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butsoi

BDR

Personal Narrative
Good Citizen
Contributor
+1

How to start in Tech Sales

Hey everyone, question is the title. I'm an experienced sales person from the financial services industry wanting to make a career change into an SDR role. 

How did you get started, or what pieces of advice could you provide for a motivated sales professional?

🎯 Career Development
💵 Finance
🛡 Insurance
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bendandsnack
Politicker
4
Account Exec
Personally, I don't think it's that hard to get into, especially in this job market, especially in tech where there's a massive talent gap as it is.

I work for a big tech services partner, and I think starting working with a Big Tech partner has been a good networking foot in the door with the big dogs.

If you really want to be a go-getter you could work on one of the more high-level tech certs into the sub-industry you want to get into.  For ex. if you want to get into cloud you could take the Google Cloud Digital Leader or AWS Cloud Practitioner. 

Some tech companies(at least the one I work for) are easily impressed by someone who shows that they're willing to make the effort to learn, even if they don't come from a tech background. 
butsoi
Personal Narrative
1
BDR
I am seeing tons of listings for remote work in tech. The certifications are a great point, thanks for bringing that to my knowledge.
suhdude
Opinionated
0
Sales Rep
I'm in the same boat as you (life insurance agent last 2ish years) - where specifically are you seeing these job listings?
butsoi
Personal Narrative
1
BDR
A lot of them I’m seeing on LinkedIn
FormerStartupJobHopper
Tycoon
1
AE
Selling is not that different, you'll just need to learn the product. Btw if you've been in finance sales for a while, don't sell yourself short. Go for AE roles. A recruiter/hiring manager will tell you if you need to be an SDR first but I wouldn't assume
butsoi
Personal Narrative
0
BDR
Good to know, thanks for your input. Are most people finding tech sales positions on LinkedIn, or are there specific job boards you would recommend?
FormerStartupJobHopper
Tycoon
1
AE
I've found every job I've had on LinkedIn
bendandsnack
Politicker
1
Account Exec
AngelList is good if you want to work at a startup, might be an easier place to start as an AE
HappyGilmore
Politicker
1
Account Executive
I came from the sports industry and took the same route you're about to take (SDR as the first role in tech), and soak it all in once you get into the role. Pick the brains of other SDR's & AE's and be a sponge, and go crush it.
Upper_Class_SaaS
Politicker
1
Account Executive
I went through a sales boot camp which was helpful 
SiliconBBQ
Politicker
1
The Metal Rooster
Arrive with high aspirations, and develop a phenomenal filter for bullshit inside and outside your org.
TennisandSales
Politicker
1
Head Of Sales
I did exactly this. I was a financial rep (investments and insurance) for 4.5 years, managed a team. 

Then moved to Saas and started as an SDR. 

I would look for a tech company that sells to financial services. is there a tech you used in your job? or your company used?? 

Go look to see if you can work for that company. 
You experience will be appreciated. 
butsoi
Personal Narrative
0
BDR
Great insight, I appreciate it. I’ll look more closely into the financial side
Diablo
Politicker
0
Sr. AE
You can also find some relevant discussion happened in the past using the search bar within Bravado
Beans
Big Shot
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Networking for industry hops would be very helpful.

Any evets in your area or online you can attend?
butsoi
Personal Narrative
1
BDR
I am not in a large city, but I can check to see if there are any remote options like you mentioned.
Ace
Arsonist
0
CEO
Sales in Tech (especially if its SaaS) involves a lot of knowing the product. Demos could get pretty technical based on what department you are selling to and getting the right terms is absolutely crucial. Apart from that, selling isn't that different than finance.
SaaSyBee
Politicker
0
Founder
It's honestly super hard to break into. If you join a program like Aspireship or Elevate, they'll help place you in a role so would suggest starting there. And communities can help too.
butsoi
Personal Narrative
0
BDR
Great comment, I’ll look into both of these.
Annonny
Big Shot
0
Account Executive
Tech is kind of broad..what kind of tech?
CuriousFox
WR Officer
0
🦊
Everyone is hiring. Shouldn't be hard for ya.
butsoi
Personal Narrative
0
BDR
Update for those interested, just accepted a BDR position in DevOps space, thanks for the advice all!
flyredthunda
Contributor
0
Account Executive
Check out Corsera.com they have a lot of free and cheap certificates. Whenever I have free time I try to finish a few quick courses. I have a promo code if you want it.

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