What Is Tech Sales? How to Get Into Tech Sales.

Some of the most valuable companies in the world are in tech. As the industry has surged, so too has the number of tech sales jobs. Job growth for sales managers is expected to be around six percent through 2033, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And with roles like account executives (AEs) making well over the median U.S. salary, it’s a lucrative field to get into.

Below we cover everything you need to know about tech sales jobs, including what tech sales is, the pros and cons of the job and how to break into the industry.

What Is Tech Sales?

Tech sales usually involves selling software as a service (SaaS) to other businesses. Unlike retail or insurance, tech sales focuses less on promoting a product and more on helping a customer solve an issue to motivate them to make a purchase. Since tech products are often subscription-based, sales teams build relationships and work on helping buyers see the value of a product in the long term.

Tech sales is often a more complicated exchange that involves building relationships with multiple stakeholders within a company. To help with that, companies often rely on sales methodologies that focus on helping the rep create value for the buyer and urgency for the deal. 

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What Does a Tech Sales Rep Do?

The day-to-day of a tech sales job varies on what position you hold and your seniority level, but there are some basics that apply to sales roles across the board. 

Tech sales jobs often involve identifying new sales opportunities and talking to clients about what issues they face and how your product could help. For some, this may look like cold calling clients, connecting with past leads or discovering new leads through networking. 

Others working in tech sales may focus on demonstrating their company’s product or service. This can range from a casual conversation with a client to a more formal demo on how a product works or a discussion about the ROI it’s delivered to clients in the past.

Following up with existing clients and customers is essential to many tech sales jobs too. That may be sending quick emails or scheduling check-ins over the phone or video chat. 

Many senior tech sales roles require using data to set quotas and report on metrics. That may also include helping others in the organization understand how the company is doing financially and highlighting the impact of its products by gathering client testimonials and feedback. Being able to report and present relevant sales data to other teams is essential for tech sales positions.

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What Skills Do You Need in Tech Sales?

When Josh Jordan started his sales career in the late 2000s, he thrived in his first sales role working for a serial entrepreneur, but he struggled in his tech sales job. He quickly learned that success in one sales job doesn’t necessarily translate to another. It requires mastering tools, skills and sales workflows to solve problems for customers.

While there are differences between tech sales and other industries, the two most important skills tech managers look for in a candidate are universal: communication and listening. 

Clear communication paired with the ability to tell the story of a product ensures that clients understand the value behind a product. Active listening is important because salespeople need to address client needs and understand them.

Some software firms also look to see if a candidate has a grasp on modern sales methodologies and can fit within the tech sales culture. This can range from solution selling to gap selling to enterprise sales.

A lot of tech companies will post jobs that require some software sales experience, even for entry-level roles. This creates a barrier that prevents talented reps from other industries from even applying, Jordan said.

“What they really want is proof that you can do the job better than most of the other applicants,” he added. 

Sometimes, Jordan said, the hiring process can come down to whether the person can manage tools like Salesforce and Outreach, understands how to listen and communicate well and shows aptitude for methodologies like relationship selling.

Continuing your career development in sales is an important part of staying up to date on the latest trends and sales techniques. The tech sales industry is home to conferences that allow professionals to meet and connect, attend lectures and courses and try out new tools. 

Sales professionals also have a wealth of books and podcasts to help them continue their education and elevate their skills.

What Kinds of Tech Sales Jobs Are Available? 

Tech sales boasts a rich job ecosystem that caters to varying interests and levels of experience. Here are some of the most common positions found on tech sales teams: 

• Sales Development Representative (SDR): Informs prospects about a company’s products and services, connecting qualified leads with account executives. 
• Business Development Representative (BDR): Performs a role similar to an SDR, reaching out to prospects, sharing information and funneling qualified leads to AEs. 
• Sales Engineer: Leverages technical expertise to lead product demos, troubleshoot customer issues and support the sales team in other ways. 
• Inside Sales Representative: Reaches out to leads via phone or email to share information about products and services and guide them through the sales process. 
• Account Executive (AE): Responsible for running product demos and closing deals while performing many of the same outreach tasks as SDRs and BDRs.
• Account Manager (AM): Takes over new customers brought in by AEs, ensuring a positive customer experience and looking for upselling opportunities.  
• Customer Success Manager (CSM): Functions similarly to an AM, maintaining strong customer relationships and cross-selling and upselling to existing customers.
• Sales Manager: Leads and trains sales teams. They’re also responsible for setting quotas based on sales data and establishing product pricing and sales budgets.
• Sales Director: Works closely with sales managers to create and execute strategies, lead onboarding and training and set quotas and expectations for the sales team.
• Vice President of Sales: Oversees the entire sales team. VPs typically present sales information to key stakeholders and work closely with finance teams to set goals.

Why Work in Tech Sales? 

Advantages of a Career in Tech Sales

Getting a job in tech sales comes with many benefits, some of which may be the ability to work remotely, high average salaries and earning potential, and job mobility. 

Remote Friendly

With remote work and hybrid models as options, there’s less pressure to come into the office to make a successful sale. Remote selling is beneficial for both salespeople and companies as it allows reps to have more independence and companies can spend less on office or travel-related expenses.

High Earning Potential

The average salary for a technical sales representative in the United States is around $78,000. Salary is an important factor when it comes to making a career choice, and those in tech sales have the opportunity to make base salaries and bonuses or commissions from the deals they close.

Career Mobility

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be around 1.8 million available sales positions each year, which means there are often many open sales roles in tech. Although most tech salespeople start as a representative, there is typically a clear career path within an organization that employees can work toward. An example of this might be a sales rep who transitions to account manager, then to AE and then to sales manager.

Disadvantages of a Career in Tech Sales 

As with any career, there are also disadvantages to tech sales jobs.

Difficult to Switch Industries

The tech sales process differs from more traditional sales industries. Reps in fields like retail or insurance primarily sell to buyers at the tail end of the sales funnel. The buyer has already made their decision, and the main difference maker is whether the rep is likable or not, Jordan said. That success doesn’t always translate to tech sales, where buyers have more choices and the deals are more complex.

High-Pressure Culture

The culture surrounding sales teams in the tech startup industry may also present some difficulties. Some candidates come from places that still promote a “coffee is for closers” culture. As a result, they may think their ability to sell sawdust to a lumber mill is an attribute, but it’s an immediate turn-off for hiring managers at tech companies.

One major downside to tech sales is the pressure to meet quotas. Although this is common in most sales industries, tech companies rely on clients’ renewals of subscriptions more heavily than other industries. The pressure to maintain an ongoing relationship with clients is both vital to success and a challenge to sales reps and account managers. 

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How to Break Into Tech Sales

When Jacob Gebrewold applied for an open tech sales job at Klue, he figured the company wouldn’t be looking to hire someone like him. While he had five years of sales experience, a lack of tech background is often all it takes for a resume to sink to the bottom of the stack. He knew he’d have to outsell his competition for the role.

“The central thesis of how I broke into Klue was that I have to show them that I’m significantly more creative than anyone else they can hire,” Gebrewold said.

Gebrewold’s persistence paid off, but his experience also underscores how there isn’t one clearly defined way to break into tech sales.

A bachelor’s degree can lead to higher-paying positions, easier job mobility and more management opportunities. Some commonly held degrees by tech sales professionals include business and marketing degrees. But having a bachelor’s degree isn’t the only way to get into tech sales, and some companies don’t require a degree. Sales bootcamps and courses can teach students how to build a sales pipeline, work with a CRM and perform other sales tasks.

If a candidate follows a few tried-and-true tips, they can better their chances of landing an interview — and nabbing a job.

1. Connect With Other Tech Sales Professionals

After joining LinkedIn in June of 2020, it didn’t take Gebrewold long to note that tech sales had its own jargon and values. If he wanted to work in tech, he realized he’d have to be seen as part of the tech sellers community. Fortunately, he found it to be one that welcomed outsiders eager to learn and join the fold.

To immerse himself in the industry, he joined sales communities like RevGenius and engaged people in the comment sections of sales posts that caught his attention. When a rep shared something he wanted to learn more about, he’d reach out asking if they’d be open to meeting with him on Zoom to discuss. More times than not, they obliged.

He used those opportunities to ask which frameworks and methodologies they found useful. Then he bought the accompanying sales books and read them. Over time, he picked up important tech sales jargon — like average recurring revenue, mutual plans and embedding/iFraming — and became well-versed in a variety of sales methodologies. By the time he applied to Klue, he knew how to talk and think like a tech sales rep.

2. Find Mentors in the Sales Community 

In addition to education, mentoring relationships can also have a huge impact on a candidate’s odds of breaking into tech sales, Gebrewold said. Expanding mentorship opportunities is now a critical part of the sales community for Black sellers he went on to co-found, called Sales for the Culture.

Gebrewold frequently sought feedback from his mentors on what to prepare for in each interview. In one instance, a mentor alerted him that the sales motion he was used to running at his current job in talent recruitment would be different from what Klue ran, so he’d need to go off-script to satisfy the manager’s requirements during the interview.

He also reached out to many of his connections to see if they’d vouch for him to Klue. Their notes to the hiring manager played an integral role in helping him get the position.

3. Showcase Your Listening and Communication Skills

Tech sales is all about understanding a customer’s problem and perspective, clarifying it for them and explaining how you can help solve that issue and the value behind your product. Even if a rep isn’t familiar with gap selling, they still have a shot at the job if they can showcase the ability to communicate and listen, Jordan said.

The best way to show those skills during an interview is to research the company like a prospect. Brush up on the company’s mission, its product and the team, Jordan said. Find out the hiring manager’s name ahead of time, study the role and read the company’s most recent news.

During the interview, explain how you fit into the company’s mission and how you can help solve a challenge relevant to the role you’re applying for, Jordan said. Sprinkle the conversation with pertinent questions, like how a funding round or the launch of a new product will impact the team’s growth. When a candidate can do that, it shows the manager they have the foundational skills necessary to succeed in sales.

“It shows me they’re willing to learn and that they’re hungry,” Jordan said. “They took the time to care enough to do the research and show that they care about our company mission and me and my team. That does set them apart.”

4. Find Creative Ways to Tell Your Story

No matter how well a candidate communicates their skills, they still have to overcome the experience barrier. When Gebrewold applied to Klue, the company was only looking for five-year tech sales veterans to fill its open account executive roles. He knew if he’d need to plant a hunch — a tiny voice in the back of the manager’s mind that doubted that requirement because of his skills.

Gebrewold started by expanding his relationships within Klue. He connected with a former HR manager on LinkedIn, who introduced him to the top account executive on the staff. He then sent her a note asking if she’d be willing to connect. She helped shed light on what it was like working at Klue and introduced him to the sales director and HR director.

From there, Gebrewold sent the sales director a report he thought would be relevant to him and a video message detailing his background. Crucially, he added that he’d follow up after his first interview. As he later learned, the HR director didn’t recommend him for the position after the first interview because she preferred someone with more experience. But she loved Gebrewold’s enthusiasm in the first video, and his second video message solidified his intrigue.

“I did little things like tell a bit of my story, weaved in the values, tied back to the original story, and then at the end, I did something funny to stand out. I snapped a crayon in half, [the name of] one of our competitors, and said ‘I’m excited to help y’all totally out-compete your competitor,’” Gebrewold said. “I don’t know what sales director isn’t like, ‘I want to meet that guy.’”

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