Transferring into Software/Tech industry

Hey everyone!

Was hoping to get some advice. I previously was an account manager in the manufacturing industry (3 years). I got some good experience both on the outbound side of things and the relationship management/customer success side.

I am in the job hunt and have been exclusively looking into Software/tech as that is where I want to be long term. But, I am running into issues not having the experience in the software industry. Although my sales experience has been good, I feel like I am at a disadvantage by not having the technical knowledge. And the positions that I am hearing back from are for positions I feel are below my experience.

Has anyone had similar issues in the past? If so, how did you get over this hurdle?

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12 comments

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boredAnti

Tycoon

That One Guy

Here you go, check out the Academy.

https://bravado.co/academy/breaking-into-tech-sales

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

ERP Sales

This has pretty much everything you will need

JLUKEE

Account Manager 2

Awesome, thank you so much!

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Most (good) hiring managers focus on transferrable skills versus technical/domain knowledge, as that can be taught.

Were you in hardware before? What kind of manufacturing sales did you do?

JLUKEE

Account Manager 2

That's what I thought too, but definitely struggling still.

It was custom manufacturing, had a software that digitalized the process end to end. But wasn't SaaS. So come to us with a project, upload CAD files, we work out the specs with you and produce the parts in 3d printing, injection molding, CNC and sheet metal.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Sounds like there was some complexity to it, vs just selling widgets.

Try to lean in on that, and a consultative approach (if you used one).

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

There are good threads on this via the search bar on the web.

saaskicker

Tycoon

Enterprise AE

Work with a recruiting agency / head hunter. They will prep you for interviews and find hiring managers that look beyond the resume and like other said, care more about the transferrable skill. The perk of working with a 3rd party recruiter is they get paid when you get a job, so they have an incentive. There's bound to be a few recruiters on here that could chime in.

Pachacuti

Politicker

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

There's a large % of recruiters who focus on the industry experience, but the enlightened few will see your overall experience. Focus on the results in your resume and transferable skills.

JLUKEE

Account Manager 2

I definitely will! Thank you!

salezkween

Opinionated

Enterprise Account Executive

Account management can be very different that Tech sales if you typically sold into an existing customer base. You may have better luck looking at Account Manager positions at tech companies than net-new sales.

Re: technical knowledge. Depends on the tech company you are looking at. Most sellers have limited technical expertise because they are paired with a Solutions Engineer. If the companies you're applying to don't have a dedication Solutions Engineering or Solutions Consulting organization - you may want to look elsewhere.

TheOverTaker

Politicker

Senior Account Executive

I made the jump from media to tech. It just takes a while to find a company that will interview you sometimes. If you have the skills, doesnt matter where you came from. They can teach you whatever you dont know. Just be patient