If you’re eager to get into tech sales, becoming a Sales Development Representative is a great place to start. It can set the foundation for a lucrative career in tech sales.
The tech industry is on track for record sales this year. Tech revenue is anticipated to reach $461 billion in the U.S. in 2021. Unsurprisingly, a lot of candidates entering the workforce or switching careers have their sights set on tech sales. But this also means that tech sales positions are highly competitive.
Sales 101
As a new Sales Development Rep, you will have an opportunity to go through your employer’s training program, and this can be incredibly valuable to your career development. Additionally, use this opportunity to learn what it means to be a professional salesperson. You may find that sales comes naturally to you, or you may find that tech sales is not the right fit (which is okay too). You may find that a sales career interests you, but you would thrive in a different industry.
If you do enjoy tech sales, there are many client-facing avenues tech sales may take you: Client Success, Sales Engineering, Account Management, and more. Good sales development programs typically have a career map to advancement opportunities.
Sales Process
If tech sales is the right career choice for you, starting as a Sales Development Representative will give you the opportunity to learn your organization’s sales process. Learning to follow a process and understanding how that process impacts revenue is very important. Sales process varies from solution to solution and company to company, and learning everything you can, as early as you can, will serve you well as you advance.
Sales Tools
Tech sales professionals have virtually unlimited tools at their disposal. Learning a few core tools will be critical for your long-term success. CRM systems, Rep Engagement, and Data Sources are just a few of the solutions you will become familiar with as a Sales Development Representative. Additionally, future employers will want to know which sales solutions you’ve worked with before, because it will impact your ramp time in a new job. Learning these tools could be the factor that will land you your dream job in the future.
Closing
The skill of closing is not natural to most sales reps. It’s a learned and practiced skill. Closing comes in many forms – not just closing on the deal. You can close on next steps, close on a scheduled call/presentation or close on product or solution fit. Learning how to close is critical to becoming a top-tier sales professional.
Starting as a Sales Development Representative can get your foot in the door of tech sales and help you understand if the industry is one you want to pursue long-term. If it is, you can move on to other, more advanced roles, like Account Executive, Account Manager, Sales Manager, and more.
What’s next for SDRs? Learn what a career path in sales looks like!
