for the material and the study path I need to take to gain such knowledge and then enter the certificate exam, and she helped me with the material and the social networks of testers and experimental exams. As well I asked my brother - a data engineer - to validate this move for me and to give me a holistic view of this step.

The more you ask, the more data and knowledge you will get about the subject, whether you are asking a technical guy or someone from the business side. This amount of knowledge will help you make the best-informed decision or the best data-driven decision, and that is very important for every decision whether it is work-related or in life in general.

Study, Study & Study

 In the first week of study - two hours were allocated each day for the study - the material and subject were relevant and it was very relatable and I was familiar with the logic and business topics until I started the technical parts and that is when it hits me with the technical terms and topics - I was studying mainly from the ISTQB Certified Tester Syllabus material - and some YouTube channels and videos about the same topic, so I started searching to get more data and to gain more and more knowledge about testing as a general topic and I found a lot of articles and videos about the topic and the business logic behind the workflow.

The more I read about the topic from the technical side, the more I became more and more confident and I noticed the increase in the success rate of my work during the study period.

The attempts 

The first attempt was not successful for me. I did not pass the success score however I got more than 50% of the total score of the test for just 20 hours of study - allocating 2 hours every day for 2 weeks with two days without studying -, and that was not at all sufficient for getting the certificate, and the small amount of practice played a huge role making the study and knowledge really fragile and weak.

But the second attempt was a successful one.

I took the second attempt in February 2020, with a different studying approach and more practical exercises applying what is being studied and learned. Searching for some MVPs and small mobile and web applications to practice on, reviewing the analysis documents I made for previous projects and the user stories and acceptance criteria as a static testing practice.

I passed with a good success rate. That was a big boost for me in my work, and I did not just get my first 1 Million in a single deal, I got a 3 Million deal, this deal was a big and difficult one as it was with the Egyptian government as a part of the digital transformation currently in motion.

The impact of success and knowledge 

What a great feeling, to be certified after investing effort, money, and time. A great feeling seeing the progress and improvement of my sales cycles and approaches in marketing and sales.

The knowledge I gained throughout my study and search had a great impact on the way I view the process of providing the service and the needs we are fulfilled by providing our services and why our clients respond the way they do about each change, timing, and service quality provided. Even the structure of our promotions changed to tickle some specific technical pain or very deep problems we knew to exist at every organization - according to its size and structure - and keep in mind COVID19 Pandemic and the huge effects it has during 2019-2020, and how uncertain and difficult environment and conditions the market is facing even till now in 2021.

And on a personal level, adding a new technical skill opened a new world for me and helped to enhance my career path making it more professional, well structured as well adding a new circle of networks and it opened more space and opportunities for me as a salesman. The network is crucial for sales.

We know what we are, but know not what we may be. ― William Shakespeare

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