Working in Tech Sales: If you’re interested in connecting customers with the best technology, a career in tech sales could be exactly what you’re looking for. Depending on the company, you can sell hardware, software, or related services such as troubleshooting. Your main goal will be to help companies sell their products and services.
Tech salespeople talk to clients about their technology needs, answer their questions, and find solutions to their challenges. You’ll build business relationships while assisting clients with solving problems and improving efficiency. Educating customers and persuading them to select your company’s solution is central to a successful career in tech sales.
Besides making connections, you’ll help put together technology packages, create promotions, and inform customers about the features of hardware and software. Communicating with managers about sales numbers and teaming up with other salespeople is another important aspect of the job.
Aside from these benefits, jobs in tech sales are in high demand. To learn more about joining this exciting and inspiring field, read on.
Advantages of a Career in Tech Sales
Before you begin your career in tech sales, you’ll want to know the facts. Every career has challenges, even tech sales. The main goal of technology sales is to help solve the challenges that consumers face. If you decide technology sales is your ideal career path, you could be part of the next generation of salespeople who thrive while helping others. The following list represents some of the advantages we’ll be discussing.
- High demand
- Great pay
- Advancement opportunities
- Low barrier to entry
- Job security
- Interesting work
- Personal development
High Demand
In the technology industry, customer-facing roles are among the most in-demand tech jobs, and the industry is expected to have a faster-projected growth between 2020 and 2030 than any other current field. Companies are seeking tech sales talent to keep their products and services in front of as many people as possible. With technology becoming an important part of our everyday lives, companies have to keep hiring sales talent to meet the demand.
According to estimates, the global technology industry will reach a valuation of $5 trillion, with the United States comprising 33% of the global technology market. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 76% of companies have had to make changes to their IT department. This creates unprecedented opportunities for workers in tech sales. Recent graduates can expect better, more competitive salaries along with the ability to upgrade their skills in technology.
High Salary
You don’t need to pursue a technical career to make a good living. While it’s thought that the best paying jobs are technical, jobs in tech sales can result in a profitable career. With an average base salary of $60,000 and a maximum of $118,000, tech sales jobs are some of the best paying non-technical roles one can take on at a technology company.
Your starting salary amount will depend on your skill level and prior experience, as well as the standards set by your employer. The types of technology your employer sells and their level of success can impact the amount of your starting wage. The city you live in and the company you work for can also impact your potential earnings.
If you’re interested in using your selling skills on a regular business, high commissions are possible for those with the chops to sell technology. Commissions can increase your pay by up to an extra $12,000 a year.
It’s worth mentioning that some companies offer unique benefits to tech sales employees, such as health insurance, employee discounts, 401(k) matching, and other perks. Other possibilities can include prizes, trips, rewards, and annual bonuses.
Increased Technology Skills
While working in technology sales, you’ll get the chance to learn about emerging technology and how to use it. The technical skills you learn and apply will allow you to advance to new sales opportunities (such as being the team’s tech expert). If you’re constantly reading news about the future of technology, tech sales may be the perfect position to learn more while earning a pretty tidy paycheck.
Advancement Opportunities
Here are some of the titles you may hold during your tenure in tech sales, should you choose to advance:
- Account Manager
- Sales Engineer
- Sales Operations
- Account Executive
- Sales Leadership
- Sales Development
In recent years, the use of certain technology by ordinary people has drastically increased. To meet the needs of consumers, companies have had to increase communication and support for their technology platforms.
There are many opportunities to advance in tech sales. Opportunities to start a sales career can be found in software, information technology, food tech, biotech, edtech, fintech, cleantech, Greentech, and other emerging technologies. Once you can sell technical products and work with customers, those skills are transferable to other tech sectors.
It’s not surprising that some of the biggest names in tech got their start in tech sales, including Larry Ellison and Mark Cuban. Those at the beginning of their career will usually begin in an entry-level position such as business development representative, with a promotion to account executive just a couple of years away if all goes well.
After working for a couple of years in the field, your career path will depend on what interests you. If you’re able to demonstrate proficiency in selling, you’ll get to know business clients and consumers, advancing up the latter as you prove your abilities through closing deals. You’ll become so familiar with tech sales that you’ll transition to handling larger accounts, joining the marketing team, or even branching off to form your own company.
The growth of the technology industry has also created global opportunities beyond those in the United States. If your goal is to build a career overseas, you may consider Japan, China, Germany, Singapore, or South Korea. These countries have huge tech industries. If you’re bilingual, you’ll find even more opportunities available to you.
Low Barrier to Entry
If you have skills such as resilience, a willingness to keep learning, and the motivation to succeed at what you do, then you’ll excel at tech sales. You don’t need to meet strict formal criteria to work as a tech sales professional.
To succeed in a tech sales career, you should be curious, empathetic, and comfortable socializing throughout your workday. You should be able to learn what areas of technology customers are having trouble with, demonstrate that you understand their difficulties, and be able to point them in the direction of the best solution.
Since formal education or training programs for sales professionals aren’t common, it’s often a challenge for companies to find competent salespeople. Most people don’t have sales as their initial career plan. It’s typical for someone to begin their education with a focus on marketing or communications.
If you have a natural gift for selling, you’ll find plenty of opportunities in tech. Employers look for tech sales professionals with strong communication skills over exact technological knowledge. Even then, technology sales departments often have entry-level positions that require little or no sales experience.
Job Security
Workers in sales technology are often hard to replace. Companies need employees that interact well with their customers because they’re influencing purchasing decisions that help the company succeed.
Tech sales are not at the mercy of the supply and demand cycle like physical goods. Tech sales work can be done remotely if needed and with fewer resources. The combination of technology and sales means that the need for your work is unlikely to disappear. If you’ve built soft skills, there are many opportunities to find another role in tech sales.
Interesting Work
If you’re looking for work that will keep you inspired, a job in technology sales is a good choice. The work will keep your attention while providing you with the opportunity to find a niche that fits your interests. Working in tech sales is a great opportunity to network with people from various industries and companies. The experience you’ll gain working with such diverse groups can help advance your career and give you insight into other positions you may want to go after in the future.
Personal Development
Not only is tech sales fascinating, but it can also be educational and life-changing. You’ll find the majority of people you’ll meet during your workday interesting and knowledgeable. In time, you’ll develop life skills such as the ability to meet challenges and solve meaningful issues. It’s possible that if you excel, your employer will offer educational opportunities (such as specialized training).
Once you begin working with a sales team, you’ll share the goals of your fellow employees. By working together, you’ll develop excellent teamwork skills. Being able to work with coworkers as a team using communications software like Zoom shows versatility you can show in future jobs.
Though you may come to the job with interpersonal skills, you can build on this foundation by developing versatile soft skills to help you excel in your tech sales position or transition to another occupation. Improving your communication, technology, problem-solving, negotiation, and marketing abilities can further your chances of success.
