Archive for category: Job Search

2020 is around the corner and you want to get a new job in tech sales. Problem is, you’re not sure if you have the experience. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll explain how to go about getting a tech sales job in seven steps, even if you have limited experience.

Step 1: Basic Research

Making any important decision in life, like lookig for a new job, often begins with research. In order to wrap your head around the tech sales ecosystem, do some basic searches around tech sales stack examples, major players in the industry, what types of roles there are, and how you can move up the ranks over time. Be sure to also familiarize yourself with the terminology of any verticles you are particularly interested in, as you would not want to be caught off guard in a conversation with a possible recruiter down the line.

Step 2: Build A Tech Oriented Sales Resume

Your resume is a representation of you, so you want it to reflect on you in the best way possible and highlight your strengths. Even if you are competing against seasoned salespeople, you can get the most out of the experience you do have.

Think back to your past experiences and pull together a summary of the most relatable sales skills you can bring over into your new responsibilities as a sales representative in the tech industry.

Not sure what those relatable skills might be? No worries, we’re here to help you out.

For starters, if you have any sales experience at all from a previous job that’s absolutely a great place to start. Whether or not you’ve specifically sold technology, if you’ve gone about selling anything, much of the selling process remains the same.

You’ll still be uncovering as much information as you can about your prospective customer in order to learn what it is that they want or need and then tying the underlying reasons behind that desire back to your product or service.

What if you don’t have any previous sales experience?

Don’t worry, you can still find a way. At the end of the day, sales is simply the profession of persuasion. No matter what kind of work experience you have, you’ll almost certainly have had to do some kind of persuading.

Whether it was persuading your co-workers to jump on board with your new idea or even to go eat together at a particular restaurant, what you’ve been doing is persuading people. That said if you really can’t think of any situations where you’ve done some kind of persuading, well… perhaps you may want to reconsider a profession in sales.

Let’s move on. So now you’ve got your resume all built up and polished. What next? Getting interviews. 

Step 3: Begin Your Job Search Process

There are many ways you can go about this. You can go directly to a company’s website to look for open positions if you have a specific one in mind, but more often than not you’re going to need some help with even identifying what companies you’d like to work for.

This is where platforms and recruiters can come in handy. If you do some searching online there are plenty of them, even ones dedicated specifically to tech sales, that you can leverage. Of course, we can help you too. 

Step 4: Make Sure You Prepare For Your Interview FAR Ahead Of Time

There are a few things you’re going to want to do before you step foot into the room with your potential employer.  

• Research about the company itself.
• Learn when they were founded.
• Learn their products and and unique value proposition.
• Discover what differentiate them from the other players in the market.
• Find any other details that seem important to be informed about.
• Recent news about and announcements from the company are always a plus.

Step 5: Learn Your Target Company’s Sales Process (And Picture Yourself In It)

Above all, you’ll want to really familiarize yourself with their sales process. After all, you are applying for a position in sales.

Prospecting

You need to understand the following things intimately:

• Who are your potential customers are and how will you find them?
• What tools or services will you be using?
• If you’re not sure, this can actually be a great question for you to ask during your interview.
• What are the tools and services the company is using today?
• Why did they choose to bring on those specific tools?

Engaging

Questions to ask yourself:

• How are you going to reach out and get connected with your prospects?
• What’s the reasoning behind your strategy?
• Based on the company’s target industry, market and customer profiles – what methods do you think will be most effective? And why?

Discovery

Here’s what you should do:

• Schedule a time to have a conversation with your prospect to learn more about them.
• What is their current situation?
• What problems are they dealing with?
• Based on what you uncover, think of the ways you can best articulate the ways in which your company’s products or services can alleviate those pains.

Closing

In technology sales, the step that usually comes after the discovery is the demo.

This is where you as the sales rep have the floor and opportunity to clearly illustrate to your prospect how their lives will be improved through the use of your product or service.

You do this by relating the benefits your company provides to the problems they voiced to you during the discovery part phase.

There may be a bit of back and forth after that in terms of negotiation and the need to deal with a procurement team but soon after the demo the final step you’ll want to end with is closing the deal.

This is when your prospect and the involved stakeholders have made the decision to move forward in doing business with your company and are willing to put pen to paper, or so to say.

Step 6: Revisit and Master Stages of the Sales Funnel

A great way to think of this process from a high level is to think of it much like a funnel.

In fact, the concept of a sales funnel is very prevalent in the world of technology sales and is something you’ll likely want to familiarize yourself with as well.

You can easily do a search for this term online and get a quick understanding of what it is and how it would work for a business. As a quick summary though, it’s the idea of taking a large number of leads, which you then refine into prospects based on some target criteria, and ultimately convert into customers by putting them through the sales process.

Awesome. So you’ve done your research and taken the time to understand what the sales process is and how it works. All that’s left for you to do now is nail the interview.

Step 7: Nail The Interview

There’s a ton of advice out there around the best ways to approach an interview but here are a few pointers to help you get started.

Be on time. In fact, show up a bit early so you have some time to spare. Trust me, having that little extra time before the interview to level-set and get your head straight can only bode well for you.

Next, keep in mind that most hiring managers are likely looking for 3 primary qualities.

Those are competency, character and the ability to learn.

Competency is simply a measure of whether or not you can do the job at hand. If given the opportunity, would you be someone the company can rely on to get things done effectively?

Character is important because let’s face it, whether you like it or not, co-workers are people we end up spending a lot of time with. As such your potential boss is probably looking to see if you’re someone he/she can stand having around and, more importantly, if you’re someone he/she can trust.

The last quality you want to make sure to convey to the person at the other side of the table is the ability to learn.

As a bonus, you may want to think about emotional intelligence too. This will help you to become more empathetic as a sales professional, something that employers definitely care about.

Sure, it’s great and all if you’re a good person who’s capable of doing the job at hand but, that’s not all that’s important in the work place. Change is imminent in all aspects of life and business is no different. Your boss is going to want to know that, should it become necessary, you’ll be someone who’s open to new ideas and willing to adapt to the changing circumstances rather than someone who is always stuck in their old ways.

Again there’s a ton more information out there on additional things you can do to do well on an interview but keep these things in mind and you should land your dream job in tech sales in no time. Now go out there and make it rain!

Imagine walking into your office on Monday morning only to discover that after months of courting your top prospect has terminated their relationship with you. Would you throw a fit and blame your sales team? Or would you take a moment to compose yourself and then start figuring out what went wrong? While we’d all like to believe we would choose the third reaction, emotions can be a difficult beast to tame. And although equating intelligence with emotion may seem like an oxymoron, emotional intelligence now accounts for 80% of the qualities responsible for success in the workplace.

And if you happen to be in the market for a new sales gig, emotional intelligence is one the most underrated qualities you can possess as a sales candidate.

The challenge? You can’t easily claim that you’re an emotionally intelligent person during an interview because it’s not a numerically measurable KPI.

Emotional intelligence on a resume is like a deflected pass in basketball. You know it makes a difference, but it’s hard to prove the ROI. 

So, What Exactly is Emotional Intelligence?

In a nutshell, emotional intelligence involves a person’s ability to recognize and regulate their own emotions as well as the emotions of others.

A study of Fortune 500 companies found that salespeople with high emotional intelligence “outperformed those with medium to low EI by 50%“. With numbers like these, it’s no wonder an increasing number of sales professionals are investing in the development of their emotional intelligence to obtain the following qualities.

Self Awareness:

Those with high emotional intelligence are self-aware, which means they know their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to customer relations. This is important as it allows you to understand how you come across to potential clients and promotes a relationship based on understanding.

Self-Control:

Self-control is also a trait of the emotionally intelligent and is especially important in sales. Dealing with clients is unpredictable, to say the least, which means the ability to control your emotions could be the difference between a closed deal and a lost one.

Empathy:

Empathy is the ability to understand what others think or feel. In other words, it’s the ability to put yourself in your prospective clients’ shoes in order to understand them better.

Much like self-control, empathy can save a strained professional relationship. Rather than pushing your own agenda, empathy allows you to understand where your client is coming from and enables you to provide them with what they need in that moment.

Fortunately, while some individuals naturally exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence, it is also a skill set that can be improved upon with the following practices.

Key Takeaways For Improving Your Emotional IQ

1) Scheduled Self-Reflection:

Salespeople are notoriously busy. Between answering and sending out emails, managing client relationships, and putting out proverbial fires it can be difficult to carve out some downtime.

Although it may seem counterproductive to put your day on hold for self-reflection, it could be the secret weapon you need to increase your sales. It takes time to examine our behavior and set intentions for change, without it our desire to improve is a moot point.

Whether it’s riding the subway or waiting for your spin class to start, find the time to ask yourself some introspective questions such as:

What did I do well today, and how can I continue that behavior?

What caused me to react poorly today?

What can I do differently next time?

2) Practice Empathy:

Take a moment prior to your interactions to view things from the other side of the table. Sure, your prospects may have a need for what you’re selling, but they likely don’t have the time to understand everything that you offer. This means they need you to be their valued shortcut that helps them to make an informed decision without wasting precious time.

3) Practice Responding, Not Reacting:

Remember the scenario above about losing a top prospect? The first two scenarios are examples of reacting to an emotional trigger, while the last scenario is an example of responding.

In contrast to an unconscious emotional reaction, responding involves making a conscious choice about how you will act. So, the next time someone cuts in front of you in the Starbucks line or uses the last of the coffee creamer at work – practice your cool, calm, and collected response.

Nobody said being a salesperson was easy, but there are times when it’s undeniably worth it. While the challenges you face every day may never change, your reactions can — all it takes is a little practice.

How To Negotiate A Job Offer

You did it. You received an offer. All of your hard work has paid off, and now all you have to do is accept and reap the benefits…

Not really. The question you should be asking yourself here is, “Is this a good offer?” Instead of jumping for joy and accepting your new position, read the offer’s details and weigh the pros and cons. As we discussed in the last article, there’s no such thing as a perfect job. Your offer will have weaknesses; it’s your job to find them and see if you can improve the circumstances through negotiation.

If it’s lower than you expected, never turn it down on the spot.

Don’t be too hard-nosed when it comes to negotiation. Sometimes ambitious job seekers draw a line and refuse to go lower than they desire. This could be a good thing and a bad thing. In order to draw this line, ensure you understand the value you’re providing to the company.

Do you really want the job? Are you ready to commit to a high standard of professionalism? Are you confident you will be successful in the position? How much money do you actually need? You must answer all these questions to know best what you should be paid. The market isn’t often wrong. Your value usually clearly translates to a company depending on commitment and revenue potential.

Be realistic about your position in your career. This will help you see clearly when going over the terms of the offer.

Tell them you’d like some time to think about it.

If you’re having difficulty coming to a decision, ask for more time. A corporation pressuring you to make a decision quickly is usually a bad sign. This decision is essential; you may need extra time to ensure you come to the correct conclusion.

Use this move sparingly. Nobody is going to wait forever for you to make a decision. Sometimes you may not know the right number for your salary or whether this company is the right one for you. But this is the nature of the business. Nobody ever has complete certainty, no matter how many excel spreadsheets they used to help them make a decision.

What will make you outstanding in your career in sales is learning how to trust intuition. Always do your due diligence, but sometimes you have to wing it.

Prepare a counter offer and explain why you feel you deserve it.

Let’s say you decide to accept the position, but you know you are worth more than they are offering. Now is the time for negotiation.

Initially, the salary they offer you doesn’t have to be the final number. When you have the opportunity to negotiate the deal, make sure you emphasize your ability to make money for the company. Project your anticipated long-term sales to show how much of a valuable investment you will be. Provide as much evidence as possible to prove how valuable you will be to the company. If you make a good case, it will be hard for your employer to turn you down.

You don’t need to act tough in the negotiation; show why you deserve x amount of dollars a year with facts and reason. Then, if they don’t budge, you can continuously pursue your other opportunities.

Always mention if you have any other opportunities in play to create urgency and healthy competition.

There’s an art to mentioning that you have other opportunities available tactfully. It would be best to make that clear before the offer is made in the initial interview.

Nervously saying, “I have another opportunity that will pay me to double!” will show desperation and reduce your bargaining power. Instead, let’s say you received an opportunity after making the offer. In that case, you can be honest. Tell them something better has popped up since the offer, and you are considering accepting. Don’t use it as a tool to insult them, be as honest as you can about the situation.

The increased sense of urgency may cause them to sweeten the pot to secure your position. If this happens, and you decide to accept, do it gracefully. The last thing you want to do after accepting an offer is to give your employer the feeling of “I win”; it will color your relationship negatively from that point on.

Always show enthusiasm and appreciation for an offer, even if it’s lower than expected.

You never want to insult the person offering you a deal. Even if the negotiation didn’t go as planned, you showed charisma and a desire to pursue what you wanted. The worst thing you can do at this moment is to show disdain.

The salary you accept when you take the job isn’t permanent. If you genuinely got less than you wanted, use that fuel to work even harder. Earn that next raise and make it come sooner rather than later. Prove to them that you will make it rain for the company. There will be no doubt that you deserve a more significant salary if you can consistently perform well.

Conclusion

At this point, you know everything you need to know about the hiring process. But, again, the habits you develop here will translate into how you perform in sales. Challenge yourself to be the best you can be. If you can achieve this, you cannot limit what you can earn.

If you are exploring new sales opportunities, consider working with Rainmakers! Apply now and view opportunities!

If you are looking to get a new job in sales, then you need to master the interview. The first impression you make on your potential employer will make all the difference, so it helps to get into the head of your sales manager or hiring manager. Here are the various things they’ll be focused on, so you can prepare your interview and increase your chances of landing your ideal position. 

Can I Trust You?

People want to do business with those they know, like, and trust. This includes who they hire. If your sales manager doesn’t feel they can trust you, then they won’t want you out in the field with real customers.

Don’t hold anything back in your interview. Be honest with them. If you have a troubled past, or certain weaknesses, think of how to present them to the manager while making them seem like they are faults that you can easily overcome. This is better than letting them find something bad out after the fact.

Are You Motivated?

Sales is not easy. If it were, everyone under the sun would be doing it. However, with the right motivation, you can succeed by getting more customers in the door and sales ringing at the register.

This is one of the first things on a sales manager’s mind, too. They want to be sure that you aren’t just talking the talk, but that you are deeply motivated to walk the walk. So ask your sales manager what kind of exciting goals they have and communicate that you are excited to achieve them for the company.

Do You Keep Yourself Organized?

One of the marks of a great salesperson is the ability to keep themselves organized. When you are cluttered, you can’t focus as much. You spend more time finding papers and getting into the zone than with customers. This is a recipe for disaster.

Any sales manager will want to see that you present yourself well, keep yourself in line, and maintain a clean work area. You can communicate this by the way you dress, talk, and act during the interview. Ideally, they will simply pick up on it thanks to the way you carry yourself.

What Kind of Experience Do You Have?

No matter how great of a candidate you are, the more experience you have the better. Sales managers love it when someone who has sold before walks into their door. It means they don’t have to teach you the basics of sales. Instead, they can train you on their specific way of doing things.

Think creatively about your experience in sales. You might not think you have a lot of experience, but in reality you could have more than you think. Anything that involves talking to customers and helping them solve their problems could be characterized as selling, so don’t leave anything off your resume that sounds relevant.

What’s Your Attitude Like?

A great attitude is one of the best things you can have in like. Your sales interviewer is thinking about your attitude the entire time they are with you. They are picking up on signs, small and large, that you are either a positive or a negative person.

Don’t make the mistake of talking about inappropriate things or having a poor attitude in the interview. Read some positive books or blogs before coming into the meeting. It will put you in the right frame of mind and let you radiate a positive attitude.

When it comes to sales today, it is more competitive than ever. You need to have the right strategies if you are going to work for a company you love. Sales managers want to produce more sales for their companies by hiring people who understand what is most important to them. So prepare your interview by reviewing the items above to show them you are on the same page.

-Guest Post by Craig Middleton-

Craig has worked as a Business Consultant, Real Estate Agent, and HR businesses for most of his professional career. He graduated at UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.